"I am."  Gerld blinked.  He wanted to say something to cover up the confusion, uncertainty he was experiencing, but nothing came to mind.  His temple was throbbing.  It was hard to breathe.  

"Good"  The short woman with purple hair nodded.  She stepped over the fallen pirate.  "Glad to finally find you.  The name's ."  She paused.  "I know Quibby."  Another pause.  The pirates stared, unsure what to do, but they knew not to make a move with their weapons. It was instinct.  Something in the air was so thick and cold, despite the spreading flames. They couldn't have moved if there were swords at their backs.  

Gerld gave the nod.  "That's good enough for me."  He turned to survey the remaining pirates.  "And what about the rest of you?"  The uncertainty had vanished from the giant's voice.  In its place were coal and steel.  "Do you want to continue the fight, or do you want to leave these flaming ruins and live to fight another day?"

The pirates paused to look at the woman. Her strange eyes were things they knew not to mess with.  One by one, they put their weapons down.  They took steps back, tentatively at first, but after three or four, the pirates turned around and rushed towards the exits.  

[@Crimson Lion]
The captain of the Lighthouse pirates smiled.  He wasn't happy.  All the ships were as good as lost, and their prisoners were all gone.  The derailed show and escaped prisoners were bad enough, but the political fallout, which would come crashing down due to the ships being burned while on his time, would create issues that would last for years.  If anything, it would take decades before he'd return to his previous state of financial bliss.

So when the young man, the captive with a devil fruit, fell into their laps, he couldn't help but give a smile.  It wasn't one of joy but of promise at what would befall the young man when things got settled.  If nothing else, he'd take out his rage at the child, and make him pay for all the troubles that went on tonight.

At least that was what he was planning on before the young man, and an apparent devil fruit user did something foolish.  He escaped, which to many would sound like the right decision under the circumstances.  It wasn't, though, because the captain was going to get the man, come hell or high water, and he'd make the boy pay for every single individual step he had to take to put the lad back in chains. 

"Well, don't just sit there looking shocked."  He snarled at his crew.  "Row after him.  Get us back to the dock!"  The men did as they were told.  

The captain pulled out his flintlock pistol, one of a dozen, took aim, and started firing.  He wasn't aiming for anything vital.  He just wanted to take the boy's knees.


[@The Irish Tree]
"Argh!"  The captain's second snarled as the fisherman's attack sent him reeling back.  He didn't let the strike push him far, though.  His leg shot into the floorboard, and he used it to stop and propel himself forwards.  As he flew towards his target, his leg stretched, and the talon gleamed with three black points.  They stretched outwards and slammed into the fisherman's back.

"You're not going anywhere!"  The second squawked, his head white with beady eyes, perched upon a long, snake-like neck.  The man's thin lips twisted into a razor-sharp beak.  For a moment the head hung in the sky before he shot down like an arrow at one of the wounded invidiuals on the fishman's back.