There was a loud splash as the anchor hit the water, dropping down to the bottom of the bay. The pirate ship sat in the docks of the largest town of Tortue.
The dark-haired Captain smiled to himself as he looked upon the large town. Tortue, of course, was a Pirate's Haven – every town was inhabited by Pirates, or indeed those who catered to Pirates, whether out of a relationship to pirates or out of a desire to make money in a 'no questions asked' kind of way.
As such, he could already spot a couple of places to drink just on the main street leading into the town. Likewise, many other pirate ships sat docked in the bay – all with their own Jolly Rogers. If there was any place in West Blue where they could avoid the Marines, it was the island of Tortue.
Baldric smirked and turned around, looking towards his crew. As always, Kai sat by his lonesome by one of the railings, refusing to speak or acknowledge anyone. Baldric didn't have to worry too much – so long as Kai still needed him, he wasn't going anywhere. Sakura was finally taking a rest inside while her granddaughter, Madoka, was staring at the town with a look of fascination while Alyona watched with her.
Taking a step back, Baldric folded his arms and sat himself down upon the railing of the ship, his eyes focused on his crew. Raising a hand, he snapped his fingers to get their attention.
"Alright," he spoke, watching as Alyona and Madoka immediately took interest. Kai merely opened an eye and glanced towards him. "Now that we're here on Tortue, we've got some things to do. I've got my own business, but if we're going to continue sailing this sea, we need supplies".
"I guess I'm getting the food then," Alyona remarked aloud, placing her hands on her hips. "Mind if I get some clothes as well? These aren't exactly a good fit..."
"Oh, I wanna go too!" Madoka chirped up. "I mean-".
"I'm not risking your grandmother coming after me with her sword," Baldric denied her request. "Even if you went with Alyona".
"But I wanna go!" Madoka remarked, frowning. "I'm not an idiot, you know".
"But you are a brat," the Captain responded flatly, with a resolute tone that made it clear his decision was not up for debate.
"Madoka," Alyona spoke up, resting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "If you want, I can bring you back some nice clothes. Would that be nice?"
Madoka sighed, nodding. Alyona looked back to Baldric, who was already turning around and climbing up onto the railing of the ship. Turning his head to glance back, he spoke.
"Just an FYI, don't waste too much time. We might not have to worry about Marines, but we are surrounded by Pirates," he told Alyona right before jumping down onto the wooden docks. Nodding in understanding, Alyona opted to walk down the gangplank onto the docks rather than jump, leaving the vessel.
Watching from the ship, Madoka saw the both of them walk down the main street before splitting off into different directions. She sighed before looking back to Kai. She was glad she'd gotten her grandmother to lie down and rest after all she had done, but now she was bored. And unfortunately, the Fishman didn't seem to be the type to want conversation. It didn't stop her from trying, though.
"So... Um, your name is Kai, right?" she asked, a brow raised. The Fishman said nothing, merely grunting in response. Madoka took it to be a yes. "Have you... I mean, are you from the Grand Line, like obaa-san?"
The Fishman grunted again. Madoka sighed, turning away. It seemed unlikely he was going to even give her a word, let alone a sentence in response. But as she looked out across the docks, the young girl began to notice something. She looked between the Jolly Rogers that flew from the ships' masts and the emblems painted on their sails. Every ship had its own Jolly Roger, yet every ship seemed to display the same skull-and-crossbones on the main sails.
The symbol was a large skull with a sort of metal plate in its head. Behind the skull was a typical crossbones, but to the left and right of the skull were blue lightning bolts that were mirrored images of each other. No matter where she looked, every single ship in the dock bore the same image. The only exception, of course, was the ship of the Knightfall Pirates. Madoka could only wonder – to whom did the skull and crossbones belong?
The young Pirate Captain walked through the city with the confidence of someone who knew exactly what they were doing. He didn't need to look around or ask directions – he already knew the town like the back of his hand. After all, this wasn't his first time conducting business on Tortue.
Wherever Baldric went, he could see all manner of thugs and Pirates who were either at each other's throats or staring him down. A few familiar faces here and there, but none that he considered important as he continued to walk.
He turned down around a corner, stepping across the cobblestones and down a back street that somehow looked more unruly than the rest of this Pirate's Haven. Perhaps not coincidentally, the street also smelled much more strongly of booze and vomit. He made sure not to breathe through his nose as he continued to walk.
Baldric's pace began to slow as his head turned, spotting a figure on his left. He cast a smile as he raised a hand in a small wave, watching the older man.
Said older man stood outside a bar, his body clad in a black suit with a black tie and a black fedora that sat upon his head. His hands rested atop the hilt of a katana, which he kept in front of himself like a cane. His face was angular and he possessed a head of greying hair with a similarly grey, bushy mustache.
The man seemed to recognize Baldric immediately, taking off his hat as he gave a curt nod of the head while Baldric approached.
"Julius," Baldric remarked, smirking as he walked towards the older man. "Didn't think you'd come all the way out here yourself..."
"We have much business to discuss, Baldric," the older man replied as he placed his hat back on his head. "But before we discuss matters of the Maestri Family, perhaps we should get a drink. It has been a while since I've gotten to speak with you like this".
"No wonder people regard you as the face of the Maestri Family," Baldric spoke, chuckling. "You're the only one I've met with good manners".
Julius gave a wry, knowing smile as he took one hand away from the sword he held and gestured to the bar behind him. Nodding, the young Captain walked inside, followed close behind by the old man. The door shut behind them.
From across the streets two surly men watched, their faces set in deep frowns as they looked upon the bar. One of the men, a bald, tattooed man, shifted a little as he pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket and slipped a cigarette into his mouth.
"He's been here a couple of times before," the tattooed man spoke as he pulled out a lighter. "The kid with the scar. Baldric".
"Every time he comes, its always someone of the Maestri Family. Aren't they situated in the Grand Line?" the other man queried, folding his arms. "Kid's gotta have big connections".
"Yeah. Not every day you see Julius Maestri outside of the Grand Line," the bald man spoke, taking a few moments to inhale. Removing the cigarette from his mouth he breathed out smoke. "Better tell Eisenkraft".
The other man smirked, chuckling darkly to himself as he continued looking at the bar across the street.
"Sorted"
Alyona walked through the streets of Tortue by herself, with rather less certainty in where she was going. It hadn't taken the young woman too long to find a grocery store, which meant that at least the food shopping was done. However, she had much less of an idea where to find clothing.
She'd been lucky so far – at the very least, she hadn't run into trouble. But at the same time, it didn't make her feel too comfortable. Everywhere she went, she felt like she was being watched – and not just by a single person. She noticed all sorts of people watching her, though she tried not to make it obvious that she noticed. Far too many sets of eyes were resting upon her, and it was attention that Alyona certainly did not need.
So she attempted to ignore it – to push it to the back of her mind. So long as she told herself that it was nothing, all of those staring eyes – watching her, judging her – they wouldn't matter. Of course, this in itself presented a problem. If she couldn't exactly trust anyone here, it also meant she couldn't exactly ask for directions to the nearest clothing store.
For a short while as she walked, she ran into no problems. Although she still found herself almost going in circles trying to find a store, nothing impeded her. But then she began to hear footsteps – in itself, not an odd thing to hear in a street during the daytime. But these footsteps were following her – several people, in fact. Alyona focused forwards, not stopping for a moment as she hoped whoever it was would just leave.
Understandably, she almost jumped when a hand placed itself on her shoulder. Alyona turned her head, spotting two men who positioned themselves around her. One was large and fat with a shaved head – he was the one with his hand on her shoulder. The other had brown hair pulled back in a ponytail with a goatee and possessed a much leaner figure.
"Lost, girlie?" the bald man spoke, a brow raised. Alyona frowned a little, shaking her head.
"No," she told them. "I'm fine".
"'S alright, madamoiselle," the lean man butted in. "Nothin' ta be ashamed of. Must be new here".
"I'm fine," Alyona insisted, pushing the large man's hand off of her shoulder. "I can find my way myself".
"Maybe," the lean man remarked. "But it jus' wouldn' be righ' for us two gentlemen to leave a pretty lady like yerself to walk around such a dangerous neighborhood...".
"I can-" Alyona started before the fat man cut her off.
"Oh, I know," the fat man spoke. "I bet yer jus' nervous, 'cause ya think we want some cash fer the job, righ'?"
"We'll help ya outta the goodness of our 'earts, 'onest!" the lean man interjected. Alyona attempted to step back, but the fat man put a hand on her shoulder again, gripping tightly.
"'S okay, girlie," the fat man spoke, grinning. "If ya don't wanna pay with money... Well, you've got a lot more meat on yer bones than most girls, but we don' mind, do we?".
Alyona could hear the both of them snickering. The brown haired woman tensed, her fists clenching tightly. She felt like she had a noose around her neck, but she fought against the feeling. She didn't have to stand here and take this. She-
-Watched as the first gunshot knocked the lean man off his feet. Alyona could only gape in astonishment. The fat man suddenly released her, turning around as his face twisted in anger. But the moment he had done so another gunshot went off, causing the fat man to stumble back.
Alyona stepped out of the way as another gunshot hit the man, causing him to stumble and fall onto his back. The back of his head hit harshly against the cobblestones as he fell, knocking him unconscious. The large woman stared as both men now lay on the ground, knocked out cold by the gunshots. But caution overtook her soon as she turned, holding her arms up defensively as she was just about ready to move.
Only, the shooter wasn't shooting any more.
Alyona stared at the young man standing a couple of feet away. He was clad in a pair of dark trousers and a white dress shirt with black suspenders, over which he wore a black suit jacket that was buttoned closed and a black tie. He was a handsome young man, lacking any scarring or blemishes – unlike the majority of people on this island. His hair was a dark brown and combed neatly, whilst rectangular-framed glasses sat on his face in front of his blue eyes. Upon his head rested a black bowler hat.
On his left and right hip were holsters, and in his right hand he currently held one of his two pistols – a six-shot revolver. He smiled gently, as if to tell Alyona not to worry as he lowered his pistol and began to re-holster it.
"My apologies, miss," he remarked cooly. "Rather unfortunate, really. Some men simply don't understand what 'no' means. Or perhaps they simply choose not to care...".
Alyona stared, unsure of what to make of this man. He carried himself in the manner of a proper gentleman, yet it was obvious there was a bit more to him than simple that. She looked back down at the two men he had shot down, raising a brow as she began to notice that neither of them seemed to be bleeding.
"Rubber bullets," the man explained, apparently figuring out what Alyona was thinking. The large woman looked back up at him, curious.
"You... Who are you?" she asked.
"Ordinarily, one offers their own name first..." the young man spoke, giving a polite nod as he tilted his hat towards Alyona. "You may call me Marcus, however. Might I know yours?".
"Oh," Alyona spoke, giving a nod of her head as well. "Alyona. You didn't have to step in, but... Well, thanks, Marcus".
"A pleasure," the young man spoke, smiling wide. "Do you require any further assistance?"
"Well," Alyona started, a little hesitant. "I was hoping to find a clothing store".
"Not a problem," Marcus responded with a smile, gesturing down the road with his hand. "Simply follow me".
Author: Well, now we get to kick things off with the Tortue Arc and the introduction of two new characters - Julius Maestri and Marcus. Hope you liked this chapter!