Cleyra Act 2: Blood and Strings [Open to Cryptic Terror & myself (duh)] / NSFW

"Touchy." Desireé smirked as the cool steel was pressed against her throat.  He had recognized the distinct look of the steel of her katana, and now this dagger as well.  She turns her face to run her tongue alon the flat of the blade.  "Mmmmm, impeccable quality.  ... so the Bloody Necromancer returns home - interesting. You know it was quite foolish to release that blacksmith of yours from your charge.  Talented.  Don't worry  - her talents will be put to good use, if she doesn't prove to be too much of a distraction for the swordsman. Those two have been leaving a trail of blood from some time now..."

Her frame slips into Hawk's shadow from where it originally came before emerging along side Jade, stepping out of her shadow, and leaving her still holding that dagger against nothing.  "Speaking of distraction..."  She crosses her arms across her chest and takes a good look at the magician for the first time, her serpentine gold eyes trailing over ever inch of his body from head to toe, lingering over points of interest for uncomfortable amounts of time.

She looks back to Jade, quirking a brow and recognizing a distinct look in her eyes. "Mm. I see why you're so overly protective of this one. Since you apparently dismiss your best assets from your service.." She begins circling hawks like a jungle cat, eyeing him like a delicious piece of meat. "...do let me know when you're finished with him and I'll put his talents to use." She steps closer to him and snaps her pretty white teeth together mere centimeters from his lips before making her way back to her horse and mounting him.

She regarded the talani who acknowledge her before.  She produced a small leather pouch from a saddle bag and tossed it to him with a wink.  "It's been a while - thought you might be out.  On the house."

Hawks felt like he had been dragged in the middle of something that had nothing to to with him.  He swallowed nervously as Jade threatened the woman, who may have been the creepiest creature he had ever encountered.  To make matters worse, she kept disappearing, slipping into this shadow and that - including his!  He had not given her leave to use his shadow!

Then things got worse when she turned to examine him.  He didn't like the predatory look in her eyes or how they lingered in certain places - he unconsciously found himself covering his fully clothed body with his arms and hands because she made him feel like he wasn't wearing anything at all.  Then she started circling him?!  Was she planning to eat him?!  if anyone was going to eat him, it was going to be the sphinx, damnit! Wait, what was he thinking?! - He wasn't food! The things she said did not make him feel any better about the situation.  "I am not in her service, madam and I certainly won't be in yours! I say, are you listening?!  Stop talking about me like I'm not here!!!!"

Things got worse as she approached him, it seemed like she meant to collide with him. She stopped much to close to him; he could feel her warm breath against his lips before she snapped at him.  She was trying to eat him! Why did he always attract women that thought he would make an excellent snack?!  "Y-you are too close!" By the times the words came out she was already on her horse.  He staggered back to Jade, visibly shaken - his eyes looking like they had just seen a ghost.  "I- I have just been violated."  He positioned himself so Jade was between himself and the creepy woman, peeking around her frame, hoping the strange woman would leave soon. He'd rather face an impossible battle than deal with this.  "You were right - we have a battle to get to.  Shall we?!"  He links his arm with Jade's, tugging slightly, giving her a pleading look of desperation of wishing get the hell away from that woman.

Ginji's Adventures, Volume 8
"So, mind if we lovely stick around here for a bit?" Ginji begins preparing some liquids inside test tubes, while a comically swollen Percy lays on the deck behind him, and having the unknown woman laid in front of him.

---

"Dammit, how many more of you rats will come at me? That's disgusting, you vile vermin!" Bisop laments, while brutally smashing a Talani's face to the ground. There's another individual with him, this one appears to be a lean, shady female in a black robe. She has very long and skinny arms, with long purple slim claws. "How much longer will you punish them? Punishing is so 80's." she complains, while blowing a bubble.

Introduction Box: Member of the Diamond Pirates, "Rouge"
Bounty: 95.000.000 Beli

"They are too strong ... dammit, where are the reinforcements? We can't sustain this any longer." Bisop now takes another of the fallen Talani, and mercilessly begins to batter his head against the rumble. "Filthy filthy filthy ... you shitty rats! Having to even smell your rotten blood, or your odors, it is sickening! For I am BEAUTIFUL!!" The guards seem horrified at the man's absolute ferocity and hatred towards them, but slowly inch forward; they don't seem to be a match for them but they would rather die than let the enemies hurt the unarmed.

"YOU PIRATE SCUMS!!" A voice is heard, and Bisop turns his head, only to take a double-leg kick right in his face, with enough force to send him smashing several meters away. "What the?! Like .. OMG!" Rouge comments, not particularly shocked, despite her words. The Talani takes a fighting pose consisting of an arm in front of him and the other one swinging around like a whip. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!!" Mitobe yells. "Oh, it's Mitobe-san!" Bisop looks at the blood that gushes from his broken nose, and his eyes widen in utter anger and terror.

---

"... And, who you might be? It appears that you are informed on quite a few domains .. might want to stray away from this one, however. He's mine." Jade remarks, her fiery glare fixed on her creepy presence. She was clearly an ability user, one those specialty clearly opened new horizons to the term "sneak". She wasn't going to take her attention off her for a single fraction of a second again.

But, who was she? She knew her by her epithet, which may not necessarily raise suspicion, but it was the way she said it. And what was all that about Kiana? Why was she hunted down by such weirdos that all happened to have some deep ties with someone she or the magician know of? And, at such a time, too. As if the secrets of her origins were not enough to baffle her companion, she now had to deal with this ... just what on earth was she doing?! This one is hers!

How he tried to avoid the situation was actually quite hilarious. If it wasn't for the tense and her growing desire to slaughter her; not even eat her, she looked like she was too ... sour for her tastes, she might have actually found the opportunity to point out how childish he looked. Might as well remember that for later. Assuming that they would be alive after all this. "You .. behave. We will be going in a moment." she tells Hawks, but in a bizarre, somewhat hissing tone. And all that time, she wasn't taking her eyes off that vile woman. And to think that Jade herself was the one to attempt to rush away to the front just moments ago!

Hawks could surely swear that he could almost see fur spike up. "This prey is mine." Oh dear ... because things weren't complicated enough as they were. An imminent cat fight was to be thrown to the mix, too? Great ...

Still, a small part of her still was disappointed she didn't licked that wound off.

Desiree's eyes flickered with amusement at Jade - she had hit a nerve.  She could see it made her uncomfortable that she knew so much about Jade, while Desiree's own identity was elusive. It wasn't surprising that they didn't know who she was, despite her involvement with a yonkou.  She intentionally remained in the shadows, appearing when necessary.

The vicious look in Jade's eyes when she claimed that pretty, young blond thing in her company amused her the most. She could certainly understand but she had never been good at behaving herself, despite not really being their enemy. "Oh? Is that so?"  Her frame seemed to disappear for a moment before slipping out of Hawk's shadow, who was still standing behind Jade.  "You mean this one?" She runs a finger under his chin before turning her attention to Jade, stepping close to her with a sweet smile that was antagonizing and dangerous. "We shall see about that, won't we?"

Hawks put his head in his hand as the strange woman responded to Jade's antagonism.  She really should not have done that, though he had a feeling it would only turn out worse for him. Why were they fighting over him?  He wasn't aware that he belonged to anyone. Did Jade just - claim him? Interesting. He was about to suggest leaving when the woman popped out of his shadow again, almost causing him to leap into Jade's arms.  He swallowed hard when her creepy finger ran under his chin.  "STOP that!"

The woman seemed to ignore him after that as she approached Jade, continuing the debate over who was in possession of him. "Why are you still talking about me like I'm not here?!  Don't I get a say in this?! No one owns me! Hello?  Is anyone listening?!" They continued to ignore him while ironically being super focused on him in conversation.  It looked like things could get violent.  He knew what he had to do, though the thought of it annoyed him.

He sighed deeply in exasperation before stepping out in from of both of them. So it had come to this. Suddenly and violently he tore his shirt away from his abdomen, the fabric loudly ripping as he glared at the both with intense but alluring deep blue eyes. "Ladies - if you are QUITE finished, perhaps you might remember the imminent battle approaching?!" He tossed a shred of shirt fabric to each of them and stalked off without them and without his damn shirt. Amateurs.

Ginji's Adventures, Volume 9
"Let the lovely healing commence." Despite spending all that time focusing on the creations he was pumping into the tubes, he suddenly jabs the female with the needle-like protrusions that appear on his fingers, much to Brosko's shock.

---

She wasn't going to let her continue to behave as if she was owning the place, her, him, everyone around here. Such a temper, an attitude, who did she thought she was? Meddling around with her prey, that insufferable brat wasn't going to walk out of this with all her limbs still attached on her flimsy existence. Her hometown could wait just a few more moments ... plus, might as well get some nutrients off a meal before she goes to war.

Mane had begun to actually appear, as her emerald glare was now beaming the intruder, such intensity that one could almost swear she was releasing a Conqueror's Haki directly to her. But, just as her fangs had turned into deadly weapons, the leap being the only thing separating her from feasting on her -sure to be tasteless, if not bitter and unappealing- flesh, the magician inexplicably decided to throw them a "rough guy's" strip tease. Which oddly seemed to act as a soothing tool, a peacemaker, well at least on her part, she knew it sort of ... did.

"... What in the world ... is this the other one?" She blinks in confusion, but she wasn't feeling that awkward, unsettling scent that she'd receive whenever that calamity that was "Ero Hawks" was unleashed. Still, that was ... well either case, that had to be the most impressively odd and bizarre ice-breaker in the history of mankind.

Desire snarled a bit, amused that this creature would care challenge her in such a fashion.  Her glare was indeed ferocious - almost feral. Impressive teeth - what sort of beast was she hiding under her tiny clothing? Zoans were typically so boring. Her luminous golden eyes regarded her with a calm mischief. The silence was thick and electric - in a single moment, it was shattered with the abrupt sound of torn fabric.  

She turned her head sharply, her deep black hair whipping around and gathering artfully along her shoulder.  Her lips parted and her pulse quickened and her wild gold gaze fell upon newly exposed flesh. Jade's existence slipped from her mind as she caught the shred of shirt thrown to her.  She buried her face in it and inhaled deeply.  Her gaze was now predatory as she began to approach him.  "Well - if you insist."

Hawks smirked, pleased with himself.  His plan worked better than he expected.  Those two had stopped fighting and were playing attention to him, rather than fighting over him "That's right, come to me my babies ... and now, we go into battle." He watching them carefully - but the smirk disappeared from his face as he saw the look in their eyes. The clearly were not thinking about battle.  "I - I'm too powerful ... " His eyes widened as he backed away before turning and running in the direction he'd seen the talani go.

Ginji's Adventures, Volume 10
"She's healed already?! TOO EASY!" Brosko flails around in a comedic shock, while the woman is now sitting on her posterior, blinking, lightly confused, while making an "Um?" sound. All the while Ginji just struts there all proud.

---

"Oh .. no you won't!" Jade had enough. From being molested to being accused, to being kidnapped and treated like a pile of meat, to being almost drowned, to being crisped by lava, to a battle with the one person she cares for like that, to reach her hometown only to find it in grave danger, to this ... prey-snatcher, thief! She was going to take the insanely frustrating pressure from all these ordeals out on that vile female.

Turning into a full-fledged Sphinx, she leaps forward and proceeds to chase Desire, who was now chasing Hawks, who in turn was clearly too creeped out to do anything other than to run -thankfully towards the direction they were supposed to go in the first place. Thus, the Talani left to the Palace ruins were left looking at awkward disbelief and confusion as they witness their "ace" be chased by a stalker, who was chased by a lion. They had suffered enough already, why this too?

"A-are ... you sure they are going to be useful?" A Talani questions, while large sweat drops form on everyone's backs of their heads. "The path to enlightenment comes ... oh, forget it. I don't even know anymore." the ebony one says with a sight and a very, very nervous, soft chuckle; even he couldn't process the stupidity!

While running, he assumed they would quickly bore of this idiotic little game and remember what was actually at stake. He gave them too much credit. He too a glance behind him after slowing his pace only to discover things were fare worse. His eyes widened a variable high-speed circus barreled toward him. The shadow jumper was still running with that hunger look in her eyes, followed closely by Jade who had converted to beast for for the first time in a long time. Jade typically only preferred the for when she was in battle with a dangerous foe. Apparently, the prospect of someone taking him away from her was also call for beast mode. He was beginning to wonder if he was secretly an ancient treasure - she was far too protective of him. He changed his trajectory slightly to avoid collision. "Will you two kindly -" his words were silenced as something caught his eye.

Hawks reached a precipice that had a view of the coat from - in the distance he could see the limp and windless sails of an anchored ship sitting a little ways off of the coast. A swift gust of wind caused a flag to flutter to life, rippling almost tauntingly against its breath of life. Hawks paused upon seeing the familiar symbol, has hands rolling into tight fists, this time thankfully without a spiky watch. The wind flicked through his hair causing it to move and flare like fire, his eyes blazing blue in the center of the storm. "So, here we are."

Desiree had gotten caught up in the mischief and harassment that amused her so.  It was twice as satisfying it irritate two at once - on running from her and the other wanting to kill her for it. Something about the way he paused so abruptly told her everything she needed to know.  She looked backward to discover a ... lion chasing her?  Bloody zoans - always giving in to animal instincts.  To avoid collision, she slipped into the magicians shadow disappearing before emerging behind the raging Sphinx.

She pulled a bundled package from her back, and carefully unwrapped it to reveal a katana.  She pulled it from its simple black leather sheath with a black blade, rippled with silver, reflecting green light. The intricate ripples were certainly the work of Kiana. There seemed to be a but of paper tied to the hilt the a black piece of binding. "Sanura Jade ... "  She put the blade down at the lion's feet. "A message for you."  Her eyes now fell upon the ship, her golden eyes narrowing.  "Sorry I don't have time to play anymore.  I've got work to do. We'll settle this later - do try to keep him too scratched, I like them pretty."

Ginji's Adventures Volume 11
"You ... after all I did to you lot .. please, let me repay the favor! I am your loyal, eternal underling!" Brosko smacks his head on the deck, while basically bowing down on Ginji, who just tilts his head with a question mark appearing above his head, while Brosko's wife casually ties Percy down with a soft smile, and an odd sparkle, as if she was doing her favorite thing.

---

"Ugh, this ability is so troublesome. What's this? ...!!" Jade was keeping a calm demeanor the entire time, typical of a feline, but inside she was boiling; she was truly furious. That woman had just bested her in such a casual manner, she couldn't forgive herself for failing to capture her. Desire was making it seem like child's play. She wasn't going to let that slip so easily. That was, until she examined the blade. Her eyes widened as she realized that this was the work of her. Kiana. And there was a message attached to it. Which, once she read, seemed to cause her to freeze on her spot, eyes fixated to the letters in disbelief. "What? ..."

"Sir, we are ready to go." A butler addresses to the Shichibukai, who was sitting on a huge, comfortable, leather sofa, with several women entangled around him. But the male had been silent and mostly unresponsive for a little while now. The butler's voice didn't seem to connect him back to reality, something that evidently caused the service to grow somewhat alarmed and worried. "Sir?" he speaks again, before he notices that the pirate was raising his hand towards the man. For some reason, fear seemed to conquer the man. Perhaps this one was just that unpredictable and ruthless as to attack his own servants for merely distracting his deep thoughts.

But rather than such a dramatic and extreme scene to take place, Leoris merely smiled a bit, then got up and out of the females wrapping around him. "Just a small delay, Stuart. Let me go outside for a moment." his grin was wicked. Did he know? How?

Kiana had sent the letter along with the blade. Desiree had no read it but she was sure it contained a warning about shifting powers and balances in the world. A mass producer of seastone was very active and controlled most of the world's supply - and an alliance or acquisition of that creature could very will change the power structure of the world - in addition to what the WG was up to with its shichibukai installments and their presence in this place.

She had confirmed her suspicions, which were a worst case scenario if they found what they were looking for. She had her information and she could depart this island at any time but her curiosity compelled her to stay and see how this battle panned out. It could go quite horrible and, truthfully that would be bad for everyone when the eventually world felt the ripples.

Hawks continued to observe the distance vessels, unresponsive and unaware of the exchange nearby. It was time to end this.

One the shore a man observes Leoris with a mixture of disbelief and disdain. "So this is the clown they have come up with. Look how he wallows in constraints of his own ego ... surrounded by pathetic women who value themselves so little that they drape across him like animal skins ... and what kind of pirate has a damn butler? Pirates can't afford to not get their hands dirty and participate with their crew. It's what holds the crew together and keeps them from kicking your ass into the sea ... but this spoiled child in a pathetic, self-absorbed brat and that is going to be the thing that gets him killed." He breathed out sharply in annoyance while adjusting his cap. "Makes no nevermind to me how they handle their business 'long as they don't mess up what we're after. It's here; I can feel it."

Ginji's Adventures, Volume 12
Suddenly, a colossal entity that looked like a cross between a centipede and a scorpion, hurls itself on the surface, raising a massive wave towards the boat. "!!!"

---

She was aware for a while now that something was happening. Something that would have a global impact. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there were several hints to indicate that the forces that shaped the balance and power were all rigorously preparing. For what, this she was not able to tell what it was. But that letter was answering quite a number of important questions. She turned her head to talk to Hawks; they had to recalculate what they have been doing for a year now, not to mention that they had recklessly invaded areas that were clearly under the control of the enemy. But upon turning her head, her eyes froze.

Leoris had just gotten himself outside, and into the deck. His accomplice, apparently left to handle the situations here by himself, was nowhere to be seen anymore. After taking a few deep breaths, stretching his limbs as if an old man was enjoying movement after a long time of being crippled into the bed, he looks around. With a vicious smile. "That way." Saying that, he leaps forward, and seemingly, oddly, begins to manipulate himself to fly. What was going on? And he was incredibly fast, too. But, he was not going towards Hawks, not at all. Something -or someone- else had gotten the Warlord's attention.

But, Hawks would probably have little to no time to try to decode the enemy's actions. For, he'd surely had just noticed -but too late, at the same time- that a towering figure was standing right behind him, looking down on him with contempt. "Wrong place, wrong time." the man sarcastically, yet with a cold and stoic tone, comments. It was Jack.

The Shichibukai, having already traveled an impressive distance in what was probably less than a minute since he begun, casually floats onto the surface. There, he once again seems to be searching for something, before his wide grin is broken by a shout. "I know you are somewhere around here! My "trip wires" never fail to pick up intruders. Come out now, there's some things we have to discuss .. about Anubis ..!!"

All the big shots, connected into this!

A strange voice. He stood for a moment with his back to the man, his firsts slowly uncurling before he turned to face the man. His cool blue eyes pass over an unfamiliar face. He was startled by the man's appearance, but it didn't show on his face. The man's comment was cryptic but narrow minded. The magician spoke cooly while pulling his bloodstained gloves over his fingers with methodical slowness. "Everything is the wrong place and wrong time for someone - and a golden opportunity to others. It's all a matter of perspective. I have no use for your perspective. Is there a reason you've come?"

Desiree eyed the man. He looked familiar. She was certain she had seen him before but it was very unlikely that he had seen her. She was a shadow jumper slipping from one shadow to the next often, never completely emerging. She was an efficient spy and the deadliest of assassins. She destroy would-be assassins before they even made it near Anubis. She gathered information from people who never realized she was there and always kept the yonkou with a jump on conspirators.

She didn't officially work for him and she was rarely seen with him or at all. No one ever knew she was anywhere. No one ever saw her coming and lived to tell the tale. She was a shard of darkness, an unseen blade. She had definitely seen this man before in the yonkou's territory, trying to broker a trade of some sort. It had good poorly because there was nothing the yonkou wanted that he did not already possess. These foolish pirates attempts to blackmail someone with infinitely more leverage because some small-time island informed them that they are powerful , and maybe in a nothing place they were - but this was the new world.

She narrowed her glowing golden eyes, observing silently. It wasn't good that this creature was running around with a Shichibukai who must know about the legend of what's hidden here. The WG was definitely trying to keep this a secret from all of the Yonkou. This was a dangerous game - a game that could have the world at the feet of a WG that grew more corrupt every day. This man didn't know it yet, but he was not going to leave this island alive. Too much was at stake - the world - but more importantly, he favourite thing to smell and touch.

Ginji's Adventures, Volume 13
The wave generated by the abrupt and violent resurfacing of the beast topples the boat, causing everyone to fall into the sea. Percy, Ginji and, interestingly enough, Brosko's wife begin to sink in, helpless.

---

The Shichibukai begins to weave out a lot of threads, which them begin to form a shape, which ends up becoming a chair. A chair that the pirate then uses to cozily sit upon. "You might be thinking, what on earth is this scam talking about? And how does he seem to know that someone's somewhere nearby." seeing that no one appears or responds to his "monologue", he continues with jovial. "You are quite the phantom menace, actually. Someone of your capabilities and skills, to be able to be slipping into the shadows so well that nearly no one even knows of your existence. But, you see, I am informed of virtually all that goes around this world! So, am one of the very few in the entire world to know who you are."

In spite of the fact that there's still not a single trace of someone appearing or being around to begin with, the male, unfazed by this, carries on talking. "Most people assume that am nothing other than a thug, but they are quite wrong. See, most people are fools. In the market, they all know very well how much of an expert salesman I am. And a negotiator. So, since my threads picked up your presence .. there's something I wish to propose to you. A form of truce. Which will benefit us both. See, am well aware that if we were to combat now, the most likely scenario would be that ... whoever was to walk away alive would still be missing a couple of extremities." The pirate continues on, apparently he wishes to suggest something to Desire. Which probably had something to do with Anubis, considering how his name was brought up as "bait".

---

The towering man remained silent, eyeing the magician with a cold, spine-freezing glare. After a couple of moments, he begun to slowly raises his huge arm. Was he going to attack the blonde? And was he so confident -or naive- that he was so superior than the young man that he didn't even felt the need to be quick and attack quickly? However, Hawks wasn't going to find out -right away at least- because something took place the very next second.

Unlike his sluggish initiation, Jade did not left time go in waste. With a fast leap, she approached the target in an instant, and spared no expenses in the might she used to deliver a single slash, aiming to immediately decapitate the enemy. But, upon contact, she immediately realized it; something was wrong. That felt way too sturdy.

The attack did not chopped off his head. Actually, it seemingly didn't even grazed him. Where his neck's skin should be, it was instead covered with a shiny, rock-like substance. The enemy slowly turns towards her, as she makes a small jump backwards, to get some safe distance to allow herself to reevaluate the situation. "Blow me. Such an ability, of all the abilities?" The man now glares at her with the same cold, chilling sensation of contempt. "Diamonds won't be sliced off from your weird looking swiss knife."

Desiree had gotten the information she needed and had only remained out of curiosity.  She had spied a bit with her ability, her frame slipping in and out of shadows, on the ship and off, near subordinates complaining about the mysterious, useless detour and cutting into the pay for their cargo. Others rested easier, seemingly convinced that the detour would be worth its weight in gold.

The shichibukai seemed to be addressing her directly and she was intrigued. She always lurked in the shadows and even when she wasn't trying to hide, she was still overlooked because of dark and slippery nature. She had seen his ability before.  He couldn't bother her if she slipped into the shadows - they would actually be terrible enemies, as that were mostly immune to each other when they were alert. A battle would be very drawn out and annoying for both of them.

She could tell he was trying to coax her out with her most prized prey, Anubis.  He was safely out of reach and was constructing a deal with the leader of the seastone empire which could essentially bring all fruit users to his feet - if the flamecloked man was to be trusted. She was still curious enough to see what this creature was up even if he couldn't use Anubis against her.  She didn't work for him - and merely floated to where she was most amused.  

Her tall lean frame stepped out of the shadows, the darkness giving a blue, ethereal glow to her skin, her gold eyes glowing brightly as a smirk tugged at the corner of mischievous apricot mouth. "Well well ... someone who keeps their senses in the darkness ... would like to make a deal with the essence of shadows. " She was weaving a piece of fabric between her fingers, twirling and twisting before holding it against her cheek. Presumably it was his undergarments she had stolen from his quarters - or was it the magician's? She often lost track of her collection ... unless of course it belonged to Anubis - she could never forget that scent.

"... but what could you possibly want from me ... "  She next appeared on his lap, long legs crossed comfortably, a slender finger trailing down his cheek as her unsettling eyes settled on him, her voice lowered a bit. "... other than use my body and it's dark, mysterious abilities as a tool for your own gain... " She bit her lower lip as her eyes washed over his chest, her gaze turning predatory for a moment. "So..."  She ran a finger under his chin slowly.  "What do you propose ...?" Her gold eyes blinked as her body melted away as the moon slipped from behind the clouds and cast a long web of shadows from behind the nearby trees. Her wild and striking features appeared here and there, never too far away, her lips curled in amusement with this new toy made of string. "Dazzle me, string man." Desiree never really meant to be seductive, she just had very poor and very creepy social skills. Her exotic and dangerous beauty only made it more uncomfortable and confusing.

----

Hawks raised a brow as the man seemed to be moving in slow motion.  He comically shuffled out of the way, the attacker appearing somewhat like than man that was caught in an instance of slowed time as the world sped up around him. His blue eyes flickered up just in time to see a familiar figure sailing through the air.  He watched as the blow rang dull and saw the shock of the blow being distributed through her frame as the energy failed to sever anything.  

"Son of a bitch - this bastard again?"

Hawks took notice of them mans proximity to the cliff.  There was sea water waiting at the bottom of the nasty fall.  He made a wide arc, moving toward Jade.  They needed to work together to drive this fruit user off the edge to take a nice swim to the bottom of the sea forever; he said not a word, as his blue eyes focused on her flicked to the man, then the cliff and back to Jade emphatically.  They were a fairly effective tactical team when they weren't busy arguing.  Though, it would be difficult to drive this shimmering bastard anywhere since he couldn't actually be harmed. It would take blunt force, to outdo him, hopefully without the cat going overboard for an unwanted bath along with him.

He suddenly remembered something, raising a brow at Jade. "Um. Did you just say 'blow me?'"

Ginji's Adventures Volume 14
"Master! I shall save you all!" Brosko swims at an incredible speed, pulling everyone out of the water and onto the capsized boat.

---

"Is this the time to make fun of what I said? Can't help it, I hear all sorts of dumb things from all those weirdos that encircle us. Annoy me after we are done with this." Jade responds in a rather uninterested expression and demeanor, although deep inside, a part of her surely blushed. And she was sure he'd probably irritate her later with commentary along the lines of "You said that, yet you used more words to complain about the problematic situation than I did to question this weird quote" or "It's your fault again". Yes, the latter one was a reliable pick to bet on.

But indeed, this was no time to toy around with the always squirmy magician. There was an actually tremendously dangerous figure which, while still advancing in a very slow pace, was a looming, intense and eerie emissary to tackle. And it was in fact that slow approach that more than concerned her; this was no playground. The Talani may be somewhat gullible, susceptible to emotions and rather abstract creatures, but they were directly related to the fabled Mink Tribe. And much like them, they were a race with its members being several times more powerful and naturally skilled in fight than an average, "normal" human. If someone had caused such a calamity to the hometown of such a strong race, it only meant that he was a beast. And she was skeptical that a beast capable of besting all that would just happen to be a slow tank that just happens to be impervious to physical assaults.

"Hawks .. don't make any hasty moves." She had to scan the man, and figure out potential weaknesses. She was dismissing speed being one all together; he was probably playing with them, ready to dash whenever he felt like it. She just hoped that her companion wasn't going to be fooled by this. Or be blinded by his seethed anger and pain.

---

His hand glides across her hip down to her angle, a wicked smile forming. "My, now aren't you a bizarre case. I do like bizarre, especially if said awkwardness and perplexity comes in an alluring, voluptuous package.. " the Warlord seems to be unfazed from her extremely erratic, unnerving and -evidently- poor social skills. Because he doubt she was directly flirting with him. Or she was just that kind of a person, which was still a proof that said skills were poor to begin with. But that wasn't really a thing to worry about, as the pirate was apparently the kind of person that has seen too much madness to feel out of his comfort zone. Therefore, he casually carries on, as if her playing with what clearly is a male's underwear wasn't messed up at all, all the while with his hand enjoying the presence of her leg.

"Cutting straight to the chase. The newspapers have been saying it for a while. Black Cross Pirates have been mostly neutralized. A Marine victory. Great news. Well, a great load of crap, actually. Dark King hasn't weakened at all, in fact, his armies are stronger than ever. And my Intel suggests that he's on the move to intercept Anubis. You see where I go with this, now?" He explains, maintaining his arrogant -albeit, one could say, a justified attitude to have- grin.

Hawks sighs, internally rolling his eyes.  There she goes again.  How was he getting in trouble for something she said?! He was probably going to be further yelled at anyway so he may as well say what was on his mind - he was bored of her antagonism.  Poor thing seemed so angry and repressed all the time - but that wasn't his fault!  Why was he always punished for it?! "Hm. Annoy you later or ... blow you?  Jade, that just ... can't mean what you think it means ... unless... " He raises a brow and looks her up an down for a moment.  

"Anyway ..." He turns his attention back to their old enemy.  He remembered they had a shitty time with this bastard before.  This wasn't going to go well without a plan - and the only actual weapon they had that would work against him was the sea. "Of course not - I'm not an idiot ... every time this bastard shows up, I lose my lucky hat, tear my coat,  something happens to my lunch, or an annoying cat follows me home - can't wait to see what fresh hell he brings this time." He moves closer to Jade, keeping an eye on their foe. "Those blades of yours wont do any good and neither will mine - we've got to outsmart this dense lump"

------------------

Desiree tilted her head - people usually had a specific reaction to her.  They acted like they wanted so badly to be near her, gazing in wonder or hunger, but usually backed away - like a child entranced by the beauty of fire but also knowing it was dangerous to touch. She was a beautiful disaster, unaware of her extreme appeal - the appeal which confused and horrified her victims. Her behavior seemed too good to be true - and her shadow jumping caused more fear that eventually cracked even the coolest of demeanors.  She could kill in seconds, without caring, if something got in the way of what she wanted or if she simply changed her mind.

He was still here - seemingly perplexed but delighted by her - unafraid.  This was new. She must be getting better with her social skills - this may be a new record. A wandering hand slid up her thigh - her dangerous golden gaze regarded him with mischief as fingernails dug slightly into the back of his hand, tugging the hand around her waist as she shifted about, clearly making herself comfortable on his lap.  

Her voice was something between a purr and a whisper... "Come now, string man - what do I care of Black Cross and the fools who would cross the Prince of the sands? They're all incompetent. I dabble in the yonkou's affairs if and when the mood strikes me - these fools and their so-called 'dark king' have no idea what they're getting themselves into ... and, I have a suspicion, my dear newly minted Shichibukai ... " She wrinkles her nose as her pouty lips quirk upward into a a smirk that melts into a coy, inviting smile. She slowly swings a long slender leg over his head and shifts her weight to straddle his waist before she loops the garment she's been toying with around his the back of his neck, tugging him closer so her words a leave her warm breath dancing across his lips, her voice dropping to a whisper. "... neither do you..."

Ginji's Adventures Volume 15
Just as Brosko is thumbing up to Ginji, with an awfully and overly smiley face, a slap from the beast sends him flying away and into the waters, defeated. Ginji is pissed off!

---

The enemy stops his oddly slow approach, and now seems to be fixated to Jade. Now that he actually bothered to pay more attention to her, he seemed intrigued. "You must be that Zoan user ... our organization could use such a power." he calmly explains, and extents his arm towards her, as if an approach to persuade her to actually switch sides and work for him. Which was preposterous. And while she was certain he didn't expect her to actually agree to such an outrageous and awkward statement, she naturally assumed the next reasonable thing he could have in mind.

"You will not be killing me any time soon, be assured of that. A vulgar figure with little to no respect towards artifacts that have survived for hundreds of years, let alone the lives of innocent, won't be taking my head, not today, or ever." she calmly explains, and reaches for her staff. Sure, he was unaffected by any physical assault. But this one was going to be a shocker.

Unfortunately, the enemy seemed to have something else in mind, in addition to obtaining her powers by force. "Well then, in this case .." he the disappears. She knew it, he was certainly an agile one. But this thing ... it was terrifying. Terrifying because .. she didn't even saw his movements. "Hawks ...!!" he was going to get him in order to torment and force her to be more susceptible and vulnerable. Was everyone able to pick up that she cared about him like that. so easily?

"Billion's Mire" The punch was so insanely powerful that it literally caused the entire cliff's edge -the part they were hoping to use against the enemy in the first- to crumble down and begin to fall off. But, the thing was ... did Hawks dodged it?

---

Rather than worry about the defiance in her tone, and her certainly in her words, the pirate still remained in high spirits; in fact, his grin only seemed to grow, he was actually enjoying her behavior! Slowly, he reaches to within his shirt, and removes a small, rolled up piece of papyri. He places it into her hand, which he then goes ahead to add a creepy lick across the now closed knuckle, all the while with his eerie, arrogant smile. Apparently he must have been just as bad at social behavior as she was; what a match.

"Have a look. These are the pirates and other vagabonds they have recruited or had them be part of their alliance within the past month alone. Am sure that all of these names will sound familiar and .. quite concerning. Even someone like Anubis would probably have some serious trouble, especially considering that this recruitment has been going for at least a year now." he tilts his head, and approaches her neck, then whispers the rest close to her flesh. "This is a token of my intention to form an alliance with the desert prince. In exchange of his neutrality to my actions, you can obtain a list of all of the allies they have collected. Which may prove life-saving .. mufufufu."

Hawks narrowed his eyes and the man seemed to proposition Jade. He did complain about her obnoxious, obsessive ways, her snide commentary, and her general existence as a weirdo - but damnit, she was his weirdo and he would not stand by while she was seduced by this stranger. He knew, especially after that messy, recent fight with her, that she was unfailingly loyal - but having someone presume to refer to her abilities and presume to just acquire her like a collection of objects annoyed him. Predictably, Jade shot that pipe dream down before it got off the ground. Wait - the man didn't want Jade - he wanted her power. What foul evil did this man speak of?

The magician's blue eyes flickered, watching the motions of the man. His eyes narrowed and she say hims muscles tense, indicating an eminent attack. The next few seconds were a blue. His unnatural seed and instincts frequently served him well in situations like this. The man still had stunning speed and he narrowly evaded the staggering attack that flew in his direct. He saw the blow dip past him in slow motion, his pale blond hair whispering past that intense blue visage as he looked over his shoulder to see his enemy start to regain his footing after the miss. His blade was now in has hands, pulled in those fractions of a second that he spun out of the way.

A stiff, steel toes book came up, crashing forward at the abdomen of the man as he was regaining his stance. he knew he couldn't hurt him but maybe he could knock him on his ass and buy some time. Blue eyes shot to Jade, his face stern. "Get the hell out of here. NOW!" His voice was intense, leaving no room for argument. Someone about the way he talked about her power was unsettling. He apparently meant to strip it from her soul - but how? It didn't matter, he could not allow her to be captured and fall in the hands of whatever grisly fate awaited the victims of this creature. Her powers were dangerous enough in the hands of Jade's own vicious temper - they didn't need to fall into the hands of someone who was also a lunatic.

.....

Desiree raised a brow as something was placed in her hand before it was licked? He seemed pleased with himself but she wasn't - his behavior was getting predictable. He lacked creativity and she was growing bored. Maybe it was the mention of Anubis - nothing could really compare. He always kept her on her toes ... and on her knees crawling back for more like a predator with the taste of blood. So twisted - yet polite ... devious and dripping with charisma.

This information vaguely attracted her interest. No information was free - he would want something from her or from Anubis, even if it was just loyalty. She didn't see this ending well - things like this never did. If they agreed to go after a common enemy, it would only be a matter of time before they turned on each other. It wasn't unlike Anubis to work with Shichibukai, but it was usually a special circumstance of mutual respect. He didn't really need anything form anyone and had the resources to stay well informed of happenings. The movements of such a high profile man and this dark king clown could not go unnoticed.

She could accept the list - it didn't really mean anything since she didn't really work for Anubis. She also knew that it could be a trap, false information from a double agent. She had done similar things for information or acquisitions, simple enough. She was strange but Desiree was no fool. She was a master of espionage, deceit, shadows, and death. If she chose to take this info, it would be a game for her own amusement and she would share it at her own digression - she rarely consulted the yonkou about the various rabbit holes she ventured down.

"A can promise you nothing - Anubis does things his own way no matter what anyone tells him and I am not his subordinate. It would be foolish of him to take this token and promise any such neutrality before knowing your intentions - if those intentions are contrary to his interest, this list is meaningless. You most have been hoping to play diplomacy with an idiot - Anubis is not your fool and neither am I. Give me something real, string man ..." She moves her lips close to his ear, her voice retaining a slight growl. "Something I can sink my teeth into ..."

Ginji's Adventures, Volume 16
Engulfed into the chaotic situation, a gentle hand suddenly pats the odd goofball on the chest, and the petite female walks in front of Ginji. "I will handle this, na?" a bizarre glow is emitted from her other hand. "?"

---

"Jyahahahaha! Expected nothing less of you." The Shichibukai seems to be amused, despite the obvious fact that his intentions, whatever they were for that matter, didn't seemed to progress according to his original plans. While all these events were happening, his ship had oddly left the shore already, as if they had dismissed their own master. Hawks would probably notice that too, but as far as he know, his nemesis was still in this island, wasn't he?

"You really are the type of person you can't just convince without actual proof. Or maybe something to toy around with. Very well. If you wish to learn more, you can do so by finding me on Dokomi island; the land left to wastes years ago by their captain. Trust me, you are gonna love this. To be fair ... my men can handle the situation here whether you decide to be a nuisance to them or not, but would appreciate it if we could actually do business. That being said ... none of you people here can beat Jack .. mufufufu." having said that, something truly unexpected takes place. The string man literally breaks down into a myriad of strings, which then dissolve. The man had erased himself from existence. Or, did he?

On board the ship, Leoris just woke up from a very short nap. Still covered by what was effectively a blanket of female flesh covering almost his entirety, he yawns a bit, before the trademark, arrogant smirk returns to his lips. "As I said earlier, we will take a small detour to Dokomi ... inform the rest, Stuart."

"None of you people here can beat Jack."

---

"Are you out of your mind? Didn't we went through this before? We will handle this together. Quit trying to play the hero; am not a damsel in distress. Tho we could arguably have a little talk about someone that could fit that role ... but that's for a time where nukes don't try to bust our heads open." Jade responds to Hawks. There was again. Apparently he learn nothing from their earlier ordeals.

But there was one thing that she was subconsciously feeling. Perhaps it was because of her animal instincts being naturally very heightened compared to the magician's. She never felt the reflexive force of "flee" as greatly as now. What on earth was that person? He just blew off a land size the mass of several houses, and made it seem like it was child's play. But they had nowhere to run. "Hawks .. try to create an opening, I have an idea." she says, while the man slowly walks from within the fumes, dust and still falling debris. His glare looking almost demonic.

"I wish to learn more?  Don't think so highly of yourself. You came to me, remember? This implies you need something far more than I do. It possible that we could work together but do you really expect me to trust someone who couldn't be bothered to actually come see me in the flesh? I do not make deals with yarn balls ... have a nice trip, maybe we'll meet again" Just before the man disappeared, he gripped his neck harshly, running her tongue up the side before biting.  "Who knows... you may just enjoy it." Just as his frame that she was perched upon gave way to strings she slipped into the shadows. She emerged under the shadow of a tree and noticed that the undergarment she'd stolen before had not turned to string. She sniffed them pensively, her intense golden eyes gazing out to sea as she murmured to herself. "I will find you..."

It was possible she would show up. She probably should see what they were up to - but not like this.  She would do things on her own terms and not walk into what was likely a trap.  She'd heard rumors of fruit users mysteriously going missing - it was worth investigating but she wasn't going to meet anyone on a grounds where they had the upper hand - when she didn't know what she was getting herself into.  Shadows always kept her movements undetected but the strings complicated things ... her strategy would have to change ... and who in hell was 'Jack'?

-----

Hawks sighed, he knew she was correct about their conflict, their history, everything - but this felt different.  This seemed dangerous.  This wasn't about him going off on a personal vendetta, this was about her powers falling into the wrong hands. "Damnit, Jade, for once can't you just..." He fell silent at the sight of the devastation and her words brought his attention back to her.  An opening for what?  She was such an unpredictable thing.

His gaze acknowledge her before he leaped high into the air.  His trajectory landed him somewhat above his enemy, both hands on the hilt of his blade, coming down hard.  As he fell, purple swirls of smoke begin to ooze out from his sleeves, quickly enveloping his frame.  The sword strike never came- he was gone and all that remained was a puff of purple smoke. He was now mysteriously behind his target. His foot came up to bash the back of his knee with a well-placed steel toed boot.  Perhaps the force would cause his leg to buckle bring him down, briefly.  Hopefully it would be enough of a distraction to take his focus off of Jade.

Ginji's Adventures, Volume 17

"My wife ... she is a fruit user. A very peculiar .. fruit user." Brosko laments to himself, while floating on the restless sea, while Percy regains conciousness, only to scream "TREMOR SCORPION!! HE IS HUGE!!" once he sees the monster. The female gracefully leaps towards the massive spine that is approaching the boat. "My name is Helga~!"

----------

Whether this actually worked or if the male was just messing up with them again, the odd fumes seemed to distract him, even if so briefly. He even seemed to somewhat tilt as Hawks attempted to cause him to lose his balance. But, it didn't really mattered. The way things had gotten to be, so poorly executed and without an actual strategy to begin with, a sloppy ace would still be considered an ace.

Being right above the man, using her speed to the max -which seemed to be enough to actually startle the enemy somewhat-, she emerges holding her eel stuff. Now, this weapon's power was considerable, but had shown to be of little use against more powerful enemies found in the Grand Line. But that was it's regular voltage. She had experimented upon, and managed to, trigger it's charging ability to reach new heights. This was the debut.

"Receive this holy punishment, unholy one." she quickly analyzed his expression and understood. He was intentionally not moving, thus Hawks entire effort was in vain. But it didn't mattered, he had underestimated her. No matter how strong one is, to underestimate his opponent is a dire act. "Sekmet's Claw!" A powerful, radiant burst of powerful, burning hot and formidable jolt of electricity blasted down on the man, with enough force to even cause the ground around him to break down. "?!"

She elegantly back flipped out of his range, just to be certain. He seemed to have taken damage, and in fact appeared to regret just staying there, as she saw that his eyes took a surprised and upset vibe a split second before impact. Sparks were igniting all around his body, as he stood there, still looking up, not moving. "... You better watch your behavior, magician, or the next time I use this, will be on top of your own head."

"Was that your best shot? How childish."

---------

"100,000 TON BEAUTIFUL BASH!!" the ground violently erupts, as if a meteor fell from the skies. But it was in fact Bishop, and Mitobe had just barely escaped being turned into smithereens. "Tsk, you Devil Fruit users .. freaking monsters!" The Talani appears to have injuries to his forehead, and there appears to be a very prominent bruise on one of his arms, which he seemed to have trouble using. But the pirate also seemed hurt, there was blood gushing from his mouth, while there was a nasty cut on his cheek. "My face ... I WILL FUCKING MURDER YOU, YOU FILTHY RAT!!"

"I had enough of you!" Mitobe yells, and dodges another assault, then, almost as if teleporting, appears above the enemy, who is surprised and scared, and prepares to stab him with a rapier-like weapon. However, just as he is about to beat the pirate, a slash comes from behind. "W-what?! .."

"Like .. OMG! You thought I wasn't going to get in da partieh? Ha, what a loser!" The unknown female says, while blowing a bubblegum. Before the brave Talani has the time to recover from the dirty hit, a punch from below comes like a wrecking ball. "10,000 ton Jab!!" Bishop also used the commotion to deliver a sucker punch on the warrior, who is tossed high up at a speed comparable to a cannon shell. "P-Princes .. I hope you are safe ..."

Desiree watched the moving ship for a moment longer before slipping into the shadows once more.  Her toy was gone and so she returned to her prior company to see what all of the noise was about.  A new creature had appeared.  She was intrigued - she descended into the darkness.  After a long moment she reappeared, her mouth open, the look on her face disgusted. She looked at him, horrified and clearly devastated by whatever she found in those shadows.  She began shouting at him indignantly.  "YOU'RE NOT WEARING ANY?!?!?!?! That's TOO dirty!  Just because they're made of diamonds doesn't mean you get to go commando!  Typical man, using maximum shield up at all times to cover THAT part.  You have RUINED my collection.  You'll pay for this."

Desiree narrowed her eyes as her body seemed to fad into the shadows, the last part to disappear was the golden glow of her eyes. A flicker of her frame emerged behind the magician for a moment before reappearing, holding a black silken garment like a trophy. She raised a brow as she brushed the soft fabric against her cheek. "Black silk? ... hmm... nice, blondie. Someone was expecting a fun night." She turned her attention back to the offensive one. She held the garment up indignantly. "I don't know if you are aware of these devices - but they're part of a civilized society. Get it together, sparkles!"

----

Hawks had moved around to flank their foe when the shadow jumper appeared again. He paused, agape when the woman seemed to be yelling at him - he assumed it had something to do with her earlier disappearance but after a while, he discovered she seemed to be angry that he wasn't wearing undergarments for her to take... what the hell was happening? Was he hallucinating? This was the weirdest possible scenario, Ginji was no where near by and Jade wasn't even involved. It was like they attracted weirdos. It wasn't their circus or their monkeys, but they apparently had damn tickets to the show.

Hawks shifted nervously when the angry woman disappeared again. His eyes went wide as something... happened to him within a split second. When she appeared again, she was holding his ... lucky boxers?! Yep - they were definitely his - he recognized the little jolly rogers on them. HOW?! What just happened? How did she get them while leaving everything else on? Such skill! He could feel the heat rising in his face. Her comment about his motives for the garment only made things worse. "What?! No! I didn't - I... I was expecting NO FUN - and that was apparently an accurate prediction. Return my property at once" He was annoyed and he couldn't just retrieve them anyway... not now. It wasn't like he could just excuse himself to set things right. He kept an eye on the enemy but there was no way in hell he could even look at Jade right now. What the hell just happened ... and why?!

Ginji's Adventures, Volume 18
"HOLY CRAP?!!" Helga pats the claw, and the entire creature is engulfed into a second-long fume, after which the beast's feral appearance is swapped with a cutesy look. Ginji and Percy's eyes pop out and their tongues roll as they observe in utter shock.

----------

"What on earth? ..." Jack slowly comments, while titling his head to the side, his tone being still cruel and intimidating, yet with a clear hint of discomfort and uneasiness. Of course, his uneasiness was no match compared to the sheer "terror" that Hawks must have been going under, having experienced underwear theft.

Jade eyes the intruder who, once again appeared without anyone having the slightest hint that something of this creepy magnitude was about to storm them. Annoyed and much like her companion, almost as if she forgot the dangerous adversary they were facing, sensing a surge of awkwardness surround them once more, she left a hiss. It almost felt like her eyes were on fire. Maybe they actually were.

"Where is Kiana? Keep in mind, this will be the one and only time where I'll actually ask you. Next time your leg's amputation will press you to spill it out." She speaks to Desire, and what was happening was that, indeed, everyone forgot about their actual opponent all together. But he didn't.

"You are ignoring me? .. How mad can one be? ... As for you ..." Jack glares at Desire. "Whether you are their ally or some idiotic lunatic meddling in other people's business ... beat it, or you too will be turned to pulp." he threatens her. Apparently he didn't seemed to know who she was; Leoris did stated that there were indeed very few that knew of her existence. Clearly he was not aware of how formidable she was. But on the flip side, Leoris was 100% confident that no one currently on this land could match him. Was she in danger, too? And, the other burning question ... would Hawks retrieve his underwear?!

----------

Walking across a hill, a slender figure is observing the plains -more like, desert- below. He lets out a sign, while from his shadowy appearance, some pointy, cat-like ears were visible. "Humans have set foot there again ... why must it be when I'm around?"

Desiree was not the least bit impressed with Jade. She was a hot headed ball of rage and didn't know when to keep that snappy mouth of hers shut. Despite all odds, Desiree wasn't her enemy. "Down, kitty ... I don't owe you a thing. Kiana's whereabouts are none of your concern, since, last I checked you were a member of a crew rival to Anubis. There are some loyalties that are thicker, however - and Kiana is not really a member but she won't soon be parted from the 1st division commander. Brillliant having the best sword smith and the best swordsman working together like that you see - and with the new alliance concerning weaponry, the potential expands exponentially."

Desiree was referring to a fairly unknown put in process deal Anubis was in the process of making with the Flame Cloak of the sea stone empire. Flame Cloak had delivered an advanced shipment of processed seastone in good faith after a dispute over quarrying grounds which happened to be within the possession of both parties. They were now working on a symbiotic contract that would not upset the balance of power in the world and would keep the WG in check. Some of this processed seastone was given to Kiana to incorporate with her weapon making production. She was forever creating no instruments of death - she had an unrivaled talent for it and truly lived up to her Demon epithet.

Desiree slipped into the shadows, popping out near Jades head, her lips brushing against Jade's ear. "Worry not about your friend, she keeps company with one of the world's finest warriors and isn't one to be tangled with in her own right - you are in far greater danger, my dear." She slipped into the shadows again, this time appearing near Hawks. She unslung another bundle from her shoulder, it was black and tightly bound. "These are prototype developments from the new alliance, courtesy of your blacksmith friend as well. They may lessen the effectiveness of the sphinx who is already in possession of claws, jaws, an eel projectile, and two mineral blades - you may find better use for these, magician."

Hawks was uneasy when the boxer thief approached him again. He had nothing left to give her and that made him nervous, particularly after the conversation about the diamond man's lack of product to pilfer. Oh - what about that guy? Had they forgotten him? Things were so awkward now - now wasn't the time to be unwrapping gifts but there was mention of weaponry. When he untied the binding of the black bundle, he discovered that the wrapping was actually a coat - it was a long duster coat that had internal slings for revolvers. Something seemed odds about it, it seemed to be giving off a mist?

After he unfurled the coat, something in the center caught his eye, two things actually. There were long white rods of some sort, clearly made of artfully carved seastone which had been blended with minerals - one with a dragon head and a mineralized green sheen and the other with a cobra head and had a purple mineralized sheen - they were dueling canes. There were small buttons under the chin portion of each animal. Known for her work with poison chambers, Kiana constructed the teeth of each animal to be equipped with venom which would be dispensed with one of the chin buttons on the cane. The dragon cane had a retractable blade at one end while the snake cane was a modified riffle barrel, loaded with seastone casings which were coated in steel to look ordinary but their cores were seastone - devil fruit powers could tear the metal away but the core of the shot would remain, penetrating any devil fruit based power. Fruit users would presume they were immune to the simple metal and thus would not bother to dodge them.

Hawks' eyes glazed over - he had always wanted Dueling canes but there were the finest piece of weaponry he had ever laid eyes upon and he had yet to discover all of their secrets. There had been a brief note explaining some of the features but he only had time to read about these few - along with the significance of the coat. It was a floor-length duster which had been forced to eat the smoke-smoke fruit, giving it the misty quality. He slipped it on, the smoke making the edges seem to give way to mist which seemed to hang around his legs and frame, making it difficult judge the precise placement of his body. Smoke curled around his slender frame, giving him a mysterious appearance as his piercing blue eyes penetrated the cloud like sapphires. He held one cane on the ground leaning on it slightly, while the other was perched casually over his shoulder.

A wicked grin passed over his lips. He vaguely recalled Kiana - that strange woman with the fire scythe and a ridiculously unnatural capacity for alcohol which she sometimes wasted, by scalding people in the face with vaporized potions she spat at them, using her unique ability. He never realized she was such a skilled artisan of death. He could kiss her right now for these incredible toys which were actually sent to Jade. About time something useful came out of his odd friendship with her and if she tried to take any of his treats, he would beat her with one of his new canes.

Speaking of which - these canes needed a trial run. In a moment he seemed to disappear, a puff of smoked left in the wake of where he just stood. A loud crack was heard as the back of the heavy club-like snake head end of the seastone cane made contact with the back of the diamond man's knee before leaving another empty silhouette of smoke behind, next appearing near Jade, overly pleased with himself.

Ginji's Adventures Volume 19
There appears to be an odd "A" shaped print on the now cute creature's head. The creature is now oddly friendly. Meanwhile, Ginji is using a fishing pole that appeared out of hammer's space, and is picking up the beaten up Brosko.

----------

"What was that supposed to be? ..!" The male speaks and is about to take a step, but a sharp pain stops him. Only now did he realized he was actually cut. He looks below and tilts his foot to the side to notice a slash on the back of his knee, then glares at the magician with a cold, deranged tone. "Now you've done it ..."

Immediately after he makes that threatening claim however, he places his hand in front of his mouth as an unexpected coughing occurs, one that came along a gulp of blood. So that was poison? Not only did the magician received a weapon that can actually cut him, but it was also poisoned? Jack must have felt really embarrassed to let his guard down in such a humiliating way. As he knees on one foot, it appears that the venom has got him good; so it was that simple. Being too confident was, and always would be, a grave mistake. Or was it?

"I see ..." He then continues, while his facial expression is hidden by the bowed down head. "You think that I, the great Jack will succumb to such a simple plan. DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO I AM?!" he raises his head, blood-shot eyes appearing. And for some reason, it didn't felt like it was because of the poison.

Reaching for inside of his garment, he, somewhat shakily -clearly he wasn't immune to the poison as it did caused some tremors already- removes an odd ball-shaped object, then, with incredible speed, rockets around and ends up some distance behind them. Now they were on the edge of the remainder of the cliff. The ball object was no longer visible. "Now, feed the fishes."

Desiree had seen the round object and recognized it immediately. She had stolen the underwear of the person who own the explosives production company that made that particular bomb - their location made the garment unfortunately susceptible to collecting trace amounts of explosive powders. When she added it to her collection, the residual dust caused fire when she lit her candle for her silk ritual, immediately incinerating her collection for that classification. It was a sad, sad night. She defiantly stuffed the magician's boxers down her shirt, a pointed, angry gesture that was mostly directed at the bomb itself than anything else. That round destructive bastard wasn't getting her latest prize.

Her figure slipped into the shadows. She emerged seeing the projectile hurling toward the cliff in a wide arc - she could reach out and grab it and deliver it back to its owner - but that wouldn't do any good. He could hold the damn thing in his hand would wouldn't he harmed but it. Instead she snatched it out of the air, dragging it through the shadows with her and depositing near the ground at the base of the cliff by the shore where it tumbled into the sea. She could play this stupid game all day - if that jerk didn't bring her a prize, she certainly wasn't going to allow him to have any fun.

.....

Hawks tilts his head slightly, his voice dripping with apathy. "If you were worth knowing of, I would know of you, I suspect - and since you refer to yourself in third person, you seem to be the only one that considers yourself worth knowing of." He idly spins one of his canes about, pointedly paying more attention to it than his enemy. "The more important question is - do I even care? After today, it won't matter - you legacy will die on this island with the rest of you - and not even the sea kings will mourn your passing. That really is the worst thing for some one like you, isn't it? - to leave this life without leaving a mark as an expendable henchmen and a tool, hiding behind a fruit that turns you into a glittering rock - forgotten and fading into obscurity like the last crashing wave on the shore. Such a pity."

Hawks eyes the followed mans motions carefully, expecting something desperate and extreme given that his over-confidence put him in a precarious position. His eyes flickered to the object the man pulled from his cloak. His eyes widen for a moment as he quickly pivoted on a heal, launching himself into Jade while lifting her up at the same time, propelling them into the air. He knew she would be annoyed but she was also a fruit user who could not swim. They landed off the the side of the blast radius, but still within its debris and energy field. He pulled the wide flap of his duster coat around them, the smoke furling around but the exploding bits of rocks he expected to hit the outside never came.

He correctly assumed she shadow jumper was in no real danger and opted to leave her to her own devices - though his running around didn't allow him to realize she was responsible for removing the bomb. He used the confusion to set Jade off to the side has he disappeared, but not before he offered her a bit of a smirk, leaving a cloud of smoke where they had just been.

He landed silently behind the self-absorbed creature known as Jack. The breeze tugged lightly at his pale blond hair and the misty, intangible edges of his coat. The smoke curled up around his frame, a hint of a wicked grin evident behind the screen of smoke. His eyes glanced downward as he pulled his cane back toward himself. As he landed, the seastone blade of his cane the trained upon a nasty trajectory of sliding down Jack's spine as he landed in his current position. The smoke prevented him from seeing if his attack was successful - an any case, he was no fool - the next moment, nothing was there but a deceptive, smoky silhouette of the man who had just stood there. Hawks had slipped away to re-access the danger of the situation. They couldn't keep this slash and dash maneuver up for long. The man was too fast and strong and wouldn't fall for the same trick over and over. One misstep and it would all be over.