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Today was the day that a big deal was going down. A new shipment of marines had landed on Alabasta, fresh from the Blues. What’s more, thanks to Elena Veil’s spreading reputation as a deliverer of quality arms and goods, she had snagged a contract to provide the men of the World Government’s navy with the gear that they would be needing. Rokuju was over the moon to secure such a big order. Should she be able to build a good report with the marines, they could turn out to be a very profitable customer base. Who knows, should today go well, she may just end up being able to expand her operations.

The thought of things finally picking up excited the young Vinsmoke to her core. But at the same time, she couldn’t quite commit herself to hope completely. Her fear of failure was all too real, brought upon by her past failures. That time she had spent on Karakuri Island with the revolutionaries, only to have a marine raid wipe out a year of work and incur massive losses. Then again with that shipment through Pirates Den that had been seized. Another failure. In the end, it had been too much stress on what was left of her family. Goji, who had grown into his own man by that stage, had grown discontent with Rokuju’s string of personal defeats. Losing faith in his big sister, he left, no longer willing to rely on her. Even though they weren’t the best of friends, they were still family. It hurt her pride and planted a seed of insecurity. Ever since then, she had been holed up on Alabasta.

It was true, Ro had been at her lowest point ever for the last few months. Her operation had been scaled right back to just a few employees, with her property being restricted to a few basic buildings. You would be forgiven for disbelieving that the scientist known in this particular summer island that had taken the name of Elena Veil was an heir to a kingdom.

So here the woman sat in the Red Moon Inn. She sat at the bar sipping on a glass of watered down ale, waiting for some marine. She didn’t know who they were, but whoever it was, she was to exchange her goods for their beli. Looking around at the few souls in the establishment, it didn’t look like they would get much trouble from them. A small pressure of nerves formed in her belly as she waited.

[431]

It was supposed to be another ordinary day of patrol for Reina when she was stopped dead in her tracked by her Lieutenant. His name was Rogers and his most distinguishable feature was the curly mustache he groomed every day and during breaks. With one finger he pushed on her forehead, stopped her from moving forward. Reina looked up at him with a slight scowl. She stopped trying to move forward with her arms crossed, " Is something the matter, sir"?  The man grinned and stuck a pose with his arms at his hips. " My dear sassy pants. Today you shall have an exercise in the social persuasion". Reina's shoulders slumped, " Oh no, please just let me do my mundane march sir".

The curly mustached man wagged his index finger at her with a playful tone. " Ah ah ah, you know better sassy pants. There's a new battalion of marines headed to base today and I'd like you to personally go and make sure the deal goes through". Reina tried to speak again, but Rogers moved aside and slapped her back and gave her a less than subtle push outside the gate and toward the main town. She scowled at him with her eyes brows furrowed, teeth grit. " Now now you don't want to growl now missy. Someone might actually mistake you for a dog". Reina stuck her tongue out at him and went about her business. Before she left, Reina was given both a note with the woman's name and a government bond with a really big number on it. One she didn't bother looking at and placed in her pockets as she left.

Meanwhile two or three undercover marines were tailing her, posing as ordinary citizens. A couple on a date who was headed to the inn for private time and a few stationed as the bar keep and waiters.

Upon entering the inn she noticed to a front desk with a few old ladies manning the room service and handling the inn fees. They gave her an empty,but energetic welcome. Reina rolled her eyes and headed to the bar where she was told to this lady would be. She peered out into the crowd, looking for a lady in particular. She held her fist to cover her mouth as she cleared her throat. She held the paper to her face and concentrated on the name of the woman in question. Reina's eyes became mere slits as she internally prepared herself to try and pronounce the unfamiliar name, " ehk ehhem, bada bada sssswwwwoooo, Is there a E-e-ee-len-aw vey-il here"? She peered out in the crowd, scanning to see if anyone responded to her question. Face a little flushed at her awful pronunciation of other people's names. Which is why she rarely used other people's names deliberately.
[439]

Rokuju’s eyes flitted around the bar. A few grizzly souls rested on their laurels at a nearby table. Their attention seemed to find it’s way back to her every so often, like a dog eyeing up a sunday roast. Maybe they thought she would make for some easy prey. Let them try, and let their skulls be reshaped by the underside of the young Vinsmokes’ boot. Still, she preferred to keep herself safe and didn’t intentionally take unnecessary risks. She was starting to get bored waiting for her contact when her attention was drawn to some strange utterance that came from her right. Turning to face her right, she saw a little female standing in a marine’s uniform. Rokuju blinked twice. “Pardon?” It was clear that she had been addressed by the new coming soldier, although her cover name had been twisted into something unrecognisable. Ro held up her hand to get her attention, and ushered her over with a little wave.

“Are you the marine that I was supposed to meet? Are you here to pick up the order?” Looking at the woman, she seemed about the same age as herself. She had long, deep red hair that flowed over her shoulders like a waterfall that had been the place of a great war, the once crystal clear innocence murkied by the crimzon life essence of fallen warriors. It was by far her most noticeable feature, and made her stand out among the rest of the bar’s inhabitants. It looked like this was the woman that would act as the representative for the marines during their exchange. She wondered what type of person this young woman was. Maybe if she was gullible or weak willed, she may be able to haggle out a better deal for herself. No, it was probably best not to try anything funny. After all, this was a deal with a big potential. Not just the profit made from this one transaction, but the potential boost she could get from future deals. She was thirsty for that success after the arid dehydration of many failures.

“Would you like a drink of something? Beer? Wine? Maybe some juice?” The woman known as Elena would ask her customer, as it was customary to provide one’s business partner with a beverage of some sort. It was also a nice opening to the conversation and may help to break the ice.

[408]

After a few moments Reina peered from behind the piece of paper to notice there really wasn't anyone who cared about her messing up the name or not. Perhaps she got a few ugly stares from the customers lazing about,but in general that was expected when she in uniform. Although one person in the crowd responded to her, giving her a little nudge to come to her table. Without wasting a moment Reina vaulted over the empty table between them and give her a terse apology and bowed, " Haha sorry for garblin up yer name miss. Yessum that'd be correct. I be the one who's suppos to meet our new weapons dealr. Sumthing about practicing social skills or whatever". As she said so, she scratched her head.

Reina noticed the girl before her was actually not the person she expected. She imagined a big scruffy woman with hairs growing on her chin and big arms which were more akin to cannons. As she imagined this burly woman, she gestured to her chin with a glazed and unalert stare. Or perhaps she would have been a bigger boobed underworld gangster with a rare animal fur wrapped around her danty neck. Again Reina sort of empty moved her hands up and down while imagining the person she expected. Well it was only for a moment before she snapped herself out of it by slapping her cheeks. " No no thank ye Mam. My superiors get all fired up if'n we don't eat regulated foods. No booze or sugary drinks for us". she said, with a frown.

Reina realizing she was here on busines straightened herself out and got her head into the game, or at least tried to. " So miss Veyul? Vieeil? --Mam, may I see yer wares? This is sort of my first time doing this, so I'm not sure if'n it's rude to see a sample of what cha got or if'n I gotta sign something on behalf of the marines". She shrugged her shoulders, and waited for a response. In the corner of her eye she started to notice something rather fishy. Among the guests at the joint were some rather unsavory figures. Some were licking their lips and others where pursing their lips as if they were making kissing gestures when they thought Reina wasn't looking.

She turned about face to stare them down, " Leave the girl alone ya cowardly retards".

Ro watched in curious amusement as the young woman did a big unnecessary jump over a table to bring herself nearer. She raised an eyebrow, this woman was certainly one to take note of. She was dressed as an ensign, but didn’t really seem to have the same sort of uniformly drilled troop like most of the other justice coated grunts. Maybe this one would prove to be of further interest. The red haired lady confirmed that it was indeed her that was coming to participate in the deal. Apparently she had been signed up to the task by a superior so that she may improve the way she handles social situations. The tidbit of information was slightly comical, although Ro could see why. Getting someone’s name wrong and jumping around inside made her look out of place, and was probably a headache for any strict commander.

“Veil.” Ro corrected the marine. It seemed like she wanted to get right down to business, which she didn’t necessarily dislike. “Well sit down, take your time. No need to rush. The first lesson of social skills in a business environment is to build a report. Establishing human connection results in feelings of trust shared by all parties.” Ro gave the marine a cheeky little smile, wondering how she would take the impromptu lecture. She wouldn’t be surprised if she got mad at her. But seeing as it was the navy woman’s priority to see the deal through, it shouldn’t result in her storming out.

Rokuju got back on topic. “As for the gear, I have them here with me, I wanna see that you have the money first. You know, a quality craftsman such as myself wouldn’t do to be swindled out of her wares.” She had the stockpile of high tech stuff up in her room. All she had to do was tell the girl which one and then a platoon of marines could come in and claim everything before they paid. Ro wasn’t strong enough to fight off a squad of soldiers, so she wanted to take as many precautions as possible. At least if they had the money then it would be slightly more likely that they were indeed intending to pay.

She would ignore the men sitting away from them. Seeing that the marine girl had taken offense to their glares, she attempted to change the subject. “So you know my name, what’s yours?”

[415]

Reina turned back to find the woman had corrected her upon regaining her attention once more. She smack her palm with a sort of expression that is akin to an, aha moment. " uh okie dok-", is about all she could get out as the petite lady gave her a rather stern lecture, but at the same time it was also wasn't. She took note of Elena's smile and frowned back at her for making her heart race. Reina nodded her head slightly, swaying to and fro ever so slightly with her hands in her lap. Truth be told she was seeing how far she could lean in either direction while listening to contact speak. Every now and then nodding to acknowledge what she was saying, albiet still with a rather uncertain expression.

Reina even bothered to take mental notes when she expressed something rather concerning. Reina affixed her eyes on the woman who approached her with an air of mistrust, her frown steadily becoming a scowl. Even the men in the room so rudely whistling at them, trying to get their attention in a drunken haze did not compare to her. " The name is Reina Lynheart, I'm just a mere cadet from the north blue". She stood up and knocked on the table rather hard to make sure she got her attention, " My only real purpose here was to get a contract and check your wares for authenticity". Just then one of the undercover marines scooched from the sidelines and appeared at the table with a smile. "Sorry to keep you folks waiting! How would you like to start today's meal off? We got a wonderful sea monster and chips special if that's your fancy", she said with a nervous and nonrhythmic laugh.

Reina peered at the waitress with a look of utter bloodthirst, " I want three order of that and your largest mug of ale", she said turning back to her business contact. " What about you Veil? You going to have anything"? The waitress laughed nervously when Reina threw herself back into her seat with her arms crossed. She begun blowing her bangs out of her face with a rather frustrated,but also regretful expression. " I'll put my paycheck on the line and we'll head to the outer office at the base, that way you can be assured that if I'm lying to you..that I won't be eating for a few weeks".

Ro’s second eyebrow raised as she took in the marine’s mannerisms. Well, at least she wasn’t boring. As she had predicted, the woman had not taken to her pro tips, the disapproval evident by the frown lines formed on her face. All the same, she had given her name, and called herself a ‘mere cadet’ for the North Blue. Ro’s attention refocusing on that detail. That was where her family originally was from. She had never seen that sea for herself though. Even though the one names Reina may only be an ensign, it seemed like she was well traveled. Ro herself had been all over Paradise but had yet to leave that particular part of the Grandline.

Reina responded to the interrupting bartender with a passionate dislike. She ordered a heap of food and drink, so much for not being thirsty. What a dynamic personality. She had fire in herself. Ro knew through years of experience of dealing with people of all kinds that she may place herself in a bad spot if she failed to rein herself in. “No, I’ll pass thank you” She answered the question for food. Ro’s tone became a little heavier, growing a little agitated that she was letting herself get distracted from the task at hand. It was clear that she didn’t want to be here, but she could at least act it for both of their sakes.

The red headed woman made a strongly worded suggestion that they should go to a marine office to confirm something about her own individual liability. Ro was getting annoyed now. Did she really think that she would give a damn about her own personal situation? Did she think that Ro would go back on what was already agreed and go skipping off down to the marine offices? This was starting to get ridiculous. If this was any other deal, this is where she would get up and walk away. But she needed this.

“Are you saying that you don’t have the money with you? Because we have already agreed to the terms. Today is a simple exchange. I have the goods ready and waiting to be picked up. Now it’s time for you to hold up your end.” Ro spoke assertively but calmly, punctuating her sentence with a finger pointed at Reina, while looking her dead in the eyes. She expected a mature approach to the situation, and she wasn’t getting from the marine at the moment.

[422]

Reina shook her head at the obstinate woman who neither wanted to build her supposed rapport, nor did she seem to want make amends. Her tone felt a bit odd considering how calm she was not more than a few moments ago. Now all of a sudden she seemed to be spirited as well, perhaps a bit too spirited for Reina's tastes. " It's one thing to hold a bit of distrust for your business partners,but another to outrightly make demands when you neither have the power in this situation. Nor do you have the right to make any demands when you yourself do not have any sort of documentation for me to take back to base". Out of respect for the woman reina met her gaze,but she did not simply stay seated as if nothing had happened. Her eyebrows furrowed and fist firmly planted into the table, airtight and trembling ever so slightly.

" Understand where you stand in relation to the machine that is the Marines. My superiors will more than likely make you fight through a mountain of forms, documents and approval times which can last for years simply because they fancied such a course of action. I've no authority to bring the money to you in cold hard cash. In fact, I was sent here with nothing more than a note card and the instructions to meet you". Reina reached into her pockets and flashed a crumbled note with her name and the name of the inn where she was supposed to find her. As she spoke the waitress nervously brought the food to her, placing multiple plates with fried potato wedges and stacked burgers. Without hesitation she picked a handful of wedges up and began to eat them during the conversation. " I don't know what's going through your mind right now,but understand that this doesn't affect me in the slightest. You'll end up with nothing and I'll just go back to my normal duties".

Reina now feeling there wasn't anything else to say placed the beli on the table and began to make her exit. There was nothing reina hated more than having to deal with someone who distrusted her when she tried being relaxed with people not associated with the marines. So if she could not see past the uniform or appreciate her gesture of good faith, then there was nothing else to say.

Before Reina could storm off the waitress pulled of a wig and grabbed her wrist. She pulled her hand to and whispered in her ear. " You mean I have the money"? The wigless waitress continued with her whispering, " I look like a retard"? Lo and behold Reina checked her pockets and saw the bond with all the zeros attached to it. " This is so embaressing" she said, with tears welling up in her eyes. The waitress pushed Reina by the shoulders and made her sit down at the table again.

" Hi I'm reina and here's the money". The waitress nodded her head, a gun being held up to the nape of her neck, as reina laughed nervously.

The marine that called herself Raina hadn’t taken too kindly to Ro’s firm tone. It looked like the professional expectations of the scientist had incited something from her new acquaintance. It was rather unexpected, the redhead returned with a flurry of words, even chucking in a vague threat. Ro was taken aback at this, not quite understanding the cause and effect sequence that had taken place here. She just assumed that the reaction was a bi-product of something else. Ro could understand that an individual like the one that was in front of her would have a negative reaction to being told what to do. That begs the question, why was she in the marines then? Where every day you were an underdog ensign that would be ordered around. Of course, she didn’t know much other than what she could see with her own two eyes, but she couldn’t see someone that did have those mannerisms being happy under the thumb of the marines. She wouldn’t have been surprised to see someone like her as a pirate though, as they were free in every sense of the word.

Ro just continued to watch as she stuffed her face with the cooked potato segments. She looked like she was about to up and leave, having had enough of the whole experience. Ro wouldn’t stop her, it didn’t look like there was going to be any grounds by which they could come together and do business. A shame, but sometimes that’s just how it went.

What came next was quite the surprise. The waitress that had just served Reina came out from behind the bar and grabbed the young marine’s wrist. Off came the wig, and she leaned in to Reina’s ear and whispered something to her. “Hey what the hell is this?” Ro would get to her feet, incredulously taking in the scene that was unfolding. Something fishy was going on here. But the money had been produced in the form of a bond and she could see it there. Maybe she should have just walked away there and then but she desperately wanted to call today a win. “There’s no need for that, if you have the money then everything is dandy. The stock is in room 4, it’s unlocked.” She pointed to the rooms that were up the stairs and to the left.

That was not all though, it seems as though the eyes that had been on them had finally found motivation to make a move, what with the large sum of beli being produced by the marine. A group of five men got up slowly and began to advance...

[455]

Reina sat nervously in her chair, sweat almost rushing down her face as her companion smiled with a devious smirk. Her alias was, yan yan dere dere, an epithet not to be taken lightly. With a slight gesture from the butt of her gun Reina slid the bent bond over to Elena, who was actually quite cooperative. In no certain terms did reina say anything that might offend either woman. Her movements were tight and expressions nervous at best, but stiff and without sincerity. In truth she was panicking despite maintaining the smile on her face.

Elena guided got up from her seat in a calm victorious manner, and beckoned to reina. Who looked back up at her marine friend who nodded, nudging her forward with the barrel of her gun. It seemed things would finally end and on a semi good note as far as those were concerned. The marines would get their shipment of equipment and the dealer would get her pay. It was a best of both worlds at the expense of the red headed marine. She slouched as she followed Elena without any energy, only to have an apple thrown at her head. It expertly bounced off her crown and landed in her hand. Shape up or die, was inscribed in the apple. She shrugged, having no other reaction and bit into it as the headed toward the stairwell. Only to find a growth of unsavory fellows blocking the way. The men who had be licking their lips, now got up to block their path posthaste. Reina eyed them curiously, eyebrow raised out of curiosity. With that a whole crowd of people came out of the woodworks.

Men of all sizes, clad in all sorts of pirate attire. Eye patches, smelly clothing, and rotten teeth. " Hey honeys, wanna have fun with us tonight? Your treat"? One said, walking up to reina, tickling her neck with the point of his blade. He let it slide down her chest, trying to use it to unbutton her when the girl placed her hand on his shoulder and crushed his abdomen with a single kick. The man's body let out a loud audible crack,but he himself did not make even the slightest utterance as he fell to the ground embracing himself, trying to soothe the pain radiating from his torso as he gasped for breath. The others now pissed tried to make their move when reina grabbed a chair and flung at another pirate, breaking it upon him on impact. She lifted her right arm and without a second thought smashed a nearby table with one swing. " Any of your fuckers make another move, and you're dead", she said as her grip tightened. Causing her palm to bleed ever so slightly.

Not that Ro wasn’t concerned with the menacing marine and what she was doing to poor Reina over there, but it seemed like the deal was going to go through. They had the money and she had the weapons. All they had to do was go up and collect it any time they wanted. Ro decided to stay out of whatever situation the pair of marines were in, deciding that their relationship wasn’t any of her business. She was just glad that she maybe able to close the book on this deal finally. The order had been a large one, and had taken her a while to make. After this experience, maybe having the marines as a customer were too much hassle. Or maybe this drama was just a one off. It looked like she was getting payed, and that was what mattered.

But now it looked like there was more problem that had just popped up. The resident males had gained the balls to try their luck. Out of their chair they came, what looked like leader came straight up to Reina. Why did he go for her and not me? Ro didn’t know why she was miffed at not being the subject of the man’s gross subjection. He threatened her with a blade, which as it turned out, didn’t end up being the best idea on his part. The marine woman smacked his torso with a kick, and it looked like it hurt. This violent twist caused the pack of rats to rise up to attack.

Ro would join in the fight, springing into action to help her business partner. Not that she overly cared much for the woman’s well being, but that she wanted to make sure that nothing would cause the deal to derail. They weren’t focused on Ro in the beginning of the fight, which allowed her to grab an empty wine bottle from behind her and bring it around and onto the back of one of the men’s head, knocking him clean out while smashing the glass from the bottle. One of his friends turned on her, only long enough for her to step into range for an upward open palm smack. The quick action made it through his clumsy swing, making contact and shattering his nose. He fell back dazed and clutching his face. Ro wasn’t particularly strong, but she was quick on her feet and could dance around these fools all day.

[419]
2 Tier 0 taken out
~exit~

The atmosphere in the bar changed the moment Reina shattered the table and threatened the men in the room. Most of them were curiously dressed the same way, donning red vests and blue tanktops. The majority of them who were spread out throughout the room gave up, holding their hand up high as a sign of surrender. A few however did escape, but they were the few nearest to the door. There was not much she could do about twenty or more pirates in the same room alone unless her aim was to kill them all. So the other marines who were in the room bolted out after them, blowing their whistles and yelling stop at the top of their lungs.

The few who weren't going to give up tried putting up a fight. They went for Elena,probably with the intention of taking her hostage. But she turned out rather nimble on her feet and ended up not really having any issues with the two thugs who tried attacking her. A swift strike with a bottle and a punch to the face seemed to do the trick with these mooks. Reina stood there with her arms crossed wondering if she went too hard on them for a moment.

Well that is until one of them brandished a knife(tier 3) and started to wildly charge at Reina. He was much stronger than the others with his toned and muscular body. Quick too, fast approaching her like a stampeding bull. Reina exhaled slowly to invoke her color of arms haki, the air around her becoming a tangible, almost as if there were ripples of water in the air itself. When he went for his first thrust, she collided with his blade using only her arm to throw him off. Because of the haki she didn't suffer any damage, but this now left him open for a counter attack. Without hesitation Reina grabbed the back of his head with both hands and drove his face into her knee. When he staggered she lifted her leg in the air and came down on his head with her iron sole, instantly breaking his down and sending crashing into the floorboard. His men became wide eyed and lined themselved up for her real nicely.

Reina nodded with a smile and walked away as other marines came to escort these fellows to jail. She quickly followed her business partner and left with the goods shortly after.

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