[Arc] [Rubeck Island Conquest] [Part 1] Big Trouble in Pebble Beach

Quest Description:

Rubeck Island

A small island in the north blue neighboring the west of Swallow Island, it is rumored to be a dangerous island by those around it due to the wildlife and supposed smuggler activity.

The island's landscape of cliffs and valleys carved out by ancient rivers is lush with evergreen forests. Housing hundreds of species of wild animals, with the most dangerous ones, tucked away deep in the center of the island.

Though primarily uninhabited by human life for the majority of its history, smugglers and pirates have taken advantage of its topography and location to hide illegal operations. Taking advantage of the centuries-old tunnels carved out by the Giant Mountain Moles that still frequent the island to this day, continuing to stretch the tunnels further and further.

Even more recently, however, two small factions have taken root on the island and now attempt to lay claim to what they feel is theirs.  

Pebble Beach Fishing Port | Lower Penninsula | Rubeck Island

Crashing waves and squawking gulls filled the air as the cold northern ocean slammed against the rocky shores of Rubeck Island. A natural fortress of an isle surrounded by choppy seas and a treacherous shoreline, one only a skilled navigator could explore safely.

Though, there did exist one place that allowed for a safe landing, a small area known as the Lower Penninsula. A low, rocky shoreline with flat rounded pebbles covering every inch of it. The ocean fed into a small harbor bay that housed a port town that survived on the fishing industry. Always at the mercy of the ocean's bipolar fury.

"OI! YA GEZER!" Shouted a bow-legged fisherman swaggering down the street, his oversized pompadour swaying with every step. A fisherman's rope was knotted around his forehead and a long stem hung from his mouth.

"Ahh shit... Here comes Kazu again..." The old man sighed as he chopped the head from a fish that easily weighed a few hundred pounds like it was butter. "What is it now ya brat?" He barked with one eye open and the other sealed shut by a vertical scar running down his face.

Kazu glared upwards at the giant of a man, his delinquent stare showing not an ounce of fear as his skinny frame was lost in the behemoth's shadow. "WHY AIN'T WE GOIN AFTER THEM SMUGGLER'S YET?? HMMMM???" Cocking his head to the side and leaning as close as he could to the bear of a man's face.

Sighing again, the old man leaned back and continued gutting the fish. "If ya don't know by now, I can't spell it out for ya." Huffing as he dismissed the hooligan with a wave.

"OI!!" Kazu slammed his hands onto the table, "WE CAN'T KEEP LIVIN LIKE THIS! LOOK AROUND YA OLD COOT!" Motioning to the run-down buildings on what was supposed to be a bustling market street. "WE CAN'T KEEP LIVIN LIKE DOGS, CRATED UP IN THE CORNER OF THE YARD!"

"Knock it off boy!" The man shouted, his voice laced with a rare hint of anger. Something Kazu noticed immediately.

"Tch." Stomping the ground as he swaggered off in anger.

*Ding*

The doorbell chimed behind the man, "Kazu again, huh?" A beautiful young girl questioned as she began wrapping the cuts of meat. "You know he's not gonna stop, right?"

He heard the words but chose not to respond, only continuing with his work.

"You know he only wants to help right? He really does care about this town... And he really cares about you, dad..." The girl sighed as she collected what she had packaged and went back inside.

He slammed the knife into the large cutting board and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Boss! Boss Okuma!"

"Hmm?" Looking up to see several men wearing sunglasses and tracksuits running toward him.

"B-Boss...t-he...the.."

"Calm down and take a breath before ya speak, ya idjit." He grumbled, "And stop calling me boss would ya."

"Oooookay....." The tracksuit gangster gathered himself before speaking. "Boss, the smugglers, they're coming down from the caverns and towards the town! There's gotta be dozens of em!!"

"The smugglers...hmmm... Let us go see this then." Cleaning off the blade before placing back into a leather wrap with several others. He rolled them up and tied a bow before securing them to his waist.

"Ye...Yessir! Boss Sir!"

"Stop calling me boss, ya idjit!"

"Did ya hear that?!" Shohei asked in a hushed yell.

"I sure did, kishishishi. We gotta go tell the boss! Kishishishishi!" Ichiro responded as the duo lurked around the corner, hidden amongst the shadows of the alleyway Both were dressed in blue robe tops with wave patterns decorating them and black clam digger style pants.

"For sure! We can finish this shit later, yo. Let's go!" They dropped the spray paint cans and ran off down towards the beach.

Wharf Rat's Secret Hideout | Peeble Beach | Rubeck

"Tch" Kazu growled as he kicked a can across the floor, the metal clanging off the stone floor of their hideout. A hidden cave underneath one of the docks they had found playing as children. Now covered in graffiti and junk, housing a bunch of ruffians who fancy themselves yakuza.

"C'mon boss. Ain't that bad is it?" Koji feigned concern from behind a newspaper. "Who doesn't love a good oppressing by a bunch of no good smugglers, ya? I for one love it."

"Oi, quit with the fuckin sarcasm Koji. For I come over there and beat it out of ya." Kazu barked.

"All bark no bite." Koji quipped back as he peered over the newspaper with a sharp pair of eyes.

"Tch. Whatever." Kazu grunted as he kicked another can across the room. "We gotta fuckin do something man..."

"Boss....! Boss....!!!" Ichiro and Shohei shouted as they came running into the cave. "Boss...!"

"I hear ya, I hear ya, what is it now?"

"It's the smugglers..! We heard they are coming into town right now!" Shohei said.

"Wait...what...?" Kazu stammered for a moment registering what he was just told.

"Kishishishis.. It's true, and old man Okuma is on his way to meet them now! Kishishishi." Ichiro snickered.

"You don't say....?" A devilish grin appeared on the delinquent's face. "Gear up boys, looks like Lady Luck is on our fuckin side today!"

Smuggler's Guild Head HQ| Smuggler's Port "Moletown" | Rubeck |A few hours ago

"I hereby call to order the annual smugglers guild meeting, everyone please take your seats we are about to begin!"

The words called out to a bustling room located at the mouth of the Great Mole Cavern and the edge of the dock that comprised the majority of the port.

"I will now go around the room and introduce the members that have gathered here as there are some new faces here since our last gathering."

"First, Smooglie "The Smuggler", with a bounty of 5,000,000beli and a fleet of three ships. Operating as a legal sugar transport ship, their primary contribution to the guild at this time is drug transportation." A large man with wild green hair that reached down passed his shoulders nodded. He was clothed in a fine white suit and tie, though he lacked a shirt, revealing a bare chest and a large peacock tattoo on his side.

"Good to meet' cha blokes, been awhile since I last been 'ere." Smooglie waved to the group as a small blonde woman that clung to his body lit up a cigarette for him.

"Next we have "Great Hunt" Dastardly Gulliver, a man who operates publically as a bounty hunter though primarily operates as a hunter of all things rare. His primary contributions to the guild at this time are human and animal trafficking. He brings with him a fleet of four ships." Upon his head, he wore a gorilla skull decorated with golden fangs, and what he lacked in pants he more than made up for in animal skins and trinkets. He wore a small cheetah print speedo along with a large lion fur over his shoulders. His wrists and ankles sported a stripped animal pattern and teeth and claws decorated various parts of his entire body.

"Anything you chaps need, call me eh? I can hunt anythin." Holding up his bladed boomerang and twisting his mustache menacingly.

"The woman to the left of me is known in Black Market Circles as 'The Contraband Queen' but here you shall refer to her as..."

"Ayo! The fuck is up with this bullshit?" A young man seated at the table spoke up. "I ain't here to spend all night monologuing and making friends."

"Night Time" Nemo, Bounty of 9,500,000beli, captain of a single ship, you have been caught for trafficking slaves in both West and North Blues. As well as offensive touching of a royal in the South Blue. You have also been accused of actively killing marines. It seems to me you spend quite a bit of time drawing a large amount of unwanted attention."

The host paused as he looked up from the parchment and into the young man's eyes. "Frankly, I don't even know why you are here."

The glares from the room locked in on the young smuggler whose arrogant smile was replaced by a fearful grin desperately trying to keep up the facade. "Wha...What do you mean....?"

"I mean exactly that. I do not know how such a careless buffoon was invited to this meeting. But we will assure it does not happen again."

The other attendees quickly trained their weapons on Nemo, and the clicking of flintlocks sounded off across the room. "Tough luck, mate, should've been more careful, eh? Oh well, I'd say maybe next time but, uhhh, well, ya the killing thing and all, no hard feelings, eh mate?" Smooglie snickered as he pulled the trigger, with his peers following suit. Each one pumping the body full of lead before sitting back down as if nothing happened.

"We do apologize for such a disturbance." The host said as several masked staff members rushed the body from the room and cleaned up the mess that had been made.

"No worries mate, and, I know its against proper procedure an' all. But hows about we skip introductions if everyone's fine with it, ya? We all know each other here, right? I mean, the only ones ya didn't get to were Sharkis and Oj, and we've all known those blokes for years, am I right?" Smooglie spoke up once again, looking to the others for support to get the meeting underway.

"I second that notion." The Queen of Contraband spoke up as she toked a thin long pipe.

"Same here" Gulliver announced, with those remaining to do the same.

"Hmmm.." The host pondered for a moment, "It is against protocol... but the vote is indeed unanimous hmmm... it seems we shall proceed." Tipping his cap to the party he took a seat at the head of the table.

His face was hidden behind a mask marked with a red 'Z' on it. "We are gathered here today to consider what we are doing going forward regarding the island itself. Rubeck is a large island that we control a very small portion of. Pebble Beach and the Lower Penninsula are the best places for a port on the entire island. Places that we do not currently control."

"Oi, hol' up though would'ja. The back cove 'ere... "Moletown" if you will, has served us plenty well. And it gives us the option to use the Caverns if we need to."

"Moletown will still serve its purpose, but I have much bigger plans for Pebble Beach and the Penninsula, plans that require ownership of such a place..- "

"The Caverns are another thing we need to address. How many slaves have we lost in there? How many prisoners? Traitors? God only knows what lives deep inside of those things. They run through the entire island." The Contraband Queen interjected. "Who knows what lives in these caves, sure we control the Mouth, but I say what of the entrails." Taking a long drag from her pipe as she finished speaking.

"Hey, hey, you talk of the Penninsula and Pebble Beach, but there is no cover from the marines there. Yes, there's a safe landing and the perfect place for a port. But it's also the perfect spot to get ass fucked by the World Government. Something I would very much like to avoid. We have grown so large here by staying hidden and keeping to the Mouth and Moletown." Sharkis spoke his mind as well, having more than a few personal issues with being found out by the World Government.

"Silence!" The host shouted, "I hear your concerns, I do. But the plan is already in motion and I promise you, no harm will come to any of you if you just stick to the plan."

The ominous add-on of the sentence struck a chord with all the members of the guild. Seeing that their host would have his way one way or another.

"And speaking of the plan, it's time we paid Pebble Beach a visit."

Outskirts of Pebble Beach | Rubeck | Present Time

"Boss! Boss! Here they come" The tracksuit gangster shouted to Okuma.

"Hmmm. I'll handle this..." The bear of a man grunted to the civilians armed with tools and sticks that stood at the ready behind him.

"YOU SMUGGLERS. PLEASE GO. THANK YOU!" Okuma said with a bow. Turning to his men, "There that should do it. No more of that problem."

Descending from the mountainside and out of the forest, the smugglers rode atop large boars imported from a distant island. A rare breed found deep in the seas of the Grand line. They stopped a bit ahead of Okuma before dismounting, it was Gulliver and Smooglie. Sent to broker peace between the two factions.

"Oi, ello 'ere govna', that is you right? The govna? Okama or some shite like that, eh?" Smooglie questioned that massive man sarcastically.

"Okuma. And I ain’t no governor, just a fisherman."

"A fishaman, eh? Wow, we got us a workin man now do we?"

"Show some glass will, Smooglie. We are here for a job, let's see it through." Gulliver doing his best to get his partner back on track.

"Oi, alright, you tell em then."

"Fine. Mr. Okuma, we have been tasked to broker a deal for the port you call Pebble Beach. You will find our host's generous offer here." Handing Okuma a wax-sealed note, the emblem resembling that of a snake's head.

The grizzly man looked at the sealed letter disgruntled before taking it from the hunter's hands. Tearing open the seal his eyes darted across the page before crumpling up the offer and eating it. "Answers no. Now please leave." He said with a heavy gulp, forcing the paper down his throat.

"It was relayed to us you may do something of this nature. As such, our gracious host has sent us a counter offer to such an action. You have one month to procure the funds requested on this parchment, and the one you consumed." Motioning towards the large man's gut.

"As we are not savages, we will then give you a bill of sale for your town and send you on your way."

"And if don't?" Okuma questioned.

"Then upon the allotted time's completion and no bill of sale can be completed, we will forcibly annex Pebble Beach and those still inside will be slaughtered without mercy."

"THE FUCK THEY WILL!!" Kazu shouted as he and his gang members dove from the buildings above them. Wielding a large fish mallet, Kazu struck Mooglie over the head while his minions swarmed the hunter and their entourage.

"AIN'T NO WAY IN HELL YOU ARE GONNA TOUCH ANY OF THESE FOLKS! THIS WHARF RAT'S TURF!" Standing above a bloodied Smooglie as he held the fish bat inches from the smuggler's now broken nose.

"Yeah! Wharf Rats don't fuck around, don't' cha know?! Kishishishishi!" Ichiro snickered as he held a giant fish hook to the hunter's neck and Koji pointed a repeater rifle at his temple.

"Please, move, I would love that. I mean it. Please, do it, I'm begging you." Koji whispered as his trigger finger shook with excitement.

"Oi!! Don'tcha you know who we are you brat?! I'll kill you for this, eh?!?"

"SIT DOWN NOW YOU IDJIT CHILDREN!" Okuma shouted out in anger as a wave off pure willpower poured out from his body. His Haki forcing the entire Wharf Rat's gang to their knees with only Kazu remaining conscious.

Something that took every ounce of his own willpower to do so. "O...Old...Man......" Kazu mumbled as he fell to the ground and foamed at the mouth.

"Please accept my humblest of apologies." Okuma said sternly as he bowed his head in forgiveness towards Smooglie and Gulliver. "It was not our intention for you to be injured. Please punish me instead of those idjit kids."

"Tch...Fine!" Smooglie shouted as he began to ferociously kick the giant man prostrating on the ground. He did not wince nor whine, nor did he do anything to prevent the kicks from landing.

"Hey!" The tracksuited pompadour shouted from the crowd, "You can't do that to our boss!!" The civilians echoed the sentiment as the crowd rushed in angrily with their weapons bared like fangs.

"STOP IT!" Okuma shouted from his bowed position. "Do nothing on my behalf."

"Fufufufufufu! That's right, eh?! Sit back and watch as kick this big pansy's arse! Fufufufufu!"

"Smooglie!" Gulliver shouted, "That is enough."

"Tch..! Whatever, not like they'll get the money anyway,eh? fufufufufu."

"They have their notice, let us be on our way."

"Father!"

"Hina..." Okuma responded as he raised his bloodied head.

"Oh father....!" Tears flowed down her face as she hugged her father, though her fists still gripped in anger from the site she bore witness to.

WC: 3,016/13,500

A few days after the incident...

The docks of Moletown were teeming with life, like a messy anthill. Suspicious sailors were making plans and striking deals in the squalor only the most optimistic called home. Equally unsavory ships arrived and left, carrying cargo from and to God knows where.

One building in particular was the center of attention any time of the day. Reminiscent of a tombstone on a graveyard, the twisted building stood two stories higher than the rest of the shacks. -unken Centaurean, the sign called it. People could never agree on whether it was Sunken or Drunken. The missing part had fallen off decades ago. Many pointless brawls had ensued over it, many more would ensue.

Inside, the atmosphere was as lively as it was filthy. Every chair had one leg that was too short. Too many tables had been broken, so upturned barrels served the part. Grog was the finest drink available to regular customers. The bartender was a bastard and the barmaid was a whore, but anyone who pointed that out would taste the dirt.

And that’s how the patrons liked it.

Up two sets of stairs, at the very back of a long, grim corridor, was a door without name or number. Behind it, gray haze lingered lazily in the air like morning fog. A lonely lantern sitting on a round, little table defiantly shooed the shadows away. The room was a little too big for the valiant effort, however. Inky darkness permeated the back, where a silhouette lounged on a beaten sofa.

Suddenly, the door flew open, letting light leak inside. A man with rippling muscles and a striped shirt two sizes too small barged in carelessly. “Queen, we’ve got a problem.” Sweat dripped down his bald brow. He wheezed weakly at the thick air.

In the shadows, painted lips blew out a thin stream of haze, speaking in a voice as husky and ethereal as the smoke. “We...?” An amber eye opened lazily, casting a disinterested glance at the man. “Or just you?” The voice left the prickly question lingering in the air.

Rather than answer, the bulky man simply tossed a bounty poster onto the table. In turn, the amber eye widened with a spark of recognition. “...Oh.” Not the pleasant kind either, evident by the deflated tone.

The enforcer nodded grimly. “Yeah. The boys spotted him at the docks. Hitched a ride on one of Smooglie’s ships.” He spoke quickly, with a stumbling cadence spurred by impatience.

In stark contrast, the husky voice remained a slow, calm drawl. “Not surprised. He still has some old clout over here... Not much, mind you, but enough to make a difference. He knows people... Knows the rules...” Spindly, pale fingers tilted and shook a long pipe gently. A glowing ember fell on the poster. It sent a red ring crawling across the dry paper. A weak flame flickered.

“So, what’ll we do?”

A slow, savoring drag from the pipe was followed by a blown ring of smoke. “Nothing. Whatever trinkets he’s peddling are not worth the diseases he’s carrying... Don’t get too close. This nickname of his, it’s not just for show, you know.” As lazy as the voice remained, it still carried a cold, keen edge to it.

“You don’t want us to keep an eye on him or something?”

As the creeping flame swallowed the face on the poster, the amber eye closed and a gentle laugh drifted across the murky room. “Hmhmhm~ Don’t bother. He’ll come to me, eventually... It’s his little curse.” The painted lips curled into a devilish, little smile.

“A sickness no doctor can cure.”

Words: 608
Total: 608 / 13 500

A fog rolled across the rocky shore as the sun began to peak over the horizon. The chill of the salty northern sea hung heavy in the air as the constant smell of rain filled the old fisherman's nostrils.

"Ahhhh..." Okuma sighed as he pulled together a net from his pile of fishing gear that sat on the rocky coastline beside him. Glancing over his shoulder with a smile, as if expecting something or someone to be tagging along with him.

"Hmph.. Kumamamamama..." He let out a somber laugh, "Been a long time since they came out with me.." Pausing a moment for another deep sigh before returning his attention back to untangling the net.

The bear of a man waded out into the water, dragging the net along the ground, inch by inch. Being sure to dredge every inch of the sea bed for whatever he could snag. He did this over and over, repeating it for hours as he covered one end of the beach to the other.

Each haul brought in a few mollusks here and there, a small fish or two, nothing close to being able to sustain a village. Let alone establish trade with other places.

From here, he goes to the harbor and boards an old fishing boat he runs with his daughter Hina. Together they sail the shallows, dropping larger nets and casting out traps and pots. And once again, he repeats the process over and over along the entire southern coastline.

"Cut the wheel up here," Okuma Grunted as he approached Hina at the wheel. "We always sta-...."

"We always stay to the south, I know, I know." Hina barked as her arms began to prepare the ship for a u-turn. "You think I wanna end up stranded on a reef, or worse, blasted into the cliffside."

"No, no... I was just reminding you."

Hina let out a sigh, "I know, I'm sorry.... I've just been on edge since everything with Moletown and I'm worri-...."

"Coming up on the right, slow it down." Mumbling as he walked out of the wheelhouse and back out to the deck.

"Yeah, got it... Good talk, Dad. Good talk." Hina sighed as she settled the boat, readying it for the nets to be pulled.

The western cape's deadly waters are littered with hidden reefs and rocks, having sunk many a ship throughout the ages. Though even if one manages to round the cape safely, you come upon Moletown's waters and run the risk of being boarded and taxed. Or just murdered. That's always a high possibility.

This route is wildly considered the far safer route as opposed to the eastern shore.

Wharf Rat's Hideout

"B-Boss! What are we gonna do..?" Shohei shouted nervously as he paced the inside of the hideout.

"Calm down, Sho, I'm sure the boss has an amazing, super awesome plan that involves saving everyone with zero issues." Koji rolled his eyes as he peered over a newspaper.

"Kishishishishi, gonna wear a hole in that rug ya keep going like that!" Ichiro chirped.

"Oi! Will you guys cut it out!" Kazu shouted as he slammed his fist into the table, splitting it in half. Silencing the room quite effectively.

"Now sit down and shut the fuck up, would'ja's?! Chino is back and he's got the Moletown news, eh?"

"Eh?! Chino's back?!" Shohei shouted with excitement

"Kishishsishi, Chino, huh?! How's that fucker been? Kishishishishi!"

"Why don'tcha ask me ya self, ya know?!" Chino shouted with a smile as he swaggered out of the shadows.

"Ayeee there he is!"

"Oh, wonderful, another annoying guy just showed up. I'm overwhelmed with joy." Koji moaned sarcastically as he returned his attention back to the newspaper.

Only for Chino to come up and give him a friendly noogie on his noggin, "There he is, ya know?! Jajajajajajaja!"

"Yaaay..." Koji peeped but otherwise suffered in silence at the bullying big brother antics of Chino.

"Alright, alright, alright." Kazu said calmly in a pointless effort to calm the room. "Oi! Shut the fuck up ya fucks! Time to get to it!"

Scattering to their chairs everyone planted themselves into a seat, save for Chino who stood at the front of the room.

"As you guys know, I been keeping a real close like eye on the smugglers over there at the Moletown. And lemme tell yous guys, there is some real heavy shit going down over there, I shit'chu not."

"What do you got?" Kazu questioned.

"Shit is hittin the fan, there's been a lot of folks turning up dead round there. Some real eerie shit in the way they doin it too. Mostly just whispers and rumors right now, but it got the whole town on edge."

"Heavy...." Shohei muttered as he hung on the edge of his seat for every word. He always did worship Chino as the coolest guy on the block.

"Ugh..." Koji rolled his eyes as he looked at the idolized expression on his comrade's face.

"They brought in some real heavy hitters for it too."

"That explains Smooglie and Gulliver.." Kazu mumbled to himself.

"Ya, I heard you guys had a run in with those two. How ya holdin up..?"

"It won't matter after we take them down, keep doing."

"It ain't just Smooglie and Gul'.... They got that guy Nemo, the trafficker causing all that trouble with marines over on Notice too.. I ain't never seen him round there 'fore."

"Nemo, eh? I have heard about him a bit... Heard he's a real fuck that one..."

"Right you are on that, a real fuck of a fuck if I ever heard of one." Chino snapped back, "Get this, I also heard there's a real heavy hitter in town. No word on exactly who yet. But talk of the town says he's got a bounty over two hundred million..."

"Two..... Two hundred million...?" Kazu mumbled to himself. "Shit...."

"Kishishishishi. Well, well, this looks like a suicide mission If I've ever seen one. Kishishishishi."

"Yeah... Boss, there's only five of us...." Shohei mumbled as he began to pace nervously again.

Kazu grunted as he walked to the corner of the room and rummaged through a box for a dusty old photo in a battered wooden frame. He whipped the grime from the glass, as his eyes studied the old picture. "Looks like we are gonna need some help, eh?"

"Whatcha got there, eh boss?"

"Get your shit together and let's go, we got some fuckin rounds to make!" Smirking as he slung a flame kimono over his shoulders like a cape and stormed out of the room.

Docks of Pebble Beach | Trading Ship

" 'Ere we are!" The ship's captain shouted as he slung open the cabin door. Shocking the golden-clad man awake, causing him to fall out of the hammock and onto the ground.

"Owww..." Dax grunted as he rubbed his head.

"Oi, we docked up, so it's time to get the fuck off me ship, eh?"

"Yeah, yeah, I fuckin got ya, man." Mumbling as he stood up and stepped out into the light, revealing the sparkling air around him. The gold dust twinkled in the light as he moved.

Dax swaggered out onto the deck, stumbling like a drunken sailor as he blocked the sun from his eyes.

"Curin a hangova, eh?"

"Fuck off, ya?" Dax muttered to the man as he pushed him off to the side. Though, as he did so the man, stuck out his foot and sent the Goldmonger tumbling down the boarding ramp and onto the Dock below.

Harharhahar!" The laughter echoed out as the sailors all bellowed out with even some of the dockhands chiming in.

"Ughhh..." Dax moaned as he sat up. "My fuckin head..."

"You okay there, bub?" A man reached down and offered a hand, helping up the down-on-his-luck pirate.

"Appreciate you," Dax responded as the man helped him up, the Goldmonger too hungover to do anything about the rowdy sailors who had brought him to the island.

He looked around at the otherwise barren dock, just two other ships docked in the port. What seemed to be another merchant's vessel and a rickety old fishing boat that seemed like its best days were decades ago.

"Pretty place, right?" The man snickered, "Welcome to Rubeck." He said with a pitied grin. "To be specific this is Pebble Beach, it ain't much, but the people are nice enough."

"Pebble Beach..? Rubeck....?" Dax mumbled, not remembering how he ended up on the ship that brought him here in the first place.

"Yup, it's the only accessible port on the island, well, the only reputable port on the island. There's another spot called Moletown on the Northern Coast of the island, but it's not the kinda place most people go."

"Moletown?"

"Yeah, Moletown, it's rumored to be a smugglers port and pirate den, a huge spot for black market activity. Because of this, they don't take too kindly to outsiders and usually charge a tax to use their waters."

"Hmmmm.." Dax slotted away that information in his memory banks, "Well, thanks for the information man." The golden pirate reached out for a fist bump.

"Anytime, good luck!" The man responded with a smile as he waved him off into town.

Once the Goldmonger was out of site the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a snail.

Puru Puru Puru....Kacha...

"I got another one, he's heading for the town now... Be ready.." Smirking as the captain handed over the Goldmonger’s bounty poster.

Click.

WC 1,514,/4,530/13,500

Docks | Pebble Beach

"Thanks again Mr. Wally..." Hina bowed to the merchant captain as she handed him a handful of beli. "Without the discount, we wouldn't be able to feed the town."

"It's no problem, lassie. You and yer Pa have always done right by me." The salty sea captain smirked as he removed his cap and rubbed his cleanly bald head. "Not many folks round these parts can do what your Pa can."

"Dad's great at a lot of things... " Hina paused with a sigh, "Unfortunately fishing isn't one of them sheeheeheehee!"

"Ain't that the truth! Wololololo!" His large belly jiggled as he bellowed out in laughter. "Alright, take 'er down to the shop for this fine young lassie! We ship out for Lvneel in two hours, be back 'ere or get ya asses left!" The crew scrambled to unload a large fish wrapped in paper onto the docks as each one hoped to gain Hina's favor first. Being a favorite of the young sailors who come and go from the tiny port.

Chuckling as she awkwardly backed away waving at the crew as they fawned over her with hearts for eyes. "Th-thank you...hehehe...."

Hina wandered back toward the town, though her attention was caught by a man lying face down in the mud. Her eyes filled with wonder as the man appeared to sparkle in the sunlight. The air around him glistened like the jewelry that covered his body.

"You okay...?" She questioned, kneeling and giving the body a good shake.

" Mmmrmmm...brubbububbb....." The mud bubbled back in response.

"What...?"

"Bububu..." The response started before Dax picked his head up from the mud. "I said, I think I got fuckin roofied."

"Roofied...?" Hina questioned.

"It's like a thing you do when you wanna drug someone and do illegal shit with their bo-.... Ya know what, it's not important." Dax gave a golden-fanged smile through his mud-caked face. "Ya got anything to eat?"

Tracksuit Mafia HQ | Pebble Beach

"Knock Knock!" Kazu shouted as he busted down the door. "Anybody home?!"

"What the... Kazu?!" A man in an orange tracksuit shouted as another in blue quickly followed behind him. "All hands on deck! It's the Wharf Rat's!!"

The rats poured in, their wave print kimonos flowing with their movements, armed with weapons as they stood at the back of their fearless leader.

"Tch... The fuck do you shitbirds want?" A man in a pink tracksuit snarled as he emerged from the shadows. He was much larger than his orange and blue counter parts and his tracksuit top was draped over his bare shoulders.

"Oi, been awhile, eh, Momoiro...?" Kazu snickered as he pointed the fish bat towards the man. "Ain't seen ya since I broke that pretty nose of yers...." Snickering at the mobster's permanently tilted nose.

"If it's a fight ya want, it's a fight you'll get, aye boys..?" Snapping his fingers, a sea of colors came rushing out from the back room, red, green, brown, and fuchsia-colored tracksuit's now stood at the ready, all armed with wooden kendo swords.

"Kishishishishi.... I guess its a fight then!" Ichiro readied his hook.

"NO!" Kazu shouted, holding out his hand to motion his men to stand down. "No.... Not this time...."

"Then why the fuck did you break down my door?!"

Kazu glanced down at the door he currently stood on and back towards Momoiro. "Uhhh... Yea... Sorry bout that. I guess I didn't need to do that. Hehe..."

"Told you so." Koji grunted as he rolled his eyes and relaxed his repeater. "Contrary to our entrance, we are here to speak of an issue currently affecting us all."

"You got two minutes to convince me why I shouldn't just kick your asses right here and now."

Kazu snickered as he removed a picture from his belly band and tossed it over toward the pink tracksuit.

"What's this... huh... You can't mean...?" Studying it for a moment before looking back toward the flame-cloaked delinquent.

"Zuzuzuzuzuz.... That's right, I'm gonna go see the mountain boss."


668/5,198/13,000

Pebble Beach | Rubeck

*Ding*

"Dad! I'm home!" Hina shouted, holding the door for Dax, "Did the shipment make it over yet?"

"Back here!" Okuma shouted.

Hina motioned the flamboyant pirate to follow as she went around to the back of the wooden shack.

The shop was dark and damp, with cluttered corners and a few oil lanterns lit to compensate for the dim lighting. A flickering showcase housed several poorly made sushi rolls scattered about the inside. Something that made the chef inside of Dax scoff at the abominations before him "Euckkk.."  

"This way!" The shopkeeper's daughter called out.

"Yeah..yeah, I'm coming..." With a passing look of disgust, he swaggered into the back room, greeted by a massive grizzly of a man. His arms were thick and hairy, with a small gray pompadour and a few remaining streaks of black peppered in. "Sheew, big fuck ain'tcha..?" Dax chuckled nervously under his breath.

Okuma glared at the sparkly, golden-clad man before him. The old-school yakuza silently judged the loud beast, only returning to his work after grunting in displeasure meant for his daughter.

"Hehehe... Dad... it's not like that...."

"That's a decent fish ya got there," Dax mumbled, inspecting the sea creature before him.

A massive fish lay atop a large wooden table. Its scales a blue with a hint of silver, large and thick, covering most of the creature's upper body and a tail that dangled off onto the floor.

"Hmph." Okuma grunted as he clumsily cleaved the head off of the fish, wasting more meat than needed.

"Woah...!" Dax shouted, "What the fuck was that?!"

"What was what, boy?" Okuma glared, gripping the cleaver in his hand.

"Nah, don't give me that shit, I saw the fuckin sushi." He glared back, "Move." Whipping Sone ki Naagin from his waist, the golden blade twisted into its beautifully curved shape, the glistening edge like that of a crescent moon. "You waste too much meat for such a poor fuckin village and your preparation and meat storage are shittier than poor."

"Shit's gotta be fuckin precise, eh?" Smirking as Sone ki Naagin began to dance. The golden serpent bit into the scales with surgical precision, filleting the meat from the bone with ease. Leaving nothing on the bone to waste.

Meeting of the Pebble Beach Yakuza Families

"What's this all about..?" A stout old man grunted as a cloud of smoke exhaled from his nostrils. He was wider than he was tall, cloaked in a fine black and gold silk kimono with a large dragon climbing the side. He fashioned it at the waist with a fine red velvet sash decorated in pearls. "It is no small thing to gather us all here like this on such short notice."

"I must admit, I am also curious, Momoiro, Kazu, why are we here...?" A man so tall and slender he seemed to flutter in the breeze. His hair was long, blonde, and stiff, giving him the look of a scarecrow dancing in the field.

"Oi, Nise, how much did those knockoff's cost ya, eh? Zuzuzuz..." Kazu snickered as his geta clicked with every bow-legged step.

"Why I...?! Knockoffs??" Nise shouted in disbelief, seemingly trying to convince himself just as much as the room.

"Shut it ya shitty shit shits..." Momoiro snapped, "We need to make this quick. I can't stand you shits."

"At least we can agree on one fucking thing, eh?" Kazu barked back. "Everyone sit down and shut the fuck up."

"Our boy Chino has been deep in it over in Moletown, bringin back the news and shit. Keeping us all informed like, ya dig? But here the thing, after what happened the other day and the shit Chino's been hearing from ova there...? Cannibals and shit?! Nah.."

"We ain't got time to debate no more, it's nut the fuck up or shut up. Moletown's coming for us. And us right here..?" He motioned to the Wharf Rats and Tracksuits, "Well, we are coming for those fucks first, yea?"

"I must admit, that is a fact. Moletown has shown its hand. They will not let us survive here much longer." The scarecrow mused, "You have the loyalty of the Karasu."

"Tch... I can't believe it's come to this again..." Chomping on the cigar that dangled from his lip Nise pondered the past. "It seems like it was just yesterday....."

Twenty-two years ago | Rubeck Island

"Run!!!!" The word echoed off the rocky shores of Rubeck's southern Peninsula.

"Get those shits!" Momoiro shouted, his pink tracksuit lighter and the sleeves decorated with white petals. It was form-fitting and he wore the zipper to his neck. His face was free of wrinkles and he had yet to grow his signature sideburns which would see him rejected by every woman he would ever love.

"We just need to get a little further!" A kimono-wearing man shouted,  his hair styled in a pompadour fashion.

"I-I... Can't...." A much larger but similarly dressed man huffed as he continued to lag further and further behind the rest.

"C'mon Maku! Just a bit further! Don't give up!"

"You aren't... getting.... away, you shitty shit!!" Momoiro shouted, whipping his katana at such a speed that a blade of wind now hounded the fleeing men.

"Waaahhh....!?!"  

"*Shtinggg!!!*

The sound of metal clanging rang out through the air as the wind blade dissipated into nothing.

"Ooo--Ahh!" A youthful white monkey with a budding pompadour shouted proudly, beating on his chest.  

"Good work, Jiro!" Okuma shouted as he quickly followed behind his simian companion. "Now then, who are you?"

"Your shittiest nightmare you shitty demon shit!" Momoiro shouted, whipping his katana, again and again, sending a barrage of bladed wind rushing straight for the pair.

"Oo-Oo! Ahhh!" The arrogant grunts of the beast accompanied an equally arrogant smile. He motioned to respond, but Okuma blocked his path.

"I will handle this." A faint smile showed for just a second as he removed a large black handle from his back, flipping out a blade to reveal a giant barber's razor. A blade made specifically for the giant of a man that he was, it had earned the named Scalphunter by friends and foes alike due to Okuma's signature haircut. All skin.

Parrying the wind scythes with ease, Okuma closed the distance in a flash. His massive frame was gone in the blink of an eye.

"Too slow," Okuma mumbled as Scalphunter barely managed to shave a few inches off the blonde man's long flowing hair.

"Slow? How's it slow?! I dodged your shitty swing!" Momoiro shouted, attempting to counter with his long katana, taking a clumsy wide swing.

"No," Okuma grunted as he gripped the boy's wrist before tossing him like a rag doll across the battlefield. "I'm slow."

Momoiro twisted and tumbled across the stony shore until he rolled to a stop. "Shit...." Groaning as he spits a tooth from his mouth. "Shitty Demon shit, that all ya got? Hehe....Pretty shitty if ya ask me..."

Momoiro rushed the bear again, jumping into the sun to take advantage of a blind spot. He brought his long katana above his head and came down with all his might.

"There." Okuma sighed, with a twist and step, he maneuvered himself out of the way from Momoiro's katana. While also perfectly setting up Scalphunter to take its prey. "Skin fade..." He mumbled, his blade working so fast any normal person would miss it.

"It's done." Pulling a cloth from his waist, he wiped the hair from Scalphunter's razor. The sun now glistened off the pink tracksuit man as his luscious blonde hair decorated Rubeck's rocky shores.

"Ooo! Oooo! OOaahaahaah!!" Jiro bellowed as he rolled on the ground, laughing himself into tears at the cue ball in front of him.

"Ahhh, oooo.." Finally collecting himself as he wiped the tear from his eye. "Aaah aaah." Motioning to remove the tracksuit from his body.

"Leave it." Okuma said, "That shipment of tracksuits went missing as far as I'm concerned."

"Let's get back to Moletown, Kazu and Hina are waiting."

1,338/6,536/13,500[/i]

Okuma and Jiro wandered through the wild forest of Rubeck, doing their best to avoid the lower swamps that sat between the pebble beach and the tree line.

"This way," Okuma grunted, motioning towards Jiro. "We don't want to come across any of the bananawani gar."

"Ooo Ooo!" Jiro barked back arrogantly, his confident attitude showing no fear of the migratory fish and their ability to travel on land.

"You say that, till you come across one." Okuma snickered, "Ya know they love to eat little monkeys like you."

"Ooo Ooo Ahh!!"

"Yes, yes, I know. You aren't like the rest of your kind." The demon bear's response was jovial and kind. Prompting a large smile to erupt on the little monkey's face.

Momoiro's hideout

"That shitty shit of shit!" The pink tracksuit shouted as his hands squeaked across his freshly bald head.

"Bahahahaha!" A green tracksuit cried out laughing as tears ran down from his eyes. "That bear got you good, huh?! Bahahaha!"

"Shut your shitty trap 'fore I shut it for ya!" Momoiro shouted back.

"How about ya both shut it." A blue tracksuit interrupted. "Can't believe you just ran away with your tail between your legs. Pretty embarrassing if ya ask me."

"Look you shit...!"

"Don't look me nothing, you got your ass kicked by an old man and a monkey and came crying back here. Who's to say they didn't follow you back?!"

Momoiro began to stammer a response before being cut off.

"Exactly, you don't fucking think. Just like these stupid ass tracksuits you stole. I told you to get us some fucking money and you came back with these dumb things." Pulling at the blue suit he was clothed in.

"If it's so shitty why ya wearing it ya shit?!"

"Because it's fucking cold here! If you could have just sailed a ship like a normal person, we wouldn't have gotten stuck on this barren rock of hell"

"Alright, alright, Aoi, we get it. Momoiro is a stupid idiot moron who can't sail a ship to save his life. We don't need to keep drilling into his bald head how terrible he is." The yellow suit jumped in.

"Yeah, I guess you are right, Kiiro. He knows what a stupid useless fuck he is." Aoi snickered back.

"Midori, let's go, we need to make sure nobody is chilling outside waiting to kill us," Kiiro mumbled as he motioned to the green tracksuit to follow him outside.

"Yeah, sure, you shitty Kimidori shits go do that."

Moletown

"Oooh Oooh!" Jiro shouted as a young Kazu came barreling out of a newly built wooden shack. The boy embraced the pompadour monkey with a loving hug.

"Your back!" The gleeful boy snuggled into the white monkey's warm fur.

"Kazu...! I told you to wait for me...!" Hina stumbled out the door yelling until her eyes locked on the pair. "Dad! Jiro!" The girl quickly copied Kazu's sentiment and embraced her father.

"Yes, yes, we are back." Okuma's deep gruff voice was laced with warm kindness.

"Back without the shipment, I see..." A large, olive-skinned man grunted as he waddled over to the makeshift family.

"Yea, couldn't find em." The bear's tone was firm and cold, lacking the warmth from his previous interaction.

"Oh. Couldn't find em, eh? Real Shame."

"Mhm. Shame."

"Well, there's always next time. I have my men out scouring the forest and bubbling swamps now. Shouldn't be too long before those thieves are found."

"That so?"

"It is..." The olive-skinned man snickered as he pulled a lollipop from his pocket and popped it into his mouth. "Well, I must be off, here ya go kids." He handed the used lollipop to Hina and swaggered off.

"Ooo..." Jiro snarled as the man walked away.

"Stop." Okuma held out a hand in front of the monkey.

"Eww.." Hina looked at the candy before tossing it on the ground.

"Heh. Good girl." Okuma smiled before herding the group inside the home.

WC 664/7,200/13,500

Moletown

Several shadowed silhouettes sat at a long wooden table, with the large olive-skinned man sitting at the head. His round, sausage-like fingers dipped into a large bowl of candy in front of him. Rustling around until he plucked out some chocolate in a tin wrapping.

"Okuma..." He mumbled, opening his wet maw as the chocolate quickly disappeared into the abyss. "He's becoming quite the problem...."

"Indeed." A voice responded from the shadows. "That shipment he failed to recover sets a bad precedent for business." A fist pounding on the table in anger accompanied the raspy voice it belonged to.

"The shipment won't be a long-term concern." He grunted with a sadistic smile, bits of chocolate decorating his black teeth. "But the bear...."

"And what do you propose we do about him, hmmm?" Another spoke up, interrupting the candy man. "The demon barber is not one to take likely."

"He has a wife, does he not...? Children...? I don't think it would be.... unreasonable for an accident to befall them." Licking his lips as he devoured another piece of candy, his rotten teeth crushed the rock candy into sugary dust.

"His wife and children...?" A weather-beaten man leaned forward and out of the shadows. His eyebrows were as long as his gray, wisping mustache and his skin resembled tanned leather. "Such dishonorable tactics...."

"That's not a problem, is it, Kame...?"

"Problem...?" The old man smiled a devilish, toothless grin, "Why I wouldn't have it any other way, yokokokokokoko..."

"Good... Keep an eye on them... The bear still serves his uses... For now..."

"Of course, Kyandi... Of course..."

Bubbling Swamps

"Run, Kiiro!!" Midori shouted as blood spewed from his mouth and a sword penetrated his back.

"Midori...!!!" The yellow tracksuit shouted as he stumbled through the forest and into a steaming swamp, tears rushing down his bloodied cheeks.

The pools of murky water constantly bubbled from the heat underground. Creating a pocket of warmth found nowhere else on the island. A warmth that allowed for a predator like no other to thrive.

"Shuld we go after 'im..?" A large man in denim overalls asked with a slur.

"Nahhh, where he's headin', there ain't nothing that can save... Luluulululululu... That gar will get 'im in no time..." A pencil-thin man with a flattop snickered. "Let's get on getting back to Moletown, there's a whore I wanna see fore we get back to da boss..."

Kiiro's yellow tracksuit was stained with red, his lungs felt like they were going to explode and he just watched his best take a sword through his back.

He struggled to catch his breath as he ducked behind a tree. Holy shit... Midori. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. His thoughts raced as quickly as his heart was beating. Bullets of salty sweat mixed with his tears and Midori's blood as they fell down his face. Creating a scent so delicious no predator could resist.

"I...I...Gotta get back... Tell...em.... what happened...." Mumbling to himself between each gasping breath. Kiiro climbed back to his feet and waded through the muddy swamp. With each step, he sunk deeper and deeper into the warm water. Having to drag out his feet from the gripping mud as he drudged along.

"Just... a little further..." His eyes darted around as he scanned his surroundings. Starting from the left and then to the right and back again.

Anyone who had been on Rubeck for a few days knew of the danger that lurked in the muddied depths of the Bubbling Swamps. A danger imported by the smuggler's ages ago, an amphibious fish that thrived in the humid, muddied conditions.

A splash from behind caused him to almost jump out of his tracksuit if only the mud had allowed it. "What was that...!?! Who- who's there...?!" Erratic and full of fear, his saucer-like eyes danced inside of his head. "M-must've been the wind.... yea.... the wind... hehehe... Just... just a little bit further and I'll be at the hideout. Yea... Just a bit fur-....!"

Kiiro was dragged under the water as he flailed about violently. The water splashed as his arms desperately searched for something to grab onto. Muffled screams produced only bubbles as the water was dyed red and bits of yellow floated to the surface.

Rocky Coast of Rubeck, eventual site of Pebble Beach

"Oi! Maku!" A mustachioed pompadour shouted.

"What'dya want...?!" The hefty pompadour responded.

"Ya find anything yet?!"

"Find anything?!?! How the hell can I find anything if I don't know what I'm looking for?!?" Maku snarled as he chucked a stone into cold waters of the North Blue.

"Yea... Good point... What exactly are we looking for? Didn't Boss Okuma tell ya anything...?"

"I don't know, the Boss said to leave no stone unturned.. So here we are turnin over stones.."

"Wait.... The boss said to leave no stone unturned...?"

"Yup, he said to me, 'Maku, I need you and Zaju to head down to the shore and look around for the guys causing trouble near there, leave no stone unturned'. So I says okay, and here we are, turnin over all the stones."

"Still not sure how they'd be hidin under these tiny little stones, but, who am I to question da boss, ya know?"

"Maku.... YOU IDIOT!!" Zaju shouted as he launched a stone at the rotund man's head.

"Yeeooww! Why'dja do that, Zaju?! That hurt!!"

"It's a figure of speech, don'tcha know?! The boss didn't mean to literally turn over all the stones on the beach!! I can't believe it! We been here for hours now picking up rocks for nothin!!"

"Ya know..." Maku mumbled as he nursed the lump on his head. "That does make a bit more sense..."

"Of course is does, ya idiot..." Pausing as he noticed Maku's gaze had drifted off behind him. "Huh?! What's got your attention no-...?!

"My, my, my...." A tall slender man who fluttered in the wind wandered down the Stoney shore. He was draped in a yellow and brown kimono, and his hair was dull and straw-like. A jet-black katana was fixed to his waist with a red sash that reached down to his sandal-clad feet.

"Now who the fuck is this?!" Zaju gave an exhausted shout.

1,037/8,237/13,500

Pebble Beach

"How come ya take us fishing all the time when you are so bad at?" Kazu mused, kids, they say the darndest things sometimes.

"You'll never get good if you don't practice," Okuma grunted back, nets and fishing line hung from his massive shoulders.

"Oooh Oooh!" Jiro echoed the sentiment with a toothy smile and head pat for the young boy.

"Tch... Cut it out, Jiro!" Kazu snarled back as the group broke the tree line and stepped out onto the rocky shore of the southern Peninsula.

"Ahhhh" Okuma let out a deep exhale, "I'll never get tired of this... Alright, boys. Let's get to work."

He waded out into the choppy waves as they broke one after another onto the thousands of rocks that littered the shoreline. Inch by inch he pulled the net, careful not to cover too much ground at once. Moving in a large half moon from the beach, through the water, and back.

While Okuma worked, the boys played. Kazu was too small to fight the currents and Jiro was all but useless in the water thanks to his devil fruit. But it didn't matter to the bear. A smile barely cracked his stone visage as he watched the pair having fun. This was it. This is what he wanted.

His gray eyes drifted up and down the shore, imagining buildings and docks in the place of all the trees and rocks.

"If only.." He mumbled to himself as he continued to drag the net back to shore.

"Pops! Pops!" Kazu's shouting broke the moment of peace as a chill went down the bear's spine. Like iron from a cannonball, he shot out of the waves and onto the beach. The massive man covered the distance in what seemed like a blink.

"Kazu! Jiro!"

"Over here! Come quick!!"

His thin eyes widened at the sight of Maku drenched in his blood, his rotund body covered in thousands of small cuts.

"B-...boss..." Maku coughed, "We-...We checked all the rocks... hehe..." Snickering at his stupidity from earlier.

"All the rocks, eh..? I knew I put the right men on the job..."

"Oh...Oh... yea..." Coughing between each word. "It... It was...!!"

"Stay back!" Zaju's voice could be heard shouting from the trees.

Once again the bear moved with the grace and speed of someone half his size. Though he lacked his razor, his fists were more than enough.

"My, my, my..." The swordsman mused as he traded blows with the thin pompadour. "This won't do..."

"Tch!" Zaju grit his teeth, his hands gripping his sword so tightly they bled. "I'll get you for what ya did to Maku!! Haaaaa!" Shouting as he haphazardly lunged toward his wispy opponent.

"Oh, not quite~ kawkawkawkaw!" With a twist and a step, it was over in an instant. Zaju never saw it coming. Thousands of tiny cuts from a long and slender sword with a jet-black blade. Something that even Jiro struggled to see.

"Yo!" Okuma shouted. "That's enough."

"Oh...~?"

"You must be Karasu."

"My, my, my.... Quite perceptive..." Karasu snickered, pointing the slender blade at his next opponent.

"Jiro, protect Kazu and Maku. Let no harm come to them."

"Ooo! Ah!" Jiro snarled confidently in response.

"Good." Okuma flashed a quick smile to the monkey before leaping into battle.

Moletown

"Hmmmm...." Kyandi muttered as a lollipop twirled between his fat fingers. "So it's started then...?"

"Kokokokokoko" Kame chuckled, "Karasu is currently pruning the garden, removing all the weeds at your request."

"Good....good." Plopping the sucker into his mouth, "Will make the final bit much easier if all his underlings are gone."

"Yes, yes, quite. Kokokokoko!"

"And what of the wife...?" His words met with Kame promptly handing over a detailed schedule of her daily activities. "Excellent... And what of the mermaid, the octopus one with the spots and penchant for trouble...?"

"She seems to have found herself a new pet. A self-proclaimed doctor who washed up a few weeks ago."

"A doctor, eh?" Kyandi gave his chest a good beat to force a cough to exit his lungs, chunks of hardened sugar accompanying the forced-out air. "Been a while since we had one of those around.. I may need to pay him a visit him... "

"Not since you had the last one strung up in the swamps. Kokokokoko."

"Kitkatkatkatakatkat.... Yes... That was quite an event, wasn't it? Kitkatkatkatkatkat... Ahhh, we have had some good times haven't we, Kame?"

"Why yes, yes we have."

Bubbling Swamps

"Kiiro!! Midori!!?" Momoiro shouted, "Where you two shitty shits get off to?"

The pink tracksuit wandered the edges of the swamps, making sure to avoid the muddied pits and bubbling water.

"I hate this shitty swamp..." He mumbled. "Can't believe these shitty shits can do one shittin thing.... Got me out here...?! Midori?!?"

His eyes locked onto the blood-drenched green suit, with the wearer barely clinging to life. "Hold on ya shit, I got'cha!"

"N-no...." Midori coughed, "I-...It's too late... for me..."

"No, don't you talk like that you fuckin shit!! I'm here now, I'll get ya back to the shitty hideout and... and...." Realizing the gravity of the situation.

"Nah.... I ain't... I ain't ever making it back there.... Least... not alive anyway...." Midori mumbled, spurting blood from his mouth and wound with every word. "You-.... Ya gotta warn the rest... M-Moletown... thei-...r... co-...m-...ing..."

"Raaaaahhhhhh!!" Momoiro shouted, his rage pushing back the tears. His eyes were like that of a ravenous beast, gripping his sword, he rushed through the trees. Following the first bit of noise that his ears managed to catch.

He broke through the clearing, coming upon the crow and the bear. Though he only saw red. Craving the blood of them both with no time to ask questions.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU SHITTY FUCKING SHITS!!!!!"

WC 967/9,204/13,500

The wind whistled through the trees as the pink tracksuit and the crow lay motionless at the bear's feet. The mountain of a man glaring down at the pair, his knuckles white from rage.

"H-how..." Karasu grumbled as he struggled up from his prone position before succumbing to the overpowering Haki that flowed from the beast before him. The blade he so proudly pointed at the demon barber now several feet away lodged into the rocky ground.

"Jiro." Directing the monkey to collect Momoiro while he picked up Karasu and Zaju, tossing the grown men over his shoulders with ease. "The cabin's nearby."

"Ooo Oo!" The mountain monkey nodded, dragging the tracksuit by his arm, his bald head bouncing off every rock the passed over.

"W-wait for me...!" Kazu shouted from behind, his tiny legs struggling to keep up with the bear's long strides.

A Cabin, future site of Pebble Beach Port | Several Hours later

"My, my, my, finally away, eh?" Karasu mused over the crackling of the flames before him. His hands were bound just the same as they all sat around a small campfire.

"S-shit...." Momoiro grunted as his vision adjusted to the dancing flames inside the otherwise dark cabin room. The floor was dirt, while the walls were old wood, bowed from years of being beaten by the weather. "Wh-...You...?!" His demeanor quickly changed at the site of the demon barber before him.

"Me." Okuma grunted in return, holding a small twig over the flames,  with a small fish, if it could even be called that from its size. Was run through on the end as it hovered just out of the fire's reach. The scales slowly charring black from the heat.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YO-...!"

"Shhh!" The bear's large finger pressed against his lips before pointing to Jiro and Kazu cuddled up in the corner. Releasing just a bit of Haki to make his point known.

"Tch..." Momoiro grit his teeth, "I'll kill you, you shitty shit." His hushed threat complied with the man's warning.

"And why is that...?" Okuma questioned, his eyes focused on the tiny fish, being sure not to lose out on his catch from the day. "Far as I can tell, that haircut suits you better than being dead."

"This ain't about the shit haircut you shitty fucking shithead shit..!" Momoiro's voice began to rise before quickly quieting back down after a look from the yakuza barber.

"It ain't about the shitty cut, it's about you shitty Moletown shit's killing my friends..."

"My, my, my...~" Karasu mused, trying to fan the flames between the pair. "Killing his friends? What a devil you are...~"

"Okuma just glared at the crow in response for a moment before returning his attention back to the fish and addressing Momoiro. "Your friends..? The other tracksuits?"

"Tch...! They are more than just some shitty tracksuits..."

"Oh...~?" Karasu interrupted, "Tracksuits you say...? Kawkawkawkaw..."

"Shut your shitty trap you scarecrow-looking shit!!"

The bear and the crow locked eyes, "I know not of killing your friends. Had I come across them, they would have received the same hospitality as you..." His voice grew somber towards the end.

"I have grown tired of killing and all the death that comes with it." Pausing for a moment as he removed the fish from the flames, its skin now black as coal. "What I want is to live the life of a simple fisherman with those he holds dear..."

"Ohohoho~ So the demon does have a heart...? Kawkawkawkaw" Karasu snickered before speaking once more, "I'll tell you what, you let me out of here and I'll tell you everything I know."

"I'm sure it will interest both of you quite abit...~"

"Here." Okuma ignored the crow's words and stuffed a bit of the blackened fish into both of his captive's mouths. "Eat."

"Blegghhg...!" Momoiro spat out the charred fishtail. "Oh, that's awful..." Spitting out the bits that remained in his mouth. "Now I know you are trying to kill me!!"

"Mm..mhmm...mmm" Karasu mumbled as he devoured the blackened head, eyes, and all. "Not bad... could use abit of sauce next time. Kawkawkawkaw."

"H-how..?" Momoiro's eyes were still wet with tears of disgust. "You really are a psychopath!"

"Kawkawkaw! I tell you what, I like you guys..!" Freeing his hands from the ropes with ease. "I'll tell ya everything I know. But first, ya got any more of that fish...?"

Moletown

The planks of wood creaked under the robust man's feet, each step the wood seemed like it screamed in pain. Over his shoulders was a tattered captain's coat covered in used candy, saliva acting like an adhesive to the sugar.

"Has Okuma returned yet?"

"He has not.." Kame responded as he stroked his wispy facial hair.

"And Karasu...?"

"He has not either."

"Hmmmm...." Kyandi pondered for a moment before dismissing the thought. "When the barber returns, have him treat the mermaid and her new pet to a new haircut...." He paused for a moment to stuff his face with sugar.

"Actually... Bring me the barber's wife as well.. I always did fancy a good brunette and it’s been some time since I’ve had some sugar…. Kitkatkatkatkat" Slapping his large belly before bellowing out in laughter.

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Fishing Cabin

"O-OKUMA...!!" A young Nise busted through the cabin door, huffing and puffing as he did his best to keep upright and off his knees.

"Nise..?" Okuma grunted.

"Kawkawkaw, if it ain't Knockoff Nise." Karasu snickered.

"Y-you...Gotta come... quick" Panting between each word, his lungs were on fire. Even in his youth, Nise was never known for his physical fitness. "It's... Kyandi...!"

"We were just on our way to pay him a visit." Okuma growled, "Karasu here told us everything."

"N-no...! It's your wife and Hina...!"

Without a word, Okuma became a blur, wasting no time with the door and instead reducing the nearby wall to splinters and dust.

"You ain't going alone you shitty shit..!" Momoiro shouted as he quickly made his way after the barber bear.

"Kawkawkaw." The straw man raised to his feet, towering over those that remained. "This should be interesting.~..." His eyes lit up before glancing at Nise and nodding to Kazu and Jiro. Taking off after the pair.

"Y-yea... I'll just.... I'll just wait here with the kids... catch up with you guys later..." Letting out a sigh as he plopped into the dirt.

Okuma's home on the outskirts of Moletown

Okuma arrived at his home on the edge of Moletown, or rather, the smoldering ash that was left of it. His fists balled into a rage, his knuckles white and face redder than a raging fire.

The demon let out a blood-curdling roar and a wave of pure willpower, sending every beast in the area running in the opposite direction.

Chills ran down Momoiro's spine as he struggled to catch up, Karasu in turn let out an excited cackle.

"Will you shut up you shitty bird shit! Less yapping and more running ya shit!"

"Kawkawkaw... That Demon Barber sure is terrifying~ Kawkawkaw...!"

As the pair broke through the tree line, they saw a dozen of Kyandi's men surrounding Okuma, all armed to the teeth in preparation for the hunt.

The bear calmly removed his razor from the black dust, the blade having been forged in much hotter flames. Though its wooden handle was now reduced to the same state as his former home.

Turning to face the crowd he was greeted with the backs of Momoiro and Karasu, the pair had moved in between the horde and Okuma himself.

"You got more important shit going on now, Boss! Let me and the shitty bird handle these annoying shits." The bald pink tracksuit shouted, brandishing his katana in defense of the demon barber.

"Kawkawkawkaw. Listen to the baldie. Kawkawkaw... This ain't nothing we can't handle." Fluttering in the wind as he removed his own blade and directed it on the crowd.

"Hmph.. I ain't your boss.." Okuma grunted with a respectful nod before rushing passed the group. Their pointless effort to stop his was left in vain as Momoiro and Karasu intercepted their attacks with ease.

"My, my, my, let's not bite off more than you can chew? Eh? Kawkawkawkaw!"

"You shitty shits are fighting us now! Got it?!"

Okuma's made dash covered the short distance between his home and Moletown. Within no time he was standing outside the -unken Centurian, the door off the hinges, the dirty wooden floor littered with lifeless bodies and broken furniture.

"KYAAAANDDDIIII....!!!" The roar seemed to shake the building down to its very core, his voice alone threatening to tear it down.


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Pebble Beach | Present Day

Nise......Nise......

Yooo....! Nise..! Are you even fucking listening?!

A snap brought the king of knockoff's back to reality, "Wha... Hrmmm... Yes, yes...?"

"Have you been listening at all you shitty shithead shit?!" Momoiro barked.

"Hmmm.. yes, of course... I-I must have dozed off for a moment.." Nise grumbled as he noticed his cigar had burned out.

"A moment?!" Kazu shouted. "We've been talking for like five fuckin minutes now, ya dig?! Did'ja even hear the plan??"

"Y-Yes! Yes, of course I heard the plan you disrespectful littlwhipper-snapperer!" Nise snapped back, "You'd think after all I've done for you over the years you'd give me the courtesy of respecting your elder..!"

"Tch.. Right..." Kazu rolled his eyes before addressing the room, "Alright, everyone's got their gigs. And if everyone does em right..." Pausing with a glare directed at Nise, "We will control Moletown by morning.."

"Bout time those shitty Moletown shitbags got what's comin to em."

"Kawkawkawkaw...! So exciting...~!"

Pebble Beach | Hina and Dax

"Tch....! Where is he?!" Hina shouted as she stomped through the muddied streets. "When I find him.... Oooooo he's gonna get it!" Marching towards the meeting house, her anger radiated off her like an intense heat.

"Sheeww." Dax mumbled in a sarcastic tone, "Scary..." swaggering behind her as his eyes scanned the dilapidated cabins they passed. Taking a mental note that the denizens were piss poor, leaving not much of value for him to steal.

The pair happened upon the meeting house and without warning Hina kicked in the door. "KAAAAZZZZUUUU! I'M GONNA KILL YO-...!!!" Her anger subsided as she was met with an empty room with nothing but a note laying in the center.

"Huh...?" She mumbled, eyes darting back and forth across the page. "That little fucker... I can't believe he'd go to him..!" Crumpling the note, Hina pushed passed Dax and darted out of the cabin and towards the Mountains.

"Hey...wha...?!" Dax shouted as Hina shoved him out of the way, "Where the fuck you going now...?!" The Goldmonger let out a heavy sigh as his eyes drifted upwards to the snow-capped mountains that loomed in the background.

"Guess it's off to the fuckin mountains we go..."

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The sun dipped behind the lighthouse nestled on the coastal cliff of Rubeck, painting the landscape in a warm orange hue. A rare site for the rainy island nestled in the frigid waters of the North Blue.

Okuma sat on the edge of the cliff, nursing a bottle as his eyes focused on the gravestone before him. "Where did I go wrong..?" The words slipped out between sips, "With you around, everything just made sense... it worked..."

"Kazu... Jiro.... They haven't spoken in years.. Hina tried for awhile.. did her best to keep things together after you died.. Lord knows I couldn't do it."

"Heh.. it's funny, she's tough like you, a lot tougher than I ever was that's for sure.."

"She does her best to keep the town going.. Keeps Kazu and his friends in line.. Keeps the whole place afloat honestly." Tears welled in his sunken eyes as he mumbled, but they refused to fall. "But I'm just not sure how much longer we can keep this dream of yours alive..."

"Everything with Moletown is coming to a head tomorrow..." He paused as memories of twenty years ago flooded his mind.

"O-Okuma...!" A voice shouted out from the tree line. "Okuma!!"

"Hmm..?" The bear grunted as he glanced over his shoulder to see Nise waddling as fast as he could. "What is it?"

"H-Hina...! Her and that gold-covered stranger..! They..." His words interrupted by his heavy panting.

"Slow down, Nise, take a breath and tell me what's going on."

They.. They just left for the mountains after Kazu and the others! They are going to ask the mountain boss for help against Moletown..!"

"Tch.." Okuma grunted, taking one last swig before rising to his feet and placing the bottle on top of the gravestone. The setting sun framed the bottle, the liquor inside glistening in the light.

"It's time."

"T-Time for what...?!"

"To finish what started all those years ago..." Okuma mumbled. "Nise, please watch over Hina, she spends to much time worrying about everyone else instead of herself."

"You don't mean...? B-But Okuma.."

"Thank you, Nise.." The bear grunted as he started off in the direction of Moletown, not leaving any room for a response from the knockoff king.

"Kawkawkawkaw..!" The cackling laugh echoed from the tree line as Karasu fluttered out of the shadows. "I told you he would try this~.."

"Hey you shitty boss, you didn't think we would let ya handle this shit on your own did ya..?" Momoiro snickered as he accompanied the scarecrow man.

"Go home you two, I can't ask you to come with me."

"Well it's a good thing you ain't askin, ain't it ya shit?"

"Kawkawkaw, like we would miss out on a party like this?! Kawkawkaw!"

The board was set, the pieces in place, and the next twenty-four hours would change the fate of Rubeck island and all those who inhabit it forever.

End of Part 1

Part 2 https://www.revivaldawn.com/t2679-arc-rubeck-island-conquestpart-2-last-tango-in-rubeck#17298

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