The waves of the sea washed gently against the beach. To him, it was probably one of the most calming things he had witnessed all week. It gave him peace at mind. Kumadori was always the oddball of the cp9 members. You'd never actually be able to tell he was an assassin just by being around him. Of course, that was probably the point. Ironically, he stood out pretty well still. Long flowing hair, and tall height was different itself. Not to mention his face paint was pretty noticeable. Its a miracle nobody realized he was a member of cp9. Perhaps they did notice...but you don't exactly want to out an assassin unless you want to be on the hit list. "This should fill my belly as well as bring in a pretty penny", Kumadori shouted as he used his flowing hair to sift through the water. With his hair control he easily managed to catch several snappers, as well as some oddly shaped fish he had never seen before. As of recent he had become a fisherman who sold fish to the markets in order to pay for his housing.
Not too far away from the dock, there were several ships, with a few passengers on them staring over at Kumadori. "Is that Kabuki man fishing with his hair", he asked.
"Not the weirdest thing I've seen today honestly. Keep your eyes on the one in the sky! The flying dragon", a man said. He looked to have a shuriken in his hair...but on closer inspection it WAS his hair shaped in the style of a shuriken. Very fitting of course since they were the Ninja pirates. They were targeting what they saw to be a dragon flying in the air.
"I cant let them catch me again! I wont be a slave", the flying dragon said. She glared down towards the pirate ship with the intention of securing her escape, and took a deep breath!
"What is she doing", a man asked.
"Who cares!? Blast her out of the sky!"
Kumadori momentarily ceased his fishing after the sounds of yelling interrupted. He was easily able to tune in on the on the commotion. "Oh? What is all this about...wait a moment", Kumadori said before gasping. He stared up into the air, and saw a dragon flying around in the air. "Such grace! The form! Truly a beautiful sight! Like the stem that complements a rose, it complements the sky in the same manner. He was mesmerized by the form that flew directly above him.
The dragon released a green flame down at the ship impacting it and setting it ablaze like a match jumping into hay. The pirates on board yelled and ran around the ship, trying to put out the fires! "Firing now", one of the men said, as he held up a contraption that had a silver star on the barrel. Within seconds, It fired a grenade. The swirling flames on the ship, made it hard for the dragon to see the incoming danger, and she was unable to get out of the way in time. The grenade hit it...knocking her out of the sky. Kumadori gasped at the sudden impact.
"Bullseye!" The dragon fell out of the sky and straight into the water in front of the dock.
Kumadori stood up quickly, pulling up several fish, and a string of seaweed with him. "Oh dear! What kind of demon would blast such a beautiful creature out of the sky", he asked as he directed his vision over to the ship. "Hm? What monster would blast such a cannon at one of natures rarest creatures!? No no no! There is no time to think...that creature has fallen into the water." He extended his mane again into the water. This time he was fishing for something other than fish.
"Look! I think she fell over there at the dock by that weird man! Quick, get her before she drowns! She wont be any use to us if that happens", one of the pirates yelled.
After only a few seconds, Kumadori felt his hair grab a humanoid like object. "Aha! It seems I've found something! Heave Ho", he yelled as he pulled out the object. After a close examination, it wasn't the dragon he saw before. It was a human female. Her long brown hair was drenched in the sea water, and her green jacket was sticking to her body. Even her glasses were dotted with drops of liquid...and yet...Kumadori still saw the same beauty.
The woman slowly opened her eyes, to see Kumadori standing just above her, cradling her in his hair. "W-what? What happened?" She frantically looked around, before it all came back to her. She was under attack!
"Unhand my prize you fool", the shuriken haired man said. He was dressed just as a ninja, staying true to the name of the pirates.
"OUR prize! Stop being so selfish, MORTAN", another one said as he two came up.
"I dare say! Thats quite the interesting hairstyle you have. Truly a marvelous feature", Kumadori said, seemingly impressed with the man's hair.
"You think so? Well, I don't mean to brag, but it is pretty g...HEY! You idiot, stop trying to distract me! We blasted her out of the sky, so now she's ours.
The fallen lady scowled at the odd hair shaped pirate. "I don't belong to ANYONE", she said as her figure changed. She became the dragon the Kumadori saw earlier.
"Oh my! The lady has turned into the dragon! It must be the power of another Devil fruit. The ones like Lucci, Kaku and Jabra have used!"
"Exactly! They may not be worth as much as the fruit itself, but they're still pretty worthy as slaves...and you...you were moving your hair all weird like earlier. Were YOU using a devil fruit? If so, then you'll add to the haul!"
"Hmph! NOONE shall take my hair into custody! Nor will you capture such an amazing muse." The lady blushed at this. Who was this man with the pink tinted hair? "If you want my hair so bad, I shall give it to you! Come to life", Kumadori yelled as he stomped. His hair swirled, and extended over towards the ninja pirates.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing!? Put us down", Mortan shouted. He and his assistant were entangled and strung into the air.
"Yoyoi! Feel the power of my hair! Behold, the strength of my of training", Kumadori yelled as he tossed the two into the water!
"Wow! That was amazing! Thank you for your help, the dragoness said as she turned back into her human form."
"No need to thank me. I was simply stopping those two pirates. Hm...but I suppose that wasn't discreet. Oh no! I promised the others I would not cause a scene. I've failed them...I'll make up for it by taking my life. Seppuku!" Kumadori pulled out a small blade, and aimed it at his stomach He tried to impale his belly, but as per usual he accidentally activated his iron body, thus foiling his own attempt at Seppuku. "Oh bother! I cant even die right."
"Hey hey wait! There's no need for that! Calm down ok? My name is Gurin. What's yours?"
"I am Kumadori, the lion man!"
"Because of the hair, right? Its really nice by the way. I was flying away from those guys. As you heard, they try to enslave devil fruit users. Did you...fish me out of the water with this", Gurin said as she held a few strands of Kumadori's hair in her palm. "How do you make it move like that?"
"After many long years of training, I can pour life into any part of my body. Particularly my hair. Im glad I could help you." Kumadori examined her closely. His one eye paying close attention, while the other remained closed.
"What is it? Is there something on me...other than this gross sea water?"
"No its not that. I have three other friends who can change form like you. It makes me miss them so" Kumadori said as he began to tear up.
"Oh you mean my devil fruit power? I ate the Ryu-Ryu-No-Mi fruit It's the model dragon mythical Zoan fruit. It lets me turn into a dragon. Hehe, you probably think im a freak huh?"
"Oh no! On the contrary, I think it was quite the beautiful sight. I cant understand why those pirates would want to attack you. Even for something as petty as beli!
"From what I heard about this island, they come here frequently to search for people like me. I've only been here for a few weeks."
"I'll escort you home in case they come back. Its the least I can do."
"Oh you don't have to do that! You were in the middle of something right?
"I was fishing, but I've already caught plenty for dinner", he said as he held up several fish. "It was at that moment, that Kumadori's stomach growled. "And not a moment too soon it seems. Would you like some?"
"Im not big on fish. In fact I'm more keen on vegetables. There's plenty of those back at the place I am staying at."
"I say. Are you staying at that hotel as well. I haven't seen you there...then again, there are many hotels here. I believe each of my friends chose a different one for...reasons."
"No. I live in a cave", Gurin replied with a smile.
"Oh! You mustn't talk about yourself like that, maiden." It would appear Kumadori didn't quite understand.
"No, I mean an actually cave. Its one of the safest places for someone like me. Come on, I'll show you, its on the other side of the island."
"The island is so big. It might take a while to get there."
Gurin giggled, and transformed back into a dragon. "Not a problem for me. Hop on please."
Kumadori hopped onto her back. She was big enough to carry him, and a few others if she needed to. "You can get us there faster by flying?" There was no response. Gurin continued smiling, and lifted off into the air. The sudden burst of speed surprised him, and almost caused him to fall off, but he kept his balance. In only a few seconds, the ground became much farther away, and so did the people on it, even beginning to look like ants. It was a beautiful sight. A very welcomed thing considering the last time he was this high in the air, it was because he was thrown by that "monster from the pits of hell" that couldn't stamp out. This flight was one of delight and not of defeat. He was truly amazed. Gurin could tell this as well, and it made her smile.
-
"A cave? Who would have thought it would be so home like", Kumadori said as he gazed at the cave.
"Well its always home when you have to actually live in it. I've grown use to it since I often lived in them even before I came here."
"Hm. Well it must be easier than having to make a living? I only wish I could take refuge in something so peaceful. Look! Even the fireflies dance in the night! How sweetly their fluttering tells of stories they have seen with their tiny bug eyes, Kumdori said as he took a stance"
"Wow! That's a beautiful thing to say! Where did you come from anyway", Gurin asked.
Kumadori knew he couldn't tell her the truth, lest he wanted to let his fellow ex cp9 members down. The best thing he could do would be to make up something on the spot. "I am but a noble fisherman, who came to this island in hopes of selling fish!"
"Really? Have you ever thought about performing at the island theater? I mean you're already dressed for the job", Gurin said as she snickered.
It was true! Kumadori was pretty much already wearing the Kabuki makeup. All he needed was a change of clothes and he could fit right in at a theater. "You mean they have theaters here? Why has noone told me of such a thing? I suppose maybe if I had asked...I would gladly lend my talents for entertainment! I have done it before."
"Have you now? I figured as much."
"Allow me to entertain you, as thanks for inviting me to your lovely home", Kumadori said as he began to dance. Gurin found the strange man to be quite funny. At least he wasn't bad like those pirates from earlier. They would more than likely not give up anytime soon in pursuing her and any other devil fruit users, but it was of no concern right now. If they came back anytime tonight, she would drive them off. Plus, Kumadori would not allow them to attack again. Gurin couldn't help but stand up and dance as well, and it was fun. Way more fun than she had in quite some time. There's no telling what time it was, but it really didn't matter. Kumadori didn't go home that night. By the time they were done dancing, they were worn out enough to sleep where they were. Inside of the cave in the forest. Gurin had given Kumadori inspiration for the next phase of his new life...and hopefully with her help it would be a glorious step...
In the middle of the night, on the other side of the forest. Fukurou laid awake, just outside of a library.