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

[Sarpedon]

She said she didn't expect anything in return. Then she said she did want something in return. Then, of course, she said it was up to him. Octavius wasn't one to make deals like that lightly. Considering he didn't know Ceres terribly well, he decided against it. Mostly because the woman had put it on him to come back to her and ask. He didn't want her charity in the first place, why would he ever ask for it? There was also the bit about liking to keep his options opened. She didn't want to be attacked if they met later. As far as he knew, she didn't even have a flag, so if she got sunk thanks to him, he wouldn't be breaking a deal or something. So, in the end, the pirate walked away satisfied. The onus was now on him, and he wasn't going to take it, which meant no pressure on anyone. And no more deals with the crazy woman. He heard her roughing up a sailor, as he wandered off, and chuckled.

With time to himself, Captain Cuttlam decided to be productive. He went around to all the swivel guns, dragging his powder and shot with him. He loaded all the deck guns before returning the munitions to the stores, and then headed up to the bow of the ship. He heard Ceres going on about celebrating, and he wanted to smack her. Talk about bad luck. There was a woman captaining the ship, and demanding celebration before they were free. Next they would see a Kraken rise from the deep, and tear their boat in half. And then a Leviathan would probably show up and eat the lot of them. And probably the boat, and the Kraken too. The pirate lord wondered what he was supposed to do about all that, and figured he would just have to jump a life boat and row away before anyone noticed. That obviously wouldn't work out. Thankfully, though, it wasn't necessarily his lungs that had to be sucking in air. His canine form could stretch ridiculously when he transformed partially. And while it might not work forever, he figured he might stand more of a chance with it helping him breathe. He probably wouldn't be able to see in the murky depths, and the trip to shore would be a long one. But Octavius figured he could make it if the ocean floor was close enough. A foolish hope, but better than nothing.

He flat-out refused to celebrate when presented with a tankard, declaring the whole ordeal a challenge which the gods would accept whole-heartedly. He would not be claimed by their ire at the arrogance of this woman...

((http://i.imgur.com/Nde2c1o.gif this is how I picture Ceres when she tries to give orders XD))

[sanquin]

(Yea, complete with the vast difference in power between her and the other sailors. :P Also, you can't use your devil fruit powers under water...did I forget to mention that?)

The sailors were all for celebration. Or rather, the drinking part that came with it. Several men quickly went downstairs to start noting down all of the inventory, while Octavius decided to do his own thing. Something with the swivel guns. He looked like he knew what he was doing so Ceres just let him be. She in turn took herself on a tour of the whole ship, figuring that now was as good a time as any to get to know this ship a little better. After about half an hour she was done. So it was time to get a party started, while keeping an eye on the wheel of course. And a party it was, with Ceres out-drinking everyone else almost two to one. Despite her slender and young looking body she could actually hold her liquor better than most men.

The party went on until dusk came, with a second barrel being opened halfway through. By then i had gotten quite cloudy. And now it was even starting to rain a little. "Ah crap..." Ceres mused, feeling quite tipsy by then. "Seems the party's over boys! All hands on deck, storm's a comin'!" Several sailors were too drunk to get up, and were instead quickly carried into the hold. There were still plenty left though. "Reef those sails and prepare for a storm!" Ceres commanded, having noticed that the clouds looked awfully dark and were moving faster than with normal rain clouds.

[Sarpedon]

((I do not recall that being mentioned. sounds shitty... Octo isn't big on swimming though, I can see him being unaware too))

Octavius was glad he wasn't bothered much during the "celebrating". After the initial offer, the sailor who'd offered him a tankard seemed to be more than happy to take advantage of his ability to drink twice as much at the same time. The pirate lord chuckled, watching the spectacle, and then shook his head, taking another wander around the ship to ensure things were, well, ship-shaped. Thankfully, they seemed to be. And once he was satisfied that nothing was going to explode or snap or get ruined in some other way, he headed off to find his cabin. While the rest of the crew celebrated prematurely, Captain Cuttlam did his best to prepare for the inevitable disaster. Using the munitions stores, he attempted a clean-up of his weaponry, but found the resources there to be limiting at best. He gave up eventually, not entirely satisfied, and not entirely sure what to do about it. But it didn't take long to realize that the Kraken wasn't going to try and swallow them. He was starting to bet more heavily on mermaids or sirens by the time dusk rolled around.

And then the storm started. The pirate exclaimed triumphantly upon returning to the deck, announcing his correctness with great pride. Going on about women being bad luck and some other utter nonsense. This was a man more than happy to be "dead right", if it would vindicate him. Not the most pleasant side of him, but that was what people got to deal with when they celebrated early, with a woman in charge. The wind swirled around him, picking up quickly as the clouds rolled in. The rain was poured down, increasing steadily in force and volume. And the clouds were dark, lightning flashed among them, and the man fully expected to watch the ship go down with all hands. And he would happily drown, declaring how right he was. But regardless of all that, he had the sense to actually help out, now. He could probably batten down the whole ship by himself, but the extra hands were nice. Even so, he took on the work of three or four men, while the sailors did their best. He was the only sober one, so he figured it was only fair to do his part. Some more effort had him working like five whole sailors, and despite his limited limb capacity, the captain was a relentless flurry of activity, preparing everything around for the storm that was settling in around them. But even as he worked harder than all the drunk men around him, he still prayed to watch the whole stupid operation go down in watery flames...

[sanquin]

The winds were picking up, and the waves were quickly getting higher. It wouldn't take long for this windy rain to turn into a full-blown storm. Yet all Ceres did was to chuckle loudly, her sounding excited rather than anxious. "Captain Cuttlam, you came to join us after all!" The woman yelled. "It seems our luck is being put to the test already! Good thing I've always been lucky!" Ceres turned the helm to the left to diagonally break through the waves. She seemed rather focused for someone whom had probably drank half a barrel of beer just moments ago. For her it was a matter of experience. Both in drinking and in sailing. Actually being the one standing at the helm was a new one though.

The storm came only minutes later. Thick, dark clouds. The wind was strong enough to blow you off of the ship entirely. Which was soon demonstrated by one of the sailors climbing the ropes, being lifted up and ending a foot or two from the boat in the water. "And this is why I don't like these weaklings." Ceres grumbled to herself. After all, what proper sailor or pirate couldn't handle a little storm after a few drinks? Yet the worst was still to come. About 20 minutes into the storm something happened that even got Ceres a little nervous. A massive water spout was forming about 300 meters away from the port side. "Now that's a challenge. Even for luck..." The woman muttered, quickly turning the ship into the exact same direction as where the waterspout was forming. It was maybe a 50/50 chance, but from what she could see in the clouds, it looked like it would move from left to right. Still though, if she was wrong... "My luck against nature...let's see who wins." She mused, grinning a little again.

(It's shitty, yea. But hey, you can't just have awesome superpowers right? No fun in that...there has to be a weakness. :) )

[Sarpedon]

Octavius shook his head when Ceres announced his arrival. She said something about luck, and he muttered some things about luck that involved her and the storm. Then the storm really hit them. They lost a man to a punishing gust of wind, which picked up and tossed a sailor into the drink from near the top of the rigging. No one even bothered to try and save him. Having watched the man fall, the pirate knew there was no point, and it seemed everyone else was of the same opinion. So they kept working, with Captain Cuttlam leading the way. It didn't take long to secure everything, and make the ship ready for the storm, but they still had to be out and about, ready to respond to threats, or deal with unpleasantness. This ship wasn't big enough for them to cower below decks and ride it out. And then, because the storm wasn't enough, a waterspout sprung up off their port side. Feeling very vindicated, the pirate grinned, moving to the bow of the ship as they steered toward the thing. It wasn't far off, and their only hope was that the thing moved. If it didn't move the right way, the lot of them were dead. Octavius was more than happy to turn around and lock eyes with the woman currently steering the ship. He put on his best "I told you so" face, and dragged his thumb across his throat, before gesturing to the lot of them. There was no one anyone would hear him over the wind.

They were headed straight into death and destruction, and the pirate at the bow of the ship was ecstatic. He was right. Women were bad luck. So bad, that they'd get everyone killed by steering straight into a giant waterspout that sprang up almost out of nowhere. It was a relief, to know he had been right. It was almost worth dying, just to show Ceres that she was wrong. Such was the madness that the man had descended into...

[sanquin]

At first the spout moved right towards the ship. But that only lasted for seconds, before it started to move to the starboard side. And then it kept on moving in that direction. The winds were picking up even more, as they were still getting closer to the waterspout. People started to just hold on to anything they could, as with these winds it was close to impossible to keep on working. Then at the 100 meter mark the giant funnel started to move away from the ship. "Hah! I was right!" Ceres exclaimed, even though no one could hear her at this point. She then turned her gaze to Octavius, a sly grin on her lips. Almost as if she was telling him 'I told you so.'

After another minute or two of holding on for dear life, the worst of it was over. The waterspout had moved away far enough that the winds didn't bother them any more. Now it was just a regular storm again. The sailors all got down from the masts, trying to figure out if Ceres was either mad or a genius. Probably more mad than genius in her case. But they had survived, and compared to the wind of the waterspout, the current wind felt like a breeze to them. That just left the waves and the pouring rain, but rather than being nervous, the sailors looked focused to get out of the rest of the storm alive as well.

[Sarpedon]

Octavius wasn't sure what to do. Ceres had gambled and won. That meant she wasn't bad luck. He swore violently to himself. This world was strange, and fate was fickle. But if this woman could survive sailing head-on into a waterspout, he supposed he didn't have much choice. Feeling sorely betrayed by the gods he'd placed his faith in, the pirate lord headed astern to confront his erstwhile rival. It seemed there wasn't much point in trying to thwart her further, so he supposed he might as well see if she was hell-bent on being a captain. He was far too proud to ask for anything. But he'd extend the invitation, and maintain his stitiousness at the same time. She wouldn't be allowed to bring any female friends along, but he supposed he could tolerate any pirate friends she might have that weren't of the unluckier gender. He managed to reach the helm without too much trouble, and Captain Cuttlam sighed as he approached the woman there. After a moment to get himself together, he spoke, just loud enough to be heard, and with more than enough reticence to show that he had no real desire to say all this, but no choice but to do so. "I was wrong. You're not bad luck." he offered to start. "You still attract sharks. But I could probably tolerate that if you ever wanted a spot on my crew." he added, almost managing a smile. "And I won't sink you if you won't sail next to me. Unless you try to sink me first, but that's a different story..." he offered his hand to shake, figuring that despite all the wind and rain and such, the captain could spare enough time to shake his hand. In a worst case scenario, he was probably more adept at holding on than she was. She would be safer holding onto him, if anything...

[sanquin]

The other captain came her way, though it took a while to reach her because of the strong winds. She wondered what kind of curse word or new assumption he was going to fling her way, looking the way he did. Though when he arrived he offered something she had never expected. For several big reasons even. Yet here he was, offering her a place on his crew. At first she wanted to laugh at him. But then again, being a captain wasn't her goal. It depended on what his answer to her conditions would be, really. So, just like him, she shouted back. Just loud enough for him to hear, but not anyone else. "If I were to become part of any crew, it would have to go to the Grand Line. And I would not be treated like some bad luck shark attractor or some ship mascot." Staying a ship's cook was just fine. But she hated being treated differently or poorly just because she had different parts on her body. "Would your crew be one of those, then?"

[Sarpedon]

Octavius chuckled. Ceres wouldn't let go of her desire to go to the Grand Line. And apparently she didn't want to be treated differently. "I've got ta find the ones who still remember me somehow... Aye, I'll be sailing the Grand Line." he replied after a moment. "And I'll only treat ya different when you attract sharks every month." he promised with a grin and a wink. "Just keep hold o'that luck o'yours. Come find me if ya make a decision..." the pirate turned and walked away then, his hand falling to his side. She still didn't seem big on the shaking of hands, so he figured she probably wasn't up for his offer just yet. If that was the case, she didn't need him standing over her shoulder, waiting for her to make up her mind. And if that wasn't the case, she needed to get better at shaking his hand when it was offered to her. Captain Cuttlam wondered if it was even worth trying to make deals with women, since they clearly didn't understand the etiquette behind it all. He shook it off, though, assuming he'd still be finding a new, better ship, and taking it out to reconquer the oceans. Best not to bank on anyone actually wanting to join him. He could start off with a gang of cutthroats for hire if he had to, and they'd turn into a crew to ruin the sea at some point. By then, everyone would remember his name, and his flag...

[sanquin]

Ceres kept a watchful eye on the seas, staying at the helm until they had cleared the storm. The worst part was over now, and since they had gotten through there was even less chance that the marines would still find them. Usually they didn't sail through storms like these. Not in these seas at least. Once that was done she called over one of the sailors, ordering him to take over. Then after some directions on where she wanted to go she headed to Octavius. "How about we talk things over properly in the captain's cabin with some dinner? I don't think either of us have had a proper meal in at least a day, you in months if I'm not mistaken.

There was no proper kitchen on this ship...yet. But the woman could still make a decent meal with what the old captain still had in store. So she made a fire in the wood stove and grabbed a pan, some salt and pepper, and two large fish. Once they were on the fire she also grabbed bread, cheese, and a few apples, putting them on the table together with two plates. "You know, I used to be known as a chef cook when I was still just a sailor working for the marines." She started, grabbing some bread with cheese for herself as she prepared the fish. "Which is a lesser reason why I wanted my own ship. So I could put a proper kitchen in it."

Once the fish were done she put one on Octavius' plate and one on hers. Even with the few things she had, she managed to make the fish look like they had come out of a restaurant. Baked for just long enough, looking like the Fish's meat would melt on your tongue like butter. "But I didn't ask you to come here just for a meal of course." She spoke, sitting down and looking at him. "I wouldn't mind joining your crew, but before I make a decision I'd like some more information. Do you plan on using simple sailors like these men for your crew? As, if that's the case, I might be better off alone. The Grand Line isn't that forgiving to people that aren't stronger than them."

[Sarpedon]

"You're a marine?" Octavius got caught on that fact, and didn't find the rest of Ceres' words terribly interesting. She invited him into her cabin, promising a proper meal and a reasonable conversation, and now she was telling him she was a marine? Full disclosure hadn't been part of the agreement, so why she felt compelled to tell him this was beyond him. Just because she'd killed some of her own, didn't make her any less of a marine. There was a reason that saying went around. Compulsively, the pirate produced his bayonet and stabbed it into the table. He wasn't aggressive about it, though. He calmly set the point against the wood and forced the thing a good half inch into the table, leaving it there to await him, should he have to fight this woman. She didn't seem terribly hostile, but he supposed there was more than one way to murder a cat. She set out the food and started going on about his plans, wanting more information. Meanwhile Captain Cuttlam was stuck on the fact that this woman was a marine. He didn't think they let women into the marines, but he supposed she might have been able to pass for a man if she kept quiet and cut her hair, and dressed properly.

Obviously she didn't realize the sort of impact her admission was going to have. The pirate lord was about ready to rescind his offer and start swimming. He was sure there would be no sleep between now, and when he got free of this woman. He would admit, she was good. But he was better. One didn't get good at this game by being slow, or witless. Having been one of the best, Octavius was neither. He failed to touch his food as he answered the questions fired at him. "I plan to use what crew I can. The realms of men forget my name, and my clout is not what it was. I'm not going to be be picky. I've got a proper crew, probably scattered across the whole Grand Line, by now, if they're alive. But I'll need some men to follow me while I collect them. And I'm sure I'll find some new pirates, just as worthy of my flag. You're welcome to go off on your own, seeing as it's a free world, and this is your ship. Looking a gift horse in the mouth is a good way to get your face bitten off though..." he couldn't help but chuckle. She had to pry, of course. He knew she wanted a guaranteed success. But she couldn't sail a ship by herself, not one big enough to brave the Grand Line. Far more likely they would all drown, but what was the point to life if others didn't suffer for your advancement?

[sanquin]

Ceres smirked, shaking her head a little. "This is not me looking a gift horse in the mouth. This is me gathering information on the friendly offer I've been made." She replied, cutting a piece off her fish and putting it in her mouth. "It'll get cold if you don't eat." The woman had noticed Octavius being on edge, of course. But she wanted to rub it in just a little more that she didn't care about him knowing at all.

"I'd ask if you have any questions, but I can guess the first one already. Yes I used to be a marine. Fifteen years ago, that is. I told you because I want you to know up front, to prevent surprises later on. I was still young, and needed a job. So I started as a dishwasher at a marine base. Later I became a cook and was promoted to chef on an admiral's ship. Quite a friendly guy. But there is no freedom or adventure in cooking for some big shot. So I deserted and went out to sea by myself. I actually put a sleeping poison in the last meal I prepared for the admiral. They couldn't wake him up for a full day!" She grinned, taking another bite from her fish. "It's how I got my first bounty too. So no, I'm not on their side any more. Distrust me all you want, so..."

She stood, walked over to his side and extended her hand to him this time. "For now all I can offer my word for now, with a handshake. I'll join your crew if you still want me, and prove through action that I'm not with them any more if that's what you're looking for."

[Sarpedon]

"I've never heard of an ex-marine. What's stopping you from turning me over? I've got to be worth a few hundred gold still, probably more, now that I'm out on the seas again." Octavius clearly didn't care that it had been fifteen years since the woman had served with the Royal Marines. No one just stopped being a marine. It was a mindset, a lifestyle. She said she was a deserter, said she got herself a bounty just to get away from her ship. But that could be all words. He wouldn't have been surprised, to be honest. Of course she had to get up and offer him her word and all that nonsense now. "The only good marine, is a dead marine." he said, even as he shook her hand, a hard look in his eyes. "I'm only going to tell you once. Don't fuck me, Ceres. Don't you ever try to fuck me..." he meant that in a figurative sense. If she really wanted to, he supposed a literal attempt would be acceptable, but he wasn't going to put up with her screwing around, or doing anything shady. He supposed everything they did was shady. It was probably the lawful things he would have to look out for.

Having built up sufficient suspicion, the pirate was now too paranoid to eat, and he figured he would probably go dine with the crew when they were done this meeting of sorts. Ceres had promised that she wasn't with the marines, and even offered to prove it. But that was an easy smokescreen to set. Now his mind was supposed to be at ease. But it wasn't. Captain Cuttlam hadn't gotten this far by being sane or reasonable. Psychotic paranoia was the way to go in his books. Especially around marines and their ilk. Unfortunately, he couldn't just kill this woman, she had made that much clear. She was probably some sort of albatross, manifesting in human form. He couldn't think of any other ways to explain her luck. He just wondered how her south winds might blow if he left her alive. He supposed they would have to brave the fog and find out. For now, he would cling to what worked. Not eating her cooking was probably an excellent start...

[sanquin]

"Don't worry. I won't fuck with you. Besides, it sounds like my bounty is higher than yours." Ceres spoke as she returned to her side of the table. "I'm up to a thousand at the moment. So it would be stupid of me to turn you over to the navy, as I'd be caught too. Oh, and since I decided to not keep secrets, I have another one to tell you. Though this one has nothing to do with the navy." The woman paused, deciding to first take another bite or two. "I'm not some young girl. I'm quite a bit older than I look, in fact. I'm older than you even. As to how I stayed young, I think it might have to do with a devil fruit power, but I'm not sure. All I know is that my body hasn't aged in at least 15 years, probably more." This meant she had been alive for at least 35 or so years, though she wasn't about to tell her actual age. You don't ask a lady about her age after all. And ladies don't tell their age.

"Now, if you're not going to eat then I'm sure one of the sailors will. I won't allow food to be wasted at least." She added. Then she took another bite from her fish before grabbing her bread with cheese again. She had experienced how valuable food really was, after having to live on nothing but dry, old bread and that one fish she had managed to catch when she was stranded on a deserted island for a week. In that respect, food was more important to her than gold.

[Sarpedon]

Octavius had a strange sort of grin split his face when Ceres said her bounty was higher than his. They would see about that. Of course, then she had to share more secrets. He wondered if she was ever going to stop. He decided, in the interest of keeping things brief, that his secrets would stay that way. He didn't need more nonsense at the moment. Apparently this one wasn't much of an event though. The woman claimed to be older than she looked. Which was fine, most women stopped again at twenty-nine anyway. So the pirate shrugged that off, and looked at his plate as the chef commented on his food. "Let 'em." he agreed, pushing it away. "Just tell 'em who refused it, first." he added, shaking his head at the woman. If she hadn't wanted him to ignore it, she shouldn't have started spilling her guts. Secrets were usually secret for a reason. In this case, it would have been best for her to keep them. But since she hadn't, the captain now had some idea of what sort of person he was dealing with. She was interesting, he would give her that. But right now he wasn't interested in giving her much of anything beyond that. He was hungry, having sat in front of this meal for a while. He pulled his blade free of the table and got up, heading toward the door. "Enjoy yourr meal, Cap'n. I'll be eatin' with the crew if ya need somethin'..." the pirate lord then quickly departed, before Ceres could start off on any more of her stories. He was hungry, and no longer in the mood to wait around while a marine told him secrets that she should be keeping to herself. And to prevent further bothering, he slipped belowdecks to find where the rest of the men were eating. They'd thrown the day's rations into a pot and made a stew of it all. Not terribly appealing, but better than the poisoned grub the skipper was serving. He helped himself, while the sailors looked on, curious. He stared back until they minded their own business. Then happily joined them in a quiet dinner, eating ravenously, and occasionally jumping in the conversation. Clearly his presence confused the others, though. No one was quite sure how to treat the notorious captain in their midst. He wasn't in command, but his presence hadn't gotten that memo...

[sanquin]

Ceres sighed, just leaving the captain to whatever he wanted to do. No pirate liked to hear that anyone had been a marine, or was still a marine. So she didn't get angry with him for distrusting her. Even though she did bust him out and killed a few marines with him. Then again...was infiltration a thing these days? She had only heard some rumours about such things. So she doubted Octavius had heard anything about it at all. "To think the once famous Captain Octavius was so paranoid..." She muttered to herself, deciding that she might as well eat both fish. She doubted anyone on deck could appreciate her cooking anyway.

The rest of the evening was quiet, for once. So it wasn't long before most sailors were on deck, finding entertainment in some rum, talking and singing. Ceres was nowhere to be found though. As far as anyone had seen, she hadn't left the captain's cabin. Which was indeed true. Because now that finally the adrenaline had gone down after a rather hectic and dangerous day, the exhaustion finally kicked in. Her muscles ached all over, and she basically had no energy left. So she collapsed on the bed, closed her eyes, and was sleeping seconds later. At the very least she'd be able to wake up very early.

(Note: This doesn't mean we should skip to the next day right away. If you have anything in mind, go ahead. :) )

[Sarpedon]

Octavius took pride in his paranoia. The same way a prize buck got old by being skittish and hiding in the deepest, nastiest parts of the forest, the pirate had gotten this far by being paranoid and rolling with the nastiest crew of cutthroats, killers, and thieves the ocean had ever seen. They were mostly gone now, but there were a few he wanted to stir up. If they were going to cruise the Grand Line, he was going to be rolling with all the hardest sea-ravaging barbarians he could get his hands on. Ideally, they would do it in a bigger ship, with more men, but he supposed it could work, so long as his doctor could still work his magic. Speaking of which, Captain Cuttlam figured he should probably track down the man, and make some things clear between them. He finished his dinner and vacated the premises quickly, to find his old friend. The ocean was calm now, and things were going well. Clearly his albatross was working her magic. He was just glad he had passed on the meal. Hopeful, the man hunted down the doctor, a thoughtful smile on his face. It didn't take long, since the ship wasn't large, and the two of them found themselves wandering the deck.

Quiet conversation. Hushed voices. The two looked rather suspicious, if anyone cared to look. No one did, it seemed. The crew had things to do, readying the ship for the night, drawing straws for watch, and then bartering over them. The oceanic warlord chuckled, watching the spectacle, before turning back to the subject at hand. Things went smoothly, it would appear, as the two men seemed to have an understanding between them, even as they spoke, words seemed to be formed less, and concepts became expressed with vague gestures. It wasn't long after that, that anyone actually paying attention might have seen trinkets change hands. Then the pair parted ways, each headed in different directions. The doctor, back to his business, and the pirate lord to his quarters. Meagre, by his usual standard, but plenty for what he needed. He laid out his things to dry quickly, and then headed out, this time clothed in little more than fur he'd manifested to keep watchers on their toes. A brief trip to the armoury netted Octavius everything he needed, and he returned to his room, lamp in one hand, and a bucket in the other. Having lit the lamp, he hung it up, only to swear at the spectacle. His weapons were already covered in rust. A tragedy. Ready to cry, the man set to work, figuring he would likely spend the night here, scrubbing away, and making everything proof against the elements. It was a very familiar feeling that suddenly washed over the man, and the pirate smiled as he worked long into the night... The lamp burned itself out, but by that time, the light streaming in the window was enough to keep working. Headless of the time, he laboured away, refusing to sleep until he was done. It took the whole night, but he managed it. Captain Cuttlam finished his work right around the time someone was starting breakfast. He passed out at last, sprawled on the floor, covered in gun oil, surrounded by grime, weaponry and ammunition. His clothes dangled above, rocking with the ship, drying as their owner finally rested peacefully...

((I like you))

[sanquin]

Ceres had gone to bed at 9 pm, so she was up again at 5. An extra hour of sleep did her good, so she headed for the deck right away. A few sailors were awake already. "Mornin'- uh...cap'n." One spoke, clearly not entirely comfortable with a woman as captain. Not that Ceres cared about prejudice. "Morning. And Cuttlam will be captain soon I'm joining his crew." The man seemed pleased upon hearing that. She just shook her head and went on her way.

She headed for the crow's next, feeling like wanting to enjoy the view a little. Plus it was good morning exercise. Once she was sitting on the edge she smiled as she looked out over the sea. "Finally a ship that I can take to the grand line..." She mused. "Though I'll need to get stronger for the grand line. I should buy some weights." It would be another hour or two before they arrived though, so right now she didn't have much to work with yet. But surely the next island would have something, and she would find the first person she wanted on her crew there too. A man using two longswords, claiming to strive to become the best swordsman in the world. She had actually already met him a few times, though never talked to him. If the rumours were anything to go by, he once took out a dozen bandits by himself when he was still a bounty hunter. He at least sounded like someone that could survive the grand line.

[Sarpedon]

When Octavius finally woke up, he figured it was probably around noon. Not much sleep, by some standards, but enough for him. The pirate picked himself up off the ground and did a couple of stretches to work out the kinks, before he started cleaning up. He'd managed to save his weaponry, at least for a time. He figured it would probably be prudent to find his old crew quickly, at least one of them could help him out with some newfangled repeating machine that wouldn't rust on the ocean. For now, this would do. He had even managed to check his ammunition, and all the useless cartridges were tossed into a bucket for disposal at some point. Once powder was wet, it was pretty well useless, short of drying it out properly, and that wasn't going to happen on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Some landlubber would probably buy it, though. It didn't take long to dry out cartridges if you didn't live on the sea, and scatterguns and magnum revolvers were popular all over. For now, it waited in the bucket. The rest of the stuff got packed up again, and the warlord finally had the time to properly buckle on his sidearm. Once it was sitting nicely below his hip, he set out for the washing facilities. The smell of gun oil was nice, but being covered in it made a lot of things impossible.

Captain Cuttlam did his best to get the stuff off of him, and succeeded, for the most part. He knew all of it wasn't going to come off, that just couldn't be expected, not when his hands had absorbed so much of it over many years. But he was satisfactorily clean, now, though he wouldn't squeak, thanks to his extended exposure to gun oil. That was probably for the best, though, and the the pirate lord headed back to his cabin to get dressed properly, wondering what the plan was. Obviously there wasn't much of one, but there had to at least be an idea of how they were going to go about changing up command. It wasn't his problem yet, though, and that was the best kind of problem. So he got himself presentable and well-armed, and headed out on deck to see what was going on, curious to see if he'd have an opportunity to eat before dinner time this evening...

[sanquin]

When Octavius came up on deck, he would see that they had already docked at the next island. Four sailors were now gone, as well as Ceres herself. Though as soon as a sailor spotted Octavius he walked towards him. "Captain! The woman told me to inform you. She's on shore, going after someone she wants on her crew or something. Somewhere in the South-West side of town apparently. That and...ah...several sailors just up and left. They heard rumours of this ship heading for the Grand Line...is that true?" Being pirates was one thing. Being pirates on the sea where even the weakest of sailors were probably stronger than them was another.

---

In the mean time, Ceres had just arrived at the building she was looking for. It was the hideout for a certain pirate crew. This island was a 'free' one. So pirates and marines could both come and go as they pleased. Though pirates generally still kept a low profile in the wealthier parts of the city, as to not catch the eye of said marines. This particular pirate crew, though, was widely known on the island. They had sailed the grand line and lived, or so the story went. And they held a Mafia-like control over part of the poor area. Even more, it was the pirate crew Ceres had previously been in for 10 years.

Ceres went over the wall surrounding the small courtyard the building had though. As there, imprisoned in a pillory, stood a man. In fact, he had been standing there for three full days now, getting nothing to eat and barely anything to drink. She jumped down, grinning slightly. "We finally get to talk for once, Ace Keighley. I see you're a bit occupied at the moment, but I can make you a deal~" The man didn't even look up and just grunted softly. "Leave this island, Join the shotgun preacher's crew, and come with us to the Grand Line." The man now looked up, if only because he heard a familiar name. "That's impossible. He was caught by the navy--" But before either could say anything more, several men burst through the door, together with their captain. "Ceres Morrigan, I knew you'd return sooner than later! Kill that woman!" The captain shouted. And immediately two of the 5 men opened fire, while the others kept on running with their swords in hand. Apparently someone had spotted her when she climbed over the wall, or something to that extend.

Of course the bullets missed though, so Ceres decided to ignore them. She had no business with her former captain, and they couldn't exactly harm her either. "Look, do you want to get out of here or not?" Ceres asked calmly while Ace stared at her in surprise. He had a very close-up look of how bullets just passed right through her after all, and hadn't met that many people with devil fruit powers. Let alone of the Logia type.

(Changed Ceres' picture to be less cartoonish, go and check it out :P)