While the three new recruits had gathered at the Eastern Port, they were unaware of the fact that there were three pairs of eyes watching them for the past few minutes.
"Captain-sama! Captain-sama! We can finally leave! They're all here!" Several deep mousy, excitement-filled voices whispered and snickered in unison.
From above and out of their line of sight, several ropes came rushing towards the ensigns, wrapping around them and subsequently tugging the recruits towards the moving ship which the ropes had come from.
Elizabeth and Aria were caught by the trunk with their arms tucked to their sides. The two soared and flipped through the sky until they were no longer within Cedric's field of vision. In a few seconds, the same ropes came down for Cedric. Audible synchronous oomphs were heard as the fishman was hoisted upwards.
The three gracefully landed on top of what seemed to be a large sofa lined with purple velvet. They found themselves seated comfortably and side-by-side with Cedric placed in the middle while the ropes around them slowly unraveled. Aside from a bit of dizziness from all the sudden movements, the entire ordeal didn't not cause any discomfort.
Before they could react to what had just happened, a massive individual wielding a black, white-tipped, telescoping cane, appeared in front of them. Apparently, he was levitating. Towering over all three ensigns, he leaned forward, took off his top hat, and bowed.
"Greetings-bon. Captain Salamanca is moi name soir." His voice was raspy yet sultry at the same time. The fact that doves were coming out of his top hat was somewhat strange though.
"And magic, is moi game du jour!" The moment Salamanca lifted his head and faced the naval recruits, a small display of smoke and some pyrotechnics went off just behind him.
Three men of average size and appearance, with layers of rope around each of their persons, were standing and applauding several feet behind the naval captain.
"That's our captain! Encore! Encore!" The three whistled and cheered at the same time.
"Moi lovely assistants, you are far too kind s'il vous plaît! Huehuehuehue" His words did not match his actions as Salamanca continued his series of tricks, pulling out prop after prop as they went out to sea. The most surprising thing about the entire ordeal was the number of birds and rabbits that were apparently inside his hat.
You are now on board the Blackstone, a caravel-class ship. Alhtough smaller than your standard marine vessel, it is well known for its better maneuverability. Aside from its size and flamboyant furniture, it didn't possess any special features. However, it did have an unusual color scheme. The top half of the hull was lavender, the deck house was a very light blue, and all the railings were white.
Your commanding officer for this mission will be Captain Salamanca, The Showman. Under his leadership were three Warrant Officers; Mainsheet, Jib, and Cunningham. They were known as the Bolt Rope Brothers, triplets who possessed talents in the fields of sailing, cartography, and navigation. They were former small-time smugglers who did their time and are now apprentices to Salamanca. Given their abilities and Salamanca's guidance, they are considered one of the most proficient four-man crews in Marineford.
Needing to restock on props, Captain Salamanca eventually calmed down and proceeded to brief the three ensigns on their mission for the day.
"Those were merely party tricks bon. But I hoped you were all entertained du jour." Salamanca flashed a smile and the young marines as he shuffled several pieces of paper in his hands before laying them atop his “floating” table; the harsh sunlight made it easier to notice the strings that kept it in place.
"We are heading towards Salty Bay Isle, du jour. Une hour away from Marineford." Salamanca said as he flipped the first few sheets of paper over, revealing maps to where they were heading along with some information. Salty Bay Isle was a simple island that mostly focused on the export of their naturally cured fish that were native to their salt lakes.
"At the center of the island is a large forested mountain bon. And near its peak lies a hidden facility soir. Our task is to retrieve anything left there that is useful to our cause du jour." The mission seemed easy enough, but due to the tone of Salamanca’s and how he spoked, it sounded like he was wary of something.
"Do practice caution, mes cheres. The forest is filled with bandits-soir." Flipping the last pieces of paper, Salamanca revealed two bounty posters. One was for Mountain Bandit Basenjinu, and "Iron Claw" Nyangora. With the ensigns gone and his men ashore to gather intel from the locals, Captain Salamanca pulled out of his sleeve a folded piece of paper that he had tucked in earlier while he shuffled the mission files.
Quietly fiddling the piece of paper in between his fingers - like he would a coin - the marine captain questioned his decision of concealing the actual purpose of their mission from the others.
For the Naval Military, your presence in the island should not be known to the locals. So instead of docking at the harbor, the Blackstone is anchored at the opposite side of the island, away from the Saltwater Town. Here, a flourishing forest was located and was ideal for concealment.
However, the moment you set foot on land, you noticed that from afar, there were others who were aware of your presence. Knowing that they had been seen, they immediately fled the area. From their appearance, they looked like bandits.
You are allowed to catch up to them and deal with them as you deem fit. If you choose not to, you can do whatever you please to prepare yourself for their possible return. The only instructions given to you by your commanding officer was to to deep into the forest until you find any signs of a marine facility.
Kurena, Aela, and House heard a thunderous boom coming from above, but before they could even look up to see where the sound came from, something massive came crashing down and landed in between them. The impact from the crash generated enough force to blow all three rookies a few meters away, leaving a cloud of dust in it's wake.
Underneath the clearing veil of dust and dirt, atop the sundered earth was a tall, bald bilkan man.
"Let's go ya brats. We ain't got all day." Fuzei exclaimed in a stern and strict voice as he was facing away from the three while readjusting the alignment of his shades. Something interesting about Fuzei though, was that behind his bravado, was him hoping to have appeared cool yet intimidating.
His entrance was a well choreographed sequence of events. He lacked a platform that was high enough, so silently he waited in the crow's nest of his ship. He did his best to conceal his large muscular body by lying on his sides with his neck and knees curled towards his stomach.
The moment Fuzei felt the presence of all three rookies, in a single burst, he rode a stream of wind and swiftly took to the skies. Upon reaching his peak, Fuzei repositioned his body, his head now facing the ground. With one kick, Fuzei stepped off the air itself and came rushing down to where the newly recruited mercenaries were.
You now find yourself onboard the Kamikazee, a strange customized raft similar in appearance to a ten foot wooden bath bucket. A wooden swivel seat is located at it's center with a large mast, a single sail, and pedal-controlled rudder attached to it. Fuzei had no crew because he lacked the need for one. Given his ship's unique design and his wind-based abilities, Fuzei was able independently man his ship and sail the seas without the need for others.
When transitioning from the Southern Port to the Eastern Sea of Marineford, it was common knowledge that both the waves and wind were roughest at this area throughout the day. For most marine ships, given their size and weight, traversing through this was a simple task. The same rules though, did not apply to the Kamikazee given its light-weight design.
As they entered the raging waters, waves began to crash against the bucket-like ship, slowly filling it with each surge. Fuzei, however, had no plans on letting his ship get capsized.
Standing tall with his legs spread apart to give him some balance, Fuzei positioned his hands one over the other, in a way that it assumed a bowl-shaped gesture; his fingers appeared to sink into the air itself. With one smooth motion and a mighty yank, the bilkan mercenary physically grabbed and redirected currents of air. As if he were manipulating cloth, an updraft was formed beneath the Kamikazee and launched it towards the sky. They stayed airborne for a few seconds as they zoomed through the skies for over a kilometer before hurdling back down to the sea.
With the waters calming down, it was child's play for Fuzei to constantly generate a gushes of wind to effortlessly propel them forward at breakneck speed.
"We're headin' to Salty Bay Isle. Some meathead is causin' trouble and its your job to do something about it. Got that, rookies?"
Fuzei through a crumpled piece of paper at the three mercenaries, revealing the bounty they had to face: Goldann the Wild.
As soon as the Kamikazee had docked into the harbor of Saltwater Town, Fuzei instructed the three of you to head over to the local pub in the middle of town, the Salty Spitoon. He believed that these kinds of establishments had the most information.
As far as you know, there have been two groups of rookies who were here before who hoped to take Goldann down. Sadly, all of them went missing. The regulars here all appear like hoodlums and seem to be on the edge, so thread lightly. Do whatever you think is necessary to get the information you need.
As for Fuzei, he chose to stay behind; he wanted to nap.
Rewards are basically progress points depending on the content of your post. The more entertaining and relevant the content, the better the rewards; its just a way of showing appreciation to well made posts and whatnot.
House: +1 DUR; +1 PER Cedric: +1 STR; Add a Fishman-based Technique Aela: +1 STR; Add a Kick-based Technique Aria: +1 AGI; Add a Fencing-based Technique Elizabeth: +2 DUR Kurena: +2 AGI
Included an FAQs Section as the Zeroth post. I'll include all questions asked to that list. Also added a taken DF list, just in case you guys are interested.
Navy people are all accounted for, so expect an update in a day or two. For the mercs, just waiting on Saltwater Thief.
Where do our characters stay? Do we get our own rooms? Near the center of Marineford is a designated living quarters for those in the Naval Military. Dorm-like in fashion, two ensigns are usually assigned to a room. Here, basic commodities (water, food, electricity, etc.) and facilities (bathrooms, showers, laundromats) are provided. Unfortunately, the same offer is not given to those under the Mercenary Corps. They are expected to follow the rules and regulations of Marineford, but are expected to be resourceful as well.
Can we start out with Devil Fruits? If so, what are the ones we can pick? Yes, you can start with a fruit. It can be pre-existing or self-made. Here's a list of Devil Fruits that have already been taken.
🍈 Sutsu Sutsu no Mi 🍈 Biri Biri no Mi 🍊 Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix 🍊 Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Kirin 🍊 Artificial Devil Fruit (Chameleon) 🍑 Yami Yami no Mi
