Ask to Join One Piece: The Great Pirate Era

[jade421]

The murmurs had not escaped Abby's notice, as she kept a tight grip on Ryuuji's cuffs as she escorted him towards the Marine base where he would be placed into a holding cell until further notice.

"Seems you have some fans. I presume then you've done more with your life than attack Marines just because. Care to share you life story? It might help when it comes to your sentencing." Abby asked of Ryuuji, as naturally she had also been curious of this guy's story.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Hearing the murmurs from some of the towns people as well, Muto looked towards Kyuubei. "This is an interesting turn of events, if he was just some scumbag then I wouldn't want him in my crew, but its seems he's actually more than that.." He said. Muto watched as Ryuuji was escorted off. "They're probably going to put him in a cell, can't say I imagined doing a prison break the first day we set off." He said with a humor.

 

[Rex]

Veks did his best to ignore the wolf-man's attempts to talk to him, he didn't consider himself to be on speaking terms with common muggers. He had actually expected the marine to have more to say to him, but she seemed more concerned with hauling her would-be assailant off to jail. He had to admit, the wolf-man had some crazy pain tolerance to be walking on that leg so soon after he'd put a bullet through it. Either that, or they were just too stupid, prideful, or both to admit they needed the help. He watched the two of them leave with some interest, a little annoyed that he hadn't even gotten a 'thank you' for his valuable assist in the capture of this criminal. The wolf-man had only been incapacitated thanks to Veks, after all!

He brushed some dirt off his vest and gave a light snort. That'd show him for trying to get in good graces with the law, he guessed. Some others nearby were openly discussing recruiting the wounded bandit into their ranks. That was an interesting little bit of information he'd keep to himself, for now. Since Gold Roger's death, no pirate had ever so brazenly revealed themselves and left Loguetown in anything that wasn't a casket or a marine jail ship heading for Impel Down. And even if they did manage to pull it off, a loose cannon like that would only be a liability. If he'd attack a marine in the center of a marine stronghold like Loguetown in broad daylight surrounded by witnesses, he'd quite possibly do anything.

In any case, the weasel did still have some shopping to attend to. The Arms Shop wasn't too terribly far at this point. He wheeled around, pausing only long enough to glance at the two would-be jailbreakers, and then started off again. At the very least, this whole event would give him a story to tell back on Endless Night.

 

[Jayblade]

Ryuuji turned to Abby, "My life story? You've gotta be kidding I ain't telling you that, yet." He exclaimed as he looked forward again, "All you need to know right now is that I attack people to get money, that's literally all you need to know about me." Ryuuji stated as he one again turned around to Abby, "But anyways where are the other marines at, I wanna meet your friends." He asked as he grinned.

 

[jade421]

"Well, you are a bit out of luck there. Most of my friends are on another island, and as for friends I made here in the Navy..., eh, I'm gonna borrow a quote from you and say I ain't telling you that." Abby replied with a sly grin of her own. If he felt like he didn't need to share details about himself, then she would not give him the satisfaction of spilling her own personal information.

“Look, I’m not trying to be the bad guy here. I’m simply doing my job, and whether you believe it or not a Marine’s job is to help protect people. Especially against dangerous guys who pulls knives out on others in public.” Abby added on, as she heard his comment about Marines and decided to defend their profession; though she also made a mental note to thank whoever that civilian was who helped her bring him in even if he acted recklessly.

 

[Not Gyro Zeppeli]

“You know...we’re probably going to end up doing even more crazy things down the line, what’s the harm in starting on a good foot?” Kyuubei looked back to see that the marine had taken Ryuuji away, and the crowd seemed to be growing quieter. “Come on, it’s only a couple marines.”

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Hearing what Kyuubei said, a mirk grew on Muto's face. "Yeah, you're right." He said. Seeing Ryuuji get taken away. Muto made sign to follow them. "There might not be that many marines, but its still better to be more stealthy than going in head fist." He said, assuming that Kyuubei wanted to rush in from what she said.

 

[Not Gyro Zeppeli]

“Nice.” Kyuubei nodded her head as she thought of what could unfold. “Worst comes to worst though, and you’re not backing down, right?” Before Kyuubei had realized it, she starting grinning too, along with her Captain. “Come on, I think they went this way. No time to lose!”

 

[Jayblade]

Ryuuji laughed, "I mean I guess that's fair" He said as he just carried on walking towards where he would be put while he was under arrest.

While Ryuuji was being taken away two young boys were just leaving the market after buying some apples. These two boys happened to be Ryuuji's younger brothers, Akira and Kazuma. They both looked towards Abby and Ryuuji, with shocked and horrified faces. Kazuma stepped back while Akira placed his hand on his shoulder.

Akira looked around him at the townspeople, they looked at him, some with faces full of sadness. Akira gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "What did Ryu do this time?! That idiots getting taken away now, because he's always trying to get money." Akira ran, leaving Kazuma behind him. "Ryuuji, you idiot! Look what you've gotten yourself into, you damn bastard!" Akira shouted as he tried to hold back his tears.

 

[jade421]

Abby continued to walk with Ryuujin before she heard the sound of somebody shouting at the guy she had in captivity. A younger boy, one who seemed to share some similarities with Ryuujin which caused Abby to wonder before she heard the boy's cry to him.

If I had to guess. A family member of some kind, maybe a sibling.

"Seems as if you are not someone who desires money for the heck of it. But you should consider what you are doing to those that care about you. And ask yourself...is it worth it? Is this the only way I can provide for them? Is this who I want to be?" Abby said, as she asked those theoretical questions she wanted Ryuujin to dwell over before she entered the base and opened up the holding cell she aimed to place Ryuujin in for the time being.

 

[Jayblade]

Ryuuji thought about what Abby had just said. He then smiled a little, "Looks like I am going to have to tell you about myself so you can understand why I do what I do then." He took a quick breath and then looked towards Abby. "You see, I've had to raise my siblings for about 7 years now, and there wasn't really any jobs I could get, until I saw that I cold become something like a bounty hunter. I'm not really a fan of killing, but it's what I have to do to keep my siblings well."

 

[jade421]

Abby frowned, she had to admit that he was not the first account of someone who struggled to get by; so it had been hard not to feel a little sentimental about it. Still, she had to be professional and she knew the law made no exceptions to backstories; to what degree that was fair or not depended on personal view.

"I see. You have my condolences. Still, there has to be a better way to make a living than this. You need to try and remain strong, even in those thought times. Because It's a dangerous thin line you cross when you resort to theft to get by. You'll likely get off relatively light for this instance but if you continue this path the next time you are caught you could be behind bars for good and then what would your siblings do?" Abby asked Ryuuji as she closed the cell door but kept her eyes on him through the bars.

 

[Jayblade]

Ryuuji smiled, "Well I'm not sure, what they'll do, Akira's too hot headed and my youngest brother Kazuma is afraid of most things." He sat down as he looked at Abby again, "Anyways I never got your name, I would actually like to know it, cause if I'm being honest you've been kind to me even though I'm a criminal and your a marine." Ryuuji added as he played around with his dagger.

 

[jade421]

Abby saw the dagger as she quickly reached inside; with the aim to grab the dagger and pull it out to place in a confiscated items box on the desk where a Marine guard sat.

"My apologies. But you must understand we can't allow people in holding cells to have weapons. Security measure." Abby said before she overheard Ryuuji's comment which concerned her being nice despite their opposite career paths as he asked for her name. Something Abby had no issues sharing; in spite of his earlier attitude, she had to admit that she shared his view on thinking he was surprisingly nice.

"Abby. Marine Cadet today, Fleet Admiral someday." Abby said with a smile, as she displayed her ambition towards Ryuuji.

 

[Jayblade]

Ryuuj smiled back at Abby, "Then you can just call me Ryuuji." He told Abby as he got up and then looked at her again. "So anyway what are you gonna do when I'm released, do we just become enemies or something, I'm starting to like you, so I'll try not to kill you when I'm out of here." He said with a grin.

 

[jade421]

"Strong words given you were the one who ended up on your back from our first encounter. Well, we'll have to see what your punishment is for now. If I had to guess, probably either a week behind bars or some community service. Depends on how much they decide to stack on for attempted robbery. Though making an open promise to commit more crime can only end up hurting your case." Abby replied with a grin, as she prepared to leave the area. With a Marine guard at the desk, and one outside the door there had been no reason for her to stick around. Besides, she needed a supply run and some training before the tournament.

However, before she left, she glanced back to Ryuuji. In spite of his openness for crime, she felt there was a good person in there. One she'd have to deal with in the future...which was not her preference, as she'd rather dispense justice to rightful scumbags than one of circumstance.

"If you do insist to continue this path, know that if I am there I will stop you. I may sympothize with you, but I cannot turn a blind eye if you go out of your way to break out the law. Just consider your brothers, and what happens to them in that worst case scenario. I hope you find a stable path." Abby said before she left the Marine holding cells and prepared to go back into town to go on a short supply run.

 

[Jayblade]

"Alright I guess this means bye then." Ryuuji said as he sat back down in his cell and looked at the bars in front of him. "I'm still thinking that at least someone will try to break me out." He thought as he then came up with an idea, "They may be able to take my weapons, but they can't take away my devil fruit powers." Ryuuji then got and made his teeth as sharp as he could, he tried biting onto the bars, but it didn't work.

At that moment the marine standing outside went near his cell and saw him, he laughed at him. "Haha, you think you're getting through there, what an idiot." He said as he still laughed.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Sneaking around to the back of the marine base, Muto made his way to where the cell area was. He found a small window near the ground. “Hey, a window.” He said before leaning down to look through it. He saw Ryuuji in his cell and a marine laughing near him. Muto looked back towards Kyuubei. “There’s a marine near theta guy’s cell, let’s go in after he leaves.” He said.

 

[Jayblade]

After laughing at Ryuuji, the marine left the cell and went back outside. Ryuuji looked up after he left, "Once I'm out of here I'm beating the shit out of that guy." He thought, as he then noticed something while looking through the window, it was Muto and Kyuubei. "Who in the hell are these guys, they don't look like marines or anything." He once again thought as he looked at the two more.

 

[Not Gyro Zeppeli]

“Hey hey hey, I think that guy noticed us.” Kyuubei peeked her head into the window, seeing Ryuuji looking up at them. “Hey Muto, so what do you think is gonna happen first? The guard leaves, or that guy kicks his ass?” She said, holding up a finger for both options as she looked at her Captain.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Noticing Ryuuji see them from his cell, Muto turned to Kyuubei as she spoke to him. "Well, the marine has already left the room so I guess the first option." He said with a slight smile. Holding up his hand, a layer of slime appeared ove it. "Well let's head in." He said before extending his slime hand towards the window. The slime would slip between the gap in the window and open them from the inside. Pulling open the window as he retracted his slime, Muto discreetly jumped into the room.

 

[Not Gyro Zeppeli]

“Yep! Coming in~!” Kyuubei followed her Captain through the window, landing on the ground with a light tap. “Mission success! Time to get you out!” She said as she held up piece signs to Ryuuji. “Are you gonna get him out, Captain?” She asked Muto, leaning on a nearby wall.

 

[Jayblade]

Ryuuji was shocked to see Muto turn into slime, "Wait what! Another Devil Fruit user!" Ryuuji thought as he grinned, "So you guys are gonna get me out? How exactly do you plan on doing it?" Ryuuji looked at them again, "And the most important question would be, who even are you guys?" He asked as he looked them up and down.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

"Later. Now be quiet or you'll alert the guard." Muto said as he approached the cell and grabbed the lock. Putting out one and covering it in slime slime finger, Muto extended his finger into the lock. "I've had some experience picking lock back on the island, this shouldn't be too hard." He said as the lock was picked open. "There we go."

 

[Jayblade]

Ryuuji was surprised to see that Muto actually opened it. "Well thanks, I guess you are skilled." He said before walking out. "Anyways, what are we gonna do now? Do we attack the marines? Or do we just walk out of here and find a good place to stay hidden?" Ryuuji asked while looking at Muto.

 

[Not Gyro Zeppeli]

“What do we do now, Captain? Do we sneak out the way we got in?” Asked Kyuubei, as she looked up at the window they had entered from. “With the three of us, it shouldn’t be that hard to fight our way out, if for some reason we can’t make it.”

 

[Jayblade]

Ryuuji nodded at Kyuubei, "Yeah it shouldn't be too hard, especially since you guys must be somewhat skilled, considering that you got me out of my cell." Ryuuji added. He then looked at the both of them. "Anyways this might not be the time, but we haven't really introduced ourselves." He said as he then cleared his throat. "I'm Ryuuji Kurata, and I guess I'm a criminal, but I have my reasons. Anyways what about you guys, I wanna check what you are to see if I can trust you."

 

[jade421]

Alright, nearly high noon. The hour of the tournament is here, gotta go back and show the Marines what I can do!
​

Abby thought that to herself as she glanced up at the clock in town, as she took but a moment to finish her apple before she'd dash off back to the harbor ready for what awaited her in the tournament.

=====Tournament Finals, Habor Field=====
​

The tournament had progressed relatively quickly, with the docks being cleared and a make-shift field made to use as fighting grounds, as many candidates came and went with some that showed more promise than others. The field eventually widdled down to four, and it was decided to settle it with a grand battle royal among the final possible candidates as a Marine who acted as announcer held a mic close to him.

"All right, time for the main event! Please welcome for your Task Force consideration miss Abigail Thompson!" The Marine said, to the other Marines that acted as an audience (Along with locals who happened to observe this) as Abby made her way to the "arena" and took a deep breath. She had done well to this point, even avoided using her Devil Fruit for her first fight and minimized it thereafter, but this was the finals and she knew she needed to give it everything she had if she wanted to impress and be part of this squadron.

Abby waited for the other three opponents to be called forward as she did some last second stretches to get her body and mind ready.

 

[Jayblade]

Ryuuji then heard something going on outside. He looked out of the window to see many of the townspeople, and even some marines gathered around. It looked like a fight was going on. "Hey you guys, look what's going on outside, it looks like some of the marines are gonna fight or something." Ryuuji then looked to the two, "I think we could try and blend in with the crowd and then get away." Ryuuji suggested as he pointed at the crowd.

 

[Satokuye]

It was time. Jacob picked up his weapon and left, not before finishing his rum though, obviously. As he walked towards the docks, he almost felt like something had happened in that town just a few hours before, but he couldn't really put his finger on it. There was just a weird atmosphere surrounding that place. Still, he had no time to investigate, the tournament would've started soon.

The first stage was kinda boring, just a good couple dozens marines going at each other with some basic swordsmanship and stuff. It took quite a bit to filter out all the untalented ones, but when the number of contenders lowered to a little more than ten, now that's when things got interesting. A couple of devil fruit users also revealed their powers, and while they surely only showed a tiny bit of their potential, it was a clear sign that by that point you needed more than just talent or luck or strength to win. Well, you needed all three to a certain extent. Jacob surely had talent, and while he was not born with superhuman strength he trained his ass off all his life to acquire it... to some extent. Lets just say that he wasn't really superhuman when it came to strength, but he was still strong enough to be considered stronger than average. Luck on the other hand has always been by his side, and it certainty did not betray him this time, considering how his seastone sword-sheath made him win an otherwise almost unwinnable fight. He had come this far, all the way to the top 4, and he wouldn't have gone back home empty handed.

When his name was called, Jacob made his way through the lines of defeated marine soldiers who were now acting as spectators. In front of him there was a girl, one of his next 3 opponents. Jacob recognized her as one of the devil fruit users, a skilled fighter from what he had seen.
He stood still, his sheated katana in his left hand, waiting for the rest of his opponents to show up.

 

[OracleLegends]

Souryu went through the tournament, proving his superiority to the others there and his skills soon got him to the final’s Of the tourney and when he heard his name he went to the the stage. He went through and looked at the other contestants to which he could tell was strong since they made it this far “father.....one day, I will avenge you” he swore flicking his blade out and in, while looking at the crowd.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Muto scrathced his head whne he heard Kyuubei suggest they try to bust out and Ryuugi agreeing to it. "You guys really want some action huh." He said out loud. Muto noticed the crowd forming outside from the window. "Yeah, let's do that." He replied to Ryuuji's suggestion before going to climb out the way Kyuubei and him came in.

 

[Not Gyro Zeppeli]

“Right behind you!” Kyuubei followed quickly behind Muto, and started going back the way they came as well. She turned back to Ryuuji to make sure he followed suit, and kept going. “What’s next on our list of crew mates? I think a doctor or a shipwright would be pretty handy.” She thought aloud as they continued on.

 

[Jayblade]

Ryuuji followed the two as he then heard Kyuubei say about how they should get a doctor or a shipwright for their crew. "So they are pirates then." Ryuuji thought as he then looked at them. "So you're pirates right, and if you're looking for crewmates, I wouldn't mind joining, I wanna leave this shitty island anyway, and I'm a pretty skilled swordsman."

 

[kyuukestu]

"I guess those are they huh..?"

Nervously, Caelia observed the three Marine's who currently stood on stage -her opponents. Each looked rather capable, and the previous fights during the tournament had proved that -without a doubt- they were the best of the competitors gathered. While she hadn't been forced to go all out in the previous fights, this one might just force her to the limits of her ability. Perhaps she'd even be forced to use her Electro.

Clenching her fists over the handles of her tiger hook swords, the rabbit mink slowly marched onto the stage. She was comparatively shorter than the other participants, and it almost looked as if a child had been sent on stage to battle grown adults. Nevertheless, she stood there proudly, her eyes scanning her foes and awaiting the commercial of the match.

 

[jade421]

Once the announcer saw the four marine candidates make it to the center of the "ring", he raised his mic over his mouth and prepared to refresh on the rules.

"All right, this will be a battle royal. Every Marine for themselves, with elimination occurring with a knockout, verbal submission or a ring out. Last one standing is the winner and is guaranteed a spot on the crew. Naturally, if I feel things will get a bit too dicey I will step in myself. Now then....BEGIN!" The announcer called before he bailed the area as Abby glanced at her competitors...and zeroed in on the one named Jacob. Feathers appeared on her wrists as she advanced quickly.

"Just wanted to say best of luck, so don't take this action the wrong way I am just here to win!" Abby called out before she charged ahead; her intent seemed to be for a forward tackle but at the last moment she jumped overhead and landed behind Jacob; within the same motion, she aimed to knock Jacob off his feet with a leg sweep from behind.

 

[kyuukestu]

While waiting patiently, Caelia observed the other combatants, taking notice of their weapons, which -much like her own weapon- fell into the category of swords. Her rabbit ears twitched slightly, and then they rotated about her head as the rules for the battle royale were announced. When the announcer called for the start of the battle, Caelia took a defensive stance, not too eager to throw herself into the fray and be defeated in the chaos. Her caution was, however, wasted as it seemed that the other female participant of the battle royale had already chosen her target and had him occupied. "Then that leaves..." Her eyes wandered the stage before landing on Souryu. Rather than stand there staring at him, she loosened her defensive stance and instead shifted to one more aggressive. Thin claws extended from her furry fingers and flexing her powerful legs she rushed at him, stabbing out with a knife-hand jab.

 

[Satokuye]

Jacob didn't even have time to reply to the girl since she was now charging at him, so he instinctively brought his sword up in front of him in order to block the girl's "surprise" attack. To his surprise, that was not exactly her plan. The girl's kick hit Jacob without him having time to react at all, and while he was falling to the ground he realized that perhaps it was a mistake to assume he would've surely been the one to hit first. As he was about to hit the ground, he brought his right hand forward and used it to "bounce" back on his feet a couple of meters away from the girl. After breathing in deeply, he unsheathed his sword, keeping however his seastone sheath in his left hand. He was pretty sure the girl was a devil fruit user, and if he was able to just touch her with that it would've probably been his win.
Jacob then charged at the girl and tried hitting her right arm with a straight thrust. Now, the reason he decided to go for the right arm was simply because most people are right-handed, and while he didn't really have any strategy to follow, this was a quite common move he practiced a lot in the last years. It worked basically like this: when attacking someone on his left/right side, the defending person will most likely evade by turning sideways, exposing their other side, which would then lead to a relatively easier hit on their side (or their neck/head, if he was lucky and they had bad body coordination) with his sheathe which he kept in his other hand.
While this was surely not the most elaborated or complex attack, even when it comes to defending from it, Jacob didn't really have time to think about anything else, so he just went for it and hoped it would work out.

 

[jade421]

Abby's satisfaction over knocking Jacob over faded quickly when she saw him pull out a sword and go for a straight thrust to her right arm. Abby did what she felt was natural, as she ducked under the sword by bending her knees down as the sword just passed by the shirt over her shoulder.

From her crouched position, Abby rolled to the side and away from Jacob. Abby inspected her slightly damaged top as she let out a sigh, making a mental note she needed a new shirt but she considered her blessings it was just a shirt that got cut a bit as she got up and turned her attention back to Jacob.

Abby charged ahead, as she figured there was no sense in holding back her Devil Fruit here as she fired two sharpened projectiles which were aimed for Jacob's shoulders. Her aim naturally to limit his capacity to swing that sword as she would work to follow up as she raced behind Jacob while her feathers flew as she would aim for a kick to his back.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Muto climbed out the window, his gaze turned towards Kyuubei. “Well, I think a navigator might be our next priority, we can’t sail in the Grand Line without one. Or else we’ll get lost and all sort of bad things can happen.” He explained. Muto looked towards Ryuugi when he heard his comment. “Huh, didn’t think you’d be this eager to join us. Well actually, we were thinking of recruiting you.” He said.