Just when I say I won't do another SYOC, I'm pulled back in.

Not that I mind :) I love SYOCs. Contributing to them and making them! So, after some encouragement from a friend, The Amazing Blue Fox, and some recent events, I decided to that I wanted to move forward with this. I'm gonna try it out and try and see it through.

Cross your fingers and I hope you like the first chapter.

Chapter 1 - On the Hunt.

"They call me a wolf… A snake… A sheepdog… I prey, I sneak and I herd… These things are true about me. Three reasons to hate me." - Egret Landa.

September 13th. The Midnight Hours.

The city of Damascus in the South Blue was a large, bustling place of both business and leisure. Large, towering buildings and quaint small houses and larger apartment buildings scattered all around. The central city was the busiest, while the outer layers of homes and small businesses presented the leisure. Being neighbors, it was a good mix. It was lively to say the least. At the very center was a massive coliseum, a dome made of large squares of metal. While it looked like an unstable monstrosity from the outside, it was the single, strongest piece of architecture in all of Damascus, capable of withstanding the chaos that went on inside year-round. Pirates and Marines alike went there to settle disputes, as the city's police force didn't tolerate that kind of destruction. If it wasn't a dispute, it was a full-blown war-like tournament held every year that Marines, Pirates and all came from wherever to participate in.

Falrow, one of its many bordering islands just a couple miles away from the coast, is where it all began. While it was one of Damascus' smallest bordering islands that wasn't all that appealing to the eye, it was famous for its many bars and the fact that it's one big red-light district. It made it quite the attraction for Pirates, Marines and normal civilians alike. A bit of shady business was nothing new - Drugs weren't hard to come by. If you were looking for a good time, in the form of booze, a party or a partner for the night, you didn't have to look far.

In the middle of the night, the town still didn't sleep. Neon signs made it as bright as day in the right areas, and far too bright to sleep even in the wrong ones. Scantily dressed women stood on the corners, smoking, bathed in the light of the neon signs that illuminated the streets and alleyways. Hoots and hollers filled the air, as did the smell of smoke, booze and drunken laughter.

Casually walking down the rather empty street were two that were more out of place than they appeared...

The taller of the two of them was Egret Landa, a man standing a little over 6 feet tall. He was dressed in a dark blue greatcoat that reached his knees with a high collar that reached the underside of his nose, left unbuttoned. Eight golden buttons stretched down the length of one side of his coat, half of which were buttoned over his chest. A thick black belt with a simple, silver square buckle was around his waist. His pants were black, and the ends were stuffed into his brown boots. A split went up the back of his coat to his waist and the lower half of his coat lightly fluttered around his legs in the light breeze passing through the streets. A dark blue flat top hat was on his head, his curly white hair peeking out from underneath along the sides and visible from the back, going down to the middle of his neck in the back.

His hands were stuffed into his pockets

Mai Rose, a girl of no more than seventeen, and significantly smaller in comparison to her male partner, standing at 5'3" with a petite body. Her greyish-blue hair short, stopping just above her eyes, long bangs framed her face and her hair fanned out in the back reaching the middle of her neck. A white hair band stretched over her head from one ear to the other and it had four vertical slits in it.

Her eyes were red like rubies and glowed under the neon light. as did her pale white skin. Her long-sleeved dress was a matching red and stretched to her knees, where her black boots began. A black scarf with short red tassels on the ends was wrapped around her neck and cover her shoulders.

In stark contrast, the object she carried on her back was almost twice her size and loosely wrapped in blue cloth, but well enough that it was completely hidden.

Mai took in the sights around them, completely lost in her own fascination with the many lights and all of the different people when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder that stopped her.

She turned to look up at her partner, and his tanned face was illuminated by the neon sign of the building he was looking at.

"We're here," Egret stated. He and Mai stopped outside one of Falrow's many bars. It was a two-floored building comprised mainly of wood. It was simple-looking, rustic with wooden swinging doors for its entrance. He straightened his coat and then grabbed his shorter companion by her shoulder and led her off to the side. He took the wrapped object off of her back and leaned it against the building immediately to the bar's right, the wood creaking under the weight, and he sat her down.

"Now," Egret said, crouching down a bit so that he could look her in her ruby red eyes, "What are you going to do?"

"Sit here. Wait. If you have not emerged after twenty minutes, I am to enter the establishment. If you are nowhere within my immediate line of sight, I am to search for you. If you have not been found within a twenty-four hour period, I am to assume that your status is deceased and I am to report this after forty-eight hours after your disappearance so to give you ample time to reemerge should you still be active."

She was quick to reply, every word was in her same monotone and he nodded along. It was exactly what he had told her to do, word for word, though she said it a bit more intelligently.

"Perfect," He said walking past her. Just as he placed his hand on the thin gap between the double doors he paused and looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "…" He said nothing. Mai sat there looking straight ahead, her hands folded in her lap. She hadn't blinked once or even acknowledged him during the ten seconds he stood there.

Egret entered the bar.

The smell of stale smoke lingered in the air, and actual smoke gathered at the ceiling, forming a thin, grey sheet of killer smog. The stench of sweat, the salty sea air and the sweat of a hard day's labor and being out at sea for far too long, and the booze-ridden breath in the air assaulted his nostrils. Any normal person would have vomited by now if they had just caught a whiff of it all from the outside, he was sure of that.

Hands in his pockets, he walked up to the L-shaped bar, lightly brushing against a few of the bar patrons on his way. He heard a few grunts and mumbled curses in his wake, but he didn't spare them a second of time. He sat himself down on one of the stools between two muscular men who were large enough to nearly invade his space. Sparing them brief glances, he could see that they were twins. Shaved heads, the same jawline, though one had a short beard while the other was clean shaven.

Egret tilted his head forward ever so slightly and tipped his hat by its brim. Peering from underneath it, past his curled bangs, he looked around the dimly bar. There were dozens of unsightly people scattered throughout. He could see two large groups, one gathered around a female dressed in blue, all of them sporting the same Jolly Roger somewhere on their person, and the second group was gathered around a single male, taller than all of them, laughing loudly and chugging his booze from a mug that his large mitt was wrapped around almost completely.

Another group was gathered around a woman who didn't look much older than himself. Light blue hair cascading down in light waves, framing her pretty face and rather ample cleavage. She had a nasty scar going down from her right shoulder that marred one of her breasts and it disappeared under her dark blue corset that she wore.

He saw potential all around.

He made his way to the bar and sat himself down one of the few empty stools, which happened to be between a couple of large individuals with shoulders so broad and arms so large that he had a bit of a time trying to sit down, being not so small himself.

He heard them both grunt at the same time and he smirked. Glancing to either of them, he took in their appearances. Both of them had oblong heads and square jaws, the only defining facial differences were that the one on his left had a thick mustache that went to his jaw line and the one of his right had mutton chops, despite having a shaved head like his twin.

Then he saw the tattoos. To his right, he saw 'Bull' in black and to his left he saw 'Bison' in red.

'Wonderful...' Was his train of thought at the moment, 'I get to deal with the cattle brothers.. Sigh, at least it's for a good cause,' That was his reassurance to steel his nerves for what he was about to do next. A glass of water was set down in front of him and he grabbed it. In one quick motion he spun in his chair and and smashed the glass object in to Bison's nose, a sickening crunch mixed in with the sound of the shattering glass and the splashing water.

Egret hopped out of his chair and hopped forward. The stool he had just been sitting in was shattered and the wood shards were scattered throughout the bar.

Egret turned around and was greeted by the sight of the brothers up from their stools and facing him, and looking none too happy.

"Ya piece a shit!" Bull growled out. Bull, the mustachioed brother and Bison, the brother with mutton chops, turned in sync and popped the knuckles of their right hands and then their left hands.

"Yer gonna pay for that… with blood!" the Bison followed up. Blood was leaking from his nose ironically enough after his brother's attack, but he didn't seem to mind at all. Egret took his thoughts as fact when Bison fixed his own broken nose with a few sickening cracks. He wiped his blood spattered hand across his face, streaking it with bits of blood and he growled.

Egret took a step back. All eyes were on him, waiting for his next move.

He smirked.

"I'm quaking in my boots…" He said as he feigned fear, bringing his hands up and pretending to cower before their anger. The two brothers growled, gritting their teeth and veins popped up on their foreheads. The two of them took a single step forward, and Egret's hands shot behind him.

"He's got pistols!" One man on the male Captain's side shouted and many shot up from their seats.

In a flash, Egret withdrew a pair of wood and metal flintlock pistols and took aim at the twins…

Click!

He pulled back both hammers. Tables shook and the legs of chairs grinded across the wooden floors and glasses fell over and were struck together. A symphony of chaotic noise filled the bar and then all went quiet. Several of the bar patrons were tense, hands behind their backs and at their sides and wrapped around the handle of their own pistols. Others hand their hands firmly wrapped around the hilts of their swords. They were ready to attack at any moment…

"Good reflexes," Egret complimented them all. Instead of keeping both of his weapons trained on the twins, he spread his arms open and pointed his flintlocks toward the two Captains. Their respective crews stood up in their defense, and the two Captains narrowed their eyes at the man who dared to threaten them. The woman shouldered a modified flintlock with ornate designs and a longer than normal barrel. The male Captain shouldered a weather-beaten cutlass and his lips warped into a sneer.

"Do it…" The man said.

"If you've got a death wish," the female added.

Egret chuckled and he tipped his head forward to hide his eyes and his expression under the shadow of the brim of his hat, "… Let's rumble!" He exclaimed suddenly.

Bang!

"You've returned," Mai stated bluntly, watching as Egret exited the bar at a jogging pace. Just as he turned toward her, a man was sent flying out of the window, narrowly missing Egret.

She took a moment to watch the bar through the window. It was a sea of people, tangled limbs and thrashing bodies. They were throwing punches and kicks if possible, flailing wildly to hit anyone that they could. Cutlasses were being held aloft, held off by one or several people so that a deadly blow could be struck. Several hands brandished pistols and they too were held back, some were forced to fire up at the ceiling. She could see a woman dressed in blue and a large man at the center of the crowd pushing people aside, being drawn in to fights briefly and delivering a blow or two to end it.

Mai turned back to Egret, looking at him with her same even expression, "Was your venture successful?"

"Not really," Egret sighed, "We're moving on. Be quick about it." Mai nodded her head without any objection. She wrapped one arm around her large item as she passed by it and lifted it on to her shoulder without issue and jogged after Egret.

Several people burst through the front doors of the bar, tearing off portions of its front wall and the brawl poured out on to the streets. The two Captains jumped out of the fray, knocking away anyone near them if that person happened to be a member of their respective crews.

"Damned bastard! Destroying my drink like that!" The male growled, slashing at the air once out of sheer frustration, "That was perfectly good rum… Gone to waste! Ahh!"

"My clothes are soaked…" The woman murmured, giving off an air of rage that she was not expressing outwardly. She tugged at her corset and huffed. Many of the men on the ground scuttled away out of terror.

The two of them whipped their heads back and forth, looking in every direction possible.

"He won't get away!" They shouted in unison. They turned to face one another and they nodded their heads in silent agreement.

"What is your next plan of action?" Mai asked, running alongside Egret. The white haired man kept his eyes forward and his hands stuffed in his pockets. He didn't reply, "Angering those pirates have lessened your chances of a successful search by a slight degree, though they were not ideal from the beginning."

"I know what I'm doing," Egret replied, "I've done this twice before… It's worked out in the end."

"I was informed of your previous record – Several hundred thousand belli in property damage from both escapades in the previous years. Several dozen civilians were hospitalized," Mai said this and Egret merely snorted at the fact – He wasn't denying it, "Successful, yes. But, the probability of yet another venture, with the same actions being taken, being successful for a third time -"

The girl with the ruby red eyes was silenced by a hand covering her mouth. Egret did so without breaking his steady pace. He cleared his throat before he spoke, "Why fix what isn't broken? Savy? Understand that? Nod your head…" Mai did just that. Whether she was following his orders or she truly understood, he did not know, but he wasn't too keen on taking his hand away at the moment. The silence was very appealing to him.

"I know what I'm doing, okay?" He said and Mai nodded her head again. Egret opened his mouth to speak, but looking ahead for a moment he didn't and instead stopped them. He took his hand away from Mai's mouth and he placed it on her back, gently leading guiding over to a place near the bar, "Stand there. Don't move."

"Is this our next destination?" She asked, taking in the appearance of the bar. It was relatively the same as the last, save for the color of it and the inside was different as well.

"Indeed it is. I shouldn't be long," He told her before entering the bar. Mai watched his movements from the window, a few patrons giving her odd looks all the while, but she didn't react. He walked up to the bar and sat himself down at the far end, leaving very little of him visible. She saw no movement for a short time before the bartender approached him…

Mai murmured to herself while she watched, "Enters bar. Observes surroundings, searching for possible candidates and weapons in the case of an emergency – knowledge of one's surroundings is vital. Waits to be approached…" She stopped as the bartender poured an orangish liquid into a simple glass, "Orders non-alcoholic beverage as to avoid inebriation and lower chances of impaired judgment."

The large man Egret had seated himself by moved his lips, "Intoxicated patron judges and insults him, followed by a sudden witty retort and then attack from the bar patron," The man turned his head and his slack body language tensed then. An arm clad in green swung and the glass in their hand shattered against the back of the larger man's head, spilling the contents on to him, "Incite skirmish. Avoid initial attack…" Egret came into view as he fell back and rolled just as the larger man swung, aiming to hit Egret from behind. His arm passed over Egret's nose.

Mai watched as an unknown patron was sent flying over the bar counter and crashing in to the wall. "Agitation. Incites the rage of other patrons, using their intoxication to his advantage in order to better assess skill sets…"

Egret stood up and kicked one table over, spilling the food and drinks on to some of the pirates sitting there and knocking two the ground. The large man attacked and Egret was quick to grab a chair and swing, smashing it against the man's shoulder with enough force to knock him over. Others were rising out of their seats, their bloodshot, blurred and angry sights set on Egret.

"Inebriation of other bar patrons lowers chances of assessing their true skill. Seemingly not a hindrance, but a real factor. Initial success chance seventy-three percent, adding this factor – chances reduced to sixty percent," Mai stated as she watched all hell break loose. Egret was lost in the sea of bodies as the brawl broke out, "Chances of second outing success steadily decreasing..."

Egret burst through the doors and several pirates were on his coattails. He made a swift turn around and took a single step back when one of his opponents lunged at him with a sloppy, wild punch. Egret placed a hand on the man's back and gave him a light push that sent him face first into the dirt. He winded the second with a punch to their gut, and took off his hat before headbutting the third in the nose. He fell to the ground holding his nose and swearing like the sailor he was.

"Later, fellas, hope you don't meet me on the open seas!" Egret said, giving them a salute and then the bar just as the brawl spilled out on to the streets, "Let's go, Mai!" He called to her on his way past, no bothering to stop. The girl with bluish-grey hair didn't mind. She stood up, straightened out her dress and grabbed her item before taking off at a sprint after him.

Catching up to him, she gave him a curious look, "What's with that look? I got something on my face?"

"… Are you going to follow the same procedures as your previous two attempts? If so, at this current rate, your chances for success will decrease more and more, and it is only a matter of time before you are recognized, then the fighting will start before you start it."

"Is that all you have to say?" Egret asked.

"For the moment, yes."

"Do you remember what I told you before? My question that was my answer?" He asked.

There was brief pause, and Mai said, "Why should I fix what is not broken? Those were your words, but I must -" Once again she was silenced by his hand covering her mouth.

"You're here to observe. If I want your statistics, I'll ask. If I want your opinion, I'll ask. Understand?" Mai didn't make a sound, nor did she move at all, "Nod your head, Mai," Egret told her and she nodded her head, "Good."

He took his hand away, but he wasn't welcomed with silence, "I apologize if I am annoyance to you, but my primary objective is to observe and to make sure that operations go smoothly. I am merely offering you my analysis of the sit-"

"You don't get to talk anymore," Egret stated bluntly, placing his hand over her mouth for a third time.

The Second Attempt...

"Aaaaaah! - Ow!" Egret screamed as he was thrown through the bar window and out into the open street, scaring some of the prostitutes and drunken civilians lumbering around in the night. He rolled to a halt and stopped on his back, sprawled out and staring up at the black, starless sky while chaos ensued inside of the bar.

Mai appeared in his field of vision and leaned down. She opened one of his eyes wider and his eyes shifted toward her, "Responsive," She said at that moment, letting him go.

"It'll take a lot more than that to do damage to me," Egret told her as he stood up and dusted himself off.

The fight started to spill out on to the street and several people went for Egret, and were dispatched quickly.

"Will we be moving on?" Mai asked, delivering a straight punch to a taller man's chin as he tried to attack her. He was knocked on to his back.

"Yep," Egret replied, jogging away.

A little later...

"Aren't those the pirates from earlier, Captain Egret?" Mai asked. She and Egret had taken to the roofs when the mobs of people angry at Egret started to join together on their hunt for him. They had been cornered and stopped at nearly every turn and forced to change directions. She and Egret were currently sitting on the edge of one of the tallest buildings in Falrow, a five story building directly in the middle of the island.

Egret tipped his hat and squinted. He could see the same Male and Female Captain's from the first bar leading a couple dozen pirates down the street.

"...Yep," He replied.

"Should we take action? If they persist then your already dwindling chances will take a substantial drop… To zero percent, Captain," Mai stated.

"Cut it out with the Captain stuff," Egret said, slightly annoyed. Would she ever stop?

"I… apologize," Mai said after a short pause, "I did not think you would mind so much going by your official -"

"It's not official. Call me Egret, call me Landa, you can call me some stupid nickname for all I care…" He stood up and shoved his hands in to his pockets, "But don't call me Captain, got that?" He glanced down at Mai, and she stared back him with that same unblinking gaze he had not grown used to…

It was becoming a bit creepy now.

Mai tilted her head a bit and she asked, "What is a… nickname?"

Egret sighed and he motioned for her stand up, "We'll talk on the way," He said to her. Without another word Egret walked to the edge of the building and jumped off. Mai calmly walked to the edge and saw Edgret waiting for her on a rooftop below, very few pirates in the immediate area.

Mai took a moment to look toward the horizon. The sun was slowly rising. She jumped down as well.

September 13th. Before Dawn.

"Egret, sir, I must inform you that you're very rapidly approaching the point of no return – The percentile I previously mentioned that will ultimately lead to your failure before you attempt to execute your plan."

Egret sighed. He bowed his head and tipped his cap, "Mai… C'mon now…"

"I am only trying to assist you, Captain," The monotone girl replied.

"Don't call me, Captain… Not right now," He snapped, glaring at Mai from underneath the brim of his cap, his red peeking through the shadows that covered his eyes.

He sighed and his demeanor quickly changed, "And trust me. They say the third time is the charm, too," Egret said with a smile on his face. He gave the girl a thumbs up and flashed a reassuring smirk.

Mai stared at him with a blank expression. She said, "...You are correct in your use of the phrase, but I doubt two failed attempts will have any effect on another independent va - Mm…. Mm mmphm mmm?" Mai was silenced by Egret's hand being clapped over her mouth, and all of her words turned into muffled nonsense.

"Just… Just wait out here. I'll be right out," Egret told her. He took his hand away and Mai opened her mouth to speak.

"No!" He said, leaning down so that he was eye to eye with her. He put his finger to his lips, "Okay? I'll be right out. Don't talk to any strangers. Don't go with any strangers. Don't say another word, okay?"

Mai stared at him, unblinking. It was slightly unnerving…

"I am… confused. You tell me not to speak, yet you ask me a question I am meant to answer. Is this…" Egret grabbed Mai by her shoulders and led her over to a nearby bench and sat her down. He groaned out of frustration and he turned on his heels.

"I'll be right back!" He called back.

"I try to be optimistic and then I just get statistics…" Egret sighed.

Egret stuffed his hands in to his pockets, put on his best sneer and stepped in to the bar.

The bar certainly had a cozier feel compared to the rest. The smell was just as bad - Stale smoke, old beer and the musk coming off of the men and woman Pirate patrons. But, nonetheless, Egret did find it comfier. Red was the theme here, as far as he could see. Red cushions on the bar stools, dark red tables so they were easier on the eyes and dark wood chair and a lighter brown floor. Simple wood walls covered with random wanted posters, old and new. A little patchwork here and there.

Egret stood at the door, hands in his pockets and head bowed so it was harder for the rest to see his face. From underneath the brim of his hat, he could see the rest of the patrons. They weren't the rough and tough types from the rest, they were shadier looking - Suits, sunglasses. Guns were on the table beside stacks of Belli. He received sidelong glances and scowls, which he took in strides.

For now, he didn't see anyone promising.

He slowly approached the bar, making sure not to bump in to anyone on his way. He sat himself down on an empty bar stool with his back to the counter.

"What can I get ya?" The bartender asked. Egret turned his head. The man was rather tall, a stubbly beard around his square jaw. Dull, black eyes and black hair cut short that

"Water's fine… Thanks," Egret replied and he heard a snort before he heard footsteps moving away from him.

Egret tipped his hat a bit, "Bartender… Scratch that. I'll take a couple of bottles of… Ya got sake?" He asked.

"Here," The bartender answered, setting down two long necked bottles and a short glass for him. He looked at Egret with narrowed eyes, "Take it outside, Landa," the man told him sternly. The bartender grabbed Egret's shoulder with his tattooed hand and squeezed, "Whatever you're planning on doing, you had better Take. It. Out. Side. Got it?"

"Heh. Sure thing, Sho," Egret replied. The bartender nodded and went to serve the rest of the patrons. Egret popped the cork free from one of the bottles and poured himself a glass. He sipped from it. He didn't go through his normal process.

He didn't need to.

The lights in the bar flickered.

"Ah, damn…" He heard Sho curse, "Freakin' lights..."

The lights flickered out in front of Egret and darkened most of the couch area across from him. Some people stumbled out of the darkness. Egret sipped from his drink, set it down on the counter and he looked to the darkness. The lights flickered on and flashed. There was still one person there, sitting directly across from him.

The lights went dark once again. Egret slowly reached for the open bottle, despite the liquid still in his glass. He smirked…

The lights flickered on once again and this time he saw a glint…

"Smart… You've been waiting…" Egret said. He raised the bottle and a grin spread across his face as he said, "Come at me then!"

And End of Chapter 1.

Mai Rose - The Amazing Blue Fox

I liked it. I thought it was an alright intro chapter. I am Accepting OCs. 7 Crew members and, at the moment, indefinite numbers of the Marines. Everything that you'll need to know will be on my profile. I hope it's not too bad, the form... And by bad I mean long.