[h1][center][color=blue][b][u]Marines[/u][/b][/color][/center][/h1]

[h2][center][u][b]Loguetown, East Blue[/b][/u][/center][/h2]

A steady breeze glided through the harbor as sounds of gulls and waves crashing against the docks filled the air. Men were fast at work as usual down by the port, and there was a slight uptick in traffic the past few days with a few extra ships docked ashore. Two of those ships were Marine cruisers that had docked there just the night before. Several high-ranking officials were seen leaving the ship in the dead of night and heading to the nearby Marine HQ located just north of town, known as G2. 

"So, you're telling me that the target is in Loguetown, right under our noses?" A stern voice asked matter-of-factly, as if to confirm some prior suspicion. The voice belonged to a daunting man, standing at over eight feet tall and arms nearly the size of barrels, a square jaw that looked so rigid it could have been welded in place by steel beams, and a clenched set of perfect pearly white teeth. His head was as round as a coconut with none of the hair, just a big bald head that glinted like a gem in the sunlight. He folded his arms across his chest, his bulging pectoral muscles clearly defined shapes through the white undershirt beneath his Marine coat. His gaze was as absolute and as piercing as his sense of justice, and he took this mission with the same seriousness in which he had undertaken every previous assignment given to him. And each and every detail was critical in completing it. 

"No, not exactly. I said that we have reason to believe the target made contact with someone currently living here. Whether or not our target remains in Logeutown has yet to be discovered. We also don't know for what purpose. That's what we need to find out first and foremost. The longer they're out here on the loose, the more destruction that will follow. If we keep waiting for them to make the first move and only reacting instead of being proactive about this situation, the longer this is going to be dragged out. Understand what I'm saying?" The man who responded was much more even-keeled, and was seated behind a desk with his hands folded together and elbows propped up. He was much thinner than his large counterpart, and seemed in much less of a hurry. 

"Of course sir. I'm to locate and capture or dispose of the target in as little time as possible with as little collateral damage and civilian casualty as possible, and if possible, ascertain the reason behind the target's recent actions and determine for what the target's goal is. I've already been briefed on the target and should have no issues finding him. Is there anything else before I leave, sir?" He was very direct and to the point, seeing no reason to delay his departure. 

The man behind the desk was quiet for a moment, turning to look out his window. "....The target is not going to be easy to track down or capture. I know you've read the file and seen the extent of what someone like that can do to a town or an island if things get out of hand. This isn't just any one of those common Devil Fruit users. This needs to be taken care of swiftly and neatly... they wanted to call in CP9 on this, you know? I had to convince them I had someone competent enough around to handle it. That's why you were brought in as fast as you were. I would handle it myself, but the Boss has me looking into a matter of my own that supersedes this. Also, there's some intel from one of our agents on some of the locals, including the person that our target was here to meet, supposedly. You'll want read it, as there are a few individuals in the area that could be a problem if they were to become, how should I say this... [i]involved[/i] with our target. So let's get this done, alright Vice-Admiral Haramitsu?" 

[h3][center][b][i][color=D4D4F3]Marine Vice-Admiral Haramitsu "the Perfectionist"[/color][/i][/b][/center][/h3]
[center][hider=Vice-Admiral Haramitsu][img]https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/ragnarok_gamepedia_en/d/df/RO2_JeHoon2.png[/img][/hider][/center]

"Consider it done." The giant man exited through the doorway with his fists clenched, heading toward the dock. He boarded one of the two Marine cruisers that had docked the night before and called a meeting of all the Marines aboard to report to the deck for briefing. 
____________________________________________________________________
[h1][center][color=gray][b][u]Zanza of the Ashes[/u][/b][/color][/center][/h1]

[h2][center][b]"[i]The Hole in the Wall[/i]"[/b] - [i]a small bar down at the docks in Loguetown[/i][/center][/h2]

Down by the docks, after night fell a place would open up that was home to thugs, pirates, promiscuous women, and anyone who wanted to party. It was located by finding an unmarked door that when opened literally looked like a hole in the wall, as if someone had just punched straight through the concrete wall it was placed on. There was no door knob or keyhole, but any pirate worth his salt in East Blue knew the trick to get in. Anyone outside of East Blue would probably laugh if you told them how to get in. You had to notice a small crack at the bottom of the wall, just big enough for a baby mouse to sneak in, or say, a person's finger. You would stick your finger in the bar and wiggle it around a bit, and that would shake the locking mechanism free and open the door. 

Once inside, usually at least one or two bouncers would guard the entrance and check everyone who came in to keep out anyone not from the area, seeing as the marines likes to keep tabs on the criminal activity down in that area. And oh boy, was there criminal activity. As soon as you got down the initial hallway there was music and women and booze and laughter and dancing and well, lots of fighting. 

A man with messy white hair surrounded by a sea-green faded to blue headband casually walked down the alleyway that was home to his favorite Hole in the Wall and lit a cigarette just before he wiggled his finger and pried open the door just enough to slip his slender frame through the door, ducking his head to avoid hitting the top of the hole on his way in. 

[hider=Just some fluff]"If it isn't the Phoenix himself! Was wondering if you'd show up before midnight tonight!" The large, tattooed man watching the door said. "Z! You're a bit early today, aren't ya?" A smaller, skinnier man with a bandanna added. 

"Manny! Dez! Ready for another rager tonight?!" The white-haired pirate began laughing heartily, patting them both on the shoulder as he did. "Yeaaahhhh, yeah, bit early. But there ain't much to do out here except grab a beer and pick up chicks.. speaking of, you see that girl with the purple hair from last night? If you see her again, tell her sorry about her dress, I'll totally make it up to her. I swear she got it caught on a splinter and that's what ripped it off, but she smacked me so fast I couldn't explain that it wasn't me!" He seemed very adamant about this. "And things were going so well up until that point, too." He sighed deeply, as if the love of his life had just slipped through his fingers. 

"Aren't you like, famous now? Your face is everywhere dude. Don't be so dramatic, you can get any girl you want! C'mon man, grab a beer. And by the way, where's your crew? Shouldn't you be with them right now? Didn't one of them say you were doing something important today, Zanza?" Dez, the larger man, asked. 

"Huh? Oh yeah, I think they did, didn't they?" He raised his hand up to his chin, looking perplexed. "Eh, can't remember! It'll come to me when it's time!" He shrugged his shoulders and proceeded inside, making a beeline for the bar. A girl with pale pink hair was behind the bar, who upon making eye contact with Zanza immediately narrowed her naturally sweet-looking eyes into a scowl, and making a pouting face as she crossed her arms. 

"Hmph! Look who it is! If it isn't Mr. Big-Shot himself! Biiiiiggg Captaaiiinnn Zanzzaaaa!" She exaggerated every syllable as he approached the bar, placing his elbows atop the counter and resting his chin on one hand. "Or better yet, Captain Skips-Out-On-His-Tab!! AGAIN!!! And get your dirty elbows off my counter! I only clean up after PAYING. CUSTOMERS. And you trashed the place last night running after that girl with the hair! Just like you always do Zanza, chasing after some girl and ending up in trouble. Come. On." 

As she swatter his elbows off the bar, Zanza took a step back and placed his hands on his hips. "Oh stop it Kamina! You know you love me!" He flashed his grin at her, which made her blush and turn away. At this he chuckled, knowing he could get away with murder in her eyes. They'd grown up this way, with Zanza picking on her and Kamina always running after him trying to keep him out of trouble. But as they got older Zanza left and would go out to sea, only returning for brief stays. And Kamina was always loyal. Tons of shipwrights and fishermen asked for her hand in marriage as well as many of the town thugs and pirates hoping to woo her to bed, she just stayed at the bar, serving drinks and reading the paper to see if Zanza was staying out of trouble. Usually, not seeing he name meant he was okay. 

Her stomach dropped the first time she saw that sly grin on a WANTED poster in the paper. Now she can't get away from it, his face is on almost every corner in Loguetown and near the top of most Wanted boards in the East Blue. One hundred and twenty five million Beri. She often threatened to turn him in for the reward if he didn't stop trashing the place every time he came to visit. And although she would never admit it, she had seen a lot less problems in the bar after Zanza would come by, besides the ones he would cause himself. Especially after he made a name for himself and people found out that he grew up in Loguetown. 

"So what, you here to get drunk again and run off with another girl tonight?" She joked, as he helped himself to a pint. "Hey! I said you still have to pay for last night's shit! C'mon man!" She smacked him across the head, causing him to give her a look and rub the side of his head. 

"I promise I'll keep it quiet tonight! And I know I said that last night... and every other night! But I'm serious! I gotta keep it down... Can't let people get word that I'm here-" "-until you're already gone again." Kamina finished the sentence for him. He looked over at her. "You're here for a few nights, wreck the place, chase the girls around town, get chased out by the Marines, piss the town off, but somehow half of us still love you. The other half have always thought you were a menace, but not everyone's a fan of pirates. Especially considering how you were brought up..." 

Zanza was silent for a minute. "Look, I'm sorry. I'll keep it down tonight. Enjoy the music. Why don't we go hang out somewhere?" He asked, trying to make it up to her. "I can't, gotta work all night. Just... keep yourself out of trouble, okay?" Zanza winked at her before taking his drink and turning away. [/hider]

He chose a seat in the shadows in the corner, the same spot he always sat at this bar. It brought back many memories of his childhood and where he came from. For a moment, he sat and reminisced about what brought him to this moment, about everything that landed him back here. It was on this eve that his crew would set sail for the Grand Line, to truly begin their journey into the unknown. They had a plan, their goal was laid out simply before them: climb Reverse Mountain and use the log pose he possessed to find the first island on their journey. 

Zanza was confident in himself, his crew, and their ship. Although, he had not seem them at all that day, and wondered what they were doing. The Marines had docked the night before and were seen mobilizing in the area. At first this made Zanza paranoid, as he thought that possibly one of them had caused trouble, or more likely, that he caused some trouble that they got caught up in. But this was most likely not the case, as the Marines seemed to be gathering their resources for something else in town. Whatever it was, the Ash pirates didn't seem to be the target, nor did anyone seem to notice them... yet.

Zanza leaned back in his seat, resting up against the wall, situated in the corner so that no one could sneak up on him. He was very aware at all times, always watching his surroundings. But he was tired of always watching his back, always bringing trouble wherever he went. He closed his eyes but for a moment, a brief moment of peace in the chaos of the world...