Johannes loosed up a bit, nodding and he said, "Thank you. I was truly at my wits end..."

Lina stood, suggesting, "Let's go inside. I'll make some food."

A short while later, the four men sat at the table as Lina went into some quick prep work for a quick easy meal. Johannes studied her at work for a moment, perhaps unsure of the least piracy person in the room, before he turned to the others. "Let's get to business. I suppose, where to start...what exactly are the Companies doing in the Antler Kingdom every year?"

Macario let out a sigh, "There's definitely some competition between them, but it seemed like it was supposed to be friendly." He cringed, dreading the Dredical, before he continued, "They were working together when they tried to attack the ship though."

Johannes nodded. "There's a collaboration to their efforts, I believe. Apparently, as the Four Color Wine was stolen by Quartz Company members, the Abaggio Museum was ransacked by Azure, while the fencing around the royal palace was damaged by the Crimson Company. I don't know what the Verdan Company was doing but I wish to find out."

Lina muttered, "No clue..."

Macario noted, "They might be trying to regain some face though. The paper this morning said that they were up to some shit on Cransod. We were involved in a big mess on Kesrizu, and before...I read something in the paper about Melonberry, which you guys were involved in, apparently."

"I'm from there. Didn't I say something?" Lina noted.

Macario shrugged, "Sure."

Johannes murmured, "I see... The power dynamics of these Companies does rely on reputation. They could take an island with such an infamous presence alone, but if they are no longer taken seriously, to do so would require fighting, which would be costly to both sides. So, if they achieve something grand here when all their forces are present...but what?"