Carat Isle Arc - One Piece RP (I)

First topic message reminder :

A pair of light green eyes blinked open and stared gently up at the wooden roof of their chosen resting place. There wasn't much else to see in the blackness, with the only light being a small sliver that filtered in through a crack in the wood.
Nevertheless, Toriru Shiori couldn't help the small smile that spread across her features as she uncrossed her arms and shifted her position. She hadn't been found yet, which meant she could do some exploring on her own.
Moving from where she was lying on her back with her feet pressed against the narrow walls of the box she had chosen as her hiding place, Shiori shifted to a crouch under the low wooden roof in order to have a better angle to push up at said 'roof' with one arm.

It had only been half a day or so ago, that Shiori had been wandering the busiest port of Reine Island...

The island was small, but that didnt stop large throngs of people from going about their daily business. As Shiori wandered along the docks of Reine Island, she could smell the delicate scents of cooking fish, as well as taste the salt of the ocean in the air. Sifting through the pockets of her pale blue jacket, Shiori wondered if she had enough beli to purchase some of that delicious smelling fish. There was nothing like fresh fish after all. Luckily, the money she'd gotten from lending a helping hand on the last ship she'd been on was more than enough to buy some food, and so Shiori sat at the small stall by the docks to enjoy her fish, not forgetting to thank the stall owner and praise his cooking. There really was nothing like fresh fish cooked on the docks.
Shiori had been about to ask the cheerful man about the best fish to put in a spicy fish stew, when her ears picked up the subject of conversation of a duo that were passing by the stall.

"The Grand Line is still that far away?" A blonde haired man asked his friend, who had a nasty scar over his right eye that trailed over his nose before ending on his left cheek.
The scarred man chuckled at the disappointment in the blonde's voice, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"You should enjoy the peace whilst it lasts!" He laughed, "The Grand Line will run you ragged. It's a dangerous place."
The young blonde's frown didn't leave his face as he replied, "But then why does everyone call it 'Paradise'?"

The older man with the scar burst out into a long, hearty laugh at the blonde's words, before their voices were lost in the crowds of Reine Island's port.

Shiori had wasted no time wolfing down the rest of her fish and yelling another thanks to the stall owner as she dashed off in the direction the duo had disappeared in. They weren't wearing navy uniforms, they'd been carrying various weaponry, and they were heading for the Grand Line, which suggested only one thing.
"Pirates!" Shiori grinned to herself.

Shiori didn't have a ship of her own, and so for the time being she'd opted to use her 'skills' at stowing away on other ships to get her from place to place. Normally she'd find a way on board and hide until they were in open waters, at which point she'd explore the new ship before someone found her and then convince them to let her stay aboard rather than throw her off.
Sometimes it was easy, sometimes it was a hard task that needed to be handled delicately. It all depended on the type of pirates. Luckily Shiori didn't mind swimming too much, and as long as she wasnt too far away from the port she'd left, she could make her way back towards the docks and try and find another ship. Or if the threat of being thrown overboard was too large, steal a rowing boat and row back.

These two pirates however, seemed like somewhat decent individuals. Shiori just hoped their captain was of the same attitude. You could never be sure after all.

Spotting the blonde haired man and the scarred man in the crowd, Shiori had followed them, watching as they stopped at a store to pick up some rum and sake before heading back to their ship.

The boat had a stag figurehead and Shiori had to admit that the antlers it possessed made it look rather formidable. The flag the ship was flying was black with a skull and crossbones, but the skull possessed the same antlers as the ship's figurehead.

Shiori had already decided that Reine Island was too small to find a crew of her own here, so someone else's ship would do just fine until she could acquire one. If the words of these pirates could be taken at face value, the entrance to the Grand Line was still weeks, if not months away anyway; plenty of time to find a ship of her own, and maybe even her own crew! 
Shiori's mind was so easily lead astray by thoughts and dreams of adventure ok the Grand Line, that she nearly missed her opportunity to sneak on board the deer-ship. The ship's crew had been noticably absent from the deck for the past few minutes and, upon realising this, Shiori took advantage of the gap in security to hop on board and duck through a few doors until she reached the cargo hold.
Checking each of the various chests and boxes in the hold until she found one that was all but empty (if you ignored the few bottles of alcohol and a couple of bags of coins), Shiori clambered inside. It wasn't a tight squeeze and the young pirate-to-be had ample room to rearrange her position into something vaguely comfortable.

She had fallen asleep there, the comfort of the small space erasing any sense of danger that Shiori might have felt from hiding there as she waited for the ship to leave Reine Island.

The lid of the chest was opened just a crack but with practiced ease, making hardly a sound as Shiori's gaze scanned the area before her. Unfortunately what greeted her was nothing more than a stone wall, but there was still information to be gleaned from the sight. It definitely wasn't the same wall that she'd left behind when she'd first hidden in the wooden chest back in Reine Island's port, and Shiori couldn't help but wonder just how long she had been sleeping for.
Peering over the edge of her box, Shiori noted that the other assorted boxes and crates laden with food and other stored goods were still here with her, but in a slightly different order to before.

Where on earth had the ship's stores been moved to?

Ackee was dusting himself off fter defeating his opponent and glancing around to make sure that everyone was accounted for when Caim had approached him. He gave the helmsman a concerned look for a moment before his words clarified his sudden reappearance and his gaze softened again.

"Good to hear," he said simply before his expression turned to a small frown and he turned to nod to the large hole in the wall that Shiori had left behind when fighting the lieutenant.
"Last I saw she was punching a marine commander through that wall," he replied, "I haven't seen her since."

Meanwhile, Shiori had reached her hands out to the bars of the cells once again, this time attempting to figure out what material they were made of.

"These aren't kairoseki so I can break them for you," she replied simply, returning her hands back to her lap before grinning at the captain.
"Then we can find Caim, Ackee and the others, get their weapons back, and- something about a crab movement? - basically we're gonna beat the marines and escape," she grinned. She seemed to remember the basics of the plan at least.

"Understood... I'll go lend her a hand" Caim spoke in order to respond, glancing to the gaping hole left in the wall due to the brawl Shiori had with a Marine 'Commander'. Quietly Caim headed over to and through the hole, merely to be greeted by many more... Surely this damage couldn't be good for structural integrity.

Caim silently passed through each hole until he caught site of cells and was able to hear a familiar voice... She was here. He passed through quietly and turned, heading up the passageway towards Shiori. When she mentioned him, Caim smirked faintly to himself, it quickly fading afterwards. "What do you mean, find Caim? And I believe technically the term is 'Pincer movement' not crab movement" Caim spoke.

The captain looked up as Caim spoke, honestly surprised to see him here in such a condition... He could clearly see Caim's wounded shoulder, although other than that he didn't seem any worse for wear. "Good to see that you made it through Helmsman... Did you somehow organize this?" the captain asked him, merely to be met by a small nod.

"The plan yes... Getting broken out beforehand and the arrival of a pirate ship that's basically assisting, not at all" Caim answered, putting his .44 Flintlock away for the moment.

Shiori turned around at the sound of the helmsman's voice, grinning widely.
"Caim!" She smiled, making a mental note that the 'crab movement' was in fact a 'pincer movement' for future reference.

She immediately frowned as her green gaze landed on his injured shoulder.
"You're hurt," she commented, a concerned look crossing her face for a moment before she decided that the wound wasn't too bad and Caim could handle it.

Getting to her feet and looking to the cells, Shiori took a step back. She  tapped the tip of her right foot on the ground as she attempted to decide whether to kick or punch the bars. Kicking would hurt less with her shoes to protect her...
"Alright, if you guys move back a step I can get you out of here and we can get moving," Shiori smiled as she silently acknowledged the levels of moisture in the air.

At the comment regarding Caim being injured he merely shook his head... It wasn't that bad, nothing compared to the pain he had endured during his constant training back in the grand line. "It's nothing major, it won't interfere too much with my ability to fight" Caim spoke, Getting straight to the point instead of dancing around the matter. "Either way... What matters is that we get prepared for the next stage of the plan... Actually getting out. The more difficult task would be getting the Merchant crew out freely without them being mistaken for pirate affiliates... However I may have an idea of how we could get around that" Caim commented, making sure to now step back and give Shiori more room for breaking the bars.

"I suggest doing as she said, her kicks are quite strong from what i've seen" Caim said as he now glanced back the way he came... The major issue he had would be regarding how they'd respond to his idea.

The Merchant crew and it's captain backed up as far as they did once Caim had said to do so, they knew Caim valued their safety a good deal, if he suggested to do so it'd be for good reason.

After everyone backed away to a relatively safe distance, Shiori returned her attention on the bars before her. Focusing the water that could be found in the air, she lashed out with her right leg, using the power of the water around her to increase her foot's impact on bars. The first was broken clean out from where it was mounted and clattered loudly across the ground. In subsequent blows she held back a little so that the bars weren't flung completely across the cells as she kicked them in, creating an opening in each cell in turn as she moved across the room.

As she 'opened' the last of the cells, she turned back to Caim and the merchant captain with a thoughtful and slightly mischievous look.
"They can't be mistaken for pirates if we say they're our prisoners," she grinned.

As she spoke, more sounds of cannon fire could be heard outside of the base as the marines returned fire on the captain of the Stag Pirates.

Caim also naturally moved back when Shiori began kicking in the bars. He smirked slightly at the first strike... That certainly would be painful against a living being, he by no means envied their Marine foes. He waited in silence, watching as she broke down each bar, one by one, just like had been done with their foes... She most certainly had proven to be stronger than most. Caim frowned at first when Shiori made a suggestion of claiming the Merchants were their prisoners, but then it dawned on Caim... That'd... That'd work perfectly, it'd help clear their names and give Caim a possible chance to get away.

"That... Actually would work perfectly, that way the crew could get their name cleared where as... I could find a way to make my opposing them work. If we can reach the Stag Pirates Captain, we could possibly get him to go along with the plan, he'd owe us for helping his crew after all... It also means... I may have a way... To stop putting everyone at risk, I could claim to be the pirates inside man, an infiltrater if you will" Caim spoke, his logic was sound however one thing stood out the most in his speech... Putting them at risk... What did he mean?

"What do you mea..." The Captain began to speak, merely to be cut off by Caim. "You know exactly why..." Caim commented, turning and glancing back the way they'd came.

The tawny haired teenager listened to Caim with a grin as he expanded upon her initial idea. It seemed like a good plan. If the captain of the Stag Pirates was anything like Ackee or Durian, Shiori figured convincing him wouldn't be too hard of a matter either.

Shiori had been about to comment on the plan itself when she'd witnessed the somewhat odd exchange between Caim and the merchant captain. Her expression dampened a little into a weaker smile as she took a moment to realise what the helmsman's words and reaction implied. 
Caim's name couldn't be cleared like the others. Without even taking into account anything he might have said or done after being captured and previous to meeting Shiori, he'd already attacked navy personnel in their escape from the underground cells. For all intents and purposes, he would be a criminal whether he escaped or not, and as long as he associated with the merchant's crew, the marines would consider them all to be on the wrong side of the law. If he escaped with them, Caim would likely be issued a bounty, which would no doubt draw dangerous types to seek him out and claim the money on his head.

He wouldn't be able to go with his crew if he wanted to protect them from such risks.

Shiori's green eyes glanced from the merchant captain, to Caim. He was so resolute, willing to do whatever he could to protect the people he cared about. She wondered if he'd even thought about what he would do after leaving the merchants 

"Join my crew," she said suddenly, her tone serious, though her green gaze positively glowed with excitement at the idea. She realised after a half second pause that neither Caim nor anyone else would be able to follow her silent thought pathway and so elaborated slightly.

"I'm a pirate, so being labelled a criminal by the World Government is a given. You wouldn't have to worry about risking your crew," she smiled, making a small motion to the merchant captain at the words 'your crew'.
"Plus, I like you," Shiori added, her expression widening into a small chuckle as she remembered something more.
"And you have all of those promises to keep."

Muttering could be heard coming from members of the merchant crew in reaction to what had just occured... She... She was trying to make Caim a Pirate, surely he wouldn't go along with that, right? Caim made a motion towards the others, one requesting silence, needless to say he was quick to get a response. "If it is what must be done to ensure the safety of the crew... Then I shall, no matter what consequences present themselves in response. In other words... I accept" Caim spoke, clearly resulting in great shock coursing through his crew, the mutterings rapidly changed away from mere muttering to roars of disagreeable responses.

"It's too dangerous". "Stop acting so selfish". "Don't be an idiot". These were prominent reactions to his voice, but as Caim turned his gaze towards them, they became silent. "If i be selfish and stay, there is a high chance that you may die because of it... That I cannot allow, no matter the sacrifice" Caim responded, his tone showing that he didn't want them to argue back, he wanted this to be over as soon as possible.

"Now then, let's get moving, the sooner this I'd over the better for us all" Caim finally suggested, it was clear he didn't want to waste any time... A delay could lead to death if they were not cautious.

Shiori remained silent as the mutterings went through the ranks of the merchant crew. She didn't feel the need to justify herself or her standing to anyone, though she understood the inherent adversity to becoming, or being labelled as, a pirate. In the end, to Shiori it meant that she was free to do whatever she wanted to.

The tawny haired teen couldn't help but grin as Caim accepted her proposal, though clearly the merchants weren't all that thrilled with his choice.

The young pirate moved over to Caim and reached up to wrap an arm around the taller man's neck in a friendly gesture, turning her gaze back to the freed merchants.
"You guys won't have to worry either," Shiori grinned at the now quiet merchants, "As his new captain I promise I'll look after him, though I don't think he'll need it."

Shiori attempted to assuage some of worries that they might have. They were Caim's friends and shipmates after all, it was only natural to be concerned for him, especially since they didn't really know anything about Shiori other than the fact she was a self proclaimed pirate and had some pretty decent kicking power.

Breaking contact with Caim as he suggested they all get moving, she hop-skipped cheerfully back towards the hole she'd made in the wall on her way here. 
"We'd better go find Ackee's captain then," she commented, aware that the battle sounds from outside weren't letting up.

"We'll need to designate a location to rally with C team and the merchant crew if we are to pull this off. Someone also will need to go and alert those who have taken the Armoury to the plan" Caim spoke, once again using solid logic, he didn't intend for anyone to be left behind or for this to fail. He walked after his new Captain, resting his left hand on Murasame's hilt... He was ready to get this done with, no matter the cost.

The merchant crew tailed behind them at a distance, most still seeming shocked and verbally uncomfortable with what had just occured.

"You found the armoury?" Shiori questioned with a grin, glancing back at the helmsman briefly but not stopping. Caim hadn't mentioned that detail previously, presumably because of the distraction of reuniting with his crew.
"We should head there first then! Ackee's group will need their weapons back!" She reasoned, hopping through the clear, but winding pathway of broken walls. She hadn't realised quite how much damage she'd done in the moment, but at least it left no questions as to which direction she'd left B Team in.

Ackee and the rest of the B Team were a little closer than previous, having stolen more temporary weapons and continued on their designated path despite the knowledge that C Team had claimed the armoury. They had promised to help find Caim's crew and Ackee wasn't about to break his word.

Shiori spotted them at an 'intersection' created by her and the lieutenant's reckless wall breaking. She quickly switched paths and she called out to them as she jogged over, cupping her hands around her mouth to make her voice travel further down the corridor.
"We found the crew! C'mon we gotta get your weapons back and get out of here!" she grinned, pointing behind them, back the way the group had come to get her point across.

The group looked confused for a moment and halted as Shiori caught up to them, some moving to the side as she approached. She needed to tell them the plan before they could move on and so scanned the group before her green eyes rested on Ackee's familiar scarred face.

"We've gotta pretend they're our prisoners otherwise they won't get out of this free," she explained briefly, extending her gaze from Ackee to the rest of the pirates around her, attempting to communicate her determination to make this work.
"Can you do that?"

Her tone wasn't of a commanding nature, but rather a genuine request; a question to which she awaited the answer.

After a short moment of comprehension and a glance to the merchant crew gathered behind Caim, Ackee nodded hesitantly.
"Are they alright with this?" he asked, his question mostly directed to Caim. Having been a pirate for a long while, he was well aware of what other people thought of them and didn't particularly want a whole boat full of enemies who got the wrong idea from this plan.

Caim let off a faint sigh and followed after her, ensuring that the Merchant Crew were following close behind, weither they agreed or disagreed with his voice he didn't care... It was the best option available to ensure there safety. For now he remained silent, quietly listening to the whispering amongst the Crew... Some of them still didn't understand... It took quick explanation from the Captain to silence them.

Caim slowed down to a stop upon the group reaching B team. He waited quietly, allowing Shiori to quickly explain the plan, to which he merely nodded along, there was little need for his input at this moment in time. As Ackee questioned if his crew was fine with this, he did have somewhat of an understanding to his inqusition... Pirates typically weren't seen in a good light.

"They already know why I'm doing this... I've openly opposed the Marines and thus will likely be viewed as a threat and liable to acquire a bounty. If I stay with them I'll just be putting in further danger. This way I can get away from the Marines while also clearing their names in the process... I don't care how badly I get viewed due to this... The true duty of a Helmsman is to ensure the safety of the crew, no matter the cost" Caim responded to Ackee, technically speaking his logic was solid, it appeared he'd already considered this heavily.

Ackee glanced from Caim to the merchant crew and back again, before he nodded, looking back to the tawny haired teen who had requested it in the first place.
"If that is what needs to be done, then so be it. We could surround them as if we're preventing them from escaping," he suggested, "If we get into a fight they'll be safer that way as well."

Shiori nodded to his idea, eager to get moving before something could wreck the plan entirely. She could hear the sounds of cannon fire outside increasing as the outer walls of the base were blown apart, allowing a direct clash between marine and the main Stag Pirate fleet to begin.

When the groups were organised, they moved on ahead once more. Shiori lingered nearby to Ackee, who needed Caim's directions to reach the armoury without any unnecessary detours.
As they turned a corner the sounds of gunfire suggested that they were getting closer to the front of the base.

"Captain Kennard must be really tearing it up out there," one of the B Team commented, catching Shiori's attention briefly.

"What does he look like?" She asked suddenly, directing the question to any of the Stag Pirates who were willing to answer.

As the only one that had already been to the Armoury, Caim in this case was at the front of the group, quietly leading the way towards it, him retracing the steps he'd taken to reach B Team. The sound of gun and cannon fire was easy to hear... Those Pirates must be causing chaos out there... Good, that'd keep the Marines off of their backs. Considering that the path back was relatively Linear it didn't take long to get back to the small corridor leading into the Armoury.

Caim took a moment to go further ahead, glancing to the three Unconcious Marines on the floor... They couldn't be much of a problem. Ironically those three woke up at that time. They carefully looked around, as soon as their gaze rested on Caim they panicked, quickly backing away... They seemed terrifying. Caim merely smirked at this, slightly pulling his blade away from the sheath, the metal of it becoming visible. They panicked and shrieked, quickly sprinting away, shoving their way through the group... Their fear was easy to detect.

"Cowards, a little steel and they run away" Caim chuckled, finding some amusement within their cowardly behaviour.

"Uh I guess he's pretty tall..." a nervous Stag Pirate commented, not elaborating further as he was distracted by the shrieks of the marines that Caim had scared away. It didn't seem to matter to Shiori either way as she quickly skidded to a halt with a nod to herself as she gained an answer, turning to the wall nearest to where the brunt of the firing sounds were coming from. Swinging her leg around without missing a beat, she kicked a small hole through the wall. It was large enough to duck through and the tawny haired teen poked at it briefly to make sure it wouldn't collapse on her before stepping over the edge and into the next room.

"I'm going ahead!" she called back through the hole, grinning over her shoulder with a wave. Some of the Stag Pirates looked at her in bewilderment as the innocent wall was destroyed, not stopping to pay much attention as they were still on their way towards the armoury.
"You guys catch up when you're done in the armoury!"

Ackee heard the shout and also came to a brief halt, confused as to the tawny haired teen's intentions along with majority of the rest of the group.
"Where the hell is she going?" he asked, perplexed.