Task Name: The pursuit
Tier: T3
NPC or PC: PC
Location: Illusia Island
Crew, Team, or Personal: Crew
Description: Must have a bounty! Your pirate ship is being chased by a powerful Marine Rear Admiral! Escape the pursuing marines onto an island to do battle, or attempt to fight them off in a naval battle.
Enemy Details: 10 T0 Marines, 5 T1 Marine Corporals, 1 T2 Captain
Boss: Yes

Spoiler:

This was troublesome... This Marine vessed had been after them for a good long while and Linnea could longer afford to try and outrun them. For all her speed, every time she lost these guys they always came back. So a few hours ago she called Melissa and told her of what was happening. She didn't know if the girl herself was able to come and meet her, but then it didn't really matter; either her or her captain were quite strong after all. The Gold Leopard Pirates had already made quite a few waves, so Linnea decided to to pick a reefy island for her final battle against Rear Admiral Bates... She had dropped off most of the non fighting members of the crew at a safe Island, and decided to take it upon herself and a freshly hired group of mercenaries to finish off these pesky Marines.

Hiding amidst the reef, she had more than enough time to swap out her Square sails for the Lateen ones, knowing she'd need the extra manouverablility to take down these:

"Here they come!", Announced the Captain, shouting to her incomplete crew below, spotting the approaching Marine ship on the horizon from atop the Melusine's mast, "Get ready; no more running, it's time to make our stand!!"

She was more determined than usual but then again Linnea didn't like to constantly have to look over her shoulder. These men had even ambushed them during their sleep more than once, no way she'd expose her crew to that kind of useless danger for the rest of their voyage. This Rear Admiral will learn what happens when you corner a snake... Strong winds and shifting clouds made for a rowdier sea than she might have wanted but ultimately this would certainly work to their advantage. A Massive marine battleship couldn't match the Melusine in sheer manouverability, if they tried the reefs would take them down before Linnea herself even had to do anything. Drawing her bow, Linnea activated her Haki to help the helmsman steer the ship while avoiding the rocks... Soon enough they would be within range for the first volley.


Haki used: C-rank Kenbu (60/70 H. Stamina)


OOC: Post order resets with each of my posts

"About damn time," Nicholas muttered, gripping the helm of the ship tightly as he watched the marine vessel come into view. He, like the rest of the crew, were just about sick of these guys. Nicholas hadn't managed to get a good night's sleep in a couple of days, not since they ambushed them during the night and he had remained awake to ensure they had a speedy getaway if it ever happened again. The young navigator had developed a bit of a dependency on coffee as a result, and he was going to make these bastards PAY! His hair was a mess and feint bags were starting to develop under his eyes. He couldn't be flashy like this. He needed sleep dammit!

Right now though, they were going to wait. They were sitting in the middle of a reef, and despite his lack of sleep, Nicholas could easily get their ship through the jagged coral with ease. He was hoping these marines would be stupid enough to get themselves lodged in the reef. Then it was just a couple of cannon shots and he could finally take a nap. Otherwise, he was going over there and kicking the ass of every marine he could find! Then burn their ship to cinders, just for added effect.

"Just give me the word captain," he said, his voice lacking any of the joviality it normally held. Behind his glasses, his eyes bore into the approaching ship in the distance. The dials in his coat pocket were just itching to be used.

Ike just recently waking up from a good nap started walking upstairs to the main floor where everyone was most likely at. Immediately after opening the door to the main floor the young pirates face was met with strong winds as they relentlessly assaulted him. In reaction he began to rub his eyes with forearm as he used it to block his face from the strong winds as he went to greet his crew. It seems the Marines ship has been still tailing them so now it was time to face off with them since they dropped off all the non-fighters in the crew/group. “It’s about time! I’ve been itchin’ to kick their asses” he replied to Naga as he began to crack his knuckles and slowly stretching his body to limber up for combat.

The strong winds and cloudy skies seriously set the mood for the battle that was going to be taking place shortly. I mean it must be an intense battle sense the captain had picked up some mercenaries for the job, and even they looked a bit nervous getting ready to face off against a Rear admiral. “Chill, we got this”, he said in a laidback but in a reassuring tone to build morale for the mercenaries. He suddenly turned his attention to Nichols he seemed like he was about to doze off any minute, “you seriously need some sleep” he said in a joking tone. As he said this he smacked him on the back a few times as he chucked a few times as he grinned with a goofy smile.

WC: 266

Stamina: 250/250

Having been out fishing instead of reading or making medicine, Mea had noticed immediately that marine ships were coming towards the ship, and more importantly the others, and by the order from Linnea to stand their ground, Mea would head under deck and get to the cannons, load each and every one of them ready to fire at a moment's notice. "Enemy closing in, 250 degrees south, 40 degrees west, distance... 400 meters and closing. readying to fire cannon one at any time. aiming for center mast, taking down their maneuverability unless it has motor engines, which means i need to aim for either the side of the ship or for the center of it. readying to fire in ten seconds. " Mea said to herself, getting her mind allied up with her thoughts to perfectly get a clear picture in her head of what to do and how to get it done quickly.

"aim for the mast, then the bottom of the ship. that will make it so that the ship will sink much faster and have a much harder time to follow us. if it goes to the island and we are on it, i will lose them in the forest and if i have to fight, i will change the genders of both the men and woman that are chasing me then try to find Linnea and the others, god i hope that doesn't have to be what i have to do. it would terrify me if that was what i had to do" Mea thought to herself as she got the cannon ready to fire at the ship that was closing in on her and the others.

OOC: Folks, lets take this slow so our other crew members can join if they want. I don't mean slow posts though, i mean taking down our enemies slowly, one by one =P

By his captain's command, Nicholas brought the ship out from behind the reef, smiling in some satisfaction when her arrow took out one of the marines up in the mast. Serves the damn, well rested bastard right. However, his smile faded when the ship immediately began opening fire on them. He quickly turned to avoid the cannon balls, all but one of them hitting the water on either side of them,sending water, coral and rock flying everywhere. "Dammit!" he scowled angrily, Did these guys just have their cannons primed to fire at the very beginning?" That was his only explanation on how they were firing on them so quickly.

As their own cannons roared in response, Nicholas began to steer the ship towards them, swinging wide so that they wouldn't get shot at point blank, trying to aim for the side with the least amount of firepower. If they can get close enough to board, they could take the fight to them, beat them down, and be done with this nonsense once and for all! Just the very thought of it was getting his blood pumping, and he felt that some of his other crew members were itching to get up close and personal.

He snaked through the coral like a serpent, his skills barely dulled by his lack of sleep. It wouldn't be long before they came up on them, and if that chain shot hit, it would be especially easy for them. "Get ready folks," he called out, "The party's just about to start!" An almost manic smile was on his face. This was the Nicky they all knew, the one who enjoyed a good fight, not the crabby, sleep deprived navigator he had been the last couple of days.

The moment was rather intense for Ike to be joking around or at least it seems. Everyone seemed so concentrated and focused on the task they had before them, so he decided to act a bit more serious. The funniest part is that Ike is a fighter in the crew and also serves as the shipwright, so he wasn’t really needed until combat starts or when the ship is highly damaged. Taking this time Ike left the sleep-deprived Nicholas alone who seemed to be in his own little world during this moment. Listening to the chatter among the ship was mainly Naga ordering people to ready to fire back at the marines who been chasing us for some time now.

Suddenly she gave the word and they moved away from the reefs and just as quickly the Captain shot an arrow at an unsuspected Marine. Just like that the Marine was brought down, “Woah, great shot” he said as he chuckled a little bit as he looked at her with a smile. The Marines were now on the attack as the fired a barrage of bullets and some cannons in their general direction. However, some of those cannons would miss due to Nicholas making a sharp turn to dodge them. Although it seemed one cannon was still on target, and as a reaction Ike started running to the area where the cannon would make impact with the ship. “Gomu Gomu no Fūsen”, Ike began to inflate himself rapidly through his mouth as his body was now inflated greatly increasing his ability to deflect projectiles. The cannon firmly hit Ike as the momentum caused it to try and dig deeper into his body, but using this force Ike launched the cannon back at the Marines and luckily it hit the deck injuring or possibly killing some marines.

WC: 306

Stamina: 235/250

Defeated 1 T1 pirates

Arming each cannon with the cannon balls, and having them go off by Nicholas, Mea wasn't feeling all that helpful and just felt like another grunt, doing work that the other crew members weren't gonna do, making her feel really unwanted at times but she knew that Linnea would always treat her as a little sister and she knew that Linnea only wanted the best for her, making her confidence grow more and more until she was able to do things on her own and have the courage to get stronger and be able to survive on the grand line.

Sighing a bit, Mea loaded the cannon with a ball and chain to cause some damage on the ship targeting them for a while now, and aimed it towards the mast of it before firing it. the ball and chain went flying towards the mast before hitting it, but not getting it down by a single bit. "Direct hit on the mast but no visible sign of damage... shoot. what to do.... load more cannon balls and get them set to fire by Nicholas and the others. right, load them in and set them up. targeting the ship twenty degrees south and forty two degrees west. angling has to be precise. got it, loading up and setting up. " Mea said to herself before loading each cannon up, angling each and everyone to line up with the targeted ship before setting up each fuse to fire off when everyone wanted it to fire. Mea still felt like she was being nothing more then a helper instead of a doctor but couldn't complain about it because she knew that everyone depended on her to be there as a doctor to heal their wounds and treat their illnesses when such a event occurs.

OOC: Mea, i forgot to tell you this but since you're technically a non-fighter in the crew, the only way Linnea would allow you to join this battle was if you stayed below deck manning cannons and healing the wounded =c

Also, WE HAVE NO HARPOONS YET ;~;

Nicholas silently reminded himself to buy drinks for those firing the cannons downstairs when this was over (and something non alcoholic for Mea). Between the navigator's steering and their shots, they were doing a number on the marine vessel. Water burst up into the air as cannon balls crashed down around them. At one point, one of the marines took a shot at him, forcing him to duck. The brief lapse in concentration caused the ship to grind against the coral briefly before Nicholas corrected their course. "Shit!" he growled, gripping the wheel tightly.

 Pain filled yelp from above caught the navigator's attention. He glanced up at the sniper's nest. He remembered that sound. When they had first met, Linnea had taken a wound to the shoulder when they were fighting the revolutionaries. Sure, this was a battle field and getting injured was the norm, but it still angered the man. [color=red]"Oh to hell with this!"[color] he growled before shouting out, Get those harpoons ready! We're reeling these bastards in!"

Slipping through the maze of coral like he had done this his whole life, Nicholas began closing in on the marine ship. He was sure to aim for the side with the most damage, with the least amount of cannons functioning. Despite the ship's mobility being crippled, it still took Nicholas some time, as he had to keep dodging the shots from the remaining cannons. "Keep those damn balls off of us Ike!" he yelled out Ashe closed in. The last thing they needed was for the ship to get broadsided. As they closed in, Nicholas began looking over at the enemy vessel. There was a particular man on that ship that he was gunning for, and when they jumped over, was going to greet him with an impact dial to the face.

Staying below deck and keeping the cannons on standby was really boring to Mea but she had to do what she was told to do and stay under the deck, keep the cannons on the ship and keep them ready to fire at a moments notice. seeing the fight from below, Mea was a little scared that the crew were getting injured and, as a doctor, wanted to go up and heal them up if any were injured but was now conflicted as to what she should do, go up and see if they needed her and be disappointed and useless if no one did or stay down in the cannon room, not do a thing and possibly have the entire crew get too hurt to fight, leaving her to fend for herself with no hope of surviving.

"what to do... what should i do.... what if Linnea is hurt? what if Nicholas has a deep stab or Ike got cut and stabbed? oh... i got my healing supplies right here so... umm... go up! i must at least check to see if everyone is OK." Mea thought to herself, firing a cannon ball at the mast again and ending up hitting a part of the sail off but not the entire mast, before going up to check on everyone. opening the hatch up slightly, just enough to spy everyone, Mea would see Ike bouncing off Bullets and cannon balls, Nicholas steering the ship towards the Marine's one, making her feel a little scared to go out, and Linnea looking in pain. going by instinct to heal her Captain, Mea would go out from below deck, climb up to Linnea and get her medical supplies ready.

"Linnea, don't move. your hurt. it is a doctor's duty to heal the wounded from any injury. you got shot.. let me get the bullet out. this may hurt a little but the pain will go away after i apply the bandages and pain killer herbs on to the wound. be still and calm down, i can't get the bullet out if you move around and are too intense. right... breath and stay calm. " Mea said as she used her syringe type claw finger to dig into Linnea's wound and get the bullet out before applying the pain killing herbs and wrapping a bandage all over Linnea's Bleeding shoulder. "There, that didn't hurt as much as it did when the bullet went in, Right? all cannons are set to fire in a succession every minute, all area aimed at the mast and the last one at the haul of the ship. tell me when and i can blast the Marines out of the sea, Linnea... but please... don't get shot again. i don't want to hurt you with my syringe finger nails again... it hurts me to do that to you, Big sis." Mea said in a kind and sweet tone, retracting her long syringe finger nails and putting her medical equipment away to keep safe.

[OOC, used T1 doctor's satchel]

Ike watched as each attempt with the ball and chain seemed like it wasn’t doing much to the enemies’ masts. Focusing intensely on their ship he tried to figure out as to why their ship was so resilient to their ball and chains, ‘reinforced armor? Or perhaps crazy resilient wood?’ he couldn’t find the solution to the problem. Suddenly his concertation was broken for the moment when he could hear their captain scream out in pain as something drastic must’ve happened. Because he didn’t see what happened to her he could only hop it wasn’t anything life threating. Stray bullets began to snap off Ike as they returned back to the sender, but the pesky Marines seemed to have learned their lesson when he returned their cannonball from earlier. However, hearing her voice as she commanded the troops to fire at will was very reassuring for him.

Suddenly the doors from downstairs could be heard opening and it wasn’t until she scaled up the masts to see that it was Mea who just appeared on the deck. “Be careful up there Mea!”, he yelled out to her as he was concerned for his nakamas’ safety. Some more cannon balls zoomed past him and almost hit Nichalos if it wasn’t for his reflexes, and he surely gave Ike an ear full as well. “Sorry about that”, he replied back as he chuckled a little, but this was hushed when he saw a couple of cannons aimed straight for their main mast.

Reacting in instants notice he spewed air below him to launch himself into the air to take the impact from the cannons. “Take this you bastards”, he struggled to say this as the cannons dug into his inflated body, but he used the force to launch them back at the ship. Luckily these barrage of cannons is what was needed to destroy their mast and pretty much leave them as sitting ducks. The young pirate elegantly fell from the sky as he bounced a single time while hitting the ground and instantly deflating to his normal size, “that oughta slow them down” he said as he watched their mast and whoever was on it come tumbling down.

WC: 366
Stamina: 230/250
Defeated 1 T1 Marine and 1 T0 Marine

So far, things were looking good for them. The marine ship had definitely taken more damage than them, and Nicholas's skilled steering was getting them close enough to the enemy to board them. Nicholas was using all his restraint to resist letting go of the wheel and simply diving onto the other ship.

And then he came. Rear Admiral Bates, shooting down from above towards him. The navigator dove to the side in order to avoid the zoan as Linnea put a couple of arrows into him. As the two leaders faced off, she gave the order. It was time for the Uroboros Pirates to show these as what they could do. Nicholas was smiling broadly as he ran across the deck, leaping out over the railing and landing on the other side. A low level grunt charged at him, only for Nicholas to deliver a sharp kick to the man, the Jet Dial he had attached to his foot triggering. With a blast of air, the marines was sent flying back, falling over the side of the ship with a cry. Nicholas laughed. Now THIS was more like it!

Suddenly, something lashed out at him, a length of chain striking the wooden floor as Nicholas moved to dodge. He looked over at the source with a smirk. "Captain Moriarity. Just the man I wanted to see."

Captain Moriarity:

The captain in question smirked, brandishing the chains he used as his weapons. "So glad I could make your day. When this is over, I'm chaining you and that floozy of a captain of yours to the front of our ship." Nicholas' eyes narrowed. "Our captain ain't no floozy captain." he sneered, "And I won't have you talking that way about her."

---
Stamina: 239/250

Skills Used:

Jet Dial used.