Cigarette sold coughing. Retching of phlegm being heaved out the throat and spat onto concrete. Groups of bodies loitering on the sides of the road. Moths and other pest bobbing near fuzzy orange shaded circles of light. The flicker of nervous eyeballs as one walks down the street. Souls native to rain and unbothered by the splashing that comes with their steps in the puddles. Banter that grows in waves, then dies down after its climax. Lit windows with black silhouettes occasionally passing by.

The atmosphere feels weighed down, thick with the musk of rain. The humidity that hangs in the air, makes breathing the dank air in, like inhaling warm vapors. An uncomfortable act to those unaccustomed to poverty struck areas. While the summer shower would have done good for most islands, here in the span of the Briss Kingdom where vigilantes purge the streets when they need a bit of spare change, the halt of the pitter patter was the cue to resume criminal activity. The sun itself and all its rays of virtue, jubilance, and whatever other righteous hoopla one could spout about the thing, was swallowed by the horizon of the ink black ocean. Now the moon reigned as the sky's zodiac. Carved into a keen crescent, sharp as a switch blade, it watched over the sinners down below, comfortable in the void of space. A few dark clouds loitered above as well, but for now they had wept enough and waited to see if their display of sympathy would bear fruits and instill a sense of purity in those of the Briss Kingdom. Sadly their accumulated tears only worked to make puddles that gathered the thick blood of dispensable no-names that were tossed in the alleyways. Stepping out of a small tea shop a few others entered to seek refuge from the rain, Alphie let the scent of the sinners stain his clothing. His black boots splashed uncaringly in puddles, the tongue and outer parts of the shoe flowering out a bit, as it wasn't laced up fully, but they remained tight to his feet. The dirt water drops, sprang up to soak into navy blue, nigh black fit pants. He wore a wide open jacket that was composed of two sections, the sleeves and hood, and the torso. The first section was composed of a dark blue, dark grey, and black camouflage pattern, while the torso was just a dark smoky grey. Like usual he had a nice amount of jewelry on him. Three necklaces, two of them just gold chain links, the other a necklace made of red spherical beads all around. Today, Basa's hair was down, letting the messy ends of maroon fall nearly to eye level. His hood was only half pulled on, the tip resting on the crown of his head surreally holding on, as if ready to fall either way at the slightest shift in balance. On his back was a weapon that was beginning to become synonymous with his name to those that did know him. His large cleaver, now with a length of 50 inches rested in a leather sling that strapped diagonally across his bare chest underneath his necklaces. Inside his jacket was his pistol Curtail and across Same-kiri Bocho on his back was Īzasu.

As he proceeded down the road on his way to a bar, he got a lot of looks from the local street rats and rodents alike, but he didn't pay them any mind. Bobbing his head gently to a rhythm only he could hear, would press a few of the syllables out his lips in puffs of air, but they too would be unheard. Not many others walked the streets, most were still inside waiting perhaps another hour in wait for the criminal activity to die down, since it was about to pick up after the rain. Then there were the criminals, but they didn't walk the streets, they mostly just loitered on the road side looking for something to get into.
"Hey, you hear me talking to you!?" Alphie stopped and turned his attention with raised eyebrows to the one that was and had been apparently talking to him. "No I didn't sorry, what'd you say?" The man was getting frustrated rather quickly, Alphie wasn't following the script the usual victim followed. "Give me your swo-" Before he could finish his words however, Basa had already drawn his pistol and put it to the soft underside of the man's jaw. "You're really going to have to speak up, tell me what you said one more time." His visage of cluelessness had shifted to an expression of shameless pleasure derived from the horrified look on the guys face. His adams apple bobbed nervously as he swallowed a trail of saliva hard. "Ch-chill man, it's not worth killing someone over. Please, just relax." Basa's mouth scrunched to the side. "You guys are smarter than I chalked you up to be. . . oh well." He would have just killed the guy anyways on a regular day, but he wasn't looking to draw too much attention to himself, what he had done was already going overboard, but without too many people out and about right now he should be fine. Putting his gun back in the inside of his jacket, he turned around and stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, walking towards his destination. Alphie was looking to meet up with some of his cremates from the before he was incarcerated. Having told them about his arrival ahead of time, they agreed to meet at this bar known as the Red Herring, here in the Briss Kingdom.

乐 乑 乒 乓 out of character 乔 乕 乖 乗:

Pressing through the rain beaten street and gliding through the puddles, Alphie's memory was beginning to guide his body the rest of the way to the bar, but something felt a bit off. He suppressed the feeling, writing it off as a bit of anxiety as it had been a while since he linked with the others.

Hand on the black tinted glass that was the door, he ignored the handle and pushed the door open granting him passage. His eyes flickered back and forth examining his surroundings as soon as he stepped inside. The tint of the glass didn't allow his eyes to see inside the bar from outside, but nothing alerted him with his glance over the place until too hulking men came from around the corner of the small five step corridor he was in. Their hands  moved to Alphie's jacket and gripped him. "Aye, chill chill, I'm here with Barbosa's group." They paid no attention to what he was saying and despite the size of the sword he was carrying, they lifted him with ease. Scrambling to get out their grip like a feisty kitten, he was on his way to the door by force until a familiar voice called out. "Aye!Put him down, Señior's a regular . . . or was." Being put down, Alphie brushed the crinkles they put in his jacket out and gave one of them a look with a furrowed brow while mumbling under his breath. "What was that?" "Hehehe nothing nothing, was thinking to myself . . . asshole" Alphie remembered his first rumble with the bouncers when he first came across the Red Herring as a no name. He knew their punches stung and if Danved was still hiring the same type of muscle, Alphie would still get his ass handed to him.

Free from their grip, Alphie was able to get a more comfortable scan on the place and let nostalgia wash over him. It was a nice chill little spot. Despite the generic exterior and the area the bar was located in, the Red Herring was pretty popular to a certain crowd. The scent of alcohol and cigarette smoke overpowered that of the food the Red Herring served. Not that many people came here to eat, but ALphie always remembered it as a bit busier or lively. "My goodness, what in the hell brings you here Alphonse? I thought they executed you or at least caught you a few years back." This man was the bar's owner, Danved, he also worked modestly as the bartender, he liked to be face to face with the women whom he allowed to enter regardless of who they were as long as they looked good. "Please don't start calling me that again and no. I got caught, but uhhh, some things led to another and I'm good now."

"Good now? Ay dios mio, things don't 'just happen' when your in a jail cell muchacho. Explain. And don't come through the back door fool, I used to tell you that back then too." Alphie chuckled and took a seat at the counter of the bar, that's why he had that odd feeling, he was going to the back door. Skating his hand on the surface of the counter, he looked down at the black wood. It looked just like it did those years ago a sleek and well polished, it even reflected the blue lighting the bar was chilled with. The sound of live music was new, but enjoyable, some soft guitar strings being plucked with a man singing lightly with passion in a foreign language. This place was more of a lounge than a bar, even the furnishings said so, but Danved was persistent on selling the establishment as a bar and not a lounge, he said it gave it more maturity, but in Alphie's perception it just drew in more rough necks to get their skulls cracked by the bouncers. "You remember, Stefan and the deal he made with the Government way back then." He wasn't looking at Danved when he spoke, he was busy eyeing some woman who looked about his age if not a year or two older. It was in a hush tone. "Ahhh, I see, how long till your leash is off hijo." Alphie turned his attention back to Danved. "Just one more year, if I keep on doing what I'm doing." He wasn't the proudest to say it to someone who knew the in and outs of the world and knew that Alphie was just being exploited by the Government. The look of empathy was on Danved's face. "I see, but anyways. You mentioned Barbosa right? They're in the front waiting for you. Bring them back here for drinks yeah?" He looked over to his right at a bouncer who was standing near a black curtain. That was a signal to let Alphie through. Nodding his head, ALphie got out of his seat and headed to the front. The curtain was hardly visible due to the dark atmosphere the blue light created and the black wall. It was like the whole bar existed in its own void of space. But the front room was a bit more lit, spacious, and lively if memory served correct.

It was more akin to a club, losing the whole lounge aesthetic. Spacious in the middle, but along the wall and on the floor in various spaces were chairs and lounge seats that were semi circular in shape. Think strip-club. Purple, pink, blue, and red, lights laced the room it also had it's own bar where more patrons were sitting. "Now just to find Barbosa and the others. With that he began walking around, not only searching for his mates, but familiarizing himself with the area.

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Before Alphie even made half a lap around the lounge, he found his cohorts sitting at a round table, each of them looking just the same. Barbosa was first to notice Alphie, a sharp tooth grin coming over his face as he moved his cigarette to the side of his mouth with a swivel and stood. "Long time no see, little bro." They were more so surrogate brothers, but all of them considered each other family, that's how Alphie saw all his cremates that were truly loyal to him and his cause. Alphie gave a smile and wave, his eyes then shitted to Roshi whom was still sitting, him being right to Barbosa's left. He gave Alphie a nod of acknowledgment, always more of a silent person. "Nice to see you." It wasn't much given his tone was so dry and flavorless as well as hard to hear over the banter and music of the lounge. Last Alphie laid his eyes on was Naesala, he was notably already buzzed from alcohol consumption. His face's colored pigment, reddened to attempt to blend in with his head of flaming hair. "Alphie looks like you grew an inch or two hmm?" He walked around the table and gave Alphie a good look over, mentally comparing Alpha's height to his own. "Looks like that Government food is doing good for you huh?" Alphie chuckled at the joke that stung a bit, but he brushed it off, Naesala was always open with his words and had the tendency to say what was on his mind despite how inappropriate it could be. "I think we should take this somewhere else, I've noticed a few familiar faces around here. Probably caught word of the meeting." Roshi was as nomadic and observant as ever. Coming to a stand, his eyes pierced through Alphie and looked beyond him, calmly scanning the room in a composed manner.
"We have a bit more time, besides a bit of publicity will be good so they know what's to come in the near future." Roshi nodded, though he could be disagreeing in his mind, Barbosa was always the one who was more like the leader of the group and usually though his choices were braggadocios and could be a bit more ballsy, then most would like, the group was still alive today, so they still had his trust. "Wanna get some drinks while we talk? I can pay." "Yeah, some drinks couldn't hurt." Barbosa moved to place a hand on Roshi's head and ruffled his hair much like an older sibling would do, but Roshi was off walking towards the bar before the hand could even graze his personal space. "Glad to know he's doing well." Naesala had walked ahead with Roshi, securing the group four seats, their seats only a few away from the Karate Island Blacksmith.

"Yeah, a lot has happened, but Roshi is still Roshi." Alphie and Barbosa walked to the bar lagging behind a bit. Taking a seat with Alphie and Barbosa in the middle, Roshi was closest to Alphie on his right and Naesala was closest to Barbosa on his left. "Can I get uhhhh four rounds of whatever your dishing out?" The bartender nodded and began to fix their drinks. Alpha leaned on the counter top, both his arms folded and his eyes ahead in thought. "And don't fill the whole damn thing with ice this time!" Alphie chuckled, eyes still forward. "So when are you gonna join the open waters again?" Naesala's eyes were still fixated on the bartender who pretended not to feel his stare. "Still not sure yet. Somewhere close to the end of my term. They have some good benefits, so I'm going to milk it for as long as I can. . . . Hope that's alright with you guys."

The bartender placed a drink in front of them each. "Makes sense . . . In the meantime though, I've rounded up a few guys I know. We'll be making our move into the Grandline soon, I'm guessing that'll be the best place to meet you." Alphie nodded to Barbosa's words as he took a sip of his beverage. "When are we going to go to the back, there's still a number of people glancing more than usual at us?'' Barbosa and Naesala looked at Roshi, as did Alphie. Turning his head over his shoulder he saw a few faces turning away to avoid his gaze. He looked at Barbosa for further direction who then gave a nod in agreement.

NPC appearance:

Rather than go to the back room, Alphie was a bit interested in meeting the few guys Barbosa had said he had gathered. Barbosa was the most experienced out of the four, so if he felt they were ready for the Grandline, they surely had to be pretty powerful or at least had some tricks up their sleeves. "How about we shake off these guys by going through the back, then you introduce me to these guys you drafted?" Alphie took a long sip from his drink, placed it down then stood of from his seat. Naesala and Roshi's eyes were on Barbosa who just smirked with closed eyes. "You don't change heheh, I guess we could take you out for a night on the town." Slipping his hand in his pockets, he pulled out a few beli notes and placed them on the counter, majority of their glasses let unfinished, Roshi hadn't even touched his. "So how many did he round up Naesala?" The group walked together to the backroom, Roshi's eyes greedily devouring their surroundings as he walked silently behind the group. Barabosa was occupying himself with a cigarette. "Not that many, Barbosa has always been a quality over quantity guy, but they still aren't that impressive to be honest. Everyone worth while has already found their ties." Alphie nodded in disappointment, but Barbosa couldn't be blamed. Majority of the pirates were already out on the seas making names for themselves and now only the second wave of the NewAge was left behind making pickings rather sparse.
"Guess we were a bit too late then huh?" Basa chuckled until a familiar voice caught his ear. It wasn't a voice his ears were used to, but given who fresh their encounter was in his mind, the voice caused his eyes to search it out. With a raised brow he eyed the back of a man's head, before placing a hand on his shoulder and rearing his own head off to the side of the man's from behind him. "Hey, you're that guy from Karate Island, the Blacksmith." Alphie's group had stopped as well, a groan from Roshi reminded Alphie he needed to make the stop short. "Don't drink the nasty shit this guy gives you, why don't you come to the back with us?" He gave a devious grin that could be mistaken for the smile of someone trying to coax someone into an obvious set up. Alphie had no intentions of such of course, he saw the man as a potential prospect for the crew, should he not already have ties.

"Heheh." Roshi didn't seem too happy to have a tag along, but the others didn't mind. Heading to the back, the bouncer permitted them entrance without a word thanks to the presence of Barbosa. "So I never did get your name, I'm Alphonse but I'd rather you call me Alphie or Basa." "Can I ask why you invited him to join us?" Roshi spoke shamelessly as they migrated to the bar that Danved tended too in the lounge of a backroom. "Ai, look at that gangs all here ey? Drinks on the house!" "Calm down Roshi, he's a great Blacksmith believe it or not. This sword I have was crafted by him. He probably knows how to handle himself by the looks of his weapon too." Alphie would look over to the Blacksmith who he had sat near. Barbosa was in the corner on his Den Den Mushi speaking to God knows who, but it'd probably involve them sooner than later. "Tell 'em man."
Alphie snickered deviously and Roshi just shook his head, while Naesala found the guy to be pretty interesting. "So what Island are you from?"

Alphie could feel Roshi's unwavering feeling of insecurity, but it didn't bother him nor Naesala. Roshi was always like this and it's saved their necks times before, since he seemed to always have a distrust in people and always have an eye out on all who draw near the group."Lvneel is quite a ways out, wh-" Alphie swatted away Naesala's words. "Get out the man's business Naesala haha." Alphie already knew what he was going to ask as soon as his lips parted and in response to Alphie's words he shrugged shamelessly. "Is it really that intrusive to?" Naesala tossed out. "It is, depending on who you ask. Given he's so fa-" Alphie just shook his head as Roshi spoke, he had a way of being passive aggressive with his words tot he point of causing an odd stillness in the air, but luckily he'd be interrupted by Barbosa. "Alright, Roshi you can make this guy feel uncomfortable later. Someone's trying to hijack the ship we were staking out. The large galleon at the commercial docks." Alphie's eyes lit up. "Lets get moving then." Alphie took a quick burning swig of alcohol down his throat for the road and began to shuffle in his pockets for some beli after hopping out of his seat. "No need for payment, you guys are familia, go get your ship." Danved chuckled and shook his head. "Thanks Danved! Hey sorry, gotta cut our meeting short, maybe we'll run into each other again." Roshi was already out the door and Barbosa was at the door. "If you hit the Grandline, I'm sure you'll hear about us." Barbosa said while holding the door open for Alphie and Naesala.
"You mean hear about me psssh." With that the group exited the Red Herring through the back and began speed walking their way down to the docks. "From petty stick ups to stealing ships, oh where the time goes." Naesala brushed his hair back as he laughed out loud. "I was hoping you guys haven't gone soft, but I guess I'll see for sure tonight." Roshi scoffed and Barbosa replied with a raised brow and words that would keep Alphie quiet for some time. "Look who's talking. You're probably out here on your hands and knees scrubbing floors and getting yelled at by people with more shiny badges than you."

"So how did a niño like you get tied up with them?" Danved had been turned around cleaning their cups after pouring their wasted liquor out with a bit of remorse. Turning around to face the bloke, he saw his chair was empty and a frame bolting out the door. " . . . Ok."

It had been sometime before anyone said anything else. Everyone in their own land of thoughts, Alphie contemplating a response to Barbosa's words. Though they were said about a minute ago, the Commander wouldn't let Barbosa get the last shot in. A thoughtful expression on his face, he had a hand up to his chin as he delved into the folds on his mind. "Careful Alphie, Barbosa probably has three more bullets in the chamber heheh." Naesala's words made Alphie stop in his tracks thinking if it was really worth it given Naesala was more than likely right. Jogging for a quick second to catch up, he gave it up. "Alright, once I get something on you, I'll get back at you." Clasping his hands against the back of his head, the knuckles exposed to the elements while his palms were against his head of hair, he browsed on thoughts of the past trying to think of something he could hassle Barbosa over, but he was stumped. "What the hell are you doing?" A grip on the hood of his jacket, stopped him from walking out further. So deep in his thoughts he hadn't noticed they were at the docks. Alphie saw it was Roshi. "Sorry." He mouthed soundlessly. The hijacking hadn't started yet, but it was evident to tell something was about to go down. There were a hell of a lot more people at the docks than normal even if it was day time. It was a bit beyond midnight, so the fact a heist was about to happen was pretty obvious. "Just wait to see if my intel is right. No need to jump into things if they aren't after what we're after."