Exposed
Shaad had been perusing around the active city for going on three hours, and it was starting to get dark, the beautiful moonlight glow blanketing the lovely city as it settled down for the night. He'd yet to find any sign of Raine, but truth be told, he wasn't looking all that hard, having stopped to get new clothes, instead of the jacket he'd stolen earlier to get inside the restaurant, detoured into a book store, a novelty shop, and a market specializing in old school accessories of all kinds from jewelry and shoes to particular suit of armor made from a special metal compound with gold trim and inlay plus sparkling green sea king scales sewn into the shoulder and breast plates along with the shin and forearm guards topped off with seastone sprinkled into the knuckles, elbows, and any other part that could ideally be used offensively. Not to mention the manicure he dropped in to get at a fancy boutique in the center of the shopping district. All in all, Shaad left the shopping district with a couple of books, two new rings- one a plain reinforced, studded steel band and the other a gaudy emblem of a golden lion with diamond eyes and a flawless ruby in its open maw- and a yin yang pendant with an image of a lovely, graceful angel and a fierce demon coming together at the center in addition to a whole new outfit consisting of a long sleeve button up with a light floral pattern that he only buttoned up halfway and a pair of white slacks on top of jade green and white dress shoes with a faded blue armband to hold his toothpicks. And just like with the restaurant bill, Shaad, who had no money to pay for these things, slipped away in the crowds filling the streets, though in each of these cases he did it when no one was paying attention, sliding out of view without even a whisper. He would've taken the battle suit/ suit of armor as well, but it was held behind two panes of super hardened glass with three surveillance snails keeping watch.
After hanging out in the recreational area of town for a little bit longer, Shaad finally began moving out from the island's bustling epicenter to the spa houses and hotels that were nestled into private little enclaves a short ways away in the middle of lush green topiaries, the greenery expertly trimmed and organized. He still hadn't caught a trace of where Raine might be when he once again got sidetracked, this time by a small, nondescript weapons maintenance store hidden away in the trees. The only reason Shaad was aware of it being the unnatural wind flow in that area beyond his eyesight. Just as he was about to head that way, his curiosity started nagging at him as he heard a quieted laughter from over the almost ten foot walls surrounding a luxurious spa a short ways in the opposite direction of the blacksmith shop. Shaad initially ignored it in favor of going to the weapons store where he actually paid to have his swords cleaned and sharpened, although with money stolen from strangers, in addition to an X-shaped cross sheath, asking for black bands to be attached to increase the sheath's use in quick and effortless drawing of the swords for upside down reverse wielding.
After placing that order, Shaad left his blades in the shop owner's care and went back to the open road where he first heard the hidden chuckles of joy. Upon hearing it a second time, his curiosity got the better of him, and he jumped to the top of the wall, crouching in the shadow of an adjacent tree for cover.
From his perch, the first thing Shaad caught sight of was a group of attractive young women relaxing together in the hot spring, chatting and laughing together. Among them was Raine, the life of the party, leading the other young women in a drunken rendition of a song Shaad didn't recognize. Their slurred speech and the many empty and half empty bottles surrounding the spring showed they had all likely had a fair amount.
Once the majority had forgotten the words in their drunken stupor and the lot of them simply sang what they could remember with no guiding rhythm, Raine stood up, laughing and tipsy. Shaad's gaze lingered intensely on her alluring frame as she bent over to grab a strewn towel. Looking back into the water as she poured herself another drink, she screamed out hysterically, "Eel!" The frazzled women screamed in alcohol fueled terror, their collective outburst shattering the silent serenity of the country night, as they scrambled from the hot spring, each collecting their things and moving indoors in complete disarray.
Shaad's attention strayed from Raine briefly as each of the nude women moved past her to the door. When the inn door slammed shut behind her, he slowly took in the sight of Raine's delectable curves on full display before him. He looked her up and down, savoring every sumptuous inch of her from head to toe. After the third time scanning her body, his eyes locked with hers. The playful smirk on her lips and the demented smile of her eyes was proof enough that she was staring directly at him.
As Raine tenderly wrapped herself in the towel, Shaad was reminded of why he'd originally hopped the fence when a dissatisfied groan from the bushes below disrupted his thoughts. Never blinking as Raine swayed seductively towards him, Shaad could tell what was on her mind didn't at all coincide with what her body was saying. Once she was just before the lush greenery hiding the voyeur, Raine flexed her index finger, sexily motioning for Shaad to come to her.
Shaad snatched the toothpick hanging limply from his mouth and threw it into the voyeur's back with enough force to pierce the boy's spine. A scream worked its way up the voyeur's throat, but it was preemptively muffled by Shaad's foot slamming into the back of the delinquent's skull. Shaad left the unconscious peeper lying there with a mouthful of dirt as he stepped into the open and confronted Raine.
"Like what you see?" Raine asked enticingly, flustering Shaad greatly.
Shaad struggled to explain himself, not once coming up with a complete word much less a coherent statement. After a full minute of useless stammering, he leaned down to pick up and show the creep he'd paralayzed only to be met by a hard knee to his face followed by a solid right cross knocking him to the ground next to the unconscious man.
Raine assaulted Shaad mercilessly, not giving him a chance to defend himself as she rained strikes down on him and pummeled him to a blubbering mess. With his face completely disfigured, Raine lifted Shaad's limp body to eye level and gently pecked him on what was presumably his nose before swiftly stripping him of everything but the pendant around his neck. Raine had focused her beating on his face and now took in the sight of his toned, athletic physique, as naked as the day he was born. She looked the unconscious Shaad up and down with a discerning eye, pausing at his semi-engorged manhood with an approving and lascivious simper, before pulling him in close, softly whispering in his ear, "I show you mine, you show me yours.", before launching him over the fence, leaving him to twinkle like a star in the night as he faded into the distance.
The midday sun, breaking through the curtains and invading the room, caused Raine to stir under the covers, rousing her from her restful slumber. After how much she drank the night before, Raine was trying to peacefully recover from the hangover causing the discomfort in her skull from the comforts of bed. Unfortunately, the sun didn't seem to want to go along with her wishes, and no matter how much she tried, tossing and turning under the sheets, she just couldn't get back to sleep. And with every movement and sound aggravating her pounding headache, she decided to expedite the process and order room service.
"Nakay Resort and Spa front desk." came the answer from the other end of the transponder snail after a handful of rings that only served to annoy Raine further.
"I want to order breakfast." she sounded irritably.
"I'm sorry ma'am but the kitchen is no longer serving breakfast."
"Good," Raine responded, "I'd like gypsy toast, eggs benedict, a cup of fresh squeezed fruit juice, and a coffee, black. Warm honey on the side, please. Have that to Room 24 B in 20 minutes exactly. Thank you."
Raine's voice sounded sweet, but dripping with venom – a thinly veiled threat to say the least. She was in no mood to play games, not the way she was feeling. And, even though the man on the other end couldn't see her face, he clearly felt the breadth of her words, taking time to swallow before responding, "Yes ma'am. Someone will be right up with that."
"Remember; twenty minutes. No more, no less."
"Yes ma'am."
Raine grinned contentedly as the transponder snail receiver was hung up on the other end, hanging up from her end as well before almost falling out of bed. She lazily crossed the room and opened the screen door, letting the gentle breeze caress her skin. Taking a deep breath, she went over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of panties, slipping them on before throwing on a tee shirt and tying her hair up into a ponytail.
After exactly twenty minutes had passed, there was a knock on the door. Raine swung the door open to cease the repetitive irritant, and answered with a sweet smile not reflected in her eyes.
The young boy at the door was clearly flustered by the sight of Raine in nothing but a t-shirt and panties, but he admirably recovered, handing Raine the tray of food with a nervous smile. He stood frozen for a second, prompting Raine to raise an eyebrow. Breaking from his stunned reverie, he reached under his arm and grabbed the paper being held there. "We appreciate you choosing Nakay Resort and Spa, please enjoy this morning's paper with your breakfast."
"Why thank you, handsome. Are the new bounty posters included? I like to stay updated on all manner of current events."
"Yes ma'am; it's in the same state as when the news coo dropped it off this morning."
"The service here is truly wonderful. I'll have to come back again." she commented, planting a light kiss on the boy's cheek. "By the way, where's the usual bellboy?"
"He didn't show up this morning. It's the first time he's ever missed worked."
"Is that so?" Raine absentmindedly pondered as she closed the door behind her. 'I thought that face looked familiar.'
Raine set the food down on a small table by the window. The two dogs tussling in the pristine yard was a beautiful backdrop for her meal. Upon finishing the last bites of the eloquent and light breakfast, she dabbed any crumbs from around her mouth with the napkin, and then picked up the newspaper.
A look of intrigue shone on Raine's face as she read the front page headline, 'Legendary Pirate Slain' accompanied by a picture of the well-known pirate captain wearing his usual black captain's coat and tricorne decorated with his jolly roger. He was surrounded by an eerie green mist which, in combination with his skeletal physique and the slow burn matches sticking down from his red bandana, earned him his epithet, 'The Living Death', but did little to hide the fierce determination and intensity in his eyes or the mad grin nestled beneath the scruff facial hair. His death came as a great shock to the world considering he held a bounty well over 800 million beli and held such immense capability that his strength was respected even by the Yonkou. It was also well documented that he hadn't lost a step despite being 64 years old.
Raine opened the newspaper to the page where the story was continued for greater details. Apparently, he'd been ambushed by a small group of extremely skilled warriors after being separated from the rest of his crew on Vestyll Isle in the New World. The First Mate, Akuma D. Kang, arrived on the scene and slaughtered the already heavily injured assailants. Sadly, each of the attackers was rendered unidentifiable thus it was impossible to figure out who could be behind such a bold move and for what reason. But, one thing was certain, if the World Government were involved in any way it could escalate into an all-out war with the Yonkou, Auron Bay, whom the Living Death Pirates had long been allied with and the two captains were formerly friendly rivals.
It was also reported that Kang would be taking over as Captain of the crew, and he believed the Government to be behind the 'cowardly attack', a claim which numerous high ranking officials vehemently denied. No matter what happened with the Living Death Pirates, this incident was sure to have long running consequences as the balance of the Three Great Powers was fragile to say the least ever since the Red Nights War almost 70 years ago, and the entire world understood just how apt the unpredictable Yonkou's moniker, 'The Volatile Ruination', was and had been ever since his days as 'The Wild Child' with his late brother. Tensions had long been brewing between the Yonkou and Marines since a Schichibukai murdered his brother, and it would only take one small misstep to send the shaky non-aggression they had going straight to Hell. All that was left to do now was wait and see, and hope for the best.
The other stories that Raine found interesting were a report of a big time pirate captain out in North Blue being singlehandedly defeated by a young Warrant Officer, while his Captain was 'indisposed', and a series of attacks that hit much closer to home. Apparently, a couple of towns there in West Blue had been razed to the ground by an unknown perpetrator. Miraculously, no people were killed, though many were seriously injured. The only lead was that they believed the aggressor to be the same person behind the total annihilation of the 173rd branch Marine base which resulted in the death of every Marine present save one, left alive to deliver a message.
Raine couldn't believe what she was reading, and briefly worried that her island might be in danger since that seemed to be along the criminal's path, but her unshakeable confidence in her father's skill pushed such somber thoughts aside. And, with nothing else of note in the newspaper, Raine began skimming through the stack of bounty posters included to see if anything piqued her intrigue.
"Loser. Who cares? About time. Another monster." she rattled off while rifling through the bounty posters. 'Pirate Casanova' Florus? Too much of a pretty boy for my taste, but if this bounty's any indicator then 'Jeweled' Kewl found himself another gem." Raine continued to flip through the remaining posters, commenting more on looks than danger levels or possible impact by the end of it.
Her mouth went agape, hanging open in shock, as she gawked at the final bounty poster featuring a picture of what appeared to be a young man behind a haze of smoke and dust with a smart black fedora shadowing his features. "Well, fuck me long, fuck me hard. I don't believe this."