Earthquakes and Raine
The air was thick and the tension palpable, for this night was cast in utter darkness, the very moon too frightened to show itself. The only illumination came from a man almost seven feet in height, his skin black as coal. But, his eyes shone a fiery red as tiny cracks splintered all over his solid physique, slivers of deep scarlet peeking through. As no words were spoken, the sound of this massive man's fists clashing against each other resounded throughout the silent night, accompanied only by the whipping winds that raged on.
While he continued smashing his fists together, the cracks on his skin growing larger and more numerous with each powerful impact, a deep, guttural laugh emanated across from him. The source was a man almost as large but with his size almost completely localized to his round belly and solid, brawny arms. As the tempo and intensity of the first man's fists crashing together increased, the cracks on his skin extended to the ground in the form of extensive fissures splintering and expanding on a grand scale, geysers of boiling steam and rushing magma bursting forth. Meanwhile, the second figure's boisterous laugh never once faded or waned as - one by one - with a flick of the finger, a miniature twister formed around each digit giving him five on each hand.
The two sides gathered power and focused their energies, preparing for a final clash. The first man brought his earthen fists apart, holding them there for an extended period, while the second raised each of his beefy arms up and behind him, bringing them arcing forward - ten vicious tornados following in their wake - just as the first slammed his fists together with earth shaking force. Tornados crashed down on the first figure, the destructive winds drilling into their target with unimaginable power, at the same time the first man released an almost primal roar and a huge, scorching fireball exploded outwards before the earth violently ripped apart, rocketing towards the second in a blast of rock, magma, and scalding vapor before the destruction spread out through the entire area as if set off by a bomb within the Earth's core. As each attack powered forward, the area exploded into a massive ball of earth, wind, and fire that lit up the night sky for miles and caused destruction such that the landscape would never be the same again.
"And who might you be?"
"That's of no concern; what's important is what I can do for you." Raine spoke confidently; she was dressed in a hip hugging, pinstripe skirt suit with her long hair tied up into a classy side ponytail with the bottom portion wrapped up and tied around the ponytail as she addressed a group of beautiful young women dressed in sleek and expensive, yet highly revealing, outfits. "My boss is looking to expand," she added after the apparent alpha of the group, an alluring brunette in a strapless pink and black dress with strategic cutouts and barely there length, harumphed at Raine's boisterous claim.
"And why should we care," the attitudinal woman replied with arms akimbo.
Raine remained admirably composed in the face of this woman's flagrant disrespect, and she responded without missing a beat. "Girls in your industry know what's going on. At least if you're as good as advertised, that is." Raine's slight didn't go unnoticed, and it had the intended effect, poking at the girls' pride in their skill as well as any lacking confidence. "It's no secret at this point that BMF is missing two workers and one of its top caretakers. The question is why. If it really was a gang of pirates like the rumors suggest, either BMF's name is losing credibility or ya'll are paying the price for enemies that aren't yours. Either way, BMF isn't protecting you.
The BM tramp stamp may have joined them, but these women were a far cry from the corner hoes of the Lower West Side. Just being able to scrap wouldn't effectively protect them from someone stupid enough to aim that high. And, while those tattoos were meant as a clear warning, there was little else that could promptly be done should that warning not be heeded.
"I know for a fact that the main culprit for that attack wouldn't dare commit such an atrocity against one of Sangre's brood," Raine offered, presenting a problem and solution in one smooth layout. Each of the women's expressions changed at that. Word of the assault on the Black Mafia Family and their top moneymaker had begun spreading across the top dogs of the island already and pillow talk would ensure these girls knew whatever there was to know in due time. But, info about the culprit(s) wouldn't be a part of that; Raine had spread that little rumor herself. If the perpetrator didn't fear reprisal, there was surely no haven for the lowly whores in their employ. Plus, the higher tier escorts (such as these girls were) would surely be prime targets should order not be restored in time due to the high demand and value they bring from the more illustrious clientele.
An expert strategist, Raine used that opportunity to push her point home. "Girls of your esteemed level, especially, deserve the superior protection that only Mr. Sangre can provide." Raine let a glint of satisfaction cross her lips in response to the pensive expression each of the women wore. Man or woman, Raine could manipulate them expertly, a skill she had to master early in life to survive. She had these women in the palm of her hand and she knew it. But, pushing them further in that moment would serve no positive purpose; time was the only catalyst needed to bring them around at that point. And, in that vain, Raine handed the alpha female a professional looking business card with the logo of the hotel her and Shaad were staying in and a false name before parting from the group with the words, "I'll be in touch," just as a few well dressed, amorous young men headed their way, no doubt to request their company for the night.
"Be safe," Raine offered, gifting a coy smirk to the attractive man at the head of the little gang as she passed by them on her way out the door.
The man paused for a second, his eyes following Raine out the door before he and his went to engage the fine women at the bar in subtext-ridden conversation. It was a game that both sides played professionally, unbeknownst to them that they were all now merely puppets on Raine's elaborate strings.
Raine meanwhile went to several other locations she'd extracted from invested third parties where she found even more of the BMF's prostitutes and petitioned them with the same offer, each coterie of girls as receptive as the last by the end of it. She'd done what she needed to do; now it was up to Shaad to take care of things on his end.
Shaad banged the heads of two men larger than him together and let the bodies fall to the floor as he stepped aggressively through the double doors of an otherwise nondescript locale, approximately half a dozen men in total on the ground behind him. As he stepped into the establishment, nearly every eye in the place immediately landed on him and a big, burly dude in a black muscle shirt and loose fitting jeans was quick to impede his path, scarred arms crossed imposingly. Shaad lifted his gaze from the chiseled torso to the man's scowling mug glaring at him with one eye, the metal eyepatch clamped in place of the other only serving to bolster said intimidation. Shaad's left hand slowly reached back to the hilt of one of his swords, but before any further action was taken, a voice called from across the room.
"Stand down," commanded the lone person who had yet to look Shaad's way, a man seemingly more focused on his next billiards shot than the young man who'd just barged through the door.
Shaad complied, as did the large man standing in front of him, before turning to greet the man who'd spoken with a nod of recognition. "Big G. . . How have you been?"
Big G simply continued to line up his shot a few seconds longer, taking it and banking the eight ball into the side pocket. "My win," he declared, standing erect and finally looking toward Shaad. "Can't complain. What can I do for you?"
"Raine and I will be leaving this island in a few days," Shaad informed.
"Not surprising; I heard you two had gotten into a spot of trouble. Need help securing a ship out or something?"
Shaad had had his suspicions, but that remark confirmed them. Even though, word of the assault had surely spread among the most connected people of the city, nobody outside of the Black Mafia Family should have known he had anything to do with it aside from a few patrons at the brothel he attacked. But, none of them would've gotten a good enough look to tell the full story later on anyway, not that he figured they'd live long enough to tell if they did. "Na, I was hoping to utilize your experience."
"Ha, I ain't never heard it put like that," Big G laughed as he motioned for his partner to rack 'em. "Makes me sound old." Shaad was about to offer his apologies but G waved them off before they even left his mouth.
"You've been in the Grand Line and all around these waters," Shaad began. "I figure you know where the strongest fighters usually reside."
"You looking to avoid those places," Big G inquired.
"Not exactly," Shaad offered. "I'm hoping to be able to stop at a few."
Big G released a hearty laugh at that answer. No matter what sort of deals he may have had going in the background, this young man interested him, actually reminded him of himself in a few ways (not that he'd ever let something as minor as that get in the way of business). "I can think of a few."
Shaad was unsure of what was going through G's head after that. The gangster stayed quiet for a long while after that, focusing on his game of pool instead. While he did occasionally open his mouth to trash talk or vocalize his disappointment, it wasn't until halfway through that he spoke to Shaad again. "There's Ein Archipelago, Frulynt Island, and the Disappearing Atoll to name a few, but I'd stay away from Mammoth Cay if I were you. And, the Brawlin Strait may be of interest to you. It's just an offshore stop-over, but a good fight is easy to find there if that's what you're looking for."
In the time it took Big G to list off those places, he went on a bit of tear and knocked in the rest of his balls and sunk the eight ball before laying his stick on the table and demanding, "Pay up."
The man he'd been playing pulled out several bills from a thick fold and laid them in G's hand with a defeated groan. "You're pretty good," Shaad commented after the second straight win by Big G.
"Oh, you play?"
"Haven't in a few years," Shaad answered truthfully. "But, I know the rules."
"Care to step in then?"
"Sounds like fun, but I'll need some time to warm up 'fore I even think of putting a bet down," Shaad prefaced, seemingly unsure of just how rusty his skills may have gotten after almost four years.
"Then how bout best three out of five," Big G gladly offered.
Shaad pretended to mull the offer over momentarily before answering with a wide smile, "Sounds fair. What's the ante?"
"You're the challenger. What did you have in mind?"
"Well, if I did happen to win, I'd just squander money, so how bout that chain around your neck? Shaad wore an almost predatory smirk as he pointed to the gold chain replete with a diamond encrusted 'OG' letter pendant made of white gold.
The pensive expression Big G wore as he fingered the heavy chain around his neck was exactly the reaction that Shaad had been aiming to elicit. Shaad waited with that same challenging stare as the rest of the pool hall looked to Big G for his answer. There was really only one answer he could give and after a few seconds silence, he gave the answer Shaad fully expected to hear. "Sure, I'll put up my chain. But, can you match such a bet from your end?"
Big G offered the response as a bit of provocation, looking to force Shaad to back out of the bet he'd first proposed. But, Shaad defied expectations with a wager that none expected, especially Big G. "How's 15,000 beli sound?" Shaad could sense Big G preparing to try and overvalue the over the top piece of jewelry, but that was promptly ceased as Shaad finished his offer. "And, Raine will serve as the center stage dancer at Paradise for two nights before we leave," he finished, eliciting a bit of surprise from even the stoic, unflappable Tiny standing off to the side in the usual attire.
Big G had to catch himself before he openly salivated at the very real possibility of the illustrious Raine dancing at the center of his flagship nightclub. That alone would bring in enough money to cover three such necklaces once word (and pictures) spread. While G was momentarily speechless, though, there were a few men in the bar who had not yet seen Raine and thus couldn't fully appreciate the full value and implication of Shaad's wager. Those who had been at Paradise the night of Raine's drunken escapades tried to explain to their clueless compatriots just why it was such a big deal, but. . . A picture is worth a thousand words, and seeing Raine saunter sexily into the stale beer smelling pool hall with a briefcase in her right hand, her generous curves and long, luscious legs on full display in the low cut white blouse she'd paired with a sinfully short denim skirt, the clacking of the inconceivably high stilettos on her feet resounding throughout the silent room.
Raine looked as if she'd stepped straight out of almost any straight man's fantasy and into that dull room - where she certainly seemed to have no place - and each patron stared accordingly, with unabashed hunger and lust. Big G jumped at the stakes before Shaad had time to realize just how much he'd potentially been had for, getting the recently defeated man to rack the balls while the two competitors got set. Shaad, though, seemingly paid none of that any mind as he turned and greeted Raine with a warm smile that hid his own forbidden desires at just how incomprehensibly, jaw-droppingly sexy Raine looked. "Glad you made it," he stated, accepting the briefcase and opening it on the pool table so those around could clearly see its cash contents. "How'd you find me so fast, though?"
"I simply followed the bodies you left lying in the streets, wasn't hard," she answered smoothly after greeting both Tiny and Big G with a kiss on the cheek, the kiss to Big G allowing those behind her to catch a brief glimpse at the underside of the firm and supple globes of her round ass as she bent over to kiss the shorter man, knowing full well what she was doing as well as the effect it had.
With everyone so thoroughly distracted, no one saw the wink Raine aimed at Shaad - though they probably would have thought nothing of it even if they had - and Big G was caught slightly off guard when Shaad said to him, "You bust first."
"Huh? Oh, of course." Being a man fully deserving of his station, Big G recovered quickly and admirably well, his thoughts aligning enough a few shots into the first game for him to say to Shaad, "I meant to ask why you decided to knock out so many of my men."
While Shaad could have answered with a remark about needing to find G's location (which would have been at least partially true), he chose a response that intimated more of a casual threat. "A bit of friendly warning, that's all," he declared coolly and nonchalantly, a small smile on his face as he mouthed the rest. "Show you that an attack on me (direct or indirect) brings about heavy loss on both sides. . . I could've always killed them, after all."