@Noodles @EnterTheHero

Based on his answer, Handel could only assume that even if Arafael had not exactly fallen for her ruse, she had implanted enough doubt to at least stay his hand. Granted, what she said about Marine ranks and power was not entirely true; though rank and power often correlated, there were obviously exceptions. It could be that Arafael was stronger than her. But as he drew her attention to the docks, she could only comment, "That's...not one of mine...?" Handel left the safety of the doorway and headed to the side of the ship, leaning over the railing, looking at Coyote. Deciding that adding a little chaos in the form of an 'unknown element' might disrupt the good lieutenant's plans, Handel called out to Coyote, "Yo! Welcome to the Brown Isles. You seem lost. I just got here myself. Watching the boat for my crew. They should be back soon, and I'm sure they can tell you whatever you need to know about the island. It's just me and my dog, Scruffy, up here on deck. Say 'hi' to the nice man, Scruffy."

@Stern Algorithm @Noodles

---

Coyote was shocked out of his semi-daydreaming state by a voice calling to him from one of the ships he'd been standing near. He glanced at the ramshackle little thing, eyeing it up and down critically. He wasn't anticipating a battleship, really, but still, it was... sub-optimal. Still, it looked better than some of the things he'd gotten over the Red Line with. And at least this lady was nice enough to greet him first. And that Jolly Roger meant he wouldn't have to worry about them trying to turn him in, assuming they recognized him.

Plus- and this was only a small part of it- they had a doggy. A nice big doggy, actually. Huge. Just sitting there on the railing, comfortable as you please.

Adorable.

He filed that thought away for now, raising a hand to the woman on the deck of the ship.

"Hoy, he called up cheerfully, "much obliged, but perhaps I can start negotiations with you first? My name is Kurt, and I'm looking for passage to the Grand Line. If you're not planning on crossing over yourselves, then just a jaunt to Loguetown would be good enough. I'd be willing to compensate you and your crew fairly for your generosity."

The White Pearl@Stern Algorithm@EnterTheHero
That was a good thing when the whole situation turned out to be peaceful, but The fine afternoon of the Brown Isles had been ruined by the aspect of the burning forests right in the middle of the island, burned by the Black Dragon of the Brown Isles. Arafael remained unfazed, the wolf had seen that dragonfire before. A gathering of those would prove to be messy. Even a careless person like his marine captain would be more than cautious.

That Coyote also seeks the route to the island Loguetown. It seemed that all are preparing their journey to the Grand LIne. But all for the better, that was also their place to meet.

And that depends on how they fare against the Valar of the Shade Pirates. Should they happen to take Valar out, best case scenario for his crew, they get wiped away without even lifting a finger. Arafael let up an audible sniff at the sight of the new crew member

---

Cliffside@vancexentan
The plundered treasure that was of the Shade Pirates got dug out. The treasure was lighter than it appeared, with goods that are filled to the brim. The treasure contained a box of money. Tied in bundles and bundles. Along with that there are a couple gold necklaces, jewelry that are obviously plundered from merchant ships, from a good time of pillaging in the East Blue, all in the hands of Adam Grey. That kind of value was a surprising one, much more than one would get from a merchant ship.

Fortunately, the coast seemed clear to load the treasure, most of the Shades Pirates crew have joined the battle alongside the captain Valar. But from the looks of the Dragonfires and the Swamps, they would be more than occupied. The chest would be easy to carry for one person, and would even be easy to steal and get away without the rest of the crew knowing.

Flint was somewhat disappointed as Valar evaded the attack once more with and used his powers to darken the area. Not only that, but they were encircled in a ring of fire. The small blessing was that he was trapped in there with them as well and such a small area to move around could be used to their advantaged. Most importantly though, at least Valar wasn't a Logia user, so he was only somewhat irritating to fight as opposed to maddeningly so.

He listened to Alisa speak and nodded. He rolled another grenade towards where thought Valar was. It more of a measure to keep him from doing anything too fancy by controlling his movement with an explosion. He the deftly braced his sword and got into a position to block the attack with the flat of his blade. "Got ya' Cap'" was all he said to her as he awaited the impact of the blow against his sword.

The Burning Swamps @Jerkchicken

Alesia tapped on her powers once again. The waves of dragonfire from Valar had been blocked by the grenade of Flint. Alesia twisted her weight, as the surge of wind bent within the walls of the dragonfire.

As things goes, the surroundings turned pitch black as the Pirate Captain Valar brought himself forward towards the Pirate Captain Alesia. Fighting Valar even under the broad daylight was already not an easy one, he is strong in that skill of his sword. To cross swords under his familiar darkness would be worse than this. But she hoped that her winds of blade would work against that fruit technique of Valar.

The Thrusting Winds that left her blade, bent back into the field of battle. Dragonfire is drawn in just like the previous technique used by her very opponent.

The pillar of fire carried by the Thrusting Winds shrieked behind Captain Valar, clearly missing that captain. It missed Valar, but on how she knew that, its ‘cause she could see now. The dragonfire brought from the outside walls lit the place like an oversized lamp.

Captain Valar is right in front of Alesia, ready with his sword raised and prepared to send it down like a guillotine. The unexpected reflecting glitter from her eyes had made the Captain flinch. Alesia brought her blade forward, putting her whole weight to send the Snake’s Bite technique.

The snapping sound of Valar’s neck had brought a conclusion to final exchange of swords. Pulling back the blade off Valar’s neck, Alesia shook off the the blood off her blade.

Valar collapsed onto the ground, without any groans or squirms. She wasn't expecting much, but it might be a fitting end for a swordsman. The surrounding darkness subsides away, back into the big ring of dragonfire which still surrounded them. Valar’s black sword laid at the ground beside the fallen captain.

“His sword is too heavy for my liking,” Alesia had thought the blade was black from that Captain’s Devil Fruit. A fat sword, that's the only word that she could think of, with a blade that is curved like a spine.

“We’ll need to find a way out of here…” Alesia put down the sword of Valar, her hand grasping on her cutlass once again. She thrusted her sword towards the Forests of Dragonfire. Winds and Gales surged from the tip of her blade. Her Thrusting Winds blowing an open path within the burning forests.

“That damned treasure would be burned by now,” Alesia let out a short breath of curses before making her way out of the burning swamps.

---

Outside the burning swamps @the rest

The edge of the burning forests blows up, followed by a surging last of wind. A path free of dragonfire shows Alesia and Flint, and the remains of Valar.

---

The Shade Pirates.

The name was capable of inspiring a sense of intimidation as much as deep cringe. Another one of these high-risk, potentially high-reward investments Erizalla had gotten far too accustomed to. However, he speculative endeavour had been leaving her going bust for the better part of a year now. Duds after duds. Crews with overly ambitious weaklings or absolute sickos. Not that the morality of it all impacted the ex-broker's choice, oh no. It was the distracting side-activities they part took in that was the most troublesome. Rape, murder, plundering for the sake of it was a complete waste of time and made them far too conspicuous for Eri's liking.

So, here she was, investing in yet another disappointing, low-value junk asset. This would become all too clear when the captain's abilities were made known to her before a certain assault had come to be. A dumb devil fruit wasted on a dumb individual that could barely rake in an admirable bounty. A sigh of frustration escaped her lips as she sat herself at the back rows of the pirate troops preparing to counter-attack the rival pirates.

The lass sat upon a rotting tree stump among the dreadful swamp. Next to her, a veteran of the sea-life and an older member of the Shade Pirates. Her black pupil peered at his direction as he stood, rifle in hand.

"Yer comin', recruit? The cap'n' may have lost his noggin' but he ain't gon' get forgivin' if you just sit 'round."

Pursing her lips, her gaze scrutinising his filthy being with clear disdain. A weak chuckle escaped her lips, as she present her left palm to the man while her right hand drew her pistol."

"Fair enough, Eor-"

"That's Mister Eor to you lil' lady."

She paused, and just stared for a good two seconds.

"Mister Eor. Would you be so kind as to pass me the bullets there as I get up?"

The man furrowed his eyebrows and upon shrugging would reach for the box of iron bullets.

"Interesting that such a benign treasure would yield such attention."

A lazy mutter came about as she emerged from her seat. By that time, the majestic flames of the now exposed dragon-human came to be. The bright flare shined in the eyes of the sharkman-hybrid. With that sudden occurrence developing right before her eyes, Eri would begin to grin, exposing her shark-like teeth.

Eor, in awe, refrained from passing the bullets as he too would be stupefied by the emergence of the mythical being. But he'd bring the bullets with an expression of urgency on his visage. A strong contrast with Erizalla's, which would cause him to stagger somewhat. She was quick to take them and slip a bullet into the cannon of the gun. The movement was fluid, one she was very much accustomed to and could do without even looking at the contraption.

"Though, as an appraiser, I'd suppose we have to factor in the perceived value of things as well."

Just as she uttered that sentence, the click of the pistol's safety echoed into the mind Eor as the gun was pointed at him. As callously as possible, Erizalla shot the man right at the chest.

"And I just found the treasure of a lifetime. Well, for me anyway. You, not so much."

Without even sparing a glance at the man she had just murdered, Erizalla walked over his corpse and utilized the advantage she had of being on the "enemy's" side to sneak right toward the area they had supposedly found the treasure. A potential offering to the assailants of the group she had already judged to be mediocre at best. Though quite unexpectedly, she'd find yet another mystery-individual having their way with the treasure the Shade Pirates had tried to get for themselves.

With the bit of distance she had with the somewhat young male, though the grey hair mad that assessment questionable, she'd cock the same gun she had used to eliminate her ex-colleague and pointed it at the young man.

"Now, now. Let's not reap the spoils of battle until it's finished, yes?"

Her wide grin remained, eyes somewhat narrowed with the cheekiest of expressions on her visage. The visible sharp teeth were the origin of the soft, feminine voice that had ordered him to stop. And a loaded gun was her way of enforcing her demand.

"Tell me. Is this dragon yours, by any chance? And by 'yours' I mean one of your little groupies' there. You don't give off much of a boss vibe. Or any vibe for that matter."

She inquired, with a hint of snark.

Adam growled as he dropped the treasure to his feet, and pulled his knives out. He didn't even really bother to look in the direction of the Shade Pirates trash talking him as he contemplated how, and why this couldn't have been as easy as it should've been. Turning around and preparing himself for a war Adam finally looked at his new enemies. "As much as I'd like to claim that I have a crew I'm just a member of someone else's crew at the moment. Though if we're being completely honest I think they're a moron. Them, and whoever buried this dumb fucking treasure on a cliff, in a swamp. Where I come from pirates have don't do dumb stuff like this." Adam said dropping his facade for the moment. "Are you the one who's been doing that dusk shadow stuff with the devil fruit? If not you're not exactly in for a good time. I'll be willing to cut you a deal though I'll give you half this treasure if you let us leave. That seems a fair enough bargain. As for my vibe...if you really want I'll get serious. But I tend to get a bit stab happy when that happens." Adam said as he gripped his weapon tightly. "And yes I am very much aware of how much of an angst ridden little teenager with daddy issues that I sound like. I just don't care you're not exactly that high up on my hit list. I bet my sister can take you, and all she knows how to do is shoot a gun really well."

---

At least he was responsive. Expectations were for the typical trigger-happy type, hence Erizalla's loaded gun, ready to be the first to fire if any unpleasant movement was performed. The shark-lass would have to address the upcoming replies and interrogations, starting off with her usual toothy grin on her visage, pistol still pointed at the grey haired man with a perfectly straight arm.

"Nope, that's not me."

A quick turn of her eyes would allow Eri to peer over at the direction of the blazing battlefield. It seemed to have calm down with most gunfire ceasing and the maelstrom of tinted mist vanishing. It seemed as though the captain had been defeated or at least could not fight anymore. With the dragon free as well, it looked like her bet was paying off faster than she had expected. Her distraction did not last, attention still mostly directed at her 'hostage'.

"I think this 'mist' you're worried about will no longer be an issue. Nor will the Shade Pirates. Meaning, I won't have much use for this case there. I'm not dumb enough to think I could out-run you and your, err, 'moron' with that case."

Despite the relenting nature of her speech, she did not lower her aim and her grin remained plastered, though with a visible twitch at the edge of her lip. One of the man's comments did not sit right with her. This contagious twitch spread to her index finger on the trigger. Yes, while she lamented the trigger-happy nature of pirates, she was unfortunately another fly in that cesspool she so arrogantly looked down on. She forced a weak chuckle.

"Oh, you wouldn't want your sister to butt heads with me, tsk tsk. No one would want their loved ones to. It'd be wise to avoid getting too personal with shady strangers such as myself. Even wiser not to reveal to me that you prefer bladed weapons and can get a bit, as you'd say, 'stab happy'."

Her eyes narrowed somewhat, showing a hit off irritation on her expression with the twitch on her lip lasting during her whole reply. Her free hand reached for the second pistol holstered in her belt, anticipating the return of the crew and a potential face-off if things went sour.

"Now, please do answer me this time instead of bringing up compromising information about yourself. Is this dragon part your crew? And, while we're on the subject, what is this group of yours anyway? Are you just here for that?"

She nodded toward the case Adam had dropped, the treasure they had plundered from the Shade Pirates.

Adam chuckled for a brief moment. Clearly he hadn't revealed anything proper to this woman. And judging by her lack of knowledge about him she clearly didn't know his family. "What part of 'not part of my group' failed to prove that point? The dragon thing may be a part of the group, may not be. I'm new I don't know what's up with that. The world is strange, and full of terrors. I've got nothing left to say other than we're pirates. We're looking for buried treasure. I'm going to stop talking after this bit. Of course if you're actually my enemy feel free to shoot. I may not be a devil fruit user but you'll find it alarming hard to actually get a bullet on myself at this distance. I'm actually quite agile." Adam said confidently as he kept his battle stance. His father had taught him all about mid range gun fights. It was all about prediction, and deception. Move one way, dodge another, look at their hands and see where the bullet would likely go to. And keep moving. Worst case he actually threw at knife at her neck. Lacerations on the arms, or legs would disable her if he could actually hit her. If not buying time, and using this actually damnable swamp as cover should allow his crew to assist him.

Flint while glad they finally defeated Valar, was less than glad about the way of going about it. There was audible "tsking" as he was hoping they could have found a way to incapacitate the captain and turn him in for the bounty. At least the body wasn't mangled despite all the fire and explosions so they had that at least. "You know while I'm fine with needing to kill if be, I was hoping we could take this bastard alive and turn him in for that decent bounty he and his crew have. But hey, you saved our necks and at least he's identifiable. Anyway, I'm going to take him in and get that pet you wanted." Flint said to Alesia with just a little nod to Valar to make that terrible one-liner sink in.

The man would just flop the corpse over his should liked weighed nothing. He briefly walked alongside her before stopping to say, "You might want to check that cave the pirates were hiding in. Hopefully there's something worth salvaging inside even if the fire did rock that cave." He walked briskly through the torched swamp. While the extra weight wouldn't matter to him, the soft waterlogged ground was trying to eat his boots in certain spots and he had no desire to lose a good pair of boots in swamp muck. He kept walking and then would drag the corpse towards the town.

@EnterTheHero @Noodles

"Loguetown, huh? Funny that..." Handel shot a look at Arafael, punctuating the coincidence that both the Marine Lieutenant and Kurt wanted to go to the same place. "Y'see, my captain's a bit of a free spirit, I don't even know where we're heading after this. But any self-respecting pirate's gotta go to the Grand Line at some point, and I think we're up to the task. So hop aboard, Kurt. You can call me Commander Hallelujah."

The smoke billowing up in the distance and the waves of warm air coming from the island didn't bode well. Was this the living dragon's fire? And did he really join the crew on a whim? She really should have given someone a den den mushi before they disembarked. "Hey kid," Handel tossed Kurt a small den den mushi she had in one of her many coat pockets. "A smart crew is a living crew, and a smart crew always stays in communication; a lesson I'm learning the hard way right now." She stared off at the pillar of smoke with a worried expression. At this point all she could do was trust in the strengths of her comrades and hope for the best. She couldn't leave the ship what with her gambit with Arafael still tense and unresolved.

"Don't worry about me, I'll get him turned in and get that money. However, you're right. With that stunt of blowing up the swamp we're likely to get unwanted attention so I suggest you decide quickly if you want to poke around in the cave or not. I think their ship was hidden in the cave, so I could possibly get the ship inside and pick everyone up and leave this island since their ship is probably destroyed. Anyway, I need to go and drop this guy off." Flint replied to Bakuto before entering town.

He posed the Captain like a passed out buddy and maneuvered themselves through the streets. The air was even more smokier as not only was the Tavern still smouldering, but also the swamp behind the town was also burnt to a crisp. He'd try and keep a low profile as he went back to the mayor. "Your pirate problem has been solved, although not in a very quiet manner. Wish I could have captured him alive, but ehh. I'm worried about marine presence and I'd like to turn him in for that bounty on his head and leave before it gets too hot here."

The Swamps @BladeSS4 @The Rest

Just a pirate, and she got advises for leaving a person alive next time, Valar had tried to kill her, and even the rest of the crew. That was not the words that she wanted.

She tied her ponytail in one tug of her wrist upon seeing Bakuto entering the walls of flames. How did he get in here? Alesia shook that stray thought away in less than a moment, a dragon wouldn’t get killed by fire. “I don’t think anyone would survive a broken neck,”

She just nodded at the tall tales of the marines,It was interesting to hear about how they do things, all she knew about Marines back in her hometown is that they are another word for ‘scum’.

“Still, I doubt our crew would attract too much attention from those people, we’re just pirates that recently set sail, and have yet to rack a good amount of Bounty.” Alesia dismissed that suggestion without much of a second thought. Flint’s price on his head was the highest she’d ever heard of in her ship. And she wouldn’t have any bounty that matches the likes of Captain Valar.

“But, what you said might be true, we’ll just have a quick glance of the cliffs, then fly back to the harbour,” Alesia folded her arms, her pair of dark grey eyes gleaming at the dragon Bakuto, “So, can you transform again?”

Alesia asked, showing a slight smirk.

---

Streets of Brown harbour @Jerkchicken

The streets of Brown Harbour was rather empty, from the obvious sight of the battle between the Shade Pirates and the Scarlet Pirates. Pirates that stumbled upon Flint had shunned away from him, a few having surprised looks at the sight of the corpse of the Shade Pirates Captain. At the same stall stood the Town Mayor, paying a stack of money to one of the pirates of the bar. “Here’s your compensation.” The mayor spoke,flicking his cigarette away before turning to look at the body of Captain Valar.

“So you killed him?” The mayor gave what that seemed like a foolish remark, before handling the bounty, stashed on a grocery bag. “22 million, if I’m not wrong, and if you don’t mind returning a favour, a man in yellow hair had approached me a few days back,”

The mayor took a letter, stamped with the waxed seal of Feather and Ravens. “I’m not in the position to say anything, but it is of an utmost urgency. All I can say is that all of this is hidden in this envelope. Send it to that golden hair man with a scar across his Eyebrows.” The Mayor handed the letter to Flint, surprising trickling out a sweat from the forehead, “You seemed more reliable than the drunkyards of the tavern, and I’ll put my trust on that.”

---

"Uhm, I dunno, maybe it's the part where didn't say anything close to that? Just a fuckin' guess."

Her tone lowered to a more patronising and sarcastic one, her unstable smile now degraded into a disappointed frown. Either her opposite had his mind elsewhere, probable given the circumstances, or he was an idiot. Nonetheless, the hybrid-shark had her eyes narrow in growing suspicion of his position in this whole debacle. Nothing to make her heart race, but enough to for Erizalla to adopt a more appropriate stance to mirror his own initiative. Knees flexed, pistol aimed straight while her free hand clenched the other gun.

"Though I suppose with all these impromptu retcons of speech and growing tension, I agree, we can settle this much more efficiently ..."

Her lips morphed back into a grin, less pronounced that her first appearance, but enough to expose the excitement she was feeling. The fight itself didn't agitate the critter, no; the pleasure of putting down someone that tried to reflect her condescension. Such audacity had to be put in its place.

The lack of anymore gunfire toward the marshlands and the reversion of the dragon to a human state were facts that were dead obvious now to the now concentrating Erizalla. Distracted, she'd click her tongue without letting her posture falter. A good few seconds, enough to perhaps let the opposing man assault her, would pass with her stance adamant. In any case, right as this deafening silence reigned supreme, she would swiftly cock the safety of her revolver with her thumb and shrug, the gun now hanging harmlessly on her index finger.

"BUT you know what? I'm down a crew now and killing the first member I come across doesn't bode well for my remaining prospect! Thus, I would love to meet that, as you'd say, 'moron' you call a captain. Would that be fine?"

Her voice emitted a complete U-turn in tone, now far more cheery and pleasant. And loud, very loud. Loud enough be heard from a certain distance.

"Oh yes, I'm sure she'd love to run through my little resume. Yessirree. That is, if she's even worthy of the mantle of pirate captain. I've met more than a few duds as of late."

Holstering her firearm, she'd then present her gloved hand to the man she had just a minute ago expressed a desire to assault. Palm flat and her composure completely relaxed.

"Erizalla. I can do loads of stuff, like most pirates. Enchanted."

Burning Swamps @BladeSS4

Alesia the Captain of the Scarlet Pirates leapt to the Dragon’s head, resting at the top as it flew upwards towards the direction of the Cliffside.

Flying, the surge of updrafts was fresh from the terrible smoke from the Dragonfire. To fly on a Dragon’s back one of those things she’d thought to only have happened in the stories.

“Tsk…” And the two words of ‘moron’ and ‘captain’ have sure ruined the whole experience of flying.

“Fly down,” Alesia ordered the dragon to descend. From the birds’ eye view, there seemed to be still two pirates left on the cliffside.

---

Cliffside @blade @Savato@vancexentan

A large dragon emerged from the Burning swamps, casting a large shadow over the cliffside. Above the head of the Black Dragon was a short girl with grey coat. The ever familiar face of the Scarlet Pirates Captain Alesia.

Alesia jumped off the dragon. “Ten tonnes……” Alesia crashed down the Cliffside with a loud thud. Loose stones of the cliffside scattered in all directions. The ground churned into a cloud of dust. “Who called me a moron?!” Alesia trotted herself out of the little crater that she created. She wasn’t in the best of her mood for the day, after that small lecture from the First Mate . Tapping the fine dust away from her oversized cloak, Aleisa let out a slight frown at the young lady that she had not seen before. Was she talking to Adam? And now to mention of Adam, he had an oversized box, could this be the treasure? “How’s everything on your side, Adam?” Alesia bit back her long breath of curses whilst putting on her front of formality. Is she also searching for the treasure? That might be it. A dispute of treasure is bad news….

“Our crew, the Scarlet Pirates is recruiting, the Treasurer of the ship will divide the booty at the next port.” Aleisa approached the young lady Erizalla, taking a few glances at that Adam Grey upon mentioning the word ‘treasurer’.

“We’ll be setting sail soon, so hop on, if you are keen in joining our crew.” Alesia looked at the ‘Skyship’, whom would be making a landing soon enough. And should the ‘offer’ fall apart, the dragon would make for a quick getaway.

Adam looked at the woman in front of him unsure about if he could trust her he glanced at her eyes and after that brief glance he figured she wasn't lying, or at least she was a passable liar. Adam sheathed his knives, and placed them back where they belonged. However he made sure the ones up his sleeves were ready just in case. Always make a back up plan. Adam shook her hand properly before shaking his head, "No one likes fakers...as one myself I should tell you that the captain respects being straight forward. Just be yourself, and the captain will let you on board." Adam told the woman who called herself Erizalla deliberately leaving out his name. However it seemed that failed to matter as his scatter brained captain strolled up acting as she usually does. "No one has called your anything Captain. You're probably just feeling tired from a long day's work. This one here calls herself Erizalla. She's interested in defecting to our ship. Yes, or no its up to you I just met her so I can't give you a recommendation." Adam said straight forwardly as he grabbed the treasure chest, and prepared to do his part to haul it back to ship.