Wealth, Adventure, and the Open Sea: A One Piece RP.(Arc 4: Porte Carlo.)

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

While Alaena took a look at everything he'd gotten, Hal took that opportunity to have a smoke. "Ah, yeah that'd be great. And after we're done with that, I'll hold up to my end of the deal and help you carry your stuff back. Should go pretty smoothly that way." He said with a grin. It was good to be appreciated for once and to sort of pull his weight on the crew.

He took the papers Alaena handed him and sifted through them, frowning at the contents. "Bounties huh... Yikes! Peter's worth 25 million? That's intense... And you're worth 16? That sucks... Better watch out. Glad my bounty's still pretty... Low...." Hal trailed off as he got to his own bounty and his jaw dropped causing his half finished cigarette to fall out of his mouth. "N-n-nine.... MILLION?! What the FUCK did I do to get a multimillion bounty on my head?!" He hissed angrily, trying to keep himself from shouting and drawing attention to himself.

Around that time, they had arrived at the ship and Peter showed up to greet them. Hal pushed the cart u the gangplank and onto the ship to start unloading, taking deep breaths in a failed attempt to calm himself down. "Uh... It was going good until a little bit ago... I got a box of little tools and parts on this cart somewhere for ya. The rest will come on my next trip back." He muttered quietly, still not taking his new bounty very well.

"Anyway, you probably should take a look at this. Although, you're gonna wish you hadn't. I know I do...." He said, handing the bounties to Peter.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Peter looked at the bounty, looking at it closely. "Damn... we must've pissed someone off. Then again, we were all criminals of some regard even before the incident, beating some of the strongest men in the West Blue. Our names were out there, and we proved our strength. Makes sense to me." He took a couple more looks. "Getting noticed is always the hard part..." he smirked. "Still, I kinda wish they gave me a different nickname."

He could tell by the expression what Hal would react with, and responded before he could speak. "Yes, it's unfortunate, and we'll all be more noticeable, but that's what happens, man. Ever since the regime change, so to speak, Marines have been cracking down. It's only logical that higher and easier to acquire bounties are part of the method to fight piracy after the war."

He looked at the tools Hal handed him. "Just what I needed. Perfect. So, who wants to take a look at the progress made so far?"

 

[CounterAttack]

Marielle had to laugh at Sammi's reaction to the food laid out before her. She understood it, though, as she figured a travelling crew of pirates wouldn't exactly have constant access to such things. She took a whiff of the scents coming from Sammi's plate; the most prominent among them was that of the bacon, naturally.

"Yeah... that does smell good," she murmured before another voice came from behind the counter. "Two stacks of pancakes! One with hash brown, plus a few sausage links!" Marielle got up to collect the two plates, adding a quick, "I'll get 'em," to Yoje who had ordered before her. She weaved her way back through the crowds to the counter, accepted both her plate and Yoje's with a "Thanks," to the guy. Gene, she remembered someone calling him.

Careful not to drop anything on her way back, Marielle took a slightly more careful approach to returning to the pirates' table. The teeming masses around the place didn't exactly help with that: a few times she had to raise the plates above head height as if she were a waitress serving customers. Still, she managed to get to their table without losing anything.

"There we go," she said jovially as she set Yoje's plate down before taking a seat with her own. She immediately got started on her food. From the first bite she could tell that these pancakes were made to a different recipe... and Marielle liked it, more so than those she remembered eating back in Lasklee. "Hm! These are really good..." she mumbled around a slightly full mouth.

 

[GoWithDAFro]

The three of them finished their meal about 25 minutes or so later, and walked out of the restaurant content. "I hope we can find another place like that for lunch." Yoje said happily. "That was some good food. Guess we should find some stuff we can take back to the ship now." He scanned the marketplace before him, looking for food thar could last on the ship without a fridge.

 

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

"Yeah... I guess I shoulda seen this coming when I joined up with you guys. Just didn't think it would be so damn high..." Hal grumbled, still quite nervous about the whole situation. He'd have to go to extra lengths to make himself inconspicuous now or bounty hunters and marines would probably eat him alive. Or maybe I can use that to my advantage... If I'm worth that much, people might steer clear of me. Not the Marines, but small time bounty hunters? That could work.

Hal's thoughts were interrupted by Peter asking if they wanted to see what he was working on. Peter seemed to come up with some cool stuff so Hal was interested. Also, he wasn't exactly in a hurry to get back out there with his new bounty on his head. "Yeah, sure. Let's see what you've been up to with all this stuff I'm bringing ya."

 

[Mr. Omega]

Peter nodded, leading whoever would follow below the decks. There were wires strewn all over the place, with bits of the floor removed. There were small holes that seemed to be where he would be putting the lights. "Most of these wires are going for what will eventually be moving this ship forward. Now I can actually start setting them up properly with the tools you brought me. Had to do some unsophisticated things to get these under the floor..." he rubbed his forearm, shaking a little.

He lead them down to the engine room, showing a large device device. It seemed only half complete, resembling a furnace with no top half and completely hollow, with several valves and levers along it. "Not bad, eh? Got the reserve system ready to go..." he pointed to a couple turbines in the back of the room with a pair of large shells near them. "Those things used to use these to propel my old boats forward. Now that I got a bigger boat, I rigged them up to be a little emergency generator. Not sure what to use it for yet, but it never hurts to be prepared..."

"Now then, I should have the wires set up by around sunset. Hopefully the last of the required gear will be here by then." He turned around to face them. "By the way, could you get Yoje or Sammi back here by about that time? Preferably Yoje. Got a bit of heavy lifting to do and his jumping around in the air could really save me some effort. Now then, you two need to tell me anything?"

 

[NeoAC]

"Hopefully Peter can get a kitchen rigged up together so that we won't have to rely on turkey jerky for an entire voyage," Sammi commented, finishing off the last piece of bacon she had carried along with her from the restaurant. "That was a lousy trip. There are only so many things you can put on turkey jerky to not make it taste like petrified rubber. We didn't have any of them."

As they re-entered the main section of the market, Sammi's eyes scanned the stalls now they could focus on procuring food for the future instead of food for the present.

 

[CounterAttack]

"Blech," was all Marielle could really say to Sammi's description of the ship's meagre supplies. It sounded like this crew needed some decent meals sooner rather than later. "If we do get a kitchen up and running, would someone take charge of it? Or would that position be open for anyone?" she mused aloud. "'Cause I do know a few decent recipes, and as long as there's a good supply of ingredients I might be able to make myself useful."

Of course, it was likely to be entirely Peter's decision on who was running the cooking-related affairs. And since Marielle was the new girl aboard the ship, she figured she would probably have to prove herself in some way before being trusted to cook for the entire crew. Perhaps a demonstration would be needed... the thought was a little daunting, but surely it would be easier than fighting.

 

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

Hal took a look around at everything Peter had done while he was gone. He had been busy for sure, but he still had his work cut out for him it seemed. Hal was by no means an expert on machinery like this, but he knew quality work when he saw it. "Huh... Looks pretty good so far. You sure know your stuff, eh Cap'n? Well don't worry, I'll have everything you need back here by sundown. And I'll make sure to pass along the message if I see Sammi or Yoje." He said, taking his eyes off of the engine and turning back to Peter.

He tried to think if there was anything else he needed to tell Peter, but the bounties seemed like the most important thing he could remember. Besides that, he had had a pretty uneventful day so far. "Nope, I got nothing." He told Peter with a small shrug.

 

[SkyeNeko]

Cecilia sunk her teeth into a piece of cake. It was sweet, and soft. The cafe was pretty sparse at this time. It was her favorite time to grab a quick snack. It was just down the street from the Marine outpost, so it was a good place to stop by on the way to her patrol routes. Her destination was the bell tower... it was a good walk away, but it would be good exercise, she mused.

She took out a few bira and threw it in the tip jar. Never hurt to have good relations with people who you saw regularly. What if they thought she was cheap? That she didn't appreciate them? She stopped and went back into the shop, throwing in a few more coins. There's three of them though... is 80 beli enough for them? Maybe I should add 10 more so it's even... She lingered a little longer, then threw one more coin in and left.

As she walked she moved the gun from her back to her arm, clasping the shields over her forearm. The barrel hung to her ankles, worn, but still a lovely. There were patterns etched into it, but they were almost invisible. Still, she loved it. It was created piece by piece; she still remembered seeing the pieces that laid around the house, wondering how the final product would look. It seemed like so long ago. It had served her well, she couldn't remember the last time she missed. Missed without it being on purpose, anyway.

 

[Mr. Omega]

"Well if there's nothing to say, don't let me keep you here." he smiled, setting down the tools, escorting them both back upstairs. "You two promise to keep out of trouble, ok?" He teased as he opened the door leading outside. "And give my regards to the others." [hr]

A few more hours passed. It was now late in the afternoon, and more people were crowding the streets.

 

[NeoAC]

Sammi, Marielle and Yoje looked to have a good haul. After spending the afternoon in the market, bartering with the various vendors, a wide selection of dried meats, fruits, breads and a couple of kegs of fresh water and other beverages were procured for the crew. Yoje was strong enough to handle the kegs by himself, so the two women carried the rest. It was a quick trip back towards the dock that the ship rested in.

"Hopefully Peter was able to get some stuff rigged up in there," Sammi commented as she shifted the basket she carried the fruit and bread in. "I know this stuff is good for now, but if he can get anything rigged up so that I might be able to have fresh cooked stuff at sea, that will make life a lot easier. Plus then we can go back for some of the high quality stuff later."

 

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

"Hey, you know trouble is always the last thing I want. It just always seems to find me!" Hal told Peter with a grin before preparing to leave again for his next trip. He got all his stuff from the last trip unloaded into the room they'd be using as a medical office and began pushing the cart down the gangplank. Alright, Hal. Just gotta keep cool. Act naturally and no one will look twice at you. Just gotta hope no one recognizes me and I'll be just fine.

After his little mental pep talk, Hal double checked his list again to make sure he knew what all he needed and then continued on back into Porte Carlo. He hadn't made it too far before he ran into Sammi, Yoje, and Marielle, who were apparently on their way back to the ship with the food and beverages they'd got a hold of. "Oh, hey guys! Good timing, Peter was just asking me to keep an eye out for you." He called out to them, glad to see some familiar faces.

"Looks like you've all been busy eh? Good, good... Can't set sail on an empty stomach after all."

 

[Mr. Omega]

Hal and the others went around shopping for the rest of the day, getting various supplies, dropping them off at the ship. It was almost night now, the sun setting and the lights on the street lighting up. Peter was still waiting for someone else to arrive at the ship now that he was ready, Hal and the others still needed to find a Log Pose, and Aleana still needed to get the medical supplies from the outpost.
[hr]

Back at the outpost, the Marines had gathered there. Holik, Cecelia and Hippocrates were still absent, though.

"So you didn't manage to find their ship?" Gezora sneered at Annabelle.
"Shut up! You didn't do any better. I saw one of them, but it wasn't the right time to fight..." She grumbled.
"What, there's one you want to take out specifically?" He grinned mischievously.
"Kinda. The captain ordered us not to recklessly engage them until we have a confirmed position on all of them." She put her boots up on the table, leaning in her chair.
Gezora yawned "Doesn't want them getting the drop on us. Still, they might have left by now..."

Hippocrates walked in, his footsteps echoing in the empty chamber. "Their ship is still here... through a little work I managed to figure it out, and some scouts have been giving me reports every 15 minutes. We don't know how well equipped it is, who is on it and who is still in the city. But the reports we've gotten say they're sticking together. So far, only one is unaccounted for."

"It's the archer, ain't it?" Yezeku shrugged, stretching, seeming as if he had awoken from a nap. "You don't even need to say I'm right..."

"Mind yourself... now once the others get here we can prepare an attack." Hippocartes seemed to ignore Yezeku's attitude.

"Where the hell is that girl?" Anabelle growled. "The old man is probably hobbling down the hallways now, but that rookie has no excuse..."
"Why the hell aren't we just attacking them now?" Gezora got up, stepping up to where Hippocrates was, but he was ignored. "We will wait for Robert and Cecelia. Understood?" he glared at him, and the two just stood there, the room going silent.

 

[CounterAttack]

In the search for things to buy and bring back to the ship, Marielle had wandered off on her own, with the promise to the others that she would be back at the ship at a reasonable hour. She wandered the market streets, occasionally pausing at a stall or shop window that caught her interest.

One such shop was for clothing, carrying a large range of apparel for both men and women: Marielle had giggled to herself at the sight of a maid's uniform in one window, and the idea of her wearing it. On an impulse of curiosity, she entered the shop and asked to try it on, and was pleasantly surprised by the result of her looking in a mirror, though she didn't buy it.

That had been two hours ago now. She passed the clothing store again in her wandering, looking for something that she could consider useful for the ship. Recently she had purchased a small recipe book for travellers of the sea, after liking the sound of some of the meals therein. Having found nothing else she thought useful, the young redhead began to head back to the dock where the ship was anchored. Hopefully she would find one or more of the crew on the way.

 

[tsatoma]

After helping out Hal on his subsequent trips into Porte Carlo for the rest of the supplies on the list, Alaena spent the rest of her afternoon cleaning and sanitizing the medical room. It was a time-consuming process, but one that needed to be done. The sinks took longer than she had hoped to clean up, but once she was done with them they looked only slightly worn out.

When Alaena left the medical room she saw the sun was already setting and the lights of the city being turned on. She headed downstairs into her room to change and grab her weapons for the trip out. Next she found Hal and told him it was about time to head to the outpost. "We're going to head through the alleys to get there. Let's try not to attract any attention at all," she had said when he was ready, taking a few boxes from the food that had been brought on the ship before heading out.

----

The route to the outpost was proving to be a simple trip so far. Only a few civilians were wandering about the alleys at this hour, and most of the Marines were needed around the shops. "If we do meet any Marines we should try to bypass them first, and only attack if need be. Same once we get to the outpost. We don't need any alarms to be raised."

 

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

Despite Hal's anxiety about his new bounty, the rest of his shopping trip was pretty uneventful. He had managed to find everything both Peter and Alaena wanted, for the lowest prices he could manage of course, and had even picked up a few good deals on some trinkets he could resell for profit later. He spent the rest of the day after that in his room, finishing up the notes he was making in his ledger and putting all his valuables away in his new safe.

He had just finished writing everything he needed to when he heard a knock at his door. Alaena was here, ready to set out for the Marine outpost. "That late already eh... Alright, give me a sec and I'll meet you up on deck." He told her before shutting the door. He put his ledger in the safe and shut it for safe keeping then moved over to his weapons. Hopefully he wouldn't need to use any, but he couldn't take the chance. The spear was a bit too big and unwieldy for a stealthy break in so Hal just took the sword. After having a quick smoke to calm his nerves, he met up with Alaena and the two set out for the Marine outpost.

----

Hal followed Alaena quietly through the alleys, eyes constantly shifting and carefully examining each of the dew people the passed. No Marines so far, thankfully... Must have better things to do right now. Man, here I am with a huge bounty and now I'm breaking into a Marine outpost? When did I get so ballsy? Hal thought as he walked.

"Right... Trust me, I ain't itching to get into a fight either. I think I can use Shave to sneak by quickly if I need to." Hal replied, gripping his sword tightly. He would have it ready just in case it did come to that. "Anyway, I get the feeling you're way more experienced in this than I am so I'll just follow your lead."

 

[tsatoma]

The last bit of light from the sun gave way to the bright moon above as Alaena and Hal made their way through the winding alleys of Porte Carlo. A few detours had to be taken due to a crowd of civilians and two marines following a patrol route, but for the most part it was an uneventful trip. Alaena went further ahead to make sure the coast was clear, giving a signal to stay back as another patrol went by. She motioned for him to follow as they went to the windows underneath the infirmary.

Alaena put the boxes down as she took out her knife and went about opening the large window. "Keep a lookout while we do this. I'll hand you the stuff from inside," she explained quietly, lifting the window and hopping into the building. First thing she needed to get were the beds; with those they'll be able to move the rest of the stuff back easier. 'I'd prefer getting more than just two, but I doubt we can control more than that,' she thought, opening the door of one of the rooms and going over to the bed. The bed was easy to move once the brakes on the wheels were off, though it proved a little tricky to steer in the dark. 'Rather have the lights off and have some trouble moving things than have them on and make myself noticeable.'

She lifted the bed up and carefully lowered it down to the street below, doing the same for another bed in a different room. "We'll be using these to move everything. Just place the things on top, and try to secure them as best you can. I'll grab the big equipment first, and then I'll use the boxes to put the smaller stuff in. I'm somewhat tempted to see what they have in the armory, but I don't think we'll have the time to check it out. Shame," she told him before heading back into the rooms to grab more supplies.

 

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

Hal followed Alaena quietly and obediently through the alleys and stayed put beneath the window as she went in to procure the supplies. He did his best to keep an eye out for anyone approaching but that was harder now that the sun had set. Of course, that meant it would be harder for anyone to spot him too but that wasn't really enough to put his mind at ease. Let's see... A patrol just went past so it should be awhile before they come back around. Well, I guess that depends on how far they go before heading back this way... That doesn't help much at all. Hal thought, uselessly trying to figure out just how much time they had as he kept watch.

Thankfully, he was given something more useful to occupy his mind as Alaena began handing things down to him. A bed was a bit more than he was expecting given the small boxes Alaena had brought along, and when she handed down the second one he began to wonder just how they were going to sneak back to the ship pushing two stolen beds full of stolen supplies. "Well, I'm sure she knows what she's doing. Just gotta secure stuff to the beds and book it outta here." He muttered to himself quietly as he arranged the beds side by side and prepared to grab the next batch of stuff she handed down to him.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Gezora and Hippocrate's stalemate was broken up with Hippocrates turned around and upwards. He sniffed once and his eyes narrowed. "Hey! Don't turn you back on me!" Gezora snapped, but Hippocrates just put a hand in front of him "Shush." "Don't you shush m-..." "Will you just shut up for one second, Gezora?!" Hippocrates snapped.

"Is something up, captain?" Anabelle stood up, stretching her legs. "It's probably nothing... new recruits probably..." Hippocrates muttered.

"What's up with him?" Yezeku asked. "It's his powers." Anabelle began explaining. "Hippocrates is practically a bloodhound." She tried not to snicker at her own pun. "We keep this building and his ships very well kept, practically sterilized. He can practically smell people by their blood."

"Well what's his deal? And where's he looking? I've never seen him do this before..." Yezeku just seemed more puzzled. "His powers work far better inside, particularly in an environment like this. He doesn't even let us have an air conditioning here so he can keep an eye... or nose... on us at all times."

Gezora was getting irritated "But like he said, it was probably nothing! So you're still ignoring my point! Why can't we just go after the-..." "Gezora, head to the infirmary." Hippocrates said, still not paying him any mind. "Don't you fucking change the subje-..." "NOW." His voice boomed that time, and Gezora jumped back. "Fine..." He was gone in a flash.

"You really think it's something?" Anabelle asked. "It's better to be sure. And I just need something to keep Gezora occupied for a couple minutes and out of my hair..." Hippocrates groaned at the last bit.