task:

Anton gulped, trying to keep himself calm as he stood in the office. The captain of the marine base on Baterilla had called him in here, though for what reason he hadn't been informed yet. It had only been a day or two since he had arrived here. The red headed lieutenant was seriously hoping he wasn't in any sort of trouble. While he never considered himself a highly skilled marine, he at least tried to do his job.

The captain, sitting behind her desk, was a stern looking woman, with long dirty blonde hair and sharp brown eyes behind a pair of glasses. That stare of hers could stop someone's heart. "Lieutenant La'croix," she spoke slowly, "I've called you here for a very specific reason." She rose to her feet, looking out the window behind her. "I don't know if you've been informed, but a World Noble will be visiting the island for a couple of days." Anton blinked in surprise. A world noble? Coming here? Why hadn't he heard about this until now?

The captain noted the surprise on his face. "Now, as you may know, despite their statues, World Nobles aren't exactly the most popular of individuals. And this one is apparently confident enough that he feels he doesn't need a massive escort. We're all that he's going to have. No doubt someone is going to try and take advantage of this and assassinate him. That's where you come in."

She leaned in on the table, eyes boring into him. "You are to stay hidden, keeping an eye out for any assassins, and stop them WITHOUT alerting the World Noble. We want this to go off without a hitch, so you have to be on your guard." Anton's eyes widened. "M-Me? Why me?" "You've done stealth missions before. You managed to perform rather well in Centauruea correct?" Anton wouldn't say he performed well. Hell, he almost died on that mission. It was amazing he had managed to accomplish it at all. He opened his mouth to retort, but the captain stopped him. "The matter's already been decided. Anton, you are to be the World Noble's invisible guardian. Now, if there's nothing else, you are dismissed."

Anton wanted to say something, about how insane this all sounded, that he in no way was qualified for this. However, nothing came out. Instead, Anton looked down at the floor, turned and silently walked out of the Captain's office. Once in the hallway, the young man groaned.

"Why is it always me?"

A large crowd had gathered at the harbor, as the massive, magnificent ship pulled in. Marines were lined up along the path leading from the dock, the captain standing to attention as the island's guest stepped off onto the island. There was no mistaking the world Noble, with his billowy white clothing, the dome surrounding his head, and rather bizarre hairstyle. Though nobody would comment on his appearance. Nobody dared. As the Noble approached, the captain saluted. "Captain Morgan Warsong sir!" she announced in all formality, "Welcome to the island sir!" The World Noble didn't seem impressed, waving a dismissive hand/ "Yes yes, let's get this on the road shall we? I wish to see just what this island has to offer me." Captain Warsong repressed a small grunt of irritation, reminding herself just who she was talking to. "Very well. This way sir."


Not too far away, a silent figure was watching the events below. Obscured in shadow, a white haired man sat in a nearby building, a rifle sitting in his hands. The man was William Cold, a highly skilled sniper. "Such filth..." the man murmured, shifting his weapon into position. He paused for a moment, catching something out of the corner of his eye. Glancing over at a nearby building, he was sure he saw something green. Well, whatever it was, it wasn't there now. He gave a small shrug, looking down the sight of his rifle, aiming straight at the unsuspecting World Noble. "You wont even leave an attractive corpse."

"Don't do iiiiiiiit!"

William looked up from his sight just in time to see something flying towards him from the next building. A large, green, insectoid man of some kind. The assassin let out a yelp as the bug man grabbed onto the side of the building with two sets of hands, the other pair grabbing his rifle and attempting to yank it out of his hands. Unfortunately, the assassin's immediate instinct was to hold onto the rifle, resulting in him being yanked off balance. William Cold cried out as he fell from the building, crashing into a fruit cart below. Still hanging from the building, Anton looked down at the mess below.

"Um...guess that's one assassination attempt thwarted...I guess."

Down below, the World Noble cocked its head. "What was that?" Captain Warsong tilted her head. "I didn't hear anything." The World Noble was quiet for a moment before shrugging. "Whatever. Let's see what this island has for me."

"And this, sir, is Mariana lake," Captain Warsong spoke up, as she, the World Noble (who's name she had learned was Saint Yatora) and his envoy approached the massive lake, "Home to the Bananawani, this island's most famous wildlife." Saint Yatora didn't seem to impressed as he looked out over the lake. Floating amidst the water were the massive forms of the bananawani, massive crocodile like beasts, but with unusual banana shaped growth coming out of their heads. Captain Warsong saw his unimpressed look, before deciding to up the ante a little. "The Bananawani is the only known predator to Sea Kings sir. You may have noticed there hasn't be a single sighting of them in this area for years." That certainly perked up the Noble's attention. "Really? Well, maybe I should see about getting one myself. I think I'd certainly have some fun throwing some old slaves to that thing." Warsong tried to hide her distate for him. World Nobles were despicable, but she had no choice but to appease him, and at least he was getting some interest out of this trip.


Not too far away, hidden in the bushes, a woman with dark purple hair crouched from sight, watching the small entourage in the distance. Tahlia Break couldn't help but smile in anticipation. Her red eyes glanced out towards the lake, seeing a bananawani very close by. The reptile was content to sit there for now, but what would happen if, say, someone happened to kick a fat, juicy World Noble over to it. Oh, the mental image made the assassin smile. All she had to do, was wait for them to get close enough. A quick hit and run. The animals would take care of the rest.

Suddenly, she heard a sound coming from behind her. Footsteps? Footsteps getting closer and closer. The assassin spun around, just in time for something to collide into her. A man? The pair of them fell into a tangled heap of limbs, with the woman struggling to get the man off of her. Before she could realize what was happening, the man had managed to get off of her and had taken off running again. Tahlia looked just in time to see a green coat disappear into the vegetation. What the hell just happened? Who was that guy?

Then a hiss caught her attention. Slowly turning, she was greeted by the sight of a bananawani staring straight at her. And she was sure it was licking its lips too.

As the group moved past the bushes, the plant was rustling furiously, with shouts and cries emitting from it. While the bush thankfully concealed what was happening behind it, the noise did attract attention. "What the hell is going on back there?" Saint Yatora muttered. Warsong knew those sounds. That was the sound of a woman in distress. But she couldn't reveal that to the World Noble. Had to make his trip enjoyable, remember? "Erm, I'm afraid its the bananawani's mating season," she explained. The World Noble gave a distateful expression. "They sure make a racket don't they? Well, let's move on. What else does this island have for me?" As the entourage moved on, Warsong subtly gestured for a marine to remain behind, make sure the woman was alright.

The restaurant was normally rather busy this time of day. However, today the place was almost deserted. The reason, Saint Yatora had been brought here to dine, recommended the place by Captain Warsong as the best on the island. The people had decided to steer clear of the place, not wanting to risk angering the World Noble. This suited the man fine, as he was more than happy to have the place to himself, not having to share with the riff raff. Though right now, he was getting impatient as he waited for his meal. "What's taking that cook so long? The chefs I have back home know to cook much faster than this!" "I'm sure they're just making sure the meal is extra special for yourself sir," Warsong said, trying to calm the World Noble, as well as keep her own irritation out of her voice. There was only so much she could stand of this insufferable man. She hoped the meal would be brought out soon.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, someone was making sure to make this meal extra special for their honored guest. As the other chefs ran around making their preparations, one in particular, an old man with darkened skin and white hair, was slowly mixing together the cause that would go atop the meal. However, this man was anything but a chef. Velken Lebran was, yet again, another assassin, determined to ensure that the World Noble did not leave the restaurant, let alone the island.

He glanced around, making sure nobody was watching before pulling a small glass vial from his pocket. He quickly popped the cork, pouring the green liquid within into the sauce. As he mixed it up, the green was swallowed up, and one wouldn't be able to tell there was anything toxic added to the mix. Tasteless, but a very effective poison none the less. Satisfied, he brought the saucepan over, serving up big helpings of the sauce atop the meal. "Ok, it's ready!" he called out, trying to hide his smirk. A young, red headed server approached him, giving a small bow before picking up the plate and heading out the door. Velken couldn't help himself. He just had to see this. He peeked out the door, watching as the server approached. The young man seemed to pause for a second, before stepping towards the table.

And promptly tripped.

Velken's jaw dropped as the plate went flying, its contents spilling on the poor server's head. The people at the table instantly looked at him, Saint Yatora's face turning red. "You miserable oaf!" he scowled, standing to his feet and reaching for his pistol, "I'll show you what happens when you spill a noble's food!" Eyes wide with recognition, Warsong quickly stepped in, grabbing the server by the shoulders. "There's no need sir," she said, putting on an angry expression, "I will punish this idiot myself! I'll have the cooks prepare another one for you." This seemed to pacify the World Noble, who sat back down as Warsong dragged the food covered servant out of the room.

Once outside, she spun the man around, glaring into his eyes. "What the hell are you doing Anton? I asked you to keep an eye out for assassins, not to mess up the guest's meal!"

"An...An..."

"What was that?" Warsong blinked in confusion. There was a strange, dazed look in his eyes, and was it her, or was his skin looking paler?

"Anti...dote..." Anton's eyes rolled up in his head, his body spasming in her arms. Warsong's eyes widened, realizing what was going on. She quickly fumbled through her coat pocket, pulling out a portable Den Den Mushi. "This is Captain Warsong! Bring some medics over to the Jade Bananawani immediately! And send some men into the kitchen. Someone's trying to poison the food!" Stuffing the snail back into her pocket, she held onto Anton. Being poisoned was one thing, but being poisoned when you were a bug man was even worse! She just hoped that they could take care of him in time.

Anton groaned as he laid back in the hospital bed. It was almost a miracle that the man was alive right now. He had somehow managed to hold on before they administered an anti toxin, saving him from the poison's more deadly effects. However, it still left the marine rather weak, his muscles aching in pain. He had remained in the hospital for the rest of the day, being forced to remain in bed and constantly fed to keep his strength up. While he was grateful to be off his feet, he was worried about what would happen with his mission while he was out of it.

He lifted his head when he heard the door to his room open. Captain Warsong stepped in, closing the door behind her and letting out a small sigh. "Well, it's over and done with. The Noble's back on his ship and setting off to the next god forsaken island he decides to visit. Honestly, I pity the poor bastards who have to cater to him." She looked at the bed ridden marine, and a small smile appeared on her face. "That was some good work you did out there. Three assassinations attempts? I figured someone might take a crack, but not three of them. Good work on stopping them, though next time try to pick a method much less dangerous to yourself."

Anton chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, to be honest, most of the time it was luck. I wasn't really thinking when I did any of that." Warsong chuckled. "Well, maybe you should try thinking less more often. It seems to be working out for you. Anyway, get some rest Lieutenant. You earned it. Congratulations on a job well done." Giving him a salute, Warsong left the room, leaving Anton all alone.

The young marine wasn't exactly sure whether to take her words as a compliment, or an insult.