Chapter XII: Planning

Ironwood was, for lack of a better term, furious. There were, of course, various reasons for this — the majority stemming from recent events. First and foremost was the entire part of the goddamn word he was unaware of. While he would never use such phrasing to the public, he felt nothing else was more fitting for such. He, an esteemed general and political figure in his country, studied in foreign affairs for years, was completely oblivious to a section of the world that, according to Ozpin, might dwarf the rest of remnant.

Initially he demanded why Ozpin had not told him sooner. You would think that a section of the planet with a populace to rival any given kingdom would be vital information — and compared to everything else Ozpin had divulged, he felt this wasn't much to ask for. He had delivered these points and many more, almost preparing a presentation for the man out of pure spite. Then came Ozpin's response. That he had forgotten and felt it was trivial — and there was that. He added something about little communication with that side of the world — an explanation as to why he was ignorant of Qrow. That did nothing to quell Ironwood's anger. According to Ozpin, when it came to world changing geography, it was trivial; when it came to a few students going rogue, it was worthy of leaving his position at Beacon.

Let it be known that James Ironwood was not of that mindset. Another, smaller, ire was how Ozpin tried to drag him into this grand chase. He had responsibilities, dammit! Hell would freeze over before a bunch of delinquent students forced his hand into a goose chase around the globe. Yet Winter had agreed.

That was his second greatest anger at the moment. Two of his most reliable specialists were now vacant from their duties. Winter had claimed to have a responsibility to the marines and needed to watch over her sister. He could at least empathize with that. It still vexed him, and he did not see their ultimate goal as worth it, but he could understand. On the other hand, Specialist Clover had disappeared with the suspicious students he was supposed to be watching. Now, Ironwood wasn't one to be overly suspicious, especially of those he trusted. But while Clover had been loyal for years, he had just learned that Qrow betrayed Ozpin. The implications weighed on his mind, but he prayed he was wrong.

Next came the politics. Just like everything concerning his friend, they were always a hassle to deal with, but now he was presented with relations to a new government. While others might have seen it differently, the general would say it had been a shit show. His first meeting with one of their highest ranking men was about recruiting four girls, only one of which was related to his own kingdom. Not to mention the embarrassment of one being missing at the time. Even then, he felt more like a trophy on display than a member of that meeting. It was just a way for Ozpin to show his connections and that Atlas was an ally.

Due to this, he had made the decision to send over blueprints for a CCT tower. Atlas had kept that secret close to them for a long time, insisting on building the towers themselves in the other kingdoms. That seemed hardly possible with the distance and geography of the Grand Line. It would be far too expensive to transport the materials and the men. From there, asking them to provide their own felt rude, so he reluctantly parted with the plans as a means to let them build one on their own terms. Then they had been stolen.

Added to the White Fang, he did not feel ashamed when he pulled the whiskey bottle out of the bottom of his desk. Not for the first time, he dreamed of wishing his troubles away.

There was a knock on his door. After calling them in, Ironwood was met with one of his lieutenants saluting him. "Sir, Adam Taurus is dead." His glass was set gently down on the table. Now, what else should he wish for?


Dove felt like crying. This was more than cruel, torture beyond what should be allowed. Sky was openly weeping and Russel looked numb. Coco, for one, was getting fed up with it all. When one of Sky's louder wails started up again, she smacked the back of his head.

"Give it a rest. You look like a train wreck and only because you don't have any internet."

"Or maybe it's because you forced us to be criminals," Russel mumbled ruefully. If he wasn't staring at the deck of their boat already, he might have diverted his gaze there from the look Coco gave him.

Strutting over to him, she tipped her glasses down. "Then tell me why you were all fine until you lost your bars. Is it really about the whole criminal thing?"

Dove feebly admitted, "Maybe a bit of both."

Coco tutted, tightening the belt of her gray coat and sitting down next to Velvet. The rabbit faunus seemed far too pleased about the situation. When the four arrived to meet her, Velvet had claimed they were just 'help.' Coco wondered if she had confused that for the word 'victim.' On a normal day, she would have been fine watching the bullies squirm, but when she was confined with them for this long? Heads were close to smashing.

It was a saving grace that they were currently approaching their destination. When their boat reached the shore, Coco tossed Russel and Dove out by their collars and literally kicked Sky out. "If you are going to be seen with me, stop acting like this. I have a reputation here, and you three will not be ruining it."

Sky, rubbing his butt in pain, muttered, "So this is the base? It seems — weirdly empty for some sort of terrorist organization." It was dusty, white and brown, and without a speck of green. Rocks spired up, creating random outcroppings that gave the terrain a jagged look.

"We're not terrorists." Coco assured him. They were really starting to get on her nerves with their complaints and accusations.

"There you are. You're late, just like that damned cook." They all turned to see Adam Taurus glaring heatedly. The mask he was carrying in his hand demanded their attention.

"Coco," Velvet whined. "You said this wasn't like the White Fang!"!" She pouted, crossing her arms and puffing her cheeks.

Finally getting fed up with all the arguments and complaints, Coco just marched on. Lazily, she called back, "He's not that bad, just ask him." Team RDL exchanged looks, glanced at Adam, went back to following her like ducklings. Thinking it over, Velvet decided to try it. Maybe not everyone was as bad as they first seemed.

Before she got a word out, Adam growled when she got close enough. "Don't bother flapping your lips, pissant. I won't speak with anyone before the cook arrives." No, her instincts were right. This guy was an ass, and Coco was just as delusional as Velvet thought she was.

Luckily, the terrorist was content standing outside, clearly waiting on someone to arrive. However, while it did wonders for her nerves, the closer they approached the building, some sort of bunker rested in the rocks, the higher her anxiety got. Who else would be here? What sort of criminals would they be facing? A number of possibilities flashed through her mind, but it all came to a screeching halt. It took some time to really sink in, but it made her step falter when it did. A member of the White Fang, occasionally on the news for actions and aggressions toward humans, had overlooked them. Yes, Velvet was a faunus, but she was with four people that weren't. Coco, her very much human friend, was evidently part of the same organization as him! She wasn't sure what to think of that.

Entering the building brought them to a sudden maze of hallways and doors. There were sanctions in the form of large rooms, varying in purpose from lounges to canteens. As they passed, several people greeted Coco. Velvet slowly picked up that each who did commented on her outfit; over half of them then proceeded to comment on the boys' outfits, but in a less flattering way. Finally, they made it to a larger room where a tanned man with a wild mane of black hair sat behind a desk.

As Coco began giving her report, Velvet traced the man's facial tattoo with her eyes. She heard bits of Coco speaking about Ozpin and wasn't too surprised. That was Coco's mission after all. Then her friend started talking about meeting with another agent whose last name was Schnee. From that point on, Velvet could only think about how a White Fang member was working with a Schnee.


Arranged on the floor like a grid, the blueprints were laid out for the Straw Hats to view. The inane idea had been a vote this time, Jaune caving after Blake told him how one-sided and not thought out it was. They won by majority vote, the sane people being in the minority this time. Her only compensation was a guilty look from Ren who said he missed his healthy recipe blogs.

Blake sat and observed. She couldn't have made a more blank expression if she tried. Neo, Ruby, and Ren watched intently in a circle while Jaune pointed, making comments and forming a plan. With the dim light and serious tone, he looked like a general making war plans. Noting how it was never mentioned where they would get the land, materials, or even a builder for the project, she finally went back to her reading. Cardin was lucky, steering The Bucket and being far away from the chaos by her.

Faintly, she heard them mention searching for ads. How in the hell they expected to find anyone willing to build something like that in some sort of advertisement, even ignoring the fact they didn't have the funds, she didn't know.


"Please be reasonable!" The man begged, on his knees with his hands held up. "You don't have to do this!" The woman that towered over him held no mercy in her eyes. They had become an inky depth of blue, suffocating everyone around her. Rather than acknowledge the man, she turned on her heel, blonde hair whipping in the wind while she marched to the front of the ship. Across the way, six girls watched the scene with varying reactions, yet none was sympathetic.

This was war, and there was no other way to put it. The man — no, boy — no, irresponsible child — would pay for what he had done. It seems he forgot what she had taught him. Whatever was going through his head that dragged him out into this chaos, she would remind him that he wasn't too old for her to punish.

"Please, Juniper! He's just a boy!" The man, Nicholas Arc, pleaded.

His wife turned her gaze once more, boring into his eyes. "Dear," her voice was sickeningly saccharine, betraying the look upon her face. "He seems to think he's old enough to be a pirate and a criminal. I think he's old enough to face the consequences of his actions." Somewhere on the sea, her Jaune shuddered in fear.

Nicholas wept for his son.


Sailing to Menagerie without being spotted wasn't easy. It however was not the most difficult feat the Onyx Feather pirates had ever accomplished. Qrow's devil fruit helped them silently pass harbors in the night. Somewhere along the way, Clover luckily happened to sail right into them.

It started getting cramped, so they stopped by the docks of a small coastal town. A large galleon had been docked, elegant dark wood illuminated amber against the night sky. The crew loading it wasn't so keen on parting with it, trying to shoo the pirates away. When Qrow pulled a full keg of mead out of nowhere to pay for it, the crew was intrigued but not sold. The thirtieth was enough to convince them.

While the ship was nice, furnished with purple and gold, it made it all the more difficult to be discrete. Especially when Qrow had their sails and flags painted with a skull and two crossed feathers: their jolly roger. Yet somehow they kept from the eyes of the authority until they reached the shores of Menagerie. Their greeting wasn't entirely welcome, especially with the large pirate flag they flew. Qrow ordered that they stay there and wait, calling for the leader to meet with them.

A crowd was beginning to form, their mutterings becoming like a gentle hush of rain. Stray shouts acted like thunder, and their accusations were lightning. Qrow picked out a few claims that the leader would never meet with them, but he eventually saw the man he sought. Ghira stood above the crowd, like a giant amongst men. He towered over those around him, making him a head floating over a sea of people.

Once he stood at the base of the ship, he shouted up at them. "What is the meaning of this? Pirates coming to my land and demanding to speak with me? Not to mention that flag in particular is an insult to me!" He reacted swiftly, catching the object thrown his way. A bottle of nice sake. Those around their leader could see the realization begin to dawn on his face.

It came tenfold at the voice of the pirate. "Get your ass up here, Black Cat. We don't have all day." The hushed murmurs rose to a gentle roar. Ghira ignored the remarks about the sentence being racist — he knew full well it had nothing to do with being faunus.

His hands gripped the ladder and hoisted himself up. There were jeers and calls from the crowd for him to teach these pirates a lesson. Glancing past the swarm of faunus, he made out his beautiful wife. She was too far for him to really see her face, but he knew the look she was giving him. It was one she had made countless times, and her shoulders, posture, and hands gave it away. There was no doubt she knew what he was about to do, but she was encouraging it. It was just like when he set out to make the White Fang, back when they were meant to be peaceful.

He breached the rim of the galleon and was greeted by old faces he hadn't seen in years. A strong hand clasped on top of his own and pulled him up. It was Peter, who was smiling brashly at him. Leave it to the portly man to be the same as he had always been.

"Got something against the flag?" Junior called over. His sleeves were rolled up around his crossed arms, and he stood leaning against the wall of a cabin. The glare on his face mocked seriousness, but Ghira knew better.

After crossing the deck, he sat down on the steps that led up to the wheel. "I was thinking some cocky upstarts were waving it around to take a ride on its glory. Imagine my surprise when it was just a bunch of no-good bastards on board." Qrow laughed as Peter began preparing for their departure. "Anyways, I'm guessing we're heading off? What should I tell the crowd?"

Ghira's captain, the legendary Onyx Feather Qrow, stood before the masses. His speech was loud, boisterous, short, and was prefaced by multiple drunken sounds. "I want a higher bounty, so we're taking your leader hostage. See ya." The roar of the crowd grew raucously, and the group surged forward. Lines could be seen where soldiers, there to protect the Belladonnas, left trails of parted people. They had only stayed behind in the belief that Ghira could defend himself.

The supposedly captured man walked to the other side of the ship, lest a stray hand try to save him. He was greeted with the brisk air that was once familiar as a home. Whenever he was troubled, the smell of brine was always a comfort.

The thought reminded him. "Hey, Captain. I have something I want to look into." After getting an affirming nod, Ghira went on. "My daughter ran away not too long ago. I'm worried about her; could we look for her?"

Qrow thought for a moment, sipping on his flask. "Now that I think about it, you might not have to worry too much." What Qrow said next filled Ghira with pride.


Blake watched Ruby rouse Jaune for his shift. She had tried offering to take it, but Ruby had been very adamant that just because she was awake, didn't mean she was awake enough to keep watch. Getting up from his sleeping bag, Jaune stretched and groggily walked over to the edge of The Bucket. He had been so out of it that he nearly jumped when he saw Blake's eyes on him.

"What are you still doing up? It's — uh, pretty late."

"I had some trouble sleeping. For some reason, I was thinking about —" She trailed off. It was a bit of a difficult topic for her, but Jaune seemed to recognize that. He just nodded, gave her that goofy grin of his, and turned back over the waters. "I was thinking about my family. Every time I closed my eyes, I would see my father's face."

Jaune's grin softened, becoming almost bittersweet. "I get how that feels. Has it been a while since you've seen them?" Blake nodded; Jaune sighed and slumped forward a bit. "It's not like I ran off in the middle of the night or anything, but I haven't really looked back. I don't think I called home once since getting into Beacon. I — I just got so caught up in everything that it didn't cross my mind."

"I did." Blake's response was quiet. Soft and hushed, but it was heard still despite the wind and waves. "I did run away from home. It was for something I believed in, but now I can see that I was wrong. They were right, and they were just trying to protect me, but I disappeared. I left in the night and I haven't spoken to them since."

"Now that you've changed your mind, why haven't you contacted them?"

Blake softly closed her book and straightened her back against the ship's wall. "I guess I'm just afraid. I'm afraid of what they'll think of me after I scoffed at the hand that was just reaching out to help me."

Blake was surprised to hear a soft chuckling. At her incredulous look, Jaune responded, "Sorry, that just reminded me a bit of my sister. I'll tell you, by the end of it, we were probably more pissed that she didn't say anything than what she imagined we would be for her secret." From there, Jaune started going into a long tale about his older sister, Saphron. Evidently, she was now happily married to her wife, Terra, but the road to that point was filled with overthinking and running away.

More than once, Blake began to think that while Jaune was often an idiot, the story was full of clear hints that she should speak with her parents. It was a clever way to both distract her from her worries and give her advice all together. Though, she couldn't help but notice he avoided it being directed toward him.


Ember Cecilia crashed into a face, sending the victim sprawling toward the floor. Yang hardly bothered to pay attention to the small fries that rushed them when they started. Instead, she swayed around attacks and knocked heads as she went. Her fist buried into the gut of some no name pirate, and her swing lifted him from the ground and threw him along her path. It was a real shame these bastards didn't have aura, or she would be lighting them up. They didn't even have guns for the most part. Charging a group of armed huntresses was pretty stupid.

Another slash came her way. She batted the blade away and socked the guy in the face with her other hand. He yelped before dropping like a bag of bricks, clutching the wound and rolling on the ground. Across the way, those who actually had bounties were still not in cuffs, using their subordinates as a shield. That left a bitter taste in her mouth.

One by one, the goons fell. Nora was playing golf, though certainly not understanding the rules. The closest she came to hitting a ball ended with a poor man clutching between his legs. Weiss was making quick work of the group on her end. She opted to stick to a dulled manner of stabbing that made it look like she was poking at them. Clearly refraining from using dust wasn't going easy enough on them. Pyrrha had wrapped a cloth around the end of Miló and was using it a bit brutishly like a long club. From a distance, someone could mistake the champion for looking cold and calculating, precisely striking each foe so they fell with one blow. Yang could see she was just trying not to feel bad — it helped if you could hear her saying sorry to each person she smacked down.

They followed a sort of pincer maneuver, with Pyrrha and Weiss flanking their sides and Yang and Nora pushing in the front. Yang was really starting to get bored of this block punch nonsense. None of it was cool or epic, and with her aura she barely needed to block.

Nora batted a person her way, and she helped stop them with her fist. Screw this, she was getting some action. Breaking the formation, she lengthened her stride to gain speed before she fired a shot at the ground to help propel herself over the pirates. The top dog she aimed for wasn't skittish like her men.

As Yang fell, she twisted into a right hook. The captain leaned back and struck her foot past Yang's guard. The falling girl couldn't block properly, so she took the hit and spun. Hitting the ground, she dug in with her palms and heels to right herself. Thank the brothers, they weren't still on the sandy beach. Dirt in her hair was a pain, but pulling grains of sand out of her locks for days was unforgivable. Mud was its own story.

The captain wielded a simple sword. Yang imagined a more pirate-y sword, like a cutlass, would be used, but the captain's resembled more of a katana. Not wasting time, instead of propping herself up, Yang slammed her hands against the ground to push herself back to her feet.

It was quickly apparent that the woman's technique was really the lack of one. With both hands, she swung her blade like a sharp, metal bat. The unfortunate part was she clearly had the strength to get away with it. Yang barely held her gauntlets up in time for the impact to shudder through her. It almost made her feel like a bell — heh, she Yang like a bell.

Yang pushed the blade away and jabbed at the captain's neck. It was a cruel shot, but one that would take her down. The woman chose to follow her blade, letting the momentum pull her to the side, so Yang's fist only struck her shoulder. Yang did not receive the reaction she expected; there was a small glow of light and her knuckles crashed into something stronger than just her shoulder — the captain had aura. In return, her blade came back full swing, hitting Yang in the side. She was beginning to feel she might have underestimated the pirate.

Yang stepped back, pulling her guard close in front of her. She surged forward, her feet taking her into the fray again. The captain's strikes were blunt, heavy, and rattled Yang. The woman was clearly used to her opponents faltering under such force, and did not expect Yang's semblance. Her eyes were red, she already knew, and she could feel the burning start. Her grin grew feral with each jab and swing, nearly forfeiting any guard.

That was until she felt a sudden pain. Tumbling to the side, she caught a glimpse of a man who had batted her with a club and another wielding a musket. Backup had arrived, and she was unprepared. That single hit must have taken a large chunk of her aura, and now it was two against one. Yang readied herself, but it was unnecessary, her own backup had arrived too.

"Three!" Nora yelled, hitting the man into his captain. She caught her subordinate, but Pyrrha had kicked the other into her back while Weiss zeroed in between them. Moments later, the fight was over.

"Why do you keep yelling numbers?" Weiss asked Nora as the criminals were taken into custody.

"Because I'm playing golf, duh!" Nora knocked on her head. "Silly Weissy, don't you know how that game works?"

The words passed through Weiss' ears, and she had to go over them a second time. "Fore, Nora. The word they say is fore."

Nora scoffed at that. "I was trying to hit three people, not four. You might need to practice counting." Weiss did just that, counting to ten repeatedly.

"The pirates have been captured and our soldiers are taking them away. Good job, though Yang, don't rush in in the future. We might not be there to help next time." Yang accepted the critique, consciously not rubbing the spot where she got hit. "Now that our mission is over, let's find Head — er, Vice Admiral Ozpin."

That was still weird for all of them. After officially settling into their new ship, their headmaster informed them he was no longer technically their head of school. Instead, he was now their superior in the marines and they should address them as such.

Pyrrha led the way, and Yang followed with the others, thinking about what had happened. One moment, it all felt sort of like a game, just kicking some bad-guy butt. They even had to hold back not to hurt them! Then one of them had aura, and she was overwhelmed in moments. Deep within, part of her was still childish: a student from Beacon who had yet to realize she was in the real world now. Was Ruby any better? Her sister was off chasing some weird dream over a few words their uncle told her. Yang didn't want Ruby to learn the lesson she was starting to face the hard way.

"H-how scandalous!" Weiss' scream drew their eyes. One of her hands covered her eyes, doing little to conceal the blush that had spread to her cheeks. Her other hand jabbed forward angrily to a poster that was posted onto a building wall. "Do they simply allow perverts to post advertisements around here? There are children who walk past these streets — not to mention any self-respecting person who doesn't wish to see such perverse behavior!"

The flier showed a man with a blue pompadour. What Weiss must have been referring to was how he wore only an open shirt and a speedo, and that his pose left little to the imagination. The top simply read Franky's Super Building Co.

"Who would ever hire such services?" Weiss growled.


AN:

I normally wouldn't spoil something like this, but I might easily forget to include it, so just consider it an extra canon (to this story) thing at the end of the chapter. Adam's "death" was from asphyxiation via monologuing. I think it fitting.

Yet another actual Straw Hat enters the fray and a hint at one as well. The question becomes why is Franky in charge of a company and why was Weiss forced to witness his advertisement? She couldn't even reprimand him for it: he'd think it a compliment.

Ironwood's plotline begins this chapter…yes, that's twelve chapters in for it to start. It's an interesting one, but I feel it will only work well if I do well enough in writing it.

I thought I would mention that I had a bit of an idea for a Naruto fanfic. The main concepts playing around in my head are having him get more into sage stuff, lean into his chakra nature more, and have the other characters be more involved. Let me know what you all think!

On a completely different note, I watched someone cut me off at a light then drive on the sidewalk. The single lane went to two at the light, but the right one wasn't open yet, so they drove on over the sidewalk to go around the car in front of me. There was no one behind me and the light just turned green. If they had waited just seconds they wouldn't have had to do anything reckless to get in the same position. I wonder how some people learned to drive.

Anyways, next chapter: Juniper D. Arc