Pacifista

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

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?"

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Johannes had a baffled look on his face as he was forced to engage in Chester's...Chester. Lina took some pleasure in it, finding his innocent confusion endearing in light of the proud demeanor he'd previously displayed.

As he regained himself he began, "Pirates, then..." Taking another step forward, he dropped down to a seating position. "I would like your help in dealing with the Companies. From the sound of things, it seems like they are a mutual opponent."

Lina blinked, before noting, "Well, yeah, but why get our help? We're pirates, sure..."

"The World Government has had a long standing no tolerance policy towards pirates, certainly, but I am no Marine: I am a Knight Marshal of the Four Seasons."

Macario's eyes widened, and he chimed in, "Yeah, there's a rank for you..."

Johannes continued, "Our grand alliance will respect the bounties put out by the Government, and issue our own for dangerous criminals, but simply flying a flag is not a crime. Scuffling with the Companies is no crime. As far as I have seen, you have done no wrong."

"But I am a man who's lived among nobility for much of my life, and in the military I'm used to dealing with that which faces me in the field, not the expansive secrecy of these shady Companies. Even though they're known to be active here yearly, their crimes have few lines of commonality, and they don't seem to be operating in unison. I've been making arrests, but nowhere near the progress I'd hoped. You've had prior dealings with them, and you know more about how those in the underworld think, correct?"

"I hope to work out some kind of arrangement: one that will ultimately bring our mutual enemy to their knees. I simply don't know where to begin. I have sway with the Antler Kingdom, and complete command over my own men to offer. What do you say?"

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Lina frowned, slumping a bit, tracing lines in the deck as she was consumed by her thoughts on her home. "So the Azure Company is in charge again..." Clenching her fist, she said with renewed vigor, "So we just need to beat Cerulean again! You're still a member of the Azure Company, technically!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Macario began. "We don't even know where he is."

"We could find them!" Lina suggested.

"I do hope so."

At the third voice, Lina turned about, while Macario moved his briefcase further away, perching over it defensively. Stepping from the gangplank onto the deck, the platinum blonde haired Johannes, halberd slung over his back.

Glancing up at the sails, swapped from their black counterparts, Johannes stated, "What reason for blank sails? No emblem of company or kingdom, no expression of the self." Eyes stern, he put it bluntly, "You're pirates, no?"

Teeth clenched, Lina held her arms up, surrendering her right to speak while she glanced back at Chester.

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Letting out a sigh, Macario hopped over to his ship, noting, "Cerulean got you good uh?" Dipping into his boat, he came out a few minutes later, returning to the deck of the Breeze with an armful of medical supplies. "Let's get you cleaned up. Save the explanation for when the others get back..."

---

"Boss! We've got trouble!" A blue clad man stepping up to Cerulean's hulking form on the streets of Stagio. As Cerulean turned to face him, he explained, "Chester's not dead! He showed up at the ship. Wounded, but..."

Cerulean scoffed. "Then he's not worth the effort. If he comes for me I'll squash him again. Our arrangement has already been settled."

---

A short while later, Chester's torso was properly bandaged while Macario kept watch, the Company goons wisely keeping their distance. As Lina and Kuhn finally returned, Lina grimaced at Chester's wounds, the whole Melonberry situation rushing back to her. Getting to the deck properly, she sat down on her knees, asking, "Did you get him?" It felt like it'd been ages, but she still remembered Reno's deal with Momo. If Cerulean won, that meant that the Azure Company would take back control of the island's affairs...

THE SILVERSUN SEARCH: Quietly Looking.

Hmm, I've got a bit of a Fairy Tail itch. You have anything specific in mind storywise? Because otherwise I'm sure I can come up with something.

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

"Sure are taking your damn time, guys..." Macario muttered at his absent shipmates. He sat on the railing of the ship casually, one leg dangling over the side of the boat, his briefcase safely tucked under his arm as he gazed down at the dock, bodies of beaten Company members scattered about, some trying to straggle off. Macario yelled out, "Trying bringing someone worth fighting!"

As his yell further chased them away, he caught another figure heading over, not wearing any particular color. As he got closer, he took a note of his condition, spotting his sluggishness. Unease growing, he hopped down, asking, "How'd it go, Chester?"

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Elsewhere...

Direct to Yuri:

Melonberry Island Arc

Arrival
Noticed by the Azure Company
Into the Compound
Aftermath

Kappanai Island Arc

Out at Sea
Landfall
A Freakin' Bear!

Kesrizu Island Arc

Disrepair
On the Hunt
In Holding
Head to Head

Stagio Island Arc (Great Horn Archipelago Part 1)

Brewing Storm
Redical

Hinnon Breeze Arc (Great Horn Archipelago Part 2)

Under Fire
In the Walls

Four Color Festival Arc (Great Horn Archipelago Part 3)

The First Meet
The Second Meet
Four Color Invasion
Boss Chester

Palette Island Arc

Matrix

Other:
Description of the Hinnon Breeze

Crash Course! - A Boku no Hero Academia RP

"None of us deserve to be here... None of us would be, if not for Tumble."

Shou felt himself wince involuntarily. He felt a pressure on his head as his mind worked to consider her point of view against his. Th-that's not...

But his defense was starting to feel flimsy, as was his seating as Boro removed the metallic smoke he rested against, causing him to flop on his back like a lump. Quickly pushing himself back up as attention shifted to the corridor beyond the lobby, Shouichi was at an impasse. Glancing over to the door outside, where the restless media could very well still be waiting, on the other hand was whatever Boro had in mind for them, probably.

As a few moved that way, Shou was hesitant to simply stand and follow. He kept thinking about what glasses girl said, or rather, how she phrased it.

My parents signed me up for this. That's all there is to it!

But as he repeated that thought, it seemed to echo hollow in his mind. It was quickly becoming apparent how illogical it was: if signing up was the only requirement, then this place would be absolutely packed. Tumble was supposed to be a super popular hero, so...how the hell did Shouichi of all possible people end up here!? It must have been a mistake. His parents just assumed anyone who applied would be accepted... No, his dad wouldn't be so lax.

So...Tumble handpicked all of us...including...ME!? He felt his heart tweak as he tried to come to terms with that thought. How was this the most logical conclusion he could come up with?

Once again he glanced at the door outside, but as he stood, he instead trailed at the back as the group moved along to the corridor beyond. If he couldn't understand why the hell he, a kid with a useless quirk and no drive for anything whatsoever, let alone heroism, was here, then the only one to ask would be...

The slovenly oaf resting on a table that somehow looked more important than her.

Eyes glazing over as his heart tumbled over and turned to stone, he let out a long, low sigh. "A p-p-prank?" he blurted in exasperation, though whether this was the start of a new joke or just the punchline of the last one remained to be seen.

Crash Course! - A Boku no Hero Academia RP

Shou's eye twitched at Shen-Mu's words. His previous sheepishness was gone as he glanced over her briefly. Who do you think you are? Mocking me? Rubbing it in? No one asked you..." Averting his eyes, glaring off, he wanted to relax, but Yuki was still on him for the time being, though he finally let go. Shou let out a sigh of relief as he stepped off, before giving and uncomfortable shudder. Why does everyone have to touch me? This is the worst. Of course, since he went off...

Wait, he resigned from the team too? And now he was facing down Boro. Along with everyone else, it seemed like. Wait a minute...

Ah. Ah! Aaaaah! I'm so stupid! Stupid stupid stupid! Grumbling to himself, he couldn't believe how short sighted he'd been. This whole voting nonsense was probably supposed to test them as heroes or something! And since all these wannabe heroes were so self-sacrificing, everyone was dragging each other back, like crabs in a bucket, even though the only thing outside the bucket was a steep drop. Probably. Besides, if he started whining about wanting to go it'd probably be taken as him being no different from all the hero wanna-

Shrill whistle piercing the room and his thought bubble, once his ears stopped ringing, he clicked his tongue as yet another clamored to the chopping block, or something. Every single thing happening in this room just made Shou want to be anywhere but. He shifted his seating, tempted to just get up and walk away, but Shen-Mu's head turned towards him.

"Who will it be? The one to be resigned? To come here only to immediately leave. I don't know about you. But I didn't come here to immediately turn back."

Raising his head, Shouichi gave Shen-Mu a befuddled look, before shrugging. Eh? She's not being all condescending anymore? Or maybe she is, but she doesn't really sound snippy about it. I don't... But then...he noticed she'd looked towards him. And...her eyes...

...She's blind! Shou realized, jaw dropping in horror. He'd...he'd just shrugged at a girl who couldn't see. Internally cringing himself into a nether realm, he pulled himself back up as he realized he technically hadn't responded yet. Why was the worst thing always happening? But of course, he couldn't come up with anything good to say.

"M-maybe everyone. Th-th-th-this whole th-th-thing is a j-j-j-joke. Hu hu hu..." He capped it off with a forced laugh, only heightening the harshness of his clumsy comment.

Crash Course! - A Boku no Hero Academia RP

Yuki's arm encasing Shou by the shoulders, the hand of the Ice Dragon felt uncomfortably hot. His skin prickled oddly as he squirmed lightly, cringing in discomfort at the touch of another person.

Muttering to Yuki, Shouichi grumbled, "Y-you don't g-g-get it. M-m-my p-parents f-f-forced me into th-th-this. I-if I get k-k-kicked out, th-then all the b-b-better!"

Before he could continue, there was a glint from the other side, Shou starting to tremble as he he lightly turned his head, Satan returning to his vision, his face threatening, his arm raised and dangerous. He wanted to Blink away, but Yuki was right there: they'd already countered his Quirk, and now he was a dead man. He forced his eyes shut, flinching away.

As Satan slapped Shou's shoulder, he let out a low grunt of fright, but there was no pain beyond the forceful slap. Daring to open an eye, he was greeted by Satan's motor mouth once again.

"-then I shall resign and give you my place."

wait what

"-but it churns my insides to see you left out and ignored-"

Okay, now you're kind of pissing me off. Stay in character, 'demon'!

Finishing his line of thought, Satan stomped off, leaving Shou to reimagine the placement of the teams. He was with Yuki and the two girls? Greeeaaat. The only thing worse than deciding groups was actually being on one. Speaking of...well, 'the devil' probably wouldn't be the right term here.

After Shen-Mu introduced herself, Shou wanted to slip away from Yuki's grasp, but instead, he kept his eyes locked on the ground in front of her, as if not daring to touch her with his eyes. "Sh-Shouichi..." he replied softly.

@HeroicSociopath@Patches@KRAZY J