https://op-piratenation.rpg-board.net/t2293-retrieve-the-booty-karate-island#15270


From what she knew now, Karate island was pretty close to the Grand Line. Though she had been born there, Lin still looked towards the next step in her journey with heart pounding antecipation. Just what adventures would she be able to experience there? What sights would she be able to see? What enemies would she have to face? But there was fear too... Was she ready for such a big step? She still journeyed alone where most Pirates who sucessfully undertook that journey did so with with a trusted crew. Training a bit more and growing stronger was a better option than just heading for the Grand Line already and trying her fortune; besides, there was still much to see in the South Blue.

After a morning strolling around the jungle, exploring Karate island at a leisurly pace, Linnea was left both thirsty and peckish. As the sun rose to it highest point in the early afternoon, most people were either eating or hiding under some shade, and the young Kuja was no exception; her skin coated with a thin mix of sweat and dust from her earlier adventures. She had a pretty good tolerance for high and low temperatures, yet she still pulled the black hood over her face, causually stepping into a nearby tavern... Some rough looking characters kept to themselves as they ate and drunk - With Linnea sparing no more than a single acknowledging glance their way - but places like these weren't nearly as crowded or messy at this time of day.

She ordered a dish of chicken and rice with a beer to drink, taking a seat at a discreet corner, standing out as little as possible. Yet even then in this mostly peaceful, lazy envorioment, her senses were still sharp and she was able to pick up a particular conversation... The inhabitants were worried and angry about a group of pirates who had attacked them several times now, and the marines weren't doing anything:

"Damn pirates... If only there were more marines around...", one of them commented.

"Can't be helped, we're too close to Grand Line. At this rate we have no choice, we should hire someone to take care of them."

"Not all Pirates live to rob random people...", commented Linnea, overcoming her shyness to state her thoughts loud enough for the others to hear.

"How could you possibly know that, missy?"

"Because I am a Pirate and I wouldn't do that.", she smiled at them, earning nothing but laughter from the two men. This young girl, a pirate? She hardly looked menacing enough. She didn't really understand why they were laughing, coming from a different culture and all, earning a super serious look from Linnea which only made her look more innocent, "It's true! If I get back your stolen money, will you believe me?"

The two looked at each other and laughed once more, approaching the girl's table to better exchange words with her as she kept casually eating her meal. One of the men looked more serious as he shared his own thoughts about sending a single girl after a Pirate Crew:

"If by some chance you did get back the stolen money, you'd be welcome to some of it as a reward... But, we'd prefer if you stayed away from them instead of getting killed and making them angry.", he looked into her eyes as for once the shy girl struggled with not averting them as if to prove her determination...


Words: 584

Karate island, much to Ryuhime's chagrin, had nothing to do with martial arts it seemed. She'd come here under the assumption it might be a good place to train, better herself and test her martial prowess, but unfortunately this lazy little island with its lazy little towns and lazy people had proved to be a terrible place of work for a sellsword, as it seemed nothing really needed to be done. Ryuhime longed for a challenge, to test herself against another of equal skill and soundly beat them to a pulp.

For now, she was forced to be content with lackadaisical bar brawls with drunken swordsman. She'd found some work as a bouncer at a local bar, however the pay was only enough to a roof over her head. She needed more substantial work if she was ever going to leave this rock behind.

The young swordswoman rested herself in a shady corner of the bar, it was no secret where she was seated, her massive blade leaning against the wall beside her was usually a fine deterrent just on sight alone. She wasn't a fan of liquor, instead opting for a tall bottle of some fruity juice as she kept an eye and ear on the patrons of the bar. They were discussing the unfortunate loss of some of their money to pirates. The Navy appeared to be too inept to deal with the situation, and it was clear that with that money gone these people had no way to hire someone to remove the cretins for them. Ryuhime stifled a giggle at the unfortunate circumstances. If Karate island had lived up to its name, these people wouldn't ne in the predicament they were in, and in turn wouldn't be suffering.

Still, it appeared to be their lucky day. A woman, who proudly if not foolishly identified herself as a pirate insisted that all pirates weren't bad, and that to prove it she'd recover the money herself. It seemed like a very stupid plan, as the locals would definitely believe she died acquiring the loot, and if she managed to survive, no one would expect her to return, and thusly if she took the loot... None would be the wiser...

In fact, that sounded like a perfectly splendid idea! Ryu finished her drink and pounced it against the table to draw the attention away from the self proclaimed pirate and swiftly grabbed her blade.

"You presume too much, old man. Not everyone is as weak as you are." Ryuhime smugly chided. The man was specifically old, but he was older than Ryuhime and much weaker than her, and that was all the justification she required. He seemed to frown, but knew better than speak out against a well armed fighter. His cowardice would keep him alive, sure, but under the boot of a pirate. as she exchanged a look with the light haired pirate."You are a coward, too fearful to venture across the horizon. You did not fight, for fear of death, and now you spend your days hoping someone will come along and remove the problem for you...", continued the youthful Kuja, making her way towards the table the men were sitting at, dropping her blade by their feet with a loud crash. " And when one is brave enough to offer, you have the audacity to try to encourage cowardice in them!", shouted the headstrong girl as Ryuhime slammed her foot against the table's edge, knocking it over. "You have no right! You sacrificed that treasure when you didn't fight for it! You didn't have the resolve to act on your own behalf, therefore all that you've lost is no longer yours to claim!" said the silver haired Kuja before retrieving her blade from the floor and making her way toward the door and rested in its frame, fixing a cold glare on the patron she'd just intimidated. " Let's go, pirate..." Ryuhime finished, awaiting her companion to join her on their new adventure.

(695 words)

Before she could insist on her intention to retrieve the money, another female voice interrupted the man's dissuading speech. She had noticed the woman there earlier, but simply passed her off as yet another rough looking character wielding an oversized sword. Defenitely a melee fighter, anyone would be able to tell that much. Linnea stood quiet and listened to her berating the man for his cowardice, and she understood how many of these men had families and couldn't afford to throw their lives away so easily. That said, if the whole village banded together, surely they'd be more than a match for a few pirates, the woman did have a point...

She kept on eating what remained of her food casually, noticing how the two men were too afraid of the headstrong woman to even dare answer her. With their silence, both girls knew they wouldn't object to them recovering the treasure any longer, yet Lin was completely surprised by what they she did next: With a quick kick, the other woman flipped the table with a kick, and even a perceptive sharpshooter like her was unable to do anything but lift her dish up, sparing her food from the swordsman's wrath. With two more forkfulls, she had finished everything up :

"Thank you for the meal.", answered Linnea, handing her empty dish to the scared old man and smiling as she met up with the gruff fighter, pulling up her hood and stepping outside alongside her; turning a curious, incredulous glance her way, "Did you really expect commonfolk to stand up to armed pirates?"

The two made their way out of the village and into the jungle. She took a few moments to scan her new adventuring companion and couldn't help but feel an odd kinship towards her. It was obvious that like herself, the shorter haired woman had also been raised as a warrior. Also like herself, she wore light clothing that most women (non-Kuja) would be too modest to, the kind that didn't restrict her movement in way. Despite their starkly different personalities, this similarity was enough to create a pleasant enough mood for their adventure:

"What's your name by the way? I'm Naga D. Linnea.", she flashed a shy smile towards the other girl before turning back to the path ahead.

As a scout, Linnea paid close attention to her surroundings with a focused gaze. They were chasing a group of pirates who had left the village carrying heavy treasure. There was bound to be one trail or another that would lead to them, and when it appeared, it wouldn't escape her eyes. And then it happened... The long haired archer crouched in front of a snapped twigged and brushed away the shrubbery. There were still visible footsteps pointing north; they had obviously been made a few days ago, but they were deep enough for the marks to yet remain visible:

"I bet we'll find them if we go this way.", she stated, smirking and glancing at her partner before pressing forward, chasing the trail. She walked with soft footsteps like a hunter on the prowl, and she eventually saw them. A single pirate wielding a pistol standing guard outside a cave. It had to be here! Wasting not a single second, Linnea drew her bow and arrow, crouched behind some shrubs, and took aim... She let loose an arrow which flew by unnoticed, hitting the enemy at the base of his throat and killing him instantly, "Coast is clear now..."

She didn't usually strive to kill - usually making her attacks painful but not necessarily lethal - but now she had to ensure the guard didn't sound the alarm so they'd be able to keep the element of surprise... Hitting the guard in the throat would not only kill him quickly, but keep him from screaming.

Words: 635 (this post)



Stuff: Killed one pistol wielding T1 pirate, spent 1 arrow

Ryuhime took the time to quickly size up her pirate partner as she swiftly finished her meal. Lean, fit, definitely someone who maintained their body, and hers seemed just as curved as her own. She lacked armor to speak of, but then she did have a bow and if she an archer then it'd likely only slow her down. Ryuhime admired the pragmatism the taller, longer haired woman possessed over some misplaced pride or misguided modesty. The woman finished and Ryuhime was already out the door, secure in the knowledge that the Marksman would be along shorty.

When she did catch up, Ryuhime was tightening the laces on her sandals. She carried a cool expression on her face, but the pirate seemed rather... Shocked. She opened her mouth and asked if truly expected commoners to stand for themselves. The swordsman slowly came to stand up and rest her sword across her shoulders. "Do you honestly believe they could not?", replied the girl with a stern glance.

The duo began to make their way out of the village. The people here seemed happy enough, but a shadow of misery rested in their hearts. If it was not for this pirate's kindness, these people would likely have continued to suffer in silence.  

Thinking back onto the archer's question made Ryuhime a little angry. Didn't she understand that everyone is common until they aren't? The Navy, as the younger Kuja understand it, was supposed to be these people's protectors. However they were either too weak, too lazy, or too cowardly to step in. Would she rather these people suffer? If what Ryu had heard was true, these pirates were nothing more than a small group of brigands. The town has the numbers and the lay of their land. Do she honestly believe that they could not have made a stand?

Ryuhime was familiar enough with hunting. She was no expert, but she was certain that a group of pirates making off with an entire village worth of treasure would be sure to leave a trail. As the two continued, Ryuhime caught the pirate eying her. Likely sizing her up, just as Ryu had done to her earlier in town. She'd likely find the only difference between the two was their height, and choice of weapon. They seemed to share a similar preference for free flowing clothing, something that wouldn't impede their ability to move. They shared a similar figure, though the long haired woman might have had a few years of growth on her, and of course the two were obviously trained, they're bodies a reflection of their training.

It reminded Ryu of home. No one she'd come come across utility now quite looked like they should. All the people she'd met had dressed quite restrictively. Clothes like that could get them killed. They also were quite squishy it seemed, none had been fighters in even the most generous of senses. Then there were these strange creatures called "men". What were they? What did they do? What did they taste like? It was so odd to see them, but it seems they weren't any sort of livestock. The seemed more like beasts of burden with many privileges.

It was "Naga" who broke the silence by introducing herself with a coy smile. Ryuhime returned with a flat but amiable expression:

"Tessaiga.", she'd reply in a polite but direct manner before returning her eyes to the woods, looking for any disturbance. She'd been using the title as a handle, a quick, professional alias. Naga was a friendly sort, and there was no problem with that, but she was a pirate. Ryuhime didn't want to get too friendly with the archer, just in case this was all an act. If this went well, and she was a woman if her word... Then perhaps then she'd share her real name.

Ryuhime could find nothing. She thought to perhaps try Haki, however she still wasn't confident in her ability to manifest it quite yet. Luckily Linnea had spotted something and Ryuhime quickly and quietly moved to join her, following her quietly through the brush. The blonde drew out her bow and fired, there was a soft 'thud' as the body of a pirate fell and his pistol came to the ground with a 'clank'.

To Ryuhime's surprise, Linnea was efficient with that bow. A shot through the pirate's neck left him dead and quiet. She gave a soft congratulatory grin to the woman and moved up, using a tree to obscure her form.

"Eh, how long you figure the boss is gonna milk this town? Think the Navy will show up? What are we gonna do about that? Oh! Ya think some of those fellas back there would be willing to sign on if we threatened their kids! We might just make this thing work!"

"Pffft, nigga, you expect to live long enough to care 'bout that? Best get cho priorities straight, 'bout to get straight fucked by a crazy bitch with a big ass homo-erotic compensation sword."

The oddly clairvoyant urban pirate was surprisingly right, because shortly after his frankly astounding prediction, Ryuhime slipped out from behind the tree with a rageful howl and cleaved through him, then by using the momentum from her first swing, she chained it into another, planting her blade firmly in the skull of the other pirate. Once removed, Ryuhime swung her blade over her head, flinging the blood about to remove it from her sword before resting it once again on her shoulder.

" I regret neglecting to ask how many people we should be looking for... It's irrelevant if they're all this weak, but still."


[983 words]

( 2 T1 pirates dead, both wielding swords. All pirate have been slain, captain is clear to appear.)

It felt like the short haired, sword wielding woman treated the massive weapon like an extension of her body, just like the archer did for her bow. She looked strong: Her stance indicated a complete ease with her weapon - the kind most people only achieve through extensive training - which in turn made her even more beautiful. Something about the way the other girl carried herself, it gave Linnea a feeling she was keenly familiar with, to the point she felt confident enough answering the way she did, even if the girl seemed pretty annoyed at her remark:

"But... I learned to fight since I could stand on two feet and I have a hunch that you did too. These people obviously didn't, so many must believe it would be impossible.", She looked away timidly half way through her answer but she still sounded confident in her words. Humans have a natural instinct to preserve their lives after all, and not many will risk throwing it away so easily. She introduced herself as Tessaiga, earning a bright yet gentle smile from the taller girl, "Nice to meet you, Tessaiga!"

The two ventured on, prowling the jungle for their prey and once they eventually found them, the battle began. Tessaiga stood back as the first pirate hit the dirt, awaiting for her own opportunity to begin her attack. It was obvious enough just what kind of fighting style she employed, so for Linnea, all she had to do was hang back and ensure none of those pirates managed to get a cheap shot against her. She had to stifle a giggle at hearing the next pirate's words, she kept hiding behind the brushes, unable to fire for the time being given how her ally as literally on top of the two enemies, quickly wiping them out with beautiful, surprisingly fluid motions. As she wiped the blood clean off her sword, Linnea stood up as they now had to press forward into the cave itself...

"Must be a small crew given the trail they left... We'll find out soon enough.", She answered with a calm smile, quickly taking aim as they suddenly heard a loud battle cry. Looking inside the cave, she was ready for the enemy to show up inside, staying next to the walls at one side so her friend wouldn't get in the way of her arrows by mistake.

Linnea loaded another shot; the cry had come from inside the cave so there wasn't really any point looking elsewhere. Letting loose her arrow the moment she spotted something other than rock, their ears were filled with a sharp, pain filled cry as her arrow caught the pirate right in the chest. This would serve as a chance for Tessaiga to dash in and quickly finish the guy off before he could even think retaliate, or she could simply let loose another arrow and finish him off herself; which was what she did, evening the score between the two girls, killing the pirate captain with a shot to the eye. Once the melee fighter moved in, the archer wouldn't let loose another arrow since the narrow passage could easily mean she'd end up hitting her own ally.


Once he was dead or beaten, they were free to move on... The crew was indeed small since there wouldn't be any other pirate waiting to attack them once the last one - the toughest and probably the captain - finally bit the dust. Yet even as they wandered inside and were met by an assortment of goods such as Rum, gunpoweder and other various items, nothing could have prepared the two girls for the amount of treasure hiding inside. It was blatantly obvious to the two women that they couldn't have scavenged so much off the single village which looked pretty poor. Linnea let out a loud admiring whistle as her eyes glimmered even brighter than gold scattered in front of them:

"Wow... Such enterprising pirates...", commented Linnea as she quickly found two treasure chests, one for herself and another for Tessa, they'd be able to fill them up completely and there would still be a few tidbits left. Once they had finished collecting, the next step was getting back to town, and Lin would take the chance to ask her new adventuring buddy a pretty important question, "So, what are you gonna do with your treasure?"

She threw curious glances towards the girl, wondering what she might get up to in her spare time. Lin herself didn't need that much money, so she'd just hand something over to the robbed villagers and use the rest to buy supplies.


Words: 778

Stuff: Shot the T2 Captain with 2 T1 arrow to the chest and eye, he dead


-exit-