West Blue: The Opening Act- A First Mission for Kaizen and Red

“Vermillion Slice!”

Reiko swung the Kurenai Whip out across the deck of the ship, bringing it down hard on the barrel that was opposite her. The wood gave way, splintering beneath the force of the cable as a resounding crack echoed throughout the ship.
Red strode across the deck, walking through the freshly formed debris and admiring her own handiwork.

“The range could be improved upon,” she commented aloud, coiling her belt back up into a neat loop at her belt. “But the speed and force has come along nicely. Yes, I do think this attack will come in handy in the near future…”

She looked up and out over the bow of the commandeered ship, her hair pulled by the ocean breeze, as the faint outline of an island appeared on the horizon.
Red let out a sigh of relief: it wasn’t that she hadn’t enjoyed her travels so far but trying to sail a ship of that size with just two people was a tiresome affair. Docking into port would be a welcome break…even if they were technically docking into the harbour because they had a job to do.

Red had risen early that morning, leaving the bed, washing, dressing and taking a walk around the ship to give her legs a stretch, (and to remind herself how to walk normally).
She had ended up in the galley and after rootling around through the pantry, had sourced the ingredients to make one of the few things that she had any cuisine-based knowledge around: pancakes.
After making a large stack of golden, fluffy pancakes and treating herself to a few, Red added a sprinkling of cherries and strawberries to the second half of the stack and left them out for Kaizen.
Unable to resist being a little mischievous, she left him a little note next to the berry-covered pancakes.
The note read: “I bet these don’t taste as good without a little of our special ingredients…”

Red, now standing on the deck of the ship, giggled to herself at the idea before starting to stretch, bending over and limbering up. She had no idea what to expect from their next assassination gig so she planned on being in the best shape she could manage.

Kaizen woke up after he heard a snapping sounds followed by wood breaking. Kaizen memorized that noise, it was Red's whip. Kaizen stretched his arms by placing them in front of him and pushed himself forward; he was stretching his back. Kaizen slowly walked out of his bed and started to let one leg move to his side while the other bent to let that leg stretch. He stood straight while one leg bent and the other straightened itself while abducted from him.

After repeating this for both of his legs several times he started doing a few push-ups. Kaizen had an average man's strength, and he needed to work on that, but for now he'll just have to manage with just maintaining his shape. Kaizen took a bottle of water and chucked it down before jumping over the 'padio fence' and landing in front of the kitchen. Through the kitchen he walked inside the showering room where he took a very quick shower with his clothes on. When he left he was without them.

Kaizen walked back to his room and picked out his choice of clothes. He wore his usual white shirt with black silky smooth pants and high socks along with his fancy Italian-style shoes (these have black snakes on the bottom, like all of his shoes). Kaizen put on a black coat with thin white lines going down vertically throughout the coat. He put his striped fedora on his head and walked towards the kitchen to look for food (after walking by it before to shower and back out, naked, to change).

He eventually found red, stretching while looking down, and pancakes in front of him. Kaizen's face looked intrigued when he saw Red's bottom sticking out while she stretched. Half of him wanted to start the morning tired because of it, but he didn't want to risk the mission.

While Kaizen ate his pancakes he thought about receiving a letter from a raven a few days ago. Kaizen doesn't usually get mail, in fact, this was his second time getting it. When he opened it he saw a face, name, some minor details, a very brief mission, and money. Kaizen didn't need to ask questions, this person obviously didn't need or want any.. he went right towards the point, quickly, and probably expects similar results.

He ate his pancakes and pondered about the mission. Red seemed like she was in shape, probably even more then Kaizen by the looks of the near perfect tone in her body. Kaizen bit his lip; half of him craved her flesh already.. like an addict without his 'high'. However, he restrained himself, even while she tempted him with her movements.

Kaizen noticed the note on his pancakes while eating them. He bit his lip harder thinking about the 'cherry picking' he did a few days ago. If he ever did that again he'd probably murder her for tempting him to that amount. He remembered the marks around his length and his painful, yet extremely satisfying, climax. By the end of today he had to make her just as much of an addict as him, if not much more. However, he'll maintain himself for now. His thoughts had to concentrate on the mission at hand.. even if they partly aren't. He sipped his juice, conveniently located next to his pancakes, and eye'd Red for a few minutes before speaking to surprise her.

"Red, my dear, our mission includes a man by the name of Galley. Apparently he's a pirate with quite a few crew members, thirty, however.. they're all Orphans, or Sons and Daughters, of the same village. He recruited them and convinced them to become pirates. Our job is to find him and kill him without killing his crew members.. and no, they're not kids, they're all over 16. Your job will be to look pretty and walk through their doorsteps without any suspicion, they're still hiring after all. That shouldn't be too hard, right? You'll distract them while I find an opening to kill the captain.. if you find, or make, an opening for yourself then kill him." Kaizen didn't know which situations could happen, but he hoped his plan went smoothly. If he ended up causing a ruckus in the ship, by being found, she'll have to take matters into her own hands. Fighting pirates without killing them is hard work.

"Your devil fruit training, btw, begins when you ask me. Remember though, if I train you then you have to fulfill whatever Desire I wish." Kaizen smirked his usual fake and calm smile. He wanted Red to drop her guard around him so he could grab her that night. He had no doubt they'd survive the mission, he only hoped they could complete it.

Red’s eyes snapped open and she straightened up with a jump at the sound of Kaizen’s voice.
Somebody needed to put a bell on this guy: she hadn’t even heard him walk out on to the deck.
“Morning King Cobra,” she saluted, listening to his mission brief for the day. The premise of the plan didn’t sound too difficult. After all, she’d spent most of her life on the sea charming and flirting her way on to ships.

However, this time she was specifically working with the aim of keeping the crew from noticing that their captain was about to be killed. Additionally, if Kaizen couldn’t make the kill or if she was given the opportunity, she’d have to kill this “Galley” fellow herself.
It wasn’t like she hadn’t killed someone before but that had usually been by proxy, in a crossfire or to assist someone else’s getaway or her own. Killing one specific target was going to be a challenge.
At the same time, it was also going to be tough to axe the captain alone without taking out any of his crew in the process.
Any of all thirty of them.
Red, however, was determined not to show that Kaizen any sign that she was in any way unnerved.

“Ok, that sounds doable,” Red commented confidently, continuing her stretching- bending backwards to work her abdominal muscles. “I can certainly look pretty and I can definitely keep a group of people distracted and entertained.”
She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it out of her face. “If you ask me, it sounds like our client is a concerned parent of some kind. I mean if this guy robbed an entire village of their young generation…he’s gotta have a few enemies among their families…”
Red uncoiled her whip once more, letting it fall to the floor at her side. “Hmpf. Any guy called “Galley”- named after a ship’s kitchen- can’t be too tough.” She lashed the whip outward, swiping the lid off of a nearby barrel.
She smirked and shrugged. “Then again, if he convinced thirty headstrong teens to jump on a ship with him, he must be a pretty smooth talker. I’d better be sure he doesn’t convince me to run away with him, eh, Kaizen-kun?”

She strode over to the barrel and helped herself to one of the apples inside before coiling her whip up once more. Kaizen was talking about training her to use her Devil Fruit powers.
Red smirked wider, letting her teeth sink into the papery skin of the apple and swallowing down a bite before returning to the snake-like assassin. “I see. Well, I figured that such tuition would come with a price.”
Red strutted back over to Kaizen, one hand on her hips- clad in her denim shorts, corset and white blouse. “I think I’m alright with those terms. In fact, let’s start tonight...if we’re not too tired.” She winked. “You give me a little lesson and if I’m satisfied with your teaching skills…I’ll satisfy my Kaizen-sensei.”

Giving a slight snort of laughter, Red sauntered over to the edge of the deck to sit down. “So when do we get started then. Are you going to give me some cues I need to abide by? Some special signals I need to learn?” She tilted her head. “And if I’m going to properly seduce my way on to this crew, I need to know what angle I’m going for….do you want me to dress up like a proper smouldering temptress with everything on show and everything to give?” Red playfully knelt up, squeezing her chest forward to increase her cleavage. “Or a pretty, sweet, innocent maiden just begging for someone to take advantage of her?”
Red fluttered her eyelids and puckered her lips jokingly. “You’d be amazed how many sea-dogs fall head over heels for that one…”

She crossed her legs, taking another bite of her apple. “On another note…did you enjoy your pancakes?”

Kaizen smirked when Red said 'Morning King Cobra after he sneaked up on her. He couldn't believe that those words came out of her mouth. He'll have to tell her that his snake is actually a black mamba, not a cobra of any kind. However, Kaizen had to admit that he found that name.. entertaining. He wasn't planning on keeping it, but the name sounded like a compliment.

When Kaizen finished explaining the mission Red didn't show much of a worry. usually that means that she is either confident in her skills, or that she has done this enough time to feel confident. Kaizen couldn't tell if she was faking the calm demeanor so he had to go with what he heard. Kaizen continued to eat his pancakes until he finished them. He enjoyed their natural fluffy texture and the sweet syrup that she poured on top. This soft, juicy, and wet feeling reminded him of yesterday. Kaizen smirked, he'll have to focus on today or his mission will fail before it even began.

Red mentioned that she could definitely look pretty. Kaizen nodded, knowing that her looks will easily attract them and give her access to their ship without much of an argument in the crew. She then talked about the client being parents of the island. "I agree. The client could be a parent, or someone that wants to save the island's future generation. The client also has to have ties in the underworld, since that's the only way we would be receiving this letter." Kaizen pondered for a moment at the thought of this being a trap but ignored it when he remembered the amount of money that was already in the envelope. Ten thousand now, and ten thousand later in the village well when the job has been confirmed.

Red commented on the guy's name. Apparently Galley was named after a ship's kitchen. Kaizen had to make note of that for the future, in case any pirates talked about the ship. One never knows when knowledge can be an asset to a mission.

Then Kaizen's small smirk vanished when Red mentioned the man 'wooing' her from the group. Kaizen hid his frustration and talked in the cold tone he spoke to her a few nights ago, when he was forcing himself in her. "Yes, make sure that doesn't happen. Because if it does.. well, the mission only requires that I not kill the youth of the village." Kaizen's smile grew so the sides of his face. He didn't know it yet, but Kaizen was a very jealous man. He is so jealous, in fact, that he won't think twice about killing Red and the man she ends up with.. or the alternative, which is much worse.

She agreed to his teaching conditions. If only she knew what it truly meant. At least now she owed him when she learned about transformations. She bit a piece from the apple. If she was satisfied with his teaching then she'd satisfy 'him' tonight. Kaizen walked over to Red and placed his finger under her chin; he forced it up to look directly into his eyes. "My Red, I'll make sure you know how to harness your invisibility by the end of today." Kaizen leaned forward, in what looked like an attempt to kiss her lips, but walked past her to the fridge. He wanted to tease her for as long as he could. "Your transformations are triggered by emotions right now. All we have to do is either harness them, or find the feeling that comes with them that lets you transform. It should be simple enough. I'll show you in the mission." Kaizen couldn't help but feel some pride when she called him 'Kaizen-sensei', however he tried not to show any hints.

Kaizen then heard her questions and answered accordingly. As long as the questions were relevant to the mission, and important, Kaizen didn't mind answering them for as long as it took to complete the questions. "We're almost at the island. The only thing you should know for cues, for now, is hearing about a black snake in the ship. If you hear about me it means that I've been caught, or noticed, and that you are in danger if they suspect you. If you hear about that then it's your job to get the mission done as quickly and effectively as possible." Kaizen then looked at her expressions. One of them was a pouty girl, and the other was a near perfect seductress. Kaizen wondered about the group that she was going to infiltrate. The leader obviously had a thing for younger people, even if it probably isn't sexual towards the ones he chose (only probably, but it's possible). In this situation, with the adolescents and the man on board having questionable motives and a history of grabbing innocent people from the village, the later would be the better option.

"I'd say the innocent girl. It's easier for her to infiltrate their ship then a seductress. Even if I personally don't mind either." Kaizen intentionally flirted with Red to keep her teased and interested in the game he created. This mission was simple so he'll have to make it more interesting.

"We'll be in the island in about two hours. Get yourself ready now because you'll need to look innocent the second we're near the island. I'll be at the helm if you need anything.. and I enjoyed your pancakes. I enjoyed the note a little more." Kaizen walked out of the room, smiling, and took command of the helm. He'll have to keep this straight so he can reach the island.

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Two hours later the ship reached the island. Kaizen took off his coat, his tie, and his fedora and walked out of the ship. He's less noticeable without expensive clothes. Kaizen walked towards at the shore and left Red without warning alone in the ship. She needed to walk towards the dock and get access to the ship that was docking. About 100 feet from the area that Kaizen docked was a ship with two young men, no more then twenty years old, guarding the 'bridge' to the ship. They both had cutlass swords around their waists, which made them look somewhat intimidating to the untrained eye. But with a closer look, and an experienced person, someone could see the 'doubt' in their eyes even with the weapons around their waist. It's likely that they didn't know how to use a sword. They looked especially shy for men that were over 6 feet (1.8 meters) high and enough muscle to show that they were both probably farmers.

Red had been capable of thinking straight and keeping a cool, calm smile on her face up until the moment when Kaizen’s own smile vanished completely.
The sudden coldness in his voice took her by surprise but she instantly recognised it.
It was the voice that had ghosted her ears, in a twisted fusion of mocking and tender, as Kaizen’s hands roughly gripped her body.
She could suddenly vividly recalled his claws grazing her skin, his tongue dragging across her neck, his breath on her face… and all as one of two thick appendages ploughed between her legs, stretching her and tearing her until she cried.

Red’s smile quickly faded and her mouth went dry, an uncontrollable shudder running through her. She had been teasing him with the idea of running away with Galley as a joke but Kaizen had taken it completely seriously.
He threatened her, making it crystal clear that he planned on ending her life if she were to end up leaving him in favour of the pirate captain.
For a moment, Reiko Fujiwara’s blood ran cold at the weight of Kaizen Shikkaku’s words. His statement implied that a kind of possessiveness about her.

“He’ll probably never let me near another person,”Red thought, her heart starting to beat far more erratically. “I’ll probably never sleep with another man again without having to worry that he’ll come after me…”
Red’s lips trembled but she forced herself to smirk slightly, her eyes quickly darting downward to hide her evident fear. “…there’s no need to be so worried. If you keep me interested, I’ll keep my eyes on you…”

It was ironic, considering that her eyes were now on the floor.

In response to her acceptance of his teaching terms with a certain “term” of her own, Red heard Kaizen’s voice turn to velvet tones. His finger delicate lifted her chin, guiding her to look up into his eerie but captivating green eyes.
She tried to restrain herself, trying to keep herself confident and level-headed, trying to remind herself who Kaizen Shikkaku was and what he had done to her…

But as he promised her- with certainty that only a man of power could pull off- that he would ensure that she mastered her Devil Fruit powers, Red felt her pulse quicken. The blood began to race in her neck, turning her face aflush as he gently brought his lips to hers.
Unable to control the sudden urge that he inspired in her, Red instinctively lifted her face and softly puckered her lips, preparing for a kiss…

…a kiss that never happened.

Kaizen walked straight past her, heading to the fridge as though he had never intended to kiss her in the first place.
Red frowned: this man was just as much of a tease as she was and almost twice the manipulative villain that she would ever be.
She was never going to let him know that though. Red brushed herself and turned around, feeling slightly embarrassed but attempting to disguise it by throwing her head back confidently.
“Mmph... I’d better have a good grasp of my transformations by the time you’re through with me, Kaizen-sensei, or you can bet I’ll never have a good grasp on any part of you again…”

Red listened to his guidelines and nodded, noting that they’d be docking in two hours. She couldn’t help but smile when Kaizen commented that he enjoyed the pancakes, (and the note).
“You’re welcome,” she muttered, rather quietly, turning away to look at her reflection in the gleaming, bevelled surface of a nearby pot.
Kaizen made a good point: innocence was probably a good angle to work with.
The thief-turned-assassin walked back to the bedroom, taking up her satchel and checking her purse of Beli.

“If I’m going for the look of an innocent virgin maiden,” Red decided, shrugging the leather satchel on her shoulder. “I’m going to have to take a little shopping trip when we go ashore…”
She sat down on the edge of the bed, putting her hand on her chest and waiting for her heartbeat to steady.
Why and how the Hell was Kaizen doing this to her?
There were times when she feared him and times when she desired him.
There were times when she felt like she hated him and then times when she could almost swear that she l-…

“No,” Red affirmed, taking a small ornamental comb from the front pocket in her satchel and starting to tame her wild and wavy hair. “No…you need to stop thinking like that…”
She couldn’t afford to think that way.
This was her first mission as an assassin and one wrong could cost her so much more than a few free drinks.
Red looked downwards, taking a ribbon from her pocket and using it to gather her hair back into a high ponytail- tying it off in a rather school-girlish bow.

His flirtation was suffocating, his control was unavoidable and even when he reviled her most, Red could never deny that she wanted him.
She just hoped that want would not serve as too much of a distraction today.

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The two, strapping young lads at the gangplank were the quintessential “farm-boys” that Red had expected them to be.
From what Kaizen had described and from what she could see- both fellows looked as though they’d never seen a day of battle in their lives. Red was willing to put money on the fact that both were already experiencing acute seasickness as well as intense homesickness already.

Red took a deep breath and stepped out from the helmsman’s dock, where she’d been standing.
Kaizen had left her to accomplish his portion of the mission alone. Despite not being able to see him, she was almost certain that he was watching her…or at least that’s what it felt like.

“Well, I’d better put on a good show then…”

She had made a shopping trip right before approaching the ship.
Red was now clad in a pretty pale blue dress, trimmed with fine white lace that came down to her knees.
It was girlish and sweet but had a neckline that dipped to show just the right amount of cleavage. Initially, the petticoat wasn’t thick enough to disguise the shape of Red’s hips or legs.
She had decided that if this was going to work, she was going to have to use every weapon in her arsenal. When Red had bought the dress, it was a dress that a man would want to see on his prized lady.
Red wore the dress, however, as a dress that any man would want to eagerly tear off his prized lady.

Her make-up done to perfection- light but illuminating, to accentuate the roundness of her eyes and the plumpness of her lips- and her hair in her sweet, schoolgirly ponytail from earlier, Red approached the gangplank.

She kept her eyes downcast, coyly pretending to be shy and retiring as she walked up to the two young men.
“Oh wow,” Red breathed softly, looking up at the ship from beneath her eyelashes and feigning pure amazement. “I’ve never been this close to a real ship before…” She looked to the two men, trying to look as bashful as possible, (like a girl who didn’t have a lot of experience talking to humans of the male persuasion). “Uhm…hi there, my name is Reiko…I’m seventeen years old and…I…I’m one of the locals here…” She pretended to drop her satchel, deliberately bending over to give the boys a nice view of her frilly underwear and also a good eyeful of her stretching cleavage. All the while, she maintained her fresh-faced, awkward, virginal act. “So…so…I heard that you’re crew is hiring at the moment and well…I…I’d like to talk to Captain Galley…if that’s alright with you two…”
Red looked down at one of the cutlasses and gave a gasp in mock-amazement. “Oh my goodness…are those real swords? Are you both swordsmen? That is absolutely incredible….I’ve never met a real swordsman before…” She lowered her voice to a whisper, cutely leaning in close to the two boys. “I’ve never met real pirates before either…”

Kaizen watched Red go straight to the shopping market. He completely forgot that Red didn't have clothes on the ship other then the usual. Kaizen only had his usual three pairs of clothes; this was one of them. He distinctly remembered Red telling him that if he didn't teach her how to transform by today that she wouldn't be 'grabbing anything' tonight. That was almost a tease. He'll have to find a way to show her in the middle of the mission. A little improvising never hurt anyone.

When she left the market she wore a white dress that came down to her knees. It showed her figure just enough to make any man gulp. Her cleavage showed just enough for the imagination to take its course. Even though Kaizen already saw her body, leaving little to the imagination, he couldn't help but gulp the slightest bit when he saw her walking. It's a good thing Red will never hear of this. The last thing Kaizen wanted was for Red to think he had any 'feelings' to begin with, not that he didn't have any towards her. He's not going to give her the satisfaction.

He followed her through the crowds in his almost casual attire while walking through the crowd. He turned into a snake, instantly, in the middle of the crowd while nobody was looking. Kaizen in his black mamba form was a 14 foot long snake (4.26 or 4.3 meters). In this form the people of the village naturally ignored the object underneath their eyes while in the thickness of the crowd. Kaizen soon went inside an alley and continued to follow Red, by the brief views he saw her through windows, cracks, fences, and alley ways, until he found her in front of the bridge leading to the enemy ship.

Two young adults were now eyeing Red. Kaizen instinctively unsheathed his hidden fangs. He wanted to bite them and watch them die, but he had to finish the mission without casualties.. if one family complains the other half of his money is gone, and so is his reputation. Kaizen settled for biting a nearby dog and strangling him until the pitbull passed out. Kaizen left the canine alone to die and quickly slithered towards Red while remaining in the shadows (this was to take advantage of his black body).

Kaizen witnessed Red's play. She played the part perfectly. She 'dropped' her satchel and bent over to pick it up. If memory serves right she had some cleavage showing before, but now it's definitely noticeable. Kaizen noticed the shocked expression on both of the farm-boys faces. They were completely enthralled by her. They were, however, too shy to make a move (other then eyeing her cleavage uncomfortably). One of them, the taller one by a few centimeters with broad shoulders, black short hair, and old grey tattered clothing, walked forward to speak.

"S-Sure, our captain would LOVE to have you around!" He admired her looking at his cutlass sword, she even called them swordsmen. The two farm-boys smiled and looked embarrassed (the expression was written perfectly across their face). The one that spoke earlier continued to talk for the two. "Yeah, we're pirates! We recently turned into them, but so far it's been nothing but a blast! We pillaged a merchant ship earlier." The farmboy would have talked for hours, but he remembered that the girl was here to see the captain. The second farm-boy bowed his head and closed his eyes. He was trying not to look directly at the 'very cute 17 year-old'. The first farm-boy turned around to show Red the way to the ship.

Kaizen used this opportunity to run towards Red. Without warning he slithered up her leg, all 4 meters of him, and wrapped himself around her thigh near countless times. The only part that wasn't tied up was his head, which stuck out just beneath her crotch. It's an improvised way to make it inside the ship, but it's a great way non-the-less. This way he didn't run the risk of getting caught trying to get inside the ship. He couldn't swim on board, and there was two farmers looking out for anything unusual. A 14 foot snake was very 'unusual'. The only good thing about Kaizen's full form was that it was also thin, which meant that he wasn't too heavy at least. He only hoped Red could walk with him without limping TOO much.

Kaizen tried not to fool around while inside her dress, he just hoped she wouldn't feel too excited while he was inside or he'll have to hold back temptation that he's rarely seen since before meeting Red. He gritted his fangs and kept waiting for the right time to leave her thigh. He'll have to find the perfect moment to attack the boss afterwards.

When Red walked inside the ship the first farm-boy walked directly to the captains cabin. The farm-boy knocked on the door four times and waited until the sound of footsteps made it to the door, unlocking it. The door opened and a man, roughly forty years old with a five o clock shadow and a great figure, invited Red to come in with the farm-boy. Inside the room was five other youngsters. The forty year old man was the obvious captain of the ship.

"Hello there, what is your name? I'm Galley, the captain of this ship, and I see that you are here to join the crew. However, I'd like to know why you want to join." Galley kept the farm-boy inside the room to make sure her story matched the one she gave him, if she gave him any. Ge couldn't help but stare at the young and impossibly beautiful girl standing in front of him. His eyes narrowed to her cleavage. He could barely believe what he was seeing, it was almost too good to be true.

Finally someone in the crew that he could take to his room. First he'll have to make sure that she is just as innocent as she looks.

Red smirked, watching and feeling the young men’s eyes travel all over her body and revelling in the fact that her act was working perfectly. She continued to blush and preen, pretending to look delighted when the boys agreed to show her on to the ship.
She gave a happy squeal and smiled widely. “Oh thank you! Thank you so much! You’re both so kind…”

She started to follow them, moving to take one of their arms when suddenly she felt something cold and leathery shoot up her leg and wind itself around her bare thigh beneath her petticoat.
She cried out at the feeling at first but then realised that it was Kaizen in his snake form. Red squirmed slightly at the sensation but not necessarily because it was uncomfortable. It was because Kaizen’s serpentine head was now practically brushing the crotch of her frilly, white panties.

To disguise her reaction to Kaizen’s sudden appearance, Red quickly crouched down, pretending to have dropped her satchel again.
“A warning of some kind would have been nice,” she hissed under her breath, knowing that Kaizen could hear her.
She swallowed as she walked, managing to keep her gait from looking too awkward by stopping every now and then to pretend to be admiring the ship. Kaizen could probably feel her blood pounding in her arteries at this point.
As his grip on her thigh tightened and his head moved against her crotch, Red could feel herself becoming aroused. The memories of his tongue working inside of her, teasing her bud and petals until she was gasping his name, were causing her to slowly grow wet. For a single, bizarre, crazy second, all she could do was thank Poseidon that she'd remembered to wax earlier that morning....
“Stop thinking about it,” she told herself, knuckling her forehead. “Concentrate on the mission.”

She was introduced to Galley and as soon as his eyes fell upon her, she could feel that her appearance was having its intended effect.
This was going to be as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.
Or it might have been easier if Red didn’t have a fourteen foot Black Mamba coiled around her upper thigh.

“Hello Captain Galley. It’s so lovely to meet you,” Red said softly and sweetly, managing a cute curtsey to him. “My name is Reiko. I’m seventeen years old and I’m a local here. You see, my father is a shipwright and for as long as I can remember, he’s been sheltering me and trying to keep me from seeing the world.” She looked up at him with big blue eyes, pretending to be in despair. “I’ve always read about all these fantastic, far away places and magical islands and the wonderful, exciting lives that pirates lead…and I guess I’ve always dreamed that a pirate would come and take me away…” She giggled, looking shy again. “I know it sounds silly but I’ve decided that I’m almost a fully-grown woman now. I want to make my own decisions…I want to become a pirate…”

Deciding that the deal needed to be sealed, she stepped forward to stand a little closer to Galley but kept her bashful, innocent facial features. “I’m so frightened though, Galley-san. I need someone to take care of me and to teach me…because like I said, I’m only seventeen and I haven’t seen much of the world…I was hoping that you could be the one to do that…” She bowed her head, still looking up at him from beneath her eyelashes.
Taking a breath and deciding that she’d need to tempt the Captain further, Red made one final flirty gesture. After all, she’d need to get Galley alone somehow.

She pretended to drop her satchel again, giving a cute little squeak and forcing herself to blush. “I’m so sorry! I’m so clumsy!”
Red crouched down to keep Kaizen hidden but as she picked the bag up, she stuck her chest out to let him see her cleavage at its fullest and allowed her breasts to bounce as she stood up fully.

"Right, let this geezer try to resist that," Red thought, hiding a smirk as she straightened up and adopting her innocent visage once more.

Kaizen wrapped himself tightly around her thigh, but he didn't expect her heartbeat to increase. Was she scared of him? Kaizen was in a perfect position to bite her at this point, and there weren't many other reasons for an increased heartbeat except for Kaizen's current weight. Kaizen entertained his mind while he 'got comfortable' underneath her skirt. Kaizen also noticed that when he crawled up her leg she made a small squeal, which would normally give the other two a reason to suspect something happened.. but she bowed down instead, apparently she 'dropped her satchel'.

She told Kaizen to warn her the next time he decided to do something like that again. Kaizen talked back in a whisper, but in a mocking tone, "I'll put that signal on my to do list, something that says 'btw, I'm going to crawl up your leg now so don't squeal adorably'." Kaizen smirked but withheld a laugh that would normally accompany it. He did enjoy her screams too much compared to a normal sane person.

Just as she stood up again and started walking Kaizen noticed something else that was odd. As she walked through the ship her crotch became moist. He smirked and realized that the reason her blood was pumping this fast was because Kaizen was underneath her dress. He wanted to abuse this situation more, but he thought that the mission would be ruined if he had too much fun. Kaizen withheld from doing anything that would give her position away.. although her scent, sensation on the tip of his head, and smooth skin made him doubt his choice of priorities. But the mission had to continue.. even if temptation was literally on the top of his head.

Eventually she walked into a room and was greeted by an obviously older voice. She was already in a different room when Kaizen heard his voice, and he knew this because he heard the door close behind him. People walked around the room, Kaizen tried to make a careful note of where each of them stopped.

Galley introduced himself and asked Red why she wanted to join the crew. Kaizen almost jumped when he realized that he didn't give Red her background story! Kaizen was usually alone in these missions, and he had at least a dozen different stories to choose from in most situations. Kaizen prepared himself to spring out of her dress by slowly uncoiling his body around her thigh, but she started talking and Kaizen started tightening his grip once more.

She had a story for them.

She walked, to what Kaizen assumed was, closer to Galley and dropped her satchel again. Kaizen thought it was for the same reason she did it in front of the other two farm boys. It's a good thing Galley will be dead soon.

She stood up again and Kaizen could hear the old man's words from the soft fabric of the dress. "I'll be happy to teach you all there is to know about piracy. I- WE'LL welcome you to my ship. You'll share your bunk room with the others, but let me know if you need anything." Galley turned around clapping on the way to his room. The others started clapping as well, apparently clapping was the way they initiated their fellow allies. Kaizen didn't want the mission to take ANY longer then it had too, and the last thing he wanted was to sleep in the exact same position that he was in with Red. THAT would be torture.

PG-18, anyone who finds smut insulting or is under 18 should not read this:

Kaizen attempted to get Red in the mood so she'd instinctively get Galley alone in his room just to make it stop. Now she didn't have a choice. Even if she climaxed Kaizen will keep going until she gets him alone in a room. This way she'll probably look scared, some actors find it hard to fake a red face that goes through make-up, and sweating. Maybe she'll tell him she's scared of being in the same room as countless other men, or something. Kaizen just wanted her to be alone in a room, because he was NOT going to stay in this position until she found time to herself. In a ship with thirty men it's very hard to find that time.

Galley turned around to look at Red, if she was blushing and sweating he'd suspect that something was wrong with her, or that she was terrified about something. He looked worried so he walked up to her, "Are you okay Reiko?" Part of him instinctively wanted to rip her dress apart, but he didn't know why.

Red revelled in the applause that confirmed her place, (or to be more precise: her character’s place), on Galley’s crew. She smiled sweetly, pretending to be surprised but happy when in actual fact she had been more than confident that her performance would warrant success.
Her objective had been achieved…
…but only partly.
Now Galley was starting to leave. Kaizen was supposed to be the one to end him and the snake-man himself was still wrapped around her upper thigh.

Just as Red was starting to wonder what exactly she should do next, Kaizen did something that there was no way in high Heaven or Hell that she would have been able to predict.

Smut Within. Avoid if you're young, innocent and easily offended.:

It was only when Galley turned around and questioned her about her suddenly flushed appearance that Red understood. Kaizen needed to attack Galley when he was alone and due to him being coiled around her leg, he needed Red to corner Galley on his own.
Galley’s sudden anxiousness about her odd demeanor was an opportunity to be seized and it was time for Red to seize it.

Deciding that desperate times called for desperate measures, Red stumbled forward, pretending to feel woozy and fatigued. “I’m s-sorry, Captain. I’m just…I just feel so weak…I…I need some fresh air…”

She took Galley’s arm, leaning against him for support and guiding him to follow her out on to the decking. Red applied the tiniest amount of pressure to his arm, pulling him out on to the deck with her but making him think that he was still the one who was in control.
She used him as a human crutch, bringing him to stand at the wooden railing and pressing her head to Galley’s arm.
“I’m sorry. I get a little nervous around large groups of people and I suppose I’m already feeling a little homesick,” she told him softly, making her voice sound as sweet as honey, dripping from her lips. “Is there somewhere I could just lie down alone? Maybe if you aren’t too busy, you could answer a few questions I have about life on the seas?”

The damsel-in-distress routine was her best shot but Red still couldn’t be certain that he’d take her to his own private quarters, ensuring that they were alone. He could still assign a member of the crew to look after her.
She swallowed deeply, knowing that in order for the mission to succeed, they needed certainty. She had to resort to one of her last chance plans.

“Captain Galley,” she said in almost a whisper, making sure to press herself against his arm as she held on to his body. “I’m afraid I told a little bit of a lie. I still want adventure and freedom…but there’s another reason why I chose to join your crew above all others.” She ran her hand down the side of her skirt, pretending to smooth the frills while all the while, stroking Kaizen’s sides to placate him. “You see, I was in my bedroom one evening and I saw your ship pull into port. I saw you walking on the deck and I had never seen a man so handsome and powerful looking…you looked just like the great pirate men in my books…” She looked to the side. “I’ve…I’ve never been with a man before. I’ve…I’ve never …never even kissed anyone…but…” She pretended to be very shy, trying to hide her face and knowing that at this point, Galley would be prepared to kill just to see the look in her eyes. “…but when I saw you…I just felt like…like I had instantly….fallen in love with you…”

She gave a soft giggle, looking downward but keeping her body close to his side. “I’m so sorry for my silly little crush…but if we are to travel together for a long time….I just thought it was something you should know…”

Red swallowed, hoping that Kaizen would stop his teasing soon. It felt heavenly but there was only so long that she could restrain herself from getting vocal about how good she felt.
Galley made her skin crawl- definitely not someone she’d go after in her everyday escapades- but hopefully her false admission of young love would tempt the forty year old sleaze into taking the “seventeen year old” Reiko into his bedroom alone.

While Kaizen continued his performance, Red grabbed galley's arm and started to walk outside the room. Galley thought he led the walk, but it was actually Red's light pushes that aimed him towards the door. When Galley and Red made it outside she started to talk to him. Kaizen wasn't slowing down, and he didn't plan to stop until she put Kaizen alone in the room with the man.. or until SHE was alone with the man.

She asked Galley if there was a place where she could lay down alone. She mentioned that she felt nauseous, it might have something to do with being homesick. Galley touched her forehead and saw that she was a little warm. Her skin felt moist too, which meant that she could have a fever. Kaizen's plan was working, and Red's acting sold it.

Galley was about to call for the nurse of the ship, but Red confessed to Galley. He looked at her for a moment with a confused expression across his face. This girl saw him on the ship and fell for him? Is that why she's this flushed? He looked at her eyes and saw nothing but truth in them. he smirked and grabbed her hand, he then kissed it.

"Come with me to my room, there's enough privacy there for the two of us. I'll even tell you some information that you are looking for."

Kaizen, in the other hand, was not as pleased as Galley. Red rubbed Kaizen's side, which calmed him. The only down side was that Red's acting was a little too good. Kaizen turned jealous, even if most of him knew it wasn't true. It didn't help that Galley kissed her hand (which Kaizen heard through the dress, he only HOPED Galley kissed the hand, it could have been her cheek or lips for all he knew). Kaizen's jealousy grew the more the thought festered in his mind. He unknowingly let those feelings take control of his actions, and his tongue grew in speed.

PG-18, nobody under 18 should read this text, the same for those that are easily offended:

Galley grabbed Red's hand and slowly walked towards his room. Along the way he stopped to talk to the five people in the room where Red was initiated. The conversation took about five minutes, but the kids were asked to wait outside until the captain told them to come back in. The five men walked outside and closed the door behind them. Galley then walked towards his room, with a shaking hand, and took the keys from his pocket. He briefly turned around and smiled at Red, whom would probably be shaking by now with 'anticipation'.

He opened the door, but saw that another one of his men was inside waiting for him. This one was a sixteen year old male with long black hair. Galley sighed and talked to him as well. The kid and him talked about a problem bellow the deck. Apparently there was a small rumor about a possible uprising inside the ship. The captain tried to dismiss it but the kid continued to talk about its possibility being enough reason to have it checked out. In the end Galley agreed to give the child the authority to check the ship for the suspects and interrogate them. The conversation, however, took about ten minutes.

During those fifteen minutes Kaizen did not slow down. In fact, during the last five minutes his speed only increased. This difference was like night and day. Worse case scenario was that she screamed and Kaizen will have to turn to his hybrid form and knock everyone out. But he preferred to keep the kids undamaged, it might make the ones that hired him happy.

The kid left and Galley made sure to hear the sound of the door closing before he continued to talk to Red.

"There, now we can talk like you wanted.. and I get to show you what it's like to be in love." Galley walked towards her and attempted to grab her shoulder and leaned in for a kiss. While he approached Red, Kaizen slithered out of her leg and into the shadows. If he caused too much of a commotion the other crew members will come storming inside the room. Kaizen waited in the shadows, but if Red kissed Galley in the lips he'll have two targets to kill. If Red killed Galley silently then Kaizen will have a front seat view to the show.

Red forced herself to smile happily as Galley kissed her hand, gazing up at him with love-struck, girlishly charmed eyes.
However it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her cool while Kaizen was “getting to work” beneath the folds of her frilly dress. She bit back a deep moan, trying to make it seem as though it was Galley’s attentions that were making her so hot and bothered.
She let the captain take her by the hand, furiously brushing Kaizen’s side with her other hand but pretending to be fiddling nervously with her skirt.

She didn’t know whether she was trying to reassure Kaizen or just to signal him to stop but either way, there was no way he was making this easy for her.
It was when Galley stopped for the first time to speak to the five youngsters from earlier that standing up became quite impossible for Red.

Smut ahead. You know the drill. Fifty Shades of One Piece ahoy!:

Breathing heavily from her own release, Red shuddered, almost automatically reaching beneath the folds of her dress to stroke Kaizen’s scaly body.
She desperately tried to compose herself, smoothing out her dress and running her fingers back through her hair to tame it back into submission as Galley entered the bedroom.

She felt Kaizen slither from her legs, presumably moving to hide somewhere else in the room.
Red felt bile start to rise in her throat as Galley suddenly moved closer to her, moving in for a kiss. She squirmed under his grip, hazy memories of reluctant hook-ups starting to cross her mind. Red, even as a much younger woman, had given her body to much older men in return for some favours on their part. This wasn’t the first time that a middle aged man was leering at her, moving his lips down to hers…however, this was the first time that she was both willing and in the right position to say no.

Red sharply turned her head, letting Galley’s mouth meet her neck instead and pushing him back straight away.
“Oh, captain,” she began saying softly. “I’m sorry about this but…I’ve lied to you about a few more things…maybe we should talk about them before I let you kiss me?”

Red pushed him back a little, one of her hands moving to the sash of her dress.
“For one thing, I’m not really interested in joining your crew or...well…joining “up” with you…”
Her voice started to become less soft and more assertive, the post climatic bliss washing over her and her adrenaline building. Red was slowly beginning to “transform” from the innocent girl to the confident woman that she knew.
“For another thing….I’m not exactly new to the whole pirate thing…in fact, I’m probably more seasoned than you, old man…”

Red didn’t know what Kaizen wanted her to do but he had told her to take an opening if she saw one and this was an opening. She quickly pulled out her Kurenai Whip which she had concealed in the silky, sash around her waist, letting the cable fall to the floor.
“Another thing I lied about? I’m not seventeen. I’m twenty-two…and one more thing?”

She whipped out the cable, slinging it around Galley’s neck and pulling the cable tightly. She wasn’t very strong but she was hoping leverage and the art of surprise gave her a distinct advantage. Using the whip as a garrotte as she had with Kaizen, Red tugged the whip until it was constricting Galley’s windpipe.
Red laughed darkly as the man’s face started to turn scarlet. Maybe he’d start to struggle and to fight back soon but she couldn’t care less. She knew her former mob-prince was watching her and for some reason, she was desperate to impress him…to show him her strength…to put her skills on display…

“I’m actually not a virgin at all. I’ve been with plenty of other men before…”

The climax filled Kaizen's mouth with juices. He made sure to lick as much as possible to make sure the fluid didn't move down her leg. Kaizen felt her hand palpate his body to 'soothe' him, presumably, and in a sense reward him for his good performance. Kaizen would have gone faster when he heard her voice whispering his name (that drove him further into ecstasy for some reason) but he was already moving as fast as he could manage. If it weren't for that her 'calling his name' would have made him go at his top speed. When she rubbed his body he felt like she was 'rewarding him' by smoothing his body. He'll have to control his emotions in the future, the last thing he wanted was a weakness.. however, it felt nice to taste her juices and get rubbed afterwards. That'll have to stay his secret.

He slithered out of her dress and into the shadows where he waited for the 'show' to begin.

Red suddenly began 'correcting' her earlier words. Galley was surprised, but didn't care at first if she wasn't interested in joining his crew. He felt like her feelings for him changed her mind.. but the only thing that changed in the conversation was her tone of voice, and her lies only piled up. When she told Galley that she was actually 22, his defenses were up. Now he knew that she lied about too many things to be in the ship for a serious reason.. However, before he could assume a defensive position he felt her whip lash around his neck. He fell forward and struggled to breath. As he lay dying Kaizen assumed his human form and walked out of the shadows.

Kaizen put his palm on the man's cheeks and casually stroke him to the bottom of his chin while Galley's face turned blue. Kaizen smiled as he saw the life slowly drift from the man's face.

"I'm sure you thought that you were 'helping' these kids by letting them run away from home, but unfortunately for you.. rights and wrongs don't mean anything to assassins."

Red's laugh almost echoed through the small room. It was dark, and Kaizen liked it. Galley gasped for air but nothing came in. He wanted to talk back to Kaizen, but he didn't give him a chance. Red didn't give Galley a chance. Kaizen waited for Galley to stop struggling before he gave Red the okay to let him go. Kaizen walked up to her and kissed Red in the lips, suddenly, to show her how proud he was of her. Even if he didn't know if she even needed his approval.

Kaizen swapped spit for a moment before he got back to the task at hand.

"We have to leave. Lucky for you I have a plan, but, you have to turn invisible now. So.. here's a hint to control your unique powers. You move your arms, legs, and lips willingly.. your invisibility is just another limb for you to control. Right now you can only access it through emotions, probably because that's a temporary 'bridge' to your powers before you find another way to get to the same destination. My theory is that you already know how to transform.. you just don't know it yet."

Kaizen purposely made himself sound vague. He walked towards the door and smiled just before he opened it with a slam and turned to his snake form. Suddenly seven men, all younger adults, walked inside the room with pistols and cutlass swords. Kaizen, now in his black snake form, scared all of them to the nearest wall behind them. Kaizen slithered slowly towards the door. The young men ran inside the captain's cabin to find the captain's dead body. Reiko was alone in the room with him.

They saw the marks around the captain's neck and thought the snake had done it.. however, one thing was a big mystery. How did the snake reach the captain's cabin? The only circular window wasn't open, and there definitely wasn't a hole for the snake to crawl through.. so the only other explanation was the girl that showed up conveniently only minutes before the captain was killed. The one that greeted Reiko in the front of the ship spoke.

"You.. you killed Galley didn't you? We don't have anywhere else to go but home.. we'll.. we'll get you for that! BEG FOR HIS FORGIVENESS IN THE HEAVENS!!" The young kid, with tears in his eyes, ran forward to try and kill Red with his sword. The opening door to leave the room was open, but the six men waited in the room next to the captain's cabin for Red to attempt to escape. They were going to shoot, impale, and de-limb her if they got the chance.

Kaizen, in the other hand, maintained his human form in the shadows. He waited for Red to transform to her invisible form, through fear of dying, and escaping the ship on her own without waiting for Kaizen. They were still docked on the island so if she did turn invisible all she had to do was walk through the room, down the stairs,  through the deck, then bridge, and to the town. All of this could be done in a minute or less by walking.

None of the kids payed attention to the guy in the black suit and fedora behind them. Kaizen was just a 'private' spectator. Usually the body doesn't know it has something until it needs it. With this Red should definitely learn about her powers.

"Now go.. my Red, when you turn invisible I'll meet you in town."

Red watched with satisfaction as Galley fell to the floor, the air stolen from his lungs and the light stolen from his eyes.
She smirked, about to say something snarky when suddenly Kaizen rose from checking Galley’s corpse and fluidly walked to her side. Before a single word could escape her lips, Kaizen’s own lips were firmly on hers.

The kiss took her completely by surprise but it filled her with a kind of warmth that she couldn’t explain. It was as though there was a void within her that the kiss immediately evaporated. Red’s hands instinctively moved to rest upon Kaizen’s chest, her lips trembling slightly with surprise at first. Quickly, however, Red found her mouth melting against the assassin’s. She allowed him entrance to her mouth and moved her tongue against his.
She had no idea of what motivated the kiss but part of Red was glad for it.

Kaizen broke away and explained to her that she needed to turn invisible at that very moment but didn’t give her a second to protest. He presented her with a theory that her invisibility was as easy to use as another limb attached to her body- one that she had complete and easy control of. Kaizen also offered the suggestion that her emotions served as a bridge to her disappearing.
Red cast her mind back to every time she had accidentally turned her body clear; every instance had involved some kind of high emotion.
Anger…sorrow…lust…
But for some reason, panic seemed to hinder her actions.
Before Red could think any further on the matter, Red suddenly swung the door of the cabin open with a bang.

Unable to see Kaizen, the youths standing outside turned their blame and hatred for the sudden, gruesome death of their captain to Red.
Red’s eyes widened, her hand automatically coming to grip on her whip but realising that an attempt to attack them would be futile. There were too many of them, her skills with the whip weren’t quite refined yet and most of them were armed with pistols.
Red narrowed her eyes at Kaizen: she could see what he was doing.
He was trying to forcibly terrifying her into transforming.
Admittedly, it was working.

For a moment, time stood still for Red and all she could hear were her own shallow breaths.
“Right, it’s now or never. Time to do this. Let’s go, Reiko…”
For a brief second, her mind wandered back to the day before her brother had died and what Takeo had said to her.

“Let’s go diving in the cove tomorrow, Rei-chan.”
“…I don’t know, Tak-kun. I get kinda nervous around the rocks….maybe we should just forget it?”
“Nah, you don’t know what there is to be scared of until you try something! And you never really know what you’re good at until you get the chance to succeed at it!”
Then Takeo had winked at her. “And I’d bet all of my savings that you’d make an awesome diver, Rei-chan.”

Red nodded to herself, her eyes slowly rising to meet Kaizen’s bright green eyes as they leered out of the darkness.
She let his eyes slowly bring back the memory of him looking up at her as he knelt between her legs, pleasure ripping through her body in hot, pulsing waves…

Looking down with amazement, Red noticed that her body was slowly turning invisible and it wasn’t long before she was completely clear. She didn’t know how long she’d be able to stay that clear though.
Red heard Kaizen bid her to meet him in town and taking the opportunity before her, she darted from the room, wove her way in and out of the youths.
A pang of worry stung in her chest at the thought of Kaizen being left alone in the room but she shook it off quickly. Kaizen was far more prepared and far more combat-ready than Red was, (even if she’d never outwardly admit it).

Red sprinted from the ship and ran down the gangplank to a tavern on the docks. Breathing heavily and putting a hand on her chest, she moved to stand as far back into the corner of the porch as she could.
She still had the perfect vantage point of the deck of Galley’s ship but she was nicely hidden in the dark.
And that was a good thing too because Red’s body was slowly starting to lose its invisibility.

It wasn’t until a rather large, balding man wearing an apron emerged from the bar and tapped her on the shoulder, that Red realised that she was (firstly) doubled over, panting from the after-effects of shock and (secondly) perfectly visible.

“I’m sorry, dearie,” the man told her. “But I think you’re a little bit young to be hanging around here…”
Red blinked, cocking an eyebrow in confusion for a moment before realising that he was taking note of the fact that she was still dressed in the lacy blue dress and her hair was still tied up with a childish silk ribbon.
The thief turned assassin frowned and drew herself up to full height, turning around to face the man and putting a hand on her hip. “Excuse me?”

Seeing that Red was obviously no youngster, the man turned puce and began to stammer apologies. She allowed him to take her into the tavern, escorting her to a table near the window- as she had requested.
She ordered a large bottle of rum and a bottle of champagne as well as two glasses.
Red created two of the cocktails that she’d taught Kaizen to make when they took up residence in the hotel room together.

Her eyes wandered back out the ship.
She sighed, her brow furrowing with worry that she could neither place nor accept.
“Come on,” she murmured softly. “Come on, Kaizen. Come and find me soon…”
It was bizarre: Kaizen Shikkaku may have been a demon but no matter how much Red tried to convince herself that she hated him for what he had put her through, the harder it was to get away from him. She felt herself growing attached to him…worried for him, almost….

Maybe it wasn’t so strange, a small part of Red mused as she sipped at her drink. After all, who better to be with a devil like Reiko “Red” Fujiwara than a demon like Kaizen “The Shadow Snake” Shikkaku?
Red swallowed back, trying to numb the feelings that were burning in her chest and spreading throughout the rest of her body.
This wasn't supposed to be like this. She'd never had to fight a man for dominance before and she'd certainly never wanted so badly to impress a man either.

Her fingers drifted over her lips, feeling the places where Kaizen's tongue had grazed her mouth.
The memory set her cheeks aflame, to the point where she was worried that her face was as red as her hair.
Red took a long gulp of the drink, trying to steady herself.
Sure, she and Kaizen had their physical trysts but the psychological warfare was something else completely.

Kaizen watched Red turn invisible before his very eyes. The seven adolescents that were going to try and rip her limbs off, after shooting her, watched Red's body disappear. They stopped and looked around the room, then they looked at each other. They didn't know what happened. She could have been an illusion, teleported, or even created a copy of herself. Most of them thought she turned invisible, but that would be unlikely.. all they knew was that she wasn't around anymore. They cursed and poked around but found that nobody was there.. until they saw Kaizen in the corner eyeing them with his light yellow eyes.

"You there, did you have some thing to do with our cap-" Kaizen interrupted, "I had everything to do with that man's death. Your weak captain couldn't even hold his own against a true pirate." The young adult that talked to Red earlier then gritted his teeth and let out a yell, it was a battle cry.

Kaizen watched the seven kids run towards him with swords while the other three held pistols. Kaizen sighed and put himself in a fighting position. Two of the men swung their swords vertically at his arms. Kaizen ran forward and jammed his finger on both of their arm sockets, dislocating them. Both of the young ones fell to the ground screaming. While running forward he palmed the chest of another kid and kneed the thigh of the last runner of the four. Kaizen then used the 'leader', the farm-boy from earlier, as a shield from the other three that were point blank.

"You guys are welcome to shoot, but you're probably going to hit your friend here.. after that..." Kaizen licked his own lips and used a cutlass sword from one of the men to toy with the farmboy's skin, "-... you're all going to die." The men shook from terror. Two of the men were on the floor crying over their dislocated shoulders, one was on the floor having a hard time breathing, and the last had an injured leg that he couldn't use anymore. They knew they were outmatched.

The farmboy spoke, "What do you want from us? Why did you-" Kaizen interrupted again, "I want your money, the clothes on your back for my men, and I want someone to die, why? Because today has been a very boring day. Your captain sufficed for some entertainment." Kaizen played the role of a deviant. It wasn't hard to play the role since he technically was a devil in a handsome man's clothing. Kaizen aimed to maim any future attempts for the kids to run away from their safe homes and become pirates.

The kids looked at each other in confusion. It wasn't until Kaizen pressed his sword against the farmboy's neck, with blood trickling down, that they started to undress in front of The Shadow Snake. Kaizen shook his head.

"Take the clothes and throw it to the docks. I want to see thirty pairs on the wooden floors in five minutes or I kill everyone on this ship with my fifty experienced men.. plus myself, which alone could beat up all thirty of you. That girl you guys met? She's with me. 'Reiko', as she called herself, can turn invisible. That means she cold be behind all of you right now.. with her knife around your throats." Kaizen paused to let the thought sink in. The three looked like they were about to piss themselves. However, Kaizen didn't finish pushing fear into their heads. The three instinctively put their hands around their throats to ensure that there wasn't a knife.. but Kaizen's 'warnings' created some paranoia.

"I could ask her to stop-by and just kill everyone while they sleep. At most you guys will last a few nights without sleeping, but everyone has to sleep.. right?" Kaizen smirked. The now naked young lads ran outside and started baring orders at everyone warning them that fifty pirates were coming to the ship to kill them unless they threw their clothes to the docks and sailed away. They all imagined big brutes with muscles on top of muscles moving inside the ship and killing everyone. Kaizen stood behind the three yelling at everyone and made his own speech.

"I want all of you to throw your money in a bag and give that money to me. That includes the beli you guys have earned through your pillaging. I'd ask your captain.. but Reiko killed him and turned invisible to leave. I might ask her to come back and kill a few of you.. maybe the captain wasn't a good enough example."

After they conversed with each other, and the three young lads talked to the group of over twenty men, they started to empty their pockets with worried and red expressions in front of the dock. They threw their clothes out of the ship and into the hard wood floors in the pier. In five minutes Kaizen had a bag full of money and a dock full of clothes. Kaizen walked out and kicked the back of the farmboys legs. Kaizen spoke after he jumped and landed on the pier, his final words.

"If I see you guys here again I'll kill you. That means you'll never get to see your families again.. I won't give you this chance a second time." The men weeped and set sail towards the ocean almost immediately after Kaizen left the ship. Kaizen left the captain's corpse in the ship as a remainder of their idiocy.

Kaizen eventually walked into the nearest possible location where he could find Red, a bar. When he walked inside he saw Red sitting by herself in the benches. Since only six or seven minutes passed since she left the ship he figured he wasn't too late.

Kaizen wrapped his arms around Red, suddenly, and kissed her neck."Congratulations on your first mission, my Red. A job well done." Kaizen looked at the glass next to Red. He sat down next to her and took a sip from the glass she used, it was her famous combination.. he remembered it. He continued drinking from her glass, like it was his own that he drank from. Kaizen put his empty glass in front of her. She'll have to drink from the clean one.

"Sorry, it's a habit. Poison and all. I guess this means I have to drop that habit around you, now that you're someone I can trust." Kaizen smirked while looking down and away from Red. He took another sip from his cocktail.

"I couldn't have done this mission as easily without you."

Red had been staring out of the window of the tavern, her eyes slightly glazed as she looked through the blurry bottle glass.
She jumped slightly at the feeling of arms around her, her cheeks flushing a little more when she instantly recognised Kaizen’s scent around her. A warm feeling of relief ignited in her chest, accompanied by a spark of something confusing but powerful as his lips touched her neck.

She laughed slightly, covering the spot on her neck and watching as Kaizen took a sip of her drink. His praise sent a feeling of completion running through her and although it made her feel rather childish in some ways, it was nice to hear his approval.
“You’re welcome,” she told him with a wink, crossing her legs beneath the table. “But did you ever truly doubt us as a team? She leaned on the table, chuckling softly. “We’re a total power couple, Kaizen-kun.”

Red cocked an eyebrow at his wary, quirky little behaviour with the glass and laughed again. “You and your OCD, Mr Assassin.” She reached out to affectionately give him a tap on the nose and brushed a piece of stray hair from his eyes. “It’s nice to know that you feel that you can trust me though…” She flicked the edge of the glass that Kaizen had sipped from. “Careful,” Red teased. “That glass has my spit all over the edge…you’ll get cooties, if you’re not careful…”

She smiled at him for a moment, a little more genuinely. “And that really means a lot to know that I could be of use. Maybe I might succeed at this assassin thing after all…”
Red continued to speak to Kaizen, simply sipping at the clean glass and engaging him in regular conversation.
Well, regular for them.
Their topics drifted from the current state of affairs in West Blue to fighting techniques that were best suited to assassins to the standard of alcoholic beverage produced in the region. She also asked Kaizen about how he escaped Galley’s ship.

Red was in the middle of telling Kaizen a story about a time when she and one of her previous crews had raided a vineyard and stolen a year’s worth of wine.
“So the girls and I found this cellar and it was full to the ceiling with crates! So we-…”

Red froze mid-sentence, frowning deeply when she noticed that the girl at the bar-counter was staring at Kaizen.
She was pretty- with deep brown eyes and long golden hair- and her gaze was locked firmly on the back of Kaizen’s head. Red’s eyes narrowed as the young woman approached them.

She leaned over to take their empty glasses, practically leering at Kaizen with interest and not even bothering to look at Red as she simpered: “Is there anything else that I can do for you?”
Before Kaizen could even open his mouth to speak, Red snapped across him- aggression and venom in her voice. “No. There isn’t.”
The coldness in her tone was sharp and sudden, immediately denoting her possessiveness of the man who sat beside her.
Red did not like seeing other women talk to Kaizen.
For some reason, it provoked great anger in her; it was as though she felt that the women would be invading her territory.

Red muttered something about having already paid, standing up and staring the waitress square in the face. The scarlet-haired girl was taller than her “rival” by about a head and took great pleasure in exercising this extra trait of dominance, glowering down at the bar-maid with glacial spite.
Something in Red’s stomach clenched: she had never felt this heated about a man before. Sure, it was a bitchy move to go after someone else’s man but…well, did Red really consider Kaizen her man?

Making the snap decision that Kaizen could flirt with the little wench if he wanted to, Red smiled a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’ll be heading back to the ship then…” She looked from the blonde back to Kaizen. “Follow if you’d like. If you choose not to, bear in mind that it may have very unfortunate repercussions for more than one person standing here…”
With that, the Crimson Thief turned on heel and swiftly walked out of the tavern, into the streets.

The bar-maid raised her eyebrows, looking confused and rather unnerved before shaking it off and turning back to Kaizen with a wide, warm smile.
“So will you be leaving too, sir? Or would you like one more drink?” The blonde bent over the table, polishing the wooden surface and batting her eyelashes at Kaizen. “On the house?”

Red turned a corner into an alley, clenching her teeth and knuckling her forehead in agitation.
She had been two breaths and a blink away from skinning that bitch alive or at least putting a fist through her jaw.
But why?
Why did she feel so vulnerable?
No woman had ever succeeded in making Red feel as though she wasn’t the most beautiful woman in the room…no one had ever made her feel as threatened as that before…

But maybe it wasn’t the bar-maid, herself.
Maybe it was the fact that she was trying to flirt with Kaizen.
Red could no longer deny the fact that the little tramp’s gestures had inspired jealousy in her…but it wasn’t that fact that made her feel truly sick.
It was the fact that rather than starting a fight, she’d left the bar.
Dissecting her thought process, on the surface, her reason for doing this was to show off that she didn’t care whether or not Kaizen went after the girl.
It wasn’t like they were a real couple at all…they had just had sex a few times and it hadn’t once been consensual on both sides…

The deeper reason for her leaving, Red started to accept, suddenly feeling something grow heavy in her chest…was maybe she wanted to Kaizen to choose her of his own free will
Kaizen was the first man to make Red believe that he thought that she was beautiful…maybe she wanted him to make her believe that he thought that she was worth fighting for too…

Maybe.

“But then why?” Red wondered aloud. “What the fuck would that prove? What am I trying to prove?”

Before she could even make the attempt to answer herself, the shaft of a long wooden mallet made impact with the back of her head in a sickening cracking noise.
Red collapsed to the ground, massaging her head and groaning. “What the-?”

She looked up to see a man in his late twenties with silvery white hair, dark brown skin and piercing violet eyes staring down at her with a smirk.
“Ryou…” she grunted, instantly recognising the unfortunately familiar face.

“Miss me, Reiko-chan?” he crooned, stooping down to grab her by the hair. “The last time I saw you, you were escaping from one of my ship’s portholes with a bag of jewels from my hoarde…”
Red growled under her breath, spitting up into his face. “I was escaping for a reason, you bastard…and any idiot who leaves a bag of fine-cut sapphires unattended to and on his bedside table deserves to have them stolen…” She angrily tore his hand away from her head. “Now get your hands off me, you pathetic piece of-…”
Ryou Nakamura grabbed Red by the jaw, squeezing her lips together and wiping the spit from his face. “You owe me a debt, you thieving little slut…and I intend to take what I’m owed, in whatever manner possible.” He smirked, looking down at her dress. “By the way, that’s an interesting look you’ve got going on there, Reiko-chan. In fact, with you looking so sweet I almost feel bad for doing this…”

Before Red could react, Ryou swung out his fist and knocked her to the ground once more.

Kaizen grew a small smirk when Red asked Kaizen if he doubted their strength. She called their group a power couple of sorts. Kaizen's small smirk grew when he thought of all the future missions both of them could pull with her ability to turn invisible. At that moment Kaizen thought about the first time he saw her turn invisible.. which was when he was under her. Her climax made her turn from visible to invisible several times like a flickering light.

Kaizen suddenly grew a small sweat drop on the side of his temple, which casually dropped to his chin and fell on the hard wooden ground. He probably shouldn't be thinking about that night, not at this moment. He was having a drink with her, he wasn't alone in bed. However it was hard to ignore his current cravings when he remembered what he did not even ten minutes ago while wrapped around her thigh.

Red then joked about Kaizen's OCD. She basically made light fun of Kaizen's way of thinking, even if it's a way of thinking that involved from his brief years in the sea and lifetime in the mob. Although he agreed that it was funny that he stole her drink as a reflex. Red then mocked Kaizen by saying the glass might have coodies on it. Kaizen smiled and opened his eyes slightly,

"I'd never mind swaping spit with you, my dear Red." Kaizen moved the glass around to 'mix' the liquids inside the glass further then took another sip, licking his lips afterwards.

Red liked that she was useful in the mission. Kaizen nodded to reassure her further,

"If only you knew the importance of you in his mission. I couldn't have sneaked inside the ship without harming the two men in the front, which would have alarmed the others. I would have needed to harm thirty of our client's men, or wait till nightfall to attempt to sneak through the slim bridge those two were guarding. With you we finished the mission in less then half an hour."

Kaizen shuddered at the thought. Wasting valuable time wasn't something Kaizen enjoyed doing. But if he needed to he can be patient. Kaizen and her then drifted into a conversation about the West Blue, techniques for assassins, and how he escaped the ship. Kaizen talked about an old pirate that he joined at one point by the name of Iken, that his bounty was 25 million the last time he talked to him, and that they needed to stay away from him whenever possible to avoid complications. Iken was a double edged sword, he could either help Kaizen or make his jobs much harder.

Kaizen then talked about the perfect techniques for assassins. For someone like Red they'd have to be quick, silent, and at weak-points in the body. Because her whip seemed to be perfect for strangling, and cracking objects, hindering the opponents from unforseen angles with the long extension of the whip seemed like a great idea, and that's what he told Red.

As for the escaping the ship, Kaizen answered that briefly with an "I walked out." Which reminded him of the money he got from the ship. He put it inside a trash container, he'll have to come back for it later.

Red started talking about an adventure with her old crew when her words were suddenly cut. Kaizen didn't know why until a woman showed up and asked if there was anything else she could do for Kaizen. Red answered before Kaizen could say anything with a 'No thanks'. Kaizen was surprised for a moment, but was even more surprised when Red stood up and walked out of the bar. Kaizen looked back at the girl when she asked if Kaizen wanted a free drink. He couldn't help but smirk at the young yet pretty woman.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have a deathwish. I sleep with that woman, and I like waking up in the mornings without a dagger on my chest." Kaizen laughed softly but trailed off in an awkward silence. He was genuinely scared of dying because he didn't follow Red outside. He stood up and walked behind Red after waving the woman off without a tip (when she hit on him and lived she got her tip).

While looking for Red Kaizen thought about why he really left instead of sharing a drink with the pretty blonde. Kaizen kept picturing Red's face crying, which surprisingly had an impact on his decision. He pictured their three encounters, and then pictured their future encounters. he pictured many things that he didn't quite understand. He was a robot before this month, a tinman that never looked for a heart. So how did he end up with one? And how did it start beating on its own? Kaizen sighed, it was times like these where he tried to focus on the facts. Fact one: Kaizen only pictured Red at that moment, so going with the blonde was definitely a no. Fact two: It's hard for Kaizen to picture anyone other then Red as his lover at this moment. Fact three: If Kaizen did decide to go with another woman, even if it's just a drink, Kaizen would likely be killed... Fact four: Kaizen was completely fine in that situation for some reason.

Eventually Kaizen looked down an alley and saw a big brute punch a red haired woman in the face. Kaizen looked at her briefly and his eyes opened in rage. Kaizen took a pill from his pocket and bit down on it. His body suddenly grew a tail with cosmetic spikes sticking out of the back. His eyes turned yellow and his skin black. His nails grew to seven inches in length. Kaizen ran towards the opponent in his full speed, which was about 20mph in this form, and attempted to penetrate the man's left shoulder joint with his claw to dislocate it. Kaizen then struck the opponent's leg to decrease his speed, on that leg, by half of Kaizen's skill (which was currently 60%, so he loses 30% in speed on that leg). Kaizen grabbed Red and ran to the side; he left her behind him so she could be protected. Kaizen's tail suddenly left and Kaizen was left in his usual hybrid form, with sharp claws, black skin, fangs, and no tail. Kaizen was now in a better position to manipulate the opponent's probable lack of speed and skill.

"How dare you strike Red.. how dare you touch the skin that only 'I' am allowed to touch." Kaizen's teeth grit against each other, "I'm going to kill you, slowly, and leave you here begging for death when I'm through with you." Kaizen's usual smile completely left his expression. His eyes narrowed to a cold stare, and his smile vanished into a more angry and horizontal, instead of the usual curve upwards, appeal. Kaizen's yellow eyes looked directly at the enemy's without faltering.

"This is your last mistake."

The Crimson Thief waited for another blow, gritting her teeth and trying to get her head to stop spinning but the third strike never came.
Appearing from the darkness, swiftly and silently, Kaizen darted forward in his demon-esque hybrid form. Fear seized her body for a moment at the sight of the tail with cosmetic spikes as Red recalled how it had torn through her body only days before.

Red looked up from the ground with partially blurred vision, wincing and blindly cupping her aching face.
She watched as Kaizen attacked Ryou with brute force but not before making sure that she was within the perfect radius of his protection.
He didn’t just strike Ryou either, he also spoke to him.
Threatened him.

He seemed infuriated that Ryou had laid a hand on Red, addressing the attacker as though he had just defiled a possession of his.
Red, amidst her pain, felt the oddest combination of anger and warmth.
One part of her, filled with indignation, wondered where exactly he thought he had gotten the right to be the only one to touch her skin. She didn’t belong to anyone.
However, a very select part of her felt a kind of heat spread through her chest at the thought that Kaizen felt strongly enough about her to want to protect her.

Ryou let out a roar at the feeling of having his shoulder dislocated by Kaizen’s fearsome talons and hissed as his leg, gave way beneath him. However, he smirked despite his twitching eyes and his shallow breaths.
“Heh,” he sneered. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” Ryou looked Kaizen up and down, raising his eyebrows. “Or what do you think you are?”

The man laughed harshly, rolling his eyes at Kaizen as he moved a hand to remove his leather jacket. “You must be Red’s latest lay. Let me explain something to you, mate: you’re not the only one to touch Red’s skin…a lot of men have touched that skin. This little slut will take you to bed and rob you blind…I was going to do you a favour and just let you get away while I go back to settling my score with that whore over there…” He glanced down to Red, sneering. “But it looks like this mark on my shoulder isn’t going to heal any time soon…so maybe I’d better teach you a lesson, scales…Sharpshooter Point.”

The tall, slender man’s shirt began to slowly tear as long brown spines began to protrude from his skin, penetrating the material with precision.
He caught Red’s gaze from where she was attempting to stand up and laughed. “That’s right, lassy, I’ve changed a bit since we last met. I ate myself the Spine Spine Fruit…the porcupine Zoan model…” He looked to Kaizen, his eyes narrowing and turning completely black. “So, this is my last mistake? I’d better make sure it’s a good one, then…”

Ryou swung one of his arms forward, the spines detaching like arrows and pelting down in a deadly shower towards Kaizen.

“Vermillion Slice!” Red cried out, pulling her whip from her belt and lashing it downward- effectively blocking the spines and taking advantage of Ryou’s decreased speed.
She turned to Kaizen, looking up at him earnestly. “This isn’t your fight, Kaizen. You can go…escape…I don’t…” Red’s voice trailed off slightly as though she was confused by her own words for a moment before returning again. “I don’t want you to get hurt for my sake….”

Red thrust her chin upwards, trying to be confident as she turned back to the recoiling Porcupine-Man. “Now, please….leave before this gets too heated, Kaizen. Get to safety.”

“Awwh, that’s sweet,” Ryou simpered mockingly. “Looks like the whore’s finally grown a heart. Or maybe she’s stolen one for herself. It’s hard to tell with this this lying bitch…”
Red gritted her teeth into a cruel smile. “Jealous that I’m not giving this heart to you, prickles?”

Ryou scowled and hurtled himself towards Red, one arm outstretched and rapidly growing spines across his forearm.
He had a malicious rage in his eyes and he was set to impale her.

Red took a hold of her whip with a white-knuckled grasp, saying softly under her breath to Kaizen.
“Go…please…don’t get hurt on my account…”

The opponent was struck by Kaizen's two attacks. One of them dislocated the opponent's left shoulder, and the other hindered the opponent's left leg. That leg was now limping, while the other limb was dislocated. Kaizen put Red to safety, but the opponent let loose a shower of needles to try and hurt both Kaizen and Red, but Red managed to whip them out of the way. Kaizen didn't show much of an expression through all of this, other then his earlier angry one.

Red kept telling Kaizen to leave her to fight the opponent, she didn't want Kaizen to get harmed because of her. Kaizen's teeth gritted and he turned around to face Red with the same ominous and near squinted eyes that he showed the opponent. His lips stayed in their horizontal position. The opponent was running behind him to probably impale both Kaizen and Red.

"Are you telling me what to do, Red?"

Kaizen's body sudenly shifted again, although not as noticeably as before. Kaizen's body became much more toned, and cut, which turned his body to weigh 200Ib. He kissed Red on her lips again, to try and get his message across. Out of all his forms this one seemed the most human. Kaizen's skin was black and scaly, his eyes were yellow, his teeth were human, and his claws were the usual seven inches like in every other point. The opponent struck Kaizen's body with his arm filled with spikes but none of them penetrated his body. Kaizen was in his endurance point.

"Shield Point"

Kaizen placed his black and cold hand on her left cheek.

"I am not going to leave you to die, ever." Kaizen's back suddenly grew a tail again with cosmetic spikes. His body turned back to Kaizen's usual body habitus, and his claws remained the seven inches they were in his other forms.

"Hunter Point"

Kaizen used his leg to step on Red's thigh then used the other one to step on her shoulder and flipped backwards in the air. Kaizen briefly saw the opponent behind him, after he struck Kaizen with his needle arm, but saw that he jumped too far to land on top of him. Kaizen's neck suddenly stretched and he attempted to latch on to the opponent's neck with his fangs. If Kaizen's fangs penetrated the opponent's body then he'll pour his venom inside the porcupine's system.

The neck then pulled Kaizen towards the opponent and he landed, abruptly while holding on the opponent's neck, on his back. Kaizen's fangs were still on his neck, and he attempted to hold the opponent in place. After biting the opponent his body went back to his Shield Point, where he weighed 200ib, and held on to force him to hold still.

Kaizen's venom makes most people nauseous upon injection, in his current form the venom takes away 4% from Ryou's endurance every post. With Kaizen's shield point he's capable of taking his spikes without damage, however, now Red had to finish the job. Kaizen's muscles are to take the impact of the opponents, they aren't for his strength. Kaizen struggled to keep the opponent from breaking free, since his strength is only 10%.

Kaizen thought about Red's sudden behavior. She asked him to leave because she didn't want him to get hurt. Kaizen wondered why this made him feel.. secure. Part of him hated her for trying to protect him, but part of him loved her for thinking about his safety. His feelings were in conflict, and they showed by his near reckless way of attacking the opponent. His grip was slowly loosening around the opponent.

"Red.. finish him."

Red recoiled very slightly when Kaizen’s eyes narrowed to an ominous stare and he regarded her with a kind of coldness.
Clearly the man was hostile to the idea of being told to do anything…and rightly so, Red couldn’t help but decide. After all, Kaizen Shikkaku had grown up the way she had- with everyone around him telling him what to do.

Kaizen’s form slowly dissolved into one that was a lot more humanesque and before Red could retort, to tell him to leave the battle again- the assassin’s lips were on hers. She felt the cold, gently gradiated skin brush against hers and her entire body just about melted.
She had never once felt so protected in her entire life and in that single moment, for just a brief second- Red would have given any treasure in any of the Four Blues to make that kiss last for an eternity.
No one had ever cared about her like this before.
Even if, rationally speaking, she was probably little more than an asset to Kaizen- no one had ever offered her such protection from violence. Usually Red’s travelling companions abandoned her as soon as her past caught up with her.

Kaizen’s body protected Red’s, shielding her from the force of Ryou’s spiny attack and the woman felt her heart start to hammer in her chest when the Shadow Snake told her that he wasn’t prepared to allow her to die.
Red suddenly didn’t care if she was a mere asset- someone in the entire, wild, blue yonder of the sea actually cared about whether she lived or died.
For once she wasn’t wanted “dead or alive”…she was wanted alive.
Despite her rationality screaming at her that this was the man who had attacked her, raped her, practically kidnapped her and all but forced her to join him with few other options…Red could not help but fear even further for Kaizen’s safety.

“Good,” she dared herself to say, breathlessly. “Now you’d better stay alive too…if you die here, I’ll never forgive you…”

In a swift movement, Kaizen used her thigh and shoulder to gain leverage to leap into the air. He latched on to Ryou with ease and his fangs deeply penetrated the other Zoan-user’s hide. Ryou let out a loud, rough-throated screech at the pain of being bitten into. Already, the effects of Kaizen’s venom was causing Ryou to stumble around drunkenly, his fingers only feebly clawing at Kaizen’s forearm.

Red listened to Kaizen tell her to finish him and with more satisfaction  and zeal then she could have ever hoped to express, the Crimson Thief drew her whip and brought it sharply down over Ryou’s body.
“Vermillion Slice!”

Ryou Nakamura’s body suddenly split from neck to groin, entrails and scarlet liquid pouring from his skin. The mangled corpse fell limply to the ground, a pair of glazed eyes staring lifelessly into a pool of blood.
Red stared at Kaizen for a moment, her eyes locked on his and her chest heaving with each deep, adrenaline-fuelled breath.

Prepared to blame it on the “heat of the moment”, Red suddenly lunged forward, stepped over Ryou’s dead body and grabbed Kaizen’s broad shoulder.
She didn’t care about where they were and what they had just done nor did she care about the fact that Kaizen was in his Shield Point form.
She pressed her lips to his and kissed him deeply, her lips massaging his and her tongue lightly glazing his mouth. Her hands slowly ran down his arms, feeling every muscle as they went before she finally parted, staring into his eyes.
“What I meant to say there was that if you died during this fight, I would have never forgiven you…because I would never have forgiven myself for allowing you to die…”

She coughed slightly, taking a deep breath and squeezing her eyes shut. “I…uh…I didn’t really need your help or anything but…” She placed another soft kiss upon his lips. “Thanks for that…”
Red took his hand, giving it a squeeze before pulling away. “We should head back to the ship, I think.”
After kicking Ryou’s body aside as though it were a piece of garbage, Red started to walk with Kaizen through the streets, back to the dock.

“If you’re wondering about Mr Spines back there,” she told him. “He wasn’t a Zoan User when I knew him.” She sighed. “The story there is simple. He was a jewel smuggler and I met him in a tavern. He made the mistake of showing me some newly cut sapphires he had on hand. I got him drunk, seduced him, spent the night with him and then escaped the following morning with all of his precious stones…” Red smirked a little. “I was long gone and had sold all the jewels by the time he even fully woke up…”

As they passed a wine merchant’s Red pursed her lips thoughtfully and then dragged Kaizen inside. “I could go for a bottle of nice white wine…I think you and I deserve this tonight…and now, I can tell you the rest of the story that I was telling you in the bar…so the girls on the crew and I had just broke into the wine cellar…”

Red continued the story until they returned back to the ship, finding it very easy to speak to him. She kept the talk going until they were along the gangplank and had reached captain’s bedroom where they both slept. Red poured a glass of fine white from them both and then sank down on the bed, giggling.
“So then, Delphi lit the fuse and boom! No more merchant ship…and we got away with seventy cases of wine in our hull…” She took a sip of the wine in her glass and purred, fluttering her eyes shut. “Mmm, that’s good stuff.” Red inspected the bottle. “Oooh, it’s Spanish…do you speak Spanish, Kaizen-kun? I learned a little bit from a crew in South Blue…nothing very practical though…” Red took a gulp of her wine and laughed again, grinding her hips forward slightly and pretending to gasp in ecstasy. “You know, stuff like…ay, ay…si…mi amor, mi tesoro…me gusta…”

She lay back against the pillow of the bed, laying the glass aside and chuckling to herself. “So yeah, nothing particularly interesting. Mmm, I’m so damn tired…” Red ran her fingers through her hair, crossing her bare legs. “And this frilly dress makes me look like a teenager and it’s really uncomfortable but screw that, I’m too tired to move…”

That much was true.
Red was completely drained after the day’s events, however as a thought entered her mind, she lifted an eyebrow and looked over at Kaizen.
“…you helped me with my Devil Fruit powers though…and out of that tight spot with Nakamura….I guess I owe you…”
She heaved a sigh and then smirked, closing her eyes. “But I’m a little tired right now so you can tell me what you want now and I’ll see what I can do for you tomorrow night. Sound alright?”
Her tone was light and breezy, her silk and lace clad body resting upon the bed.

The day had been tiringly eventful; she had learned a new skill, lost an old enemy and her mind was truly torn with thoughts for Kaizen- she was finding it harder and harder to hate him and found herself becoming more and more appreciative of the fact that he was so possessive of her.

Kaizen felt Red's warm touch on his muscled and scaly black skin and turned around only to find his lips touching hers. She guided him to the nearest wine merchant and grabbed one of his finest white wines. Kaizen payed for it and walked towards their ship. Eventually they both naturally landed in bed and watched the daylight vanish from the sky. When night overwhelmed the streets Kaizen slithered in bed, without his shirt, and heard Red's response. She was going to wait for tomorrow to do what he wanted her to do. Her payment was apparently on hold till the next day. Kaizen smirked and bit Red when she wasn't looking.

"My bite has venom on it. I'm sure you'll find the energy to do what I want if you want the antidote.. now, let's begin."

And just like that the night became a very long and painful one. Screams of agony and ecstasy roamed through the ship. Kaizen's laughter and brief moments of silence for climaxes echoed through the long wooden halls. Eventually daylight came, and the screams and moans continued until mid afternoon.

The ship started to sail to the ocean. Kaizen already knew the next island he wanted to get into. After this mission Kaizen has received enough reputation to at least ask for jobs and be taken semi-seriously in the underworld. He heard of a client that is asking for a prison break. Kaizen walked to the helm and made his way to that direction, to the area where the 'unwanted mission' was located.

((end of thread))