[IC] One Piece: The Blackfin Chronicles

[alexfangtalon]

"It's not the only reason I'm here, but I won't bore you with the details. Got some people I need to meet up with." He then pulled down his scarf slightly and downed the whole thing of rum. He put the glass back down, paid for his drink, pulled his scarf back up, then left for the outside. Looking around outside he tried to figure out where the two would have gone from here. He had no way of figuring out where they may be so the best plan he could come up with was walking around til he ran into them. If he didn't find them after a while he would just go back to the trawler.

[Zapdos]

Jones looked in amazement as Siobhan once again was able to afford to buy a ridiculous quantity of stuff. Unlike the food, she probably wasn’t going to eat the clothes either, so the doctor had to wonder where she would put all of them. He just smiled and left that question to his captain.

After the two left the building, Jones noticed that the clothing store was actually next door to a grocer. “Hey Siobhan, I’ll be right back,” he said, “I need to pick up a few things.”

Normally, one would to expect to wait at least five or ten minutes for someone to complete a shopping trip, but if Siobhan counted it barely took the doctor a minute to get all of his supplies.

“Okay, thanks for waiting,” Jones said as he walked out. His duffel bag looked fatter now.

“Where to now?”

[Blackstripe]

"Sure," Siobhan smiled to Jones when he headed off to the grocers...and returned barely a minute later. He was a pretty fast shopper! She preferred to look around for a while herself, but maybe that was just because she never got to really do it until now. When her doctor returned from his brief errand, she turned to head back in the direction of the harbor.

As they walked down the busy street, the young pirate captain caught sight of her swordsman coming in the opposite direction, still wearing his disguise. Raising one of her bags full of clothing in greetings, she fell in beside him. "Have fun gamblin'? I think it's time we head back to the harbor."

Stopping in town for a shopping and supply run had been fun and all, but she was quite eager to meet her next comrade now!

Of course, she still didn't quite know where to go, but there had to be someone that knew where Taimi or her father was. She wouldn't think a town like this would be able to forget someone like Daedalus Taitale, even if that old woman at the bar had implied that some would really like to.

"Take me bags and go wait on the trawler," Siobhan instructed her two crewmen, "I'm goin' to see if any of these merchants know how to find her."

---

"Taitale? Get out of here, girl, I don't want anything to do with that family!"

---

"Who, the daughter of Daedalus?! I don't know and I don't wanna know!"

---

"Anyone with half a working brain would stay away from that lot."

---

"You're one crazy babe! SHOW ME YER BEWBS!!"

---

Siobhan released a heavy sigh, her head hanging low. No matter how many merchants she tried, none of them were the least bit helpful. What the hell had Daedalus done to make them so terrified of him? He sounded pretty awesome to her. Who wouldn't want to have a super-genius engineer living on their island?

Well, there was only one other merchant to try now...

"...Oh, the Taitales?" The last merchant perked up slightly at her question. "Yeah, I take them supplies every so often. Food, parts...you name it, just about. I'm the only one here that'll brave the trip."

"R-really?!" Siobhan's melancholy state was immediately blasted away by this good news. "So ya know how to get there, like?"

Nodding once, the merchant turned back to sorting his goods. "I do, but I'm not scheduled to make the trip for another three weeks."

"That's fine, I'm a navigator! Just mark it on my nautical chart!" Siobhan grinned, reaching into her overcoat and producing a chart of this region of West Blue.

Smirking, the merchant once again turned to face her. "Sure, if you'll do me a small favor."

"...I'm not flashin' ya," Siobhan muttered.

Shaking his head, the middle-aged man chuckled. "No, nothing like that. Like I said, I'm not scheduled to head back there for three weeks...but, in all honesty, I don't plan on heading back there period."

Tilting her head to the side, Siobhan waited for him to finish.

"Truth is...my association with that family has cost me a lot more business here than trading with them is worth. People don't want to potentially get mixed up with the Taitales, and that means they don't want to be mixed up with me. For a merchant, that's a death sentence."

Noting he didn't seem particularly happy to be distancing himself from them, she nodded. "And ya want me to tell them that ya won't be back?"

"That's right," the merchant dipped his head in turn. "They ought to at least know ahead of time that they can't count on my supplies anymore. Maybe they'll be able to work something out, I don't know. Either way, it's out of my hands now."

---

"Alright, good news!" Siobhan hopped from the docks onto the deck of her small vessel. "I know where we're goin' now!"

Holding the marked nautical chart in her hands, she quickly moved to the small cabin at the bow of the trawler. Laying out the chart on a table, she placed a finger at the 'x' the merchant had used to mark the small island's location. "By my estimates, it'll only take us a couple of hours to get there, so be ready!"

She could hardly contain her excitement at this point. Acquiring a shipwright would mean she wouldn't forever be confined to this little boat any more, and would actually be physically able to head back to the Grand Line!

---

...and two hours was indeed all it took for the island to come within their view. It was indeed pretty small. From a distance, she could guess that it was less than ten square miles across. "No wonder it's not on any of the charts."

Taking the wheel, Siobhan began to guide the ship in to their next destination. Since there was probably no port here, she would just anchor right off the beach...

[Rin]

Ilona Island

It really wasn't a very large island. Compared to Cathymnia, which was still visible off in the distance, it was practically miniscule. Roughly half of the island was covered in lush green forest, covering a large chunk of what was visible of the central mountain, but the other half... Barren and desolate, covered in craters and scorching like pock marks on a scabby face. It was almost as though someone had crudely stitched two small islands together.

Situated upon the ruined half of the island was a large building, which would have been hard to clearly make out from this distance even if it wasn't for the large chimneys belching out plumes of smoke. If one were to take a more intent look at it, it would become clear that the worst of the damage was situated around this building. Sheer cliffs seemed to dominate the coast of this half, and although it was unclear if it was always like this or if it was caused by whatever caused the rest of the damage, what was clear that it was impossible to make land this way without specialized climbing gear.

On the coast of the green half, meanwhile, was a large expanse of beach, far more suited for docking the ship. Not far from the shore, just at the edge of the forest, was a small cabin, only really large enough for one or two people to live in. Small windmills, motors and other mechanical paraphernalia covered the roof of the cabin, and the chimney seemed far less noxious than that of the larger building further inland.

And standing on the white sands was what looked like a young girl, dark skinned, her green hair tied to the side as she seemingly observed Siobhan and her crew's ship approaching. For a moment, she simply watched, but soon enough she lifted what looked like a small log over her shoulder, a log that seemed to be hollow for some reason...

...And with a loud BANG she fell back onto her rear, as something began speeding towards the ship, getting closer and closer as it left a trail of smoke behind it...

...Oh right, that was a rocket. She'd just fired a rocket at the ship. Its course seemed a bit wobbly, really, but she'd just fired a rocket at the ship!

[Blackstripe]

There was something very different about this island...something simultaneously foreboding yet enticing. Half lush forest and half apparent warzone--An unsolved mystery, a scattered puzzle waiting to be pieced back together.

That was the essence of adventure at its heart.

"Ooh, that place is weird! Let's hurry and take a closer look!" Siobhan grinned broadly.

Her eyes sliding along the coast to spot a good place to land, it didn't take them long to lock onto yet another peculiar sight: a simple cabin at the edge of the forest, and a young girl on the beach, hold what looked like a hollowed out log.

Wait...

She felt like she had seen something like that before during her time on the Grand Line.

"Oh, right! That's called a bazooka," Siobhan grinned, remembering her last encounter with the weapon. "...Aw shite."

Turning quickly, she grabbed Jones and Eadgar both by the waists and without another word leaped overboard as the rocket impacted their small trawler, instantly reducing it to hail of splinters. Unlike cannonballs which could be deflected, smashed, or cut, these rockets actually exploded whenever they made contact with something.

It made them a real pain to deal with.

Popping her head up from the water, Siobhan's eyes were filled with the burning remnants of their vessel. From the air a burnt pair of newly purchased knickers fell down onto her head.

"Welp, there went all my clothes. And nautical charts. And log pose for when we were ready to hit Reverse Mountain..."

This is why she would never have kids.

[Zapdos]

Jones had let Eadgar carry Siobhan’s stuff to the ship, which was funny. Siobhan had found where Taimi was, which was useful.

And now they found a rocket being fired at them where Taimi was, which was annoying. Jones had noticed, but before he could say more than the first part of the first word he was going to say to warn everyone, Siobhan had grabbed him and pulled him into the water. Her instincts were good.

However, they were not good enough to remember to get any of her stuff, some of which was important. This is why Jones kept his duffel bag with him at all times; in moments like these, the doctor knew that his stuff was safe. On the plus side, unlike the underwear on his captain’s head, the three of them were safe from real harm (although Eadgar being gone wouldn’t have been entirely bad).

After coming up from under the water, Jones looked around to make sure that everyone was okay, then joked “look on the plus side. At least our new crew member will be able to replace the ship!”

[alexfangtalon]

Eadgar stared at the island finding it very interesting. He wondered what caused it to have two sides that were so different. When the child came into view Eadgar tried to figure out who she might be. He couldn't come up with any reason for a small child being on this island other than being related to the Taitale's. If she was then how many were there probably.

Train of thought was derailed though when Siobhan said the peculiar item the girl was holding was something called a bazooka. Eadgar thought of how it sounded peculiar. When something shot out of the bazooka though Eadgar swiftly reached for his blade before he could though he felt something grab him by the waist and launch into the water. Eadgar was to stunned by the quick movements of Siobhan to be angry that someone tried to blow them up. It didn't take him long to get over that though. "Remind me to take that weapon away from the brat and destroy it." Once he finished speaking he started swimming for the island.

[Blackstripe]

Eadgar was right, that kid was dangerous, as their poor trawler could attest.

Releasing her two comrades--she was fairly certain they could swim--before diving beneath the water, Siobhan began undulating her way through the waves below, quickly closing in on the beach. Once she was within a hundred feet of the coastline, she positioned her now gloved hands opposite to one another.

The water current quickly began to swirl between them, and it was only a brief moment later that she was able to propel a controlled geyser of water high into the sky, guiding it back down towards the beach. Barring anything unexpected, it would land directly onto the little girl and render her bazooka inoperable.

"Fishman Jujutsu: Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!"

[Zapdos]

Jones decided to stand back (or maybe swim back to be more literal) and see what Siobhan and Eadgar did before doing anything himself. Doctors weren’t exactly known for being able to fight and his captain had an advantage fighting in the water. The swordsman, on the other hand, did not...and charged straight at an enemy that had a ranged weapon powerful enough to destroy a boat. Logically, it was likely that this girl had more than one rocket.

“That guy is a goddamn idiot,” Jones thought, “it’s amazing he hasn’t died yet.”

At least Siobhan had the right idea, using a ranged water attack to strike the girl and her weapon. Hopefully it would allow them to see what was going on. Jones had to wonder though; was this the girl that his captain wanted as the crew’s shipwright? If so, she could at least make a good rocket launcher. Things might not have started well between her and everyone else, but then again, most people don’t associate with pirates right away.

[Zapdos]

And while everyone waits for the main story to resume, I provide you all with the much* anticipated Carl Side Story, Part 2

-----

However, the man known to that town as Claire was not dead! He was just unconscious...for three days...floating in the ocean. It’s surprising that he really didn’t die, but there were advantages to being as fat as Carl is. A seagull also made a nest on his belly. Carl befriended the seagull and named it Redbeak even though no part of that bird is red.

Another two weeks or more later, he arrived in the town of Coverie. After almost three weeks in the ocean, he probably smelled better than he ever had in his life, but Carl was starving. The town was busy rebuilding, but the citizens there were smart enough to arm themselves with the weapons of Bluewell’s former crew, so the fat man couldn’t just take the food by force. Instead, a construction manager noticed Carl’s plight and offered him food in exchange for helping the town rebuild. He even gave Carl a strange-looking piece of fruit as a “down payment” for his work. It wasn’t like anyone in town would want to buy the thing since it looked like it rotted or something. Strangely enough, after eating it Carl could understand what Redbeak and his seagull friends were saying. Later on after he understood that he ate a Devil Fruit, Carl would name it the Gull Gull Fruit.

*

Maybe one person anticipated it.

[Rin]

"Ow..."

Thankfully for the girl, the sand was soft and cushioned her impact a bit. The bazooka's kickback had been a little stronger than she'd calculated, but at least she was still in one piece. The same couldn't be said for her weapon, however, which had been reduced to a charred wreck after firing only one shot.

Aw man, I thought I'd fixed that... Looks like it's back to the drawing board...

She didn't have much time to dwell on it, however, as the crew of the ship didn't seem too happy she'd wrecked their only method of transport. Why were they so angry, anyway? It's not like she'd meant to hit it! It was just a warning shot, and she couldn't be blamed if the aiming had been a little bit off! Besides, it's not like there was no warning or anything, right? She'd put up a sign and everything! And... And...

...And was that a tsunami? She'd call it a geyser, but it wasn't coming from underground and...

Well, now wasn't really the time for semantics, since one of the crew... Did they have a fishman? She'd read about fishman karate before, but never actually seen it with her own eyes. Well, the other explanation would be some kind of Devil Fruit power, but from what she'd read water was anathema to the Devil Fruits and thus it would be completely illogical for one of them to produce a water-based power and...

Maybe she shouldn't have thought so hard about this, as the blast of water crashed towards her, sending her flying across the beach and hitting her head on a rather small, shoddily constructed sign which stated in messy handwriting that would be hard to read from a distance...

WELCOME TO ILONA ISLAND
TREPASSERS WILL BE SHOT

[Blackstripe]

Siobhan hadn't wasted much in the way of time after using her technique, swimming ahead of Eadgar in order to be the first one on the beach in case that kid had any more tricks up her sleeve. Not that she didn't think Eadgar could handle himself, but as the Captain, she felt it her duty to take point in dealing with any threats.

Stepping out from the surf and feeling the sand shift beneath her feet, Siobhan set her eyes on the kid that had blasted their trawler (and all their vital supplies) to smithereens. Stepping towards her with a heavy gait, she drew a heavy breath.

"...That was feckin' savage, what you did!" She offered the girl a beaming grin. "Ya blew our ship half-way to hell an' back!"

Really, to think that a kid that young would have something like that in one of the Blues, it was downright amazing! And she hit them pretty accurately too, despite them still being a reasonable distance away.

Extending an enthusiastic hand, the redhead didn't seem to carry a hostile bone in her body anymore. "The name's Grace D. Siobhan! And that behind me's my crew!"

[alexfangtalon]

Eadgar momentarily paused swimming as he saw the massive blast of water emerge out of the ocean and launch at the unsuspecting girl. He smirked at the show of power from the half fishwoman. After a moment he returned to his task of attempting to get to the island. Hopefully, that girl didn't have any more tricks up her sleeve because other than Siobhan they were sitting ducks in the water. He saw as Siobhan rocketed towards the island at a speed he only wished he could achieve in the water.

Finally making it he jogged to the position of Siobhan and their young attacker. He got there a little after Siobhan made her introduction and said, "That was an excellent shot there. One thing about fighting though. Don't recklessly attack on first sight. I learned that lesson the hard way."

[Zapdos]

Jones started swimming to shore once he saw Siobhan advancing. He figured he could provide support if it was needed or something. He wasn’t sure what his captain had planned after that, but he didn’t expect her to immediately shake the girl’s hand. He had to assume this was Taimi? It wasn’t like the doctor knew what the girl looked like. He didn’t expect it, but it was right in character for Siobhan, so he didn’t really care.

On the other hand, it seemed out of character for Eadgar to be so calm about the whole thing. His holier-than-thou attitude was still there though. Jones also had to wonder if the swordsman really knew not to attack on first sight.

This wasn’t really the time for an argument though, and besides, the doctor had long ago realized that it wouldn’t do anything anyway. Instead, he just said “the captain’s introduced herself already, so I guess I should also. I’m the crew’s doctor, Galen Jones.”