[color=FF3500][b][center]“Tell me, Elders! World Nobles! What are you hiding!? What is in this world you’re looking down on that you’re so afraid of!?”[/center][/b][/color]

In the year 1632, Age of the Sea, these words rang out across Marie Geoise, the capital of the world, during the largest attack ever staged against the World Government. Avalon “The Devil” Duskar, the worst pirate in history, leading his infamous legion, staged an unprompted two prong attack on the Red Line. It took over a decade for the surrounding area to recover, and the loss of life on both sides was tremendous. The Warlord system was established, the Government forgiving the crimes of pirates to add another layer of defense after their major facilities were crippled, while the Abyssal Call was disbanded, Avalon and many of his most elite men vanishing from history. And yet, while the fallout was well known and researched, the question the world never learned the answer to was ‘why’? Avalon had supposedly circumnavigated the globe, becoming the first to reach Lodestar Island at the end of the stretch of ocean still known as the Devil’s Seas where he had reigned. Was he unsatisfied without lands to further conquer, though rarely heard rumors mentioned another island somehow beyond? And what did he believe the World Government was hiding from the world as he lashed out? While those sacrificed might know, their lips are sealed by 6 feet of soil as the World Government buries them with a sin of 800 years.

The 18 years since have been far from peaceful. Discontent rises around the world as rebellious agents strike with anger but no organization. The North Blue is ensnared by the Witch of Webs, a mysterious figure who has seduced king, pirate, and Marine officer to her off-kilter alliance. In the South, the Grime King operates his pirate haven of Pol Stictid where no Government presence is allowed. In the West rumbles the Tianyan Empire of Heaven’s Mount, the 12 Generals leading their forces to carve a path of conquest through the Blue. The only ocean that sees quiet is the East, even if that mock peace is only allowed under the heel of tyrannical pirates, Marines, and kings alike. And in the Grand Line a cult known as the Devil’s Legion commits atrocities and terrorism in the Devil’s name, calling out his infamous words. The winds of fate call out, the world demanding change from those who can gain the power to enact it. Will you answer that call?

[b][indent]Welcome to One Piece: The Devil’s Due![/indent][/b]This is an [i]Advanced, Player-Driven Group Sandbox RP[/i] situated in the world of the anime/manga One Piece! Where most One Piece RPs focus on a single crew, or set the players loose in the world, I aim to find a middle ground. Inspired by some Superhero [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/177037-absolute-comics-season-two-the-monster-within/ooc]RPs[/url] I [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/181167-absolute-comics-justice-rising/ooc]once[/url] took [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/183632-one-universe-world-of-heroes-a-marvel-dc-comics-rpg/ooc]part[/url] in, these games requested players to think of the longer term and set out with story telling goals in mind, allowing players to write entire arcs solo. I had a lot of fun in them, so I want to take some influence from those games into a fandom of a series I deeply love with a setting I understand well.

If you’re still interested, then check out the character sheet place on the next post! While all the listed sections are important, the most key section is the ‘Character Goals’ area. Rather than an ambition like “becoming King of the Pirates” or “imbibe in the best liquor in the world”, the section is meant to ask you “what are your hopes and goals in writing the character?” What ideas do you want to explore through the character? What is it about their psychology, their place in the world, their relation to the setting, or anything in that vein, that draws you to want to write them? Luffy, for example, has a drive for freedom that is operated in a way so as to not impose a lack of freedom on others, told through the lens of a ‘man of action’ who leaves internal monologue behind, getting all the nitty gritty nuances of the character out implicitly, while still displaying a simplicity in ideals and mindset that needs to survive the more complex machinations of a larger world. Add to that a love of fun things and a desire for his comrades being safe even at the risk of his own life, and you have a character with a bunch of unique reasons a writer might want to explore them compared to, say, Trafalgar Law or Eustace Kidd, despite the three of them all reaching for the same goal of Pirate King.

With your character goals in mind, you now have a path with which to work through the IC, as you either write solo arcs to explore them, or grab another player (or several!) and work through your respective stories together. The RP is player driven in that these stories will be largely handled by the players themselves, I’ll be here as the GM, both joining in with characters of my own, and in creating certain story arcs for players/groups of players to build into the larger world as a whole! My hopes with this is that it can allow players to get what they want out of writing their characters, while also allowing for writing around missing players through the wider world and GM assistance (something that is typically a poison to smaller One Piece RPs).

The rest of the first post will focus on player expectations and code of conduct. You should also give the next post a thorough read as well, as it discusses what you’ll need to know regarding your character, and write-ups regarding the differences between the Devil’s Due setting and the canon of One Piece. If there’s anything I haven’t covered, feel free to ask me OOC, through PMs, or on the RP discord (linked at the bottom of the post, free for anyone interested to jump in to!)!

[b][indent]Posting Expectations and Multiple Characters:[/indent][/b]As this is an Advanced RP, your typical post should be 2-3 paragraphs, as per site standards, with each post being meaningful to plot or character in some fashion. You will also be expected to communicate with other players in regards to writing collaboratively, be it collab posts or entire arcs. Locations, NPCs, antagonists, supporting characters, and the like, will be yours to develop with fellow RPers, so I expect players to be more [i]proactive[/i] than reactive. If you consider yourself to be a reactive player, then this likely will not be the RP for you. If that makes you apprehensive, when I say ‘site standards’, that’s as per the rules of the website: by ‘site norms’, many Casual RPs easily fit the label of Advanced. I want to be clear and honest with my expectations, but if your idea of Advanced is ‘Casual but better/tougher to do somehow’, then hopefully I’ve done something to alleviate that fear.

You will be expected to post [b]once a week[/b] without prior notice otherwise. If you have not posted in [b]three weeks without warning[/b] you will be assumed to be inactive. This duration will be shortened to [b]two weeks[/b] if a character of yours is currently involved with another PC, such as them being shipmates or in an arc together. After that time limit has passed, I will be working with the other players to advanced their story in your absence so that the enjoyment and activity of a group of PCs isn’t put on pause because of one absence. The character might be pushed to the background and regulated as an NPC, or shuffled out of regular contact in some form. While I will do my utmost to ensure the character is handled faithfully and respectfully, the obvious downside is that player autonomy of the character is lost, and prior storyline elements could be rendered null (such as connected NPCs like Warlords or Admirals being removed if they’ve yet to show up or make contact with the rest of the setting), which I doubt many people want. That said, I think it’s an understandable consequence of inactivity without notice, and can also open up other story potentials going forward, if your character is moved at all. Be warned: if it becomes a regular occurrence then I might be less inclined to allow you back.

If you have multiple characters, then you will be upheld to the same limits for each character. Posting with one character, while leaving your other character to slow down other players is not acceptable behavior! As such, I’ll only allow players to have a second character after some commitment is shown. For now let’s just say you have to have 4 straight weeks of activity before I’ll allow you to try your hand at a second character. A minimum of 4 posts isn’t a lot, but I think it’s a fair time investment. As for a third or fourth character, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it! Even if you can’t post, as long as you keep up communication, it’ll be alright!

[b][indent]Arc Planning and GM Arcs:[/indent][/b]I want the RP to be player driven. While I will have my character(s) running about, aside from individual character arcs, the world will be alive, with various agents working to their goals beyond the players. I’ll be dropping the occasional news article as a way to explore the happenings of the world, but beyond that, the areas most likely to be developed will be what the players focus on, both in what they write, and also in how my ideas will inherently react to the actions of the players, even if I don’t have a direct hand in what’s happening.

There will also be ‘GM Arcs’ up for offer, or perhaps even offered to groups of PCs as I see fit. Rather than a typical player driven arc where I might not be involved, GM Arcs will be run by me, like a more traditional RP. I will likely involve players to aid in planning, but the aim with these arcs is to touch on bigger setting and story elements, and involve NPCs that I would generally be writing by necessity. Examples might include arcs involving the three antagonists listed earlier: the Witch of Webs, the Tianyan Empire, and the Grime King. These could be resolved in large Alabasta or Wano-esq climaxes where multiple groups of players are involved, maybe even breaking down barriers of antagonism to do so, like Smoker’s assistance on Alabasta. But if no player handles these threats, the wider Blue might be affected as a result as the range of their reach widens.

There’s also the main story beats of the burgeoning rebellion against the World Government, the uncovering of the mysterious Void Century, and the discovery of the legendary One Piece, said to be on the final island of the Grand Line. These goals will likely be met with the most opposition from other forces in the world. More importantly, as all of them are connected to the main story in the canon, I’m curious to see how players take on these journeys in their own way. And it’s also possible that your smaller ideas will build to bigger consequences impossible to foresee: emergent storytelling is part of the fun of RP!

[b][indent]Player vs Player:[/indent][/b]As the game will have characters who will likely be rivals to each other, combat is rather likely. However, as it’s a self-propelled RP, I don’t want to have to act as referee or mediator for every one of these conflicts. I’ll be there if a dispute happens, but my hopes with combat is that it’s more focused on [i]narrative and character arc[/i] rather than [i]who would win[/i] based on abilities and powers. The latter I associate more with arena fights, which absolutely have their value and appeal, but aren't exactly what I see as the focus of the RP. If you want to join with the intent to ‘win’ against other players or my major NPCs, you’ve entirely misread the point of the RP.

To give a canon example of what I mean by thinking of narrative in a fight, let’s look at Luffy vs Usopp. Envision the fight as a planned result of two writers collaborating on a battle to enhance not just their characters, but everyone else involved in the story as well. Usopp losing works wonderfully for his character in the moment, paralyzed in fear of his own weakness after seeing just how powerful the foes they’re going to face are, connecting to the Merry’s abandonment and fighting to argue his point, where Luffy winning is Pyrrhic as he’s losing one of his precious friends, struggling even to land a punch through both Usopp’s cleverness and his unwillingness to hurt him. All the while the other characters watch on in pain, unable to do anything. Losing can be GREAT in its memorability and impact, but communication is key for it to work in a way that’s also fulfilling for everyone involved! What is said through the conflict? Where is the contrast between the two? How do the characters involved come to change? What is the fallout of the battle? How are the symbols present in both characters written? There are many ways to make a narratively fulfilling fight.

I also want to add an alternative: maybe two characters [i]have[/i] to fight, in the sense that the story necessitates them battling upon meeting (such as a Marine running across wanted men), or an IC argument gets out of hand, but maybe a full on encounter full of contrast and drama doesn’t quite work for the time or place. In that case you can also use what I call a ‘skirmish’. Basically the idea would be a brief battle without a clear winner or loser, or just a largely off screen squash fight. One Piece actually uses these a lot, largely for minor characters, or for when the thrust of the story is outside of the one on one fights. The Paramount War had countless skirmishes, the strong characters avoiding going all out for a battle that they don’t need to fight, or weaker characters getting absolutely crushed. To give another Water 7 example, Usopp busting into Franky House to get the money back wasn’t a full on fight by any means, Franky took him out completely off screen. But the outcome of that skirmish still had meaningful ripples in the story to come. Using skirmishes can keep the story as a whole more focused, while still allowing players to butt heads with each other and show off their stuff without having to decide a winner or loser.

And of course, like with the story, planning out the result isn’t necessary, it’s just a suggestion. But I’d rather have a hundred skirmishes than a single full fight that goes on for way too long before someone comes whining to me just because neither player wants their character to lose.

[b][indent]Spoilers and Setting Knowledge:[/indent][/b]While I personally am caught up to the manga, remember that other players might not be even close to caught up, or they might only watch the anime. Players should have some knowledge of the setting before joining, preferably at least into the series post-timeskip, but if you can keep up with the tone and world then you’re welcome to join regardless of prior knowledge! Generally speaking, I think everything up to the end of Whole Cake Island should be fine to discuss freely (except Film Red, which has not been widely available in English for very long). There may be exceptions in regard to setting, as information about the world can be helpful to the RP. The Reverie in particular is incredibly enlightening on how the world of One Piece works, for example. Overall, be respectful of your fellow players! No need to go out of your way to ruin the once in a lifetime experience of going through a piece of media for the first time.

[b][indent]Forbidden Content:[/indent][/b]Aside from global rules, as a general rule of thumb, if it’s not acceptable for the pages of One Piece, it should be strayed away from. If it’s not acceptable for publishing in Shounen Jump, it’s completely off the table. This is not, and never will be, an 18+ game. Remember that even in the manga, various dark things are only alluded to, like the specific torments the Boa sisters suffered from the Heavenly Dragons, the relationship between Doflamingo and Violet, and the disappearance of Mother Caramel and Linlin’s fellow orphans. You you want to include something that would have to be alluded to like that to be ‘acceptable’, then the smart thing to do is ‘don’t’. Keep that in mind as a baseline, and we should be alright.
[hr][h3][center]Don't forget to join the RP [url=https://discord.gg/nbWBEbkumb]DISCORD[/url] (even if you're just interested in joining)![/center][/h3]