[IC] The great pirate era. (Sanquin/Sarpedon)

[sanquin]

It had only been a week since Ceres had 'found' a rather particular fruit. She, like most other pirates she knew, had only heard of it in legends. A devil fruit, said to grant you the power of the devil, yet at the same time curse you so you couldn't swim any more. The woman was sneaking around in some rich guy's mansion at that time though, so it probably hadn't been the best time or place to try just a tiny bite. What self-respecting pirate could resist the power of the devil after all, right? And all she would have to do was to not fall into the sea or some river.

Regretfully, the fruit tasted so incredibly disgusting that Ceres accidentally raised her voice in disgust. Two guards came rushing to her location only moments later, spotting her as she was running away. A wanted poster had been put up around town the next morning. "Wanted alive, 10 gold reward. Name unknown." It took several days before they managed to find her. It was a new city to her after all, so she didn't know any good spots to lay low. Plus, they completely cheated and ambushed her while she was drunk, so there was that. Luckily in these situations Ceres had a trick up her sleeve. Her appearance. She looked like she was 18, maybe 20 at most, which was far from the truth. So she was only sentenced to 1 year in a regular jail. And while she was being escorted to a regular holding cell until she could be taken to a navy base, they had only put regular cuffs on her.

"Thieves like you are scum! I hope they forget about you in jail so you can rot away in there!" The prison guard spouted as he threw Ceres into her cell. The 'girl' whimpered, crawling to the bed and kind-of hiding behind it as the cell door was closed again. The prison guard grinned smugly and turned away to get back to his post again. Then, as soon as the door closed the 'girl' smirked. "Some people really don't know how to treat a lady." She mused, the tone of her voice sounding rather...mature for someone 'her age'. A moment later Ceres stood, calmly dusted herself off as best as she could with handcuffs around her wrists, and sat on the bed. After a quick glance around she only saw one other person in there with her at the moment. Though she would have preferred it if there was no one around. "Oh! Someone else is in here too?" She spoke, suddenly sounding exactly like what you'd expect a 19 something girl to sound like. "Uhm...hello?"

[Sarpedon]

It had been a long time. A long time indeed. In the furthest cell pit of the prison. The man in the last cell, the very furthest iron cage from anything, was waiting quietly, like he had gotten used to recently. For the first little while, the pirate had offered a mountain of gold to anyone willing to spring him. But it seemed no one was willing to try. Not even on the word of Octavius Cuttlam. That was understandable, though, all things considered, this place probably wasn't so bad for most of them. Most of them got fed. Most of them had a pile of straw stuffed into the shape of a mattress to sleep on. Not so for the vicious pirate captain. He was heavily restrained, and left to rot. Food came more frequently as time passed and the guards forgot, but atrophy had long since taken its toll. He was in no shape to be yelling or making a scene any longer. Indeed, such a thing would surely induce a swift execution. And since he still held out hope, the lord of the seas held his tongue and waited. Hopefully, though, it wouldn't have to wait much longer.

Octavius looked up when he heard rattling outside his cell. It sounded like another prisoner was being paraded into the pit. He chuckled, wondering who was going to get stuck with the new guy. Then, of course, his cell was popped open, and the new guy was tossed in. The captain didn't make a sound, and he didn't move a muscle. The guards had mostly forgotten about him now, and that made things easier. The last thing he needed was someone remembering. And then he heard his cell mate speak. That was no male voice. What was a woman doing down here? He didn't know, but she had to be slippery if they tossed her in this pit. Obviously not too slippery, though, since she was still allowed to move about. What sort of thing would a woman have to do to get tossed in here, but not tied down? The original occupant of the cell was chained to the wall, given only enough slack to get his foot close enough to the door to haul his meals over to him. He couldn't even reach the bed. That was how little they trusted the notorious Captain Cuttlam. It was heartening to know he was that dangerous, but he didn't like sleeping this way. In general, this sort of situation was very uncomfortable. And now he had to share this little room, on top of all that. He snarled when the girl spoke to him. She was still managing that youthful sass, it sounded like, despite her situation.

"Yes, hello. I can't fucking help you, obviously, lass." Octavius snapped, glaring up at the woman who struck him as being strange. He didn't know why, but he could feel it. "I'd suggest you leave well enough alone. Let a sleeping dog lie, as it were. Unless of course, you can spring me..." he shook his head, chuckling hopelessly, if only to avoid crying. "The reward for freeing the notorious Captain Cuttlam would be ridiculous, I'm sure." he muttered. "Who ever got me out... Why... I'd cover them in gold..." he made sure to maintain eye contact as he offered his reward to the lady, meeting her gaze with a confident smile more convincing than any other proof he could offer. She was still up and about, she could still do something. "I don't suppose you've heard of me, though, have you?" he asked, curious to see how his name was holding up. Probably not so well. Octavius Cuttlam had not been out and about, causing havoc on the seas, for a very long time. He figured nearly a year, if his count was right. Give or take three months. Time passed differently when it was all spent waiting to rot away. But maybe it could pass normally again. That wasn't on him, though. That was all up to how rich his new cell mate wanted to be. And how little she wanted to be raped to death. That was another factor she might want to consider. He wasn't going to bring it up, but guards tended to get lonely down here. And once they got wind of a woman, well, the neighbourhood would just go out the window, along with her dignity, and then her life...

[sanquin]

Ceres sighed, the naive-like glitter in her eyes disappearing quickly, and making place for a strong, but calm stare. Her 'oh no I'm just a young girl' act wasn't working. Not because he wasn't buying it, but because he didn't have the luxury to care. Now that she actually took a good look at him though, that wasn't a surprise any more. He looked like he had been chained to that wall for months. "You're not biting, and you're obviously not from the government so I'll cut the act. I'm not interested in becoming rich, and as much as it sucks for you to be here, I don't see a reason to help you either."

As she finished speaking, her hands liquefied and turn into water. The cuffs just dropped through her wrists and onto the ground as if they weren't even there any more. Then a moment later they were back to normal again. To anyone knowing about their existence, it was clear she had eaten a devil fruit. "I have heard of you though. Even seen you in the newspapers about a year ago. Even now I still hear the name "The Demon Priest" every now and then. Oh, that's the nickname some people decided to give you, by the way." Ceres didn't need to tell him about this, of course. But as a fellow pirate she knew full well that not being forgotten, keeping your image, was important. And she had been around for long enough now to at least know who he was. "But I'm off. I don't want to be here when some guard decides he wants to 'check up on me'." Men had tried to take advantage of her gender quite often already. Though instead, she had taken advantage of them. And this time was no different to her.

(Didn't explain this before, but the currency works like this: 1 copper = 1 cent, 1 silver / 100 copper = 1 dollar, 100 silver is 1 gold.)

[Sarpedon]

Octavius raised an eyebrow when the interloper declared that she saw no reason to help him. What did that mean? He was one of the greatest pirate lords to ever live. He had never lost a fight at sea, never even come close. And now this woman didn't think it might be a good idea to get this man in debt to her? The captain was about ready to puke he was so offended. Then he watched the woman's hands liquefy as she slipped her manacles. Cuttlam's eyes widened in surprise, but that faded quickly when the woman said she had heard of him. Remembered reading about him a year previously. Not many would remember him, then. And he had to admit, the "shotgun preacher" moniker he had earned earlier in his career had always had more appeal to him. Then again, people could call him whatever they wanted, as long as they knew his name. But that thought disappeared quicker than cake left out around fat people, when the woman said she was leaving. The man chained to the wall was suddenly stricken by desperation. He would not be left here to rot, not like this.

"No! No!" he growled, unwilling to make too much noise, but still worried about his escape. "You know who I am! I'm Octavius Cuttlam! Pirate Lord! Villain extraordinaire! Fuck! By whatever gods you believe in lady, don't walk away from me! I'll give you whatever the fuck you want. Anything! Don't you walk away from me, lass. I'll fucking kill you. I will. You can have anything you want, anything. Just get me out of here." he wasn't sure if it was negative or positive reinforcement that was going to work for this woman, but he had to try something. "You'll die horribly if you walk away from me. But I'll give you anything and everything if you get me out of here." he was glaring at his temporary cell mate now. She wanted to just waltz out of here like it was nothing. No one walked away from Octavius, not like this. All she really had to do was get his shackles off. But if she wouldn't even do that, he would just have to devise a way to have her brutally slaughtered. There was no room for negotiating here. She could have everything, or she could die the most horrible death a sick, mentally broken hitman could come up with. Captain Cuttlam was not one for half measures in general, but now, most especially...

((good to know))

[sanquin]

God this man had an ego... Sure, it was probably needed to be - and stay - the captain of a pirate ship. But still, it wasn't doing him any favours. And the threatening in between didn't do much good either. "Stop it with the titles already, oh pirate lord of the past. Your crew is no longer here, and you are chained to a wall with sea stone cuffs. If I wanted, I could kill you here right now and it wouldn't even take me any effort. That's the position you're in and don't you dare forget that." The woman kept on walking. through the bars of the cell, and onward to the door that led to the guard post and the path to freedom behind that.

For about 2 minutes, no matter what Octavius said, it remained silent. Though that was then followed by the door breaking away from it's hinges by means of dead prison guard flying into it. Moments later Ceres came walking back in, this time holding the key to the cell door in one of her hands. She came to a standstill in front of the same cage she had walked out of, dangling the keys near the cell's bars. "So...my escape wasn't as flawless as expected. If your offer still stands, I want a ship off of this island. Or better yet, I want a way off of this island, and enough gold to buy a small ship. Something for crew of 2 to 4 should do." Ceres wasn't after treasure or the thrill of the fight. She just wanted adventure. Explore the sea and it's islands and countries. And even beyond that, she wanted to go to the grand line. A part of the ocean stretching almost half the planet said to hold a legendary treasure. Because of this the grand line had become more and more dangerous over the years, because of all the pirates looking for said treasure and fighting among each other. But she still wanted to go, for the adventure that might lie in those waters.

"Oh, and please no tricks or backing out of the deal. If the rumours are true you are to be feared as a captain, but you won't like me when I'm angry either." It wasn't even a bluff. Even against stronger opponents she always knew it was possible to win. You just had to find the correct method.

[Sarpedon]

Octavius clearly wasn't making any progress. Indeed, the woman threatened to kill him. It would be harder than she thought, for certain, but he supposed she could probably pull it off. Probably. But then she left, and it didn't matter any more. She was leaving him behind. The pirate was not happy in the slightest, though he didn't express it. His rage was starting to boil, and he wondered if it would be enough to get him out this time. It hadn't been last time, but he hadn't been half so desperate, then. This slow-burning, desperation-fueled anger was about ready to burst, now, and the captain hoped that when it did, he would have the strength to rend steel. Otherwise he would likely be stuck down here forever.

Thankfully, it did not appear to need to come to that. The door to his cage was once again occupied by the woman who had been escorted in. But now she was holding a set of keys, and had a guard's blood on her figurative hands. She asked if the offer was still standing, and set out her demands. "I'll give you a solid gold ship crewed by diamond golems if it will get me out of here, lass." he responded earnestly. He didn't have his hopes up now, though. His voice was low and gravelly, like he had no expectation of actually escaping. She seemed pretty honest about it, though. At least now that she needed his help. Even pleading for a lack of tricks. He chuckled. "I only play tricks on people if I don't know their name, or if they don't shake my hand. Deals made properly, well, those are stronger than iron. All a pirate has is his word. I give you that, lass. You get me out of here, and you can have your ship." he grinned at her, which probably wasn't the smartest idea, but he figured it would get the message across. He was still in chains, waiting for the very fickle woman nearby to make up her mind. He wondered if she was just a delusion. It made sense. He'd seen them before too. She wasn't helping her case, with all this dilly-dallying, either.

"But make up your mind, woman. I've got rotting to do, if you're not going to help me. And if you are, then you're wasting perfectly good escape time." indecisive people had to be the worst. Whether the decision was right or not, what mattered was committing to it whole-heartedly. At least then no one would doubt your conviction. That was why he was so notorious. And why his chains were so heavy. The people had once understood that Captain Octavius Cuttlam went all out at every opportunity. Home was the open sea, so he was already there, leaving Big as the only option. He would teach this woman that as well, if she was around long enough...

[sanquin]

"Just a ship to sail on and enough crew to sail it will be fine. I already did like the sound of being a captain." She spoke, grinning playfully. It was still a long shot if Ceres could even trust this man. Desperate people would promise anything if it got them out of their situation. But then again, what was there to lose? If needed, she could still escape without him later. For instance if he was caught or if he couldn't keep his promise.

The cell door unlocked quickly, and the seastone cuffs followed soon after. Ironic how the bane of anyone with devil fruit powers, could still be opened by something as simple as an iron key. The man sank to the ground, though soon got up again. And now it was time to play the trust game. To what extend could this man be trusted? "I'm Ceres. There's currently a 20 gold bounty on my head from the government. Yours used to be around...100, wasn't it?" The notorious Shotgun Preacher. A more fitting name in her mind. Calling him a demon sounded like he was something from legend alone. She wondered how rusty his skills had gotten during the time he was in jail. As she didn't want anyone dragging her down during her escape from the island.

"Now, get up and let's go. There's a sandwich and a mug of water on a table in the next room, so grab those to get some energy back or something." Immediately Ceres turned around and started heading for the door again. There was no time to waste, as the alarm would no doubt be sounded shortly. And she'd rather already be outside the marine base before that happened.

[Sarpedon]

She only wanted a ship and a crew. That was more than doable. The captain nodded at her request, waiting for something to happen. He couldn't give her anything if she didn't help him out. It seemed that trusting a notorious pirate was the lesser of two evils here, though, since the cell opened, and his chains came off in short order. Octavius, having not quite braced for the act, slumped to the ground in a heap when he was finally released from his prison. But he did not waste time in dragging himself to his feet. He fought on, despite his muscular atrophy, and forced himself to stand properly. Once he was out of the cell, he grinned devilishly. "Wonderful to meet you, Ceres." he said, extending a hand. "You'd be correct in your guess. One hundred exactly. And I think I'd be correct in saying: we have a deal." he was just waiting for her to shake his hand. Once that happened, anything was possible. Nothing was possible until then, though. Or, he supposed she could just wander off, and he could escape separately. That was an intriguing notion. Not one he was inclined to presently, though. This Ceres lady might know some people. At the very least she had been out and about longer than him, so she would know if things had changed.

But now she was running off on him. He shook his head. "Remember what I said, Ceres. Octavius Cuttlam fucks over two kinds of people. You introduced yourself, but you haven't shaken my hand..." he chuckled at that, wasting no time in find the food he was directed to. At this point his left arm exploded. It quite literally detonated, starting at his shoulder, and going all the way down to his fingertips. It sent blood, bone fragments, and bits of flesh in all directions. The explosion was kind enough to stop short of Ceres, and was neatly directed around the pirate lord, but remained impressive. In place of an arm, the Shotgun Preacher was now possessed of the head of a dog. A very large dog, by the looks of it. The head extended on a neck that didn't seem to end, and that sprouted from where his arm should have. The thing wolfed down the sandwich with a single bite, while the human part of Octavius chugged back the tankard full of water. He sighed upon tossed the mug, and he figured now was Ceres' last opportunity for a handshake. If she didn't want it, he couldn't help her.

That wasn't true. He could, but he wouldn't. He didn't like the way that young pup had spoken to him. Just because he was in chains, didn't mean he was powerless. And somehow she thought he could be bested. He wasn't so sure about that, and he didn't like people threatening him. Nor did he like being ignored. They were not off to a great start, but he figured a handshake was a good opportunity to try again. If nothing else, she seemed a shrewd pirate. The two of them could likely become firm allies if they cared to. Captain Cuttlam wasn't going to bank on anything yet, though. He wanted a ship, and his crew, before he did anything. And even that wasn't quite true. Before he did anything, he needed his stuff back. Escape could wait. He needed his things...

[sanquin]

"Shaking hands isn't my priority when I've just seen your hand turn into a giant dog of some kind. And we barely know each other, so I don't trust you. If we get off this island I'll shake your hand if it's so important to you. But right now, I first want to see if you're even going to stick around to keep your end of the deal." The woman spoke. Being careful was what had kept her alive for the past 10 or so years. And she wasn't about to stop now with a guy she had only just met, whom was still known as a dangerous and strong pirate.

A moment later the alarm sirens sounded. Ceres frowned, turning to glance at Octavius for a moment before heading to the door on the opposite side of the hall again. "Look, if you're going to break our deal here already just because I don't want to shake hands that's fine. But I need my pipe first, and I'm assuming you didn't come here unarmed either." She quickly grabbed the keys from her pocket and opened it. Behind it was what looked like a small armoury. Mostly rifles and cutlasses. On the table laid an iron pipe, which Ceres took. She then tossed the keys to Octavius and pointed towards the lockers in the back. "Since you've been here for a while, I'm guessing your things might be in there."

[Sarpedon]

Octavius laughed when Ceres refused to shake his hand. That was her loss, not his. "We don't have a deal yet, sweetie." he replied, still chuckling, "It's not a deal until we shake on it." he winked at her as they began their escape. Then, of course, the alarm went off. He had a hard time believing they were ringing the bells because of someone dead down here, but it was always good to be careful. He was in the lion's den, now. But before he could start working on that, his new friend started going off about their deal and such. "We haven't made a deal yet, Ceres. We've set terms, but we didn't shake. Terms don't mean shit." but despite all that, she still tossed him the keys and pointed him toward the lockers in the back. And she was right, his things were indeed all the way back there. He found his clothes, dusty, but as nice as the day he'd been captured. He changed quickly, then, scanning the racks of weapons for his. Unfortunately, his once-beautiful fowling piece was ruined by the damp and the fouling that had been left in it. It was but an instant before the captain realized what was wrong. He swore violently and tossed the ruined scattergun across the room. His sidearm was in a similar state. He almost wanted to cry for the craftsmanship that was wasted. But there was nothing for it, and they had an escape to make.

Thinking quickly, he decided it would be best to arm himself swiftly and bugger off. Captain Cuttlam figured functional was best for now, and he snatched up a new-looking service piece, and its matching revolver. Then he grabbed a case of ammunition for each of them, stuffing the bulk boxes into his satchel before tearing into another one. From this one, he loaded his new weaponry, brass-cased sixteen gauge shells, and vicious forty-four magnum rounds were snatched up and nimbly slotted into tubes and cylinders. Despite his lack of practice, the pirate found his fingers remembered the actions well. It was mere seconds before he was ready to go, with more ammunition than he expected to go through in the next several months. As a final touch, he grabbed a bayonet for his fowling piece on his way out the door, smiling at his fortune. The only thing he had to complain about, was his poor, glorious weaponry, destroyed by thoughtless gaolers. He'd get them back. but not today. For now, he needed to escape. And hopefully the lady who'd freed him would be a bit more agreeable now that they were armed.

Shotgun slung across his back, pistol tucked neatly into his bag, and bayonet in hand, the Shotgun Preacher headed for the light of day, and his freedom...

[sanquin]

As soon as Ceres opened the door, two rifles were aimed at her from a small distance. Two guards happened to be nearby, and upon hearing the sirens, had readied themselves some anything that might come out. "Oh no you don't!" The woman exclaimed, ducking low to dodge below the bullets fired at her. Luckily these men weren't exactly expert snipers. Then before they could even draw their swords she was already in reach. Her pipe swung low, hitting one of the two against the legs. The other was caught against the throat by her left arm, and hit the ground a moment later as well. She finished it off with a firm hit to the head with her pipe against the one to her right. They weren't dead, but wouldn't be waking up for the next couple of minutes either. And right now time was of the essence, so this was enough.

"So ah...which way to the docks?" Ceres then asked the man exiting behind her. She would never outright admit it, but her sense of direction was terrible. Even with the clearest of directions she could still get lost if she wasn't already familiar with the area. And it had only been a few weeks since she had arrived in this city.

[Sarpedon]

Octavius was smiling as he strolled out, only to find Ceres had taken care of a pair of guards who thought they could stop the two of them. She hadn't done a very good job of it, though, as they were still alive. Not only that, she seemed to have ignored his words on their "deal". But that was fine. Less responsibility for him. However, it would seem his new friend couldn't navigate her way out of a sack of potatoes, and that was his problem entirely. Thankfully, the captain was a good deal better at escaping than she was. He bent over the two unconscious guards, and without hesitation, very deliberately thrust his bayonet through the left eye of each one, executing the oblivious men without remorse of any sort. His canine appendage seemed pleased with that, though it was smart enough to not make any noises. And with that taken care of, they could escape. Captain Cuttlam took the lead now, figuring it was probably better than trying to direct his directionally challenged companion. "This should be easy. Follow my lead, and don't look like a criminal." he said as they headed for the nearest door. This whole building stretched all the way down to the docks. All they had to do was get to the servants' corridors, and they were essentially home free.

The only problem was, that between them and a straight shot to freedom, was a quartet of angry guards. Even worse, Octavius could only kill two of them quietly. He did so with relish, though, letting his mastiff arm lash out and latch onto the throat of one guard, even as he whipped his blade into the eye socket of another. But his daemonic dog-arm had a bit too much freedom and refused to release the throat of the dying guard. And he could only hold one knife at a time, leaving two more enemies undispatched. The two were shouldering a shotgun, and reaching for pistols respectively. And there was nothing for it, the captain was left to watch all of this happen in very slow motion, thanks to his adrenaline rush, and there was nothing he could do. He just hoped Ceres had the necessary motivation to keep him from getting shot up like target dummy. If he'd had a holster, he supposed the other two wouldn't have been a problem, but obviously he didn't, and his last act wasn't going to be scrambling through a bag for a weapon like some kind of peasant. He was the notorious pirate Captain Octavius Cuttlam. And it was going to take a lot more than them to stop him...

[sanquin]

"If you're planning on killing every single marine we encounter we won't make it." Ceres spoke, finding his time taken to kill the two unconscious guys to be a waste. "A lot has changed in the last year. The world government really started to crack down on pirates, and the navy's troops have probably doubled at the very least. So better get used to just rendering an enemy helpless rather than dead, or you won't have time for others." She explained as they started to walk down the hall Octavius was leading them in to.

They soon met with several more guards that had come towards the cell blocks, and this time it was him that took the initiative. Two guys were dead before they properly had the time to aim. But that left two more. This had been exactly what she was talking about. These four wouldn't be the last ones, and now he was having a bit of trouble because he felt every marine had to die or something. She sighed and pointed her pipe at the two that were still standing. A blast of highly pressurized water shot out of it, and slammed against the two marines, only barely missing Octavius. "Keep on going this time. Those two won't be up for a while, and the longer we take, the more marines will come to attack us." There were a good 200 or so stationed at this small city already. A bit too much for the two of them to fight right now, in her opinion. So they had to move fast and get to the docks before the marines had time to fully mobilize.

[Sarpedon]

Octavius silently admitted that Ceres had a point when she observed that executing all of the guards would take too long. He supposed she was right, but didn't like the idea of the government cracking down on pirates. He supposed he point was emphasized by his trouble killing all four guards, and sighed, having to actually admit she was right once the woman had saved his life. So he retrieved his blade and they headed for the docks in earnest. But now the bayonet was tucked away in his bag, and the captain was toting his revolver. They were already detected, and marines were rushing about, likely preparing blockades to try and apprehend them. Such a fate was not going to befall the pair, the pirate was sure, but he wasn't going to take chances trying to do things quietly. Plus, he had ten shots in his pistol, a lot more than the one he got out of a knife. Even if it was a very large knife. He smiled at the thought of escape, and couldn't keep the grin off his face. Inspired by the desperation of their situation, he led the way up the nearest stairwell. He was still grinning, even as they rounded another corner into a whole squad of guards. They appeared to be preparing to descend into the prison levels to contain the emergency. Unfortunately for them, the emergency had already gotten up several flights of stairs. He didn't bother trying to kill these ones though, instead firing three shots wildly into the press of bodies, and then triggering the shotgun barrel of his handgun into the lock of a door just across the hall from the corner they had come around. Another shot into the crowd had the soldiers hesitant to follow as he disappeared into the side room, hoping his new friend stayed close behind.

He wasn't sure what the room was supposed to be used for, but it had a nice, person-sized window, and he took advantage of that, thinking quickly, and hoping for a bit of luck. A fifth pistol round blew out the glass, and Captain Cuttlam hoped that Ceres trusted him. He didn't have time to explain, and probably wouldn't be bothered to, either. He could hear a cart coming, and the horses pulling it were moving swiftly now, spurred on by the gunfire. He took three quick steps to cross the room, and hopped up on the sill. An instant later, he threw himself out the window, reaching back beforehand, trying to grab his companion and pull her along. He supposed it was her own fault if she wouldn't try the jump. As it was, Octavius made it just fine, landing heavily in a bit of a heap on top of the carriage. It wasn't what he had hoped for, as the landing was a good deal less pleasant than the hay cart he had imagined, but he wasn't going to complain, since he was now out of what passed for the prison. Clearly this place was running out of space, as he was sure he remembered security being tighter. That was okay with him, though, he was not one to complain about good fortune.

When his pursuers appeared in the window, he was ready, firing a shot into the opening, and driving them back before he could get picked off. The shot also spooked the horses, and the carriage took off. In a panic, his canine arm bit into the luggage-tie rail, anchoring the escapee firmly to his ride. The driver didn't seem inclined to argue, and that was a nice change. It was now just a matter of heading toward the docks. And if he wasn't mistaken, those were at the very end of the street they were barrelling down. "What a stroke of luck. Things are just going swimmingly today." He was still grinning to himself, proud of his piratical skills. They were almost home free...

[Sarpedon]

Octavius silently admitted that Ceres had a point when she observed that executing all of the guards would take too long. He supposed she was right, but didn't like the idea of the government cracking down on pirates. He supposed he point was emphasized by his trouble killing all four guards, and sighed, having to actually admit she was right once the woman had saved his life. So he retrieved his blade and they headed for the docks in earnest. But now the bayonet was tucked away in his bag, and the captain was toting his revolver. They were already detected, and marines were rushing about, likely preparing blockades to try and apprehend them. Such a fate was not going to befall the pair, the pirate was sure, but he wasn't going to take chances trying to do things quietly. Plus, he had ten shots in his pistol, a lot more than the one he got out of a knife. Even if it was a very large knife. He smiled at the thought of escape, and couldn't keep the grin off his face. Inspired by the desperation of their situation, he led the way up the nearest stairwell. He was still grinning, even as they rounded another corner into a whole squad of guards. They appeared to be preparing to descend into the prison levels to contain the emergency. Unfortunately for them, the emergency had already gotten up several flights of stairs. He didn't bother trying to kill these ones though, instead firing three shots wildly into the press of bodies, and then triggering the shotgun barrel of his handgun into the lock of a door just across the hall from the corner they had come around. Another shot into the crowd had the soldiers hesitant to follow as he disappeared into the side room, hoping his new friend stayed close behind.

He wasn't sure what the room was supposed to be used for, but it had a nice, person-sized window, and he took advantage of that, thinking quickly, and hoping for a bit of luck. A fifth pistol round blew out the glass, and Captain Cuttlam hoped that Ceres trusted him. He didn't have time to explain, and probably wouldn't be bothered to, either. He could hear a cart coming, and the horses pulling it were moving swiftly now, spurred on by the gunfire. He took three quick steps to cross the room, and hopped up on the sill. An instant later, he threw himself out the window, reaching back beforehand, trying to grab his companion and pull her along. He supposed it was her own fault if she wouldn't try the jump. As it was, Octavius made it just fine, landing heavily in a bit of a heap on top of the carriage. It wasn't what he had hoped for, as the landing was a good deal less pleasant than the hay cart he had imagined, but he wasn't going to complain, since he was now out of what passed for the prison. Clearly this place was running out of space, as he was sure he remembered security being tighter. That was okay with him, though, he was not one to complain about good fortune.

When his pursuers appeared in the window, he was ready, firing a shot into the opening, and driving them back before he could get picked off. The shot also spooked the horses, and the carriage took off. In a panic, his canine arm bit into the luggage-tie rail, anchoring the escapee firmly to his ride. The driver didn't seem inclined to argue, and that was a nice change. It was now just a matter of heading toward the docks. And if he wasn't mistaken, those were at the very end of the street they were barrelling down. "What a stroke of luck. Things are just going swimmingly today." He was still grinning to himself, proud of his piratical skills. They were almost home free...

[sanquin]

The two continued, this time at a quicker pace. They had to hurry or the building would probably be flooded with marines, let alone the squads that would gather outside. Then, Octavius decided to turn into a room, rather than head to the door outside. She frowned, quickly glancing around the place. What was he planning? "What are you--" But she couldn't finish her sentence or the man fired a shot through the window. Ceres smirked, wondering why she hadn't thought of that herself. Her fellow prison escapee was out of the window in a matter of moments. And though she didn't grab his hand, she did jump out right after him. The thing that puzzled her was the hand he extended towards her. Didn't he know the details of logia fruit users?

Octavius ended up in a cart below, though Ceres didn't. She hit the cobblestone instead, her whole body turning into water and making quite a splash. In the time that Octavius fired shots at the marines she formed back into a single puddle, and then into a person again. Just as the cart started to move she managed to grab onto the edge, pulling herself on top of it as it raced off. "Phew! That was step one of the plan. Now, you implied you could get us off of this island. Any idea's on how to do that?" Marine ships were too large to steal. They couldn't man that with just the two of them. As for civilian ones, they were on the other side of the harbour, which would make it hard to not attract the attention of at least a few dozen marines. Ceres had never been a fighter before. She had been a cook on a pirate ship for quite a few years, but that had felt like she was just a pretty face to keep the men entertained. Getting her devil fruit powers helped, but her mindset was still one of 'taking the safest path'.

[Sarpedon]

Octavius was quiet proud of his little escape, but of course Ceres had to show up and poke holes in his sails. She asked about the next step. But it wasn't time for that. It was time for this step. This step involved holding on, reloading as quickly as possible, and hoping no one tried to stop them. That last bit was obviously too much to ask, though. The pirate had just gotten his revolver reloaded when someone appeared on horseback behind them, followed by another four marines, also on horses. All of them looked very upset. Being the intelligent sort, the captain was smart enough to know that they were being slowed down by all the extra weight on the carriage. So he hopped down beside the driver, snatched the reins away, and pushed the poor bastard off of his seat. Then he snapped the reins and yelled for the horses to run faster, which they managed, but only a little. The marines hadn't yet managed to catch up to their prey, but only because the street they were on was narrow enough to make it unsafe. But not for much longer.

"What do you believe in, Ceres?" Captain Cuttlam asked loudly. He was just curious to know what was keeping her alive through all this. She had a deity as kind as his own fickle mistress, it would seem, and he was interested to know if that one might be more consistent than Lady Luck. For now, though, she was still helping him out. Another opportunity presented itself, and the pirate lord wasn't going to shy away from it just because it was insanely dangerous. He lashed at the horses once more, to keep them running, and then climbed on top of the carriage once more. He opened fire on the marines, winging one of them, and causing another to flinch a little too hard, directing his horse into a harrowing trip that ended with the beast tripping and flying end-over-end and killing them both upon smashing into a wall that jutted out a little too far. But by that point, Octavius had jumped up and off the carriage, his canine arm lengthening to latch onto a steel rod that extended out over the street. At one time it had held a sign, now it was empty, and just waiting to help a notorious ne'er-do-well get away from the law. It took but an instant to haul himself up and onto the roof of the building. And now he was cooking with naphtha.

Since he didn't have a home to go back to, the captain was prepared to go all out in his escape, regardless of Ceres. She hadn't shaken his hand, so he didn't owe her a damn thing. Heedless of her progress, he began to sprint along the rooftop, stuck on the decorative ledge that wrapped around the steeply sloped roof. But it was more than enough for the man in need of escape. The marines took potshots, but couldn't hope to hit such a glorious pirate. And then, in a feat of mind-blowing speed, and balance, the escaping criminal tucked away his pistol, ripped a loose board from the decaying roof beside him, and tossed it in front of him as he veered out and away from the buildings. There was a pair of wash-lines strung across the street, and on the other end, they were secured to a flat-roofed building that led to further escape routes. The only way across was those ropes, though. Being insane enough to try such a thing, the pirate let his momentum push him and his board across the street, supported only by a man's determination to not have to deal with his wife's complaints about where she was to hand their laundry for the rest of his life. That man's determination held, and it was beautiful.

Despite his captivity, the brigand had no trouble doing a front-flip dismount and landing mostly on his feet. He then sprinted across the roof and looked like he was going to try and jump across the next street too. That wasn't quite the case, though. This time he used his daemonic limb to latch onto the lip of the roof even as he jumped. He stopped it from lengthening any more immediately before he crashed into the building across the street. Grabbing a window sill with his regular hand, he then dropped onto the canopy below, sliding off of that and into an empty cart. The store had hoped was still around was indeed open for business, and the deranged Captain Cuttlam flipped himself out of the cart and into the shop. He whipped out his revolver as he stormed the place, grabbing a cloak with his empty hand and throwing it on. The man behind the counter didn't look like he had aged a day, though, and they exchanged a nod as the pirate lord slipped out the back door. Tired, scared, and shaking with the rush of the insanity he had just pulled off, Octavius dove head-first into a pile of scrap-cloth that had been tossed into the alley from the floor above. And then he just stopped moving. He was positive that no one had seen him well enough to realize what was going on. And the marines hadn't been down that last street yet. Yes they would search for him, but they weren't going to waste their time digging through refuse. Even if it was mostly clean refuse. He did wonder if Ceres was okay, but it was her own fault if she wasn't. She should have shaken his hand...

((too far, or just far enough?))

[sanquin]

(It's pretty far but still okay. I can work with it this time.)

A question came out of nowhere. What she believed in? That was a though question. What did she believe in? To her, there was only the next adventure. Belief didn't really come into question. "I don't know. Nothing really, just myself." She spoke, trailing off at the end. "But why would that matter right now? We have escaping to do and ships to sail off on!" She then added, turning her attention to the horseback marines that were following them. "Quite a few already found us it seems." She spoke, aiming her pipe at a first, and then a second marine while blasting water at them. It still reached them with enough force that both marines were knocked off of their horses, and moments later trampled by the others.

However when she turned her head, she found that Octavius was now gone. She growled, glancing around her until she found him up on one of the rooftops. "Fucking asshole! Like hell you're escaping off of this island alone!" Without hesitation Ceres jumped off the cart as well, sending a wave of water up to the roof and transporting herself through it to get up top as well. Now she was pissed. She wasn't just going to let him run off without saying a word. And once the woman did catch him, he better have a good explanation for what he was doing right now.

After a good bit of chasing, and Ceres watching Octavius pull off some crazy stunts, the man finally came to a halt. And inside of a pile of cloth no less. It was an odd sight, at the very least. The man had a mythical Zoan fruit power, said to be able to rival Logia ones with some training and skill. Yet he was cowering from rather weak marine soldiers. Sure, dozens of them would be a pain. But they weren't nearly at that point yet. She was still pissed off at him though, so a little lesson was in order. "Bombs away~" She whispered to herself before jumping off of the building she was still on. In mid-air the woman turned into a large body of water, which hit the pile of cloth right in the middle, soaking all of it in an instant.

Ceres then reformed her upper body, making sure to stay below the pile so any marine looking in still couldn't see her. "I'm hoping for your sake that you didn't just try to ditch me, oh former great captain..." She spoke in a slightly sarcastic, angry voice.

[Sarpedon]

Octavius was feeling quite confident that his escape was assured now. All he had to do was wait until nightfall, and then make his way out of the city. It would be easy enough, and no one would be the wiser. He was even almost comfortable in this pile of rags. Apparently, he had missed a memo, though. Or something of the sort. That, or Ceres had. It seemed he wasn't allowed to wait comfortably. He had just been settling in to a nap when he was suddenly soaked in something cold, the whole pile drenched by the descent of what was apparently his new friend Ceres. It wasn't so bad, when he realized it was water, but he had no desire to be friends with this woman any longer. She had some words to say about his escape, it seemed, and he laughed in her face, entirely unafraid. "You can't intimidate me, for one. What are you going to do, kill me?" the pirate laughed some more and shook his head, clearly unafraid of death. "I'm not going to say I tried to ditch you, as that is not entirely true. But I will admit to paying little attention toward how you managed your own escape." he shrugged, obviously convinced that he shouldn't have to drag her along like a child. She was a grown woman with her own magical powers, after all. "We didn't shake hands, so I don't see why I should have to carry you. And I'm still a real captain, just so you're aware, and I'm still great. Never stopped, even." He was clearly disappointed by Ceres' comments, and he got up quite suddenly, looking down at his newly-soaked clothes.

"Thanks for fucking up my hiding spot, that was really good of you." he added, getting up. He wasn't going to bother trying to deal with laying about in wet, cold rags for several hours. He would be better off finding somewhere else to go. Ideally it would be some place quiet, and one that served alcohol. It didn't seem like the best plan at the moment, though. The notorious Captain Cuttlam had just escaped, the marines were not going to just let him get away. The last thing they needed was a veteran pirate on the loose, gathering his old crew and hitting the open sea once more. Indeed, these men were so determined to catch him that a whole half-dozen stormed the alley. Octavius' immediate reaction was to flip them teh bird and take off running in the other direction. If Ceres was smart, she would just stay hidden, but he couldn't tell what level of intelligence that girl managed to uphold. And then she was also pretty dedicated to the deal she was convinced they had made, despite the fact that they still hadn't shaken hands. He had issues with that. But maybe she would just go away if he spent enough time escaping...

[sanquin]

Whether Octavius was intimidated or not, Ceres didn't make empty threats. She only threatened if she knew she had a fair chance at the very least. And clearly the man wasn't aware of how powerful the Logia fruits could be. The woman was quite happy with her new abilities, actually. Then once again the man started talking about that stupid handshake of his. If there was ever an easily broken promise, it was a handshake. Yet for some reason he seemed to vow by the simple gesture. Then, once again, he started to run. And just as another group of marines entered the alley from the other side.

"That's it..." She growled, the water that was still on the ground started to increase in volume at lightning speed. Within seconds it was large enough to reach three meters high on both sides of her. At which point the water at the marine's side rushed towards them, pushing them all right back out the alley. Then the water stayed there as a temporary barrier. On the other side the water rushed past Octavius, then formed a wall in front of the man, wide deep enough that you would have to swim to get through it. Which devil fruit users couldn't do. To the outside, the entire alley looked like it was filled with some kind of magical water now.

"Then she turned one of her free hands into a stream of water heading for Octavius. Though rather than attacking him, it grabbed a hold of him and pulled him back to her. "You want that fucking handshake so badly?!" She spoke to him. Her right hand reaching to grab his, and shaking it. "Here! I saved your life on the promise that I could have anything, so I want a ship to sail on! Now keep to your fucking deal, or I'll fucking drown you!"