Louge Town

It was a typical day in the famous town that was where the first Pirate King was born and died. The regular people were walking along the streets, spending their day shopping or seeing the sites. But this town was about to have anything but a regular day in the end. It all started, when a mysterious young man arrived at the plaza that day, looking up at the platform that was where the legendery pirate was executed.

People walked around the young man that now stood infront of the execituon platform, looking up at the platform. Reaching up at the cloth covering his head, he pulls it down to his shoulders, revealing his dark read hair blowing with the breeze. "So...this is the place...Hard to belive that people now just walk past this thing now without noticing." He slowly forms a smirk on his face as he keeps looking up at it, then finally returning the cloth back onto his head as he then turns around and begins to walk off. "The King of the Pirates.....and the one that took his place, Straw Hat Luffy.....just wait world..." He grins excitingly, "..soon...Ryu will be the next name that will take their place."

As he continued to walk down the street, he begins to think abit, "Hmmm..guess it's easier said then done though...to go that far in life..I do need a crew and ship first. But how do I find one? Not like I can just go to every person I meet and ask them to join a pirate crew...that will REALLY get me in some trouble, especially in this town." As he walked on, his attention came across a group of marines walking down the street. Stepping abit to the side to give them room, he watches as they seem to head somewhere. Once they pass Ryu, he sneaks them a slight glare as he remembers abit of what he knows of them. "...cocky bastards..."

"Out of the way!" The shout split through the crowd and immediatly people were falling and jolting around as a small figure raced through them. Behind that figure were a group of several marines, all looking more than annoyed at their task. The person they were chasing was a woman, or perhaps just a girl. Several people seemed to recognize her while she sped through the crowd; the Silent Theif was in Louge Town.

Usually Kia wasn't one to be discovered by the marines, but for some reason in this specific town they had the uncanny ability to spot even someone cloaked and masked, and identify that someone at once. She scrambled past the execution tower, eyes traveling to the top as she did. The Pirate King, executed right at that spot. She couldn't help but be impressed. From that spot, everything could litterally see it.

Her gaze snapped back before her as she continued to run, weaving around people and objects as if they weren't there. A couple hundred feet ahead of her she couldn't help but notice a young man walking along by himself. The next thing she noticed were the marines walking towards her, heading past that man without a second glance. Kia cursed silently and darted between them, ducking under their grasps.

As she ran she brushed shoulders with the young man, and she couldn't help but look back apologeticly. While her gaze remained over her shoulder something or someone managed to trip her in mid run. With a shout Kia tumbled to the dirt, rolling several times before coming to an agonizing stop. She gritted her teeth and moved to prop herself up on her elbows when someone- she presumed the one who tripped her- seized her by a handful of hair and yanked her to her feet.

"What have we got here?" he said, laughing a dark, thick laugh, releasing a puff of smoke into her face; she couldn't help but cough. "The Silent Theif in Louge Town, huh? Stupid mistake, girl." He pulled out some rope, tied her hands behind her back, then without reluctance tossed her to the ground with a thump.

Kia grunted at the impact, though all the same made to stand. A rough kick to her back ended that hope, the tip of the sword pressed between her shoulder blades just making the situation worse. She bared her teeth, forehead against the dirt and eyes ablaze. This was not the end of her.

Ryu watched the whole event take place before him as now the girl that brushed past him laid on the ground, hands tied as the captain of the group of marines it seemed, held her down with his blade, his men beside him. Just the sight of what these Marines were doing began to enrage him, glaring them down from behind as he slowly walked up behind the captain. Noticing someone walking up behind him, the captain turned around to look back at Ryu walking up to him. "Hmmm? What do you want? We're busy getting a theif here so why don't you-" Suddenly, the captain was inturrupted as Ryu glared right at them, his eyed giving off a killer look as the chill it gave made the captain studder his words. "W-what's with that look?! You would dare challenge the Marines or something?!" Ryu didn't answer, just continued to walk closer toward him as the other Marines stepped back abit. Looking back at his men, the captain yells, "What are you all scared of?! He's just one man, get him!" The marines then shake off their fear and charge at Ryu, blades in hand. But as they went in to attack, Ryu simply stepped out of the way of the incoming blades, knocking down each Marine as he dodged them with his bare hands. Once they were all taken down, he continued walking toward the captain. Now nervous at this man that took his men down, he grips his blade away from the girl and aims it to attack Ryu. "You bastard! You dare oppose the Marines?!" Charging at Ryu, he swings down at him. Quickly taking out one of his daggers, he holds it up, parrying the blade as he stops his attack. "Don't make me laugh." Ryu finally speaks out. " You Marines are nothing but abunch of bullies using "justice" to do what you please." The Captain looks at him nervously as he talks back, holding his blade back with a dagger. In a desperate act, the captain quickly goes for his gun to try and shoot Ryu. Only to have Ryu dash to his side and slam his fist into the captains guts. The impact made him fall to his knees as he then fell face first to the ground in pain.

Looking back at the captain, Ryu walks up to the girl, taking his dagger to cut the rope she had on. "Hey, you ok?"

Whatever was going on, Kia couldn't tell. The dust in her eyes shrowded the scene as she struggled to look around. She could tell there was a battle going on, though there were no clangs of swords, just the first thrust and them silence. Almost a little terrified she focused on blinking rapidly so she could take in the full scrabble. She managed to clear her vision just as the young man she had ran past only moments before was parred with the captain of the marine group. Seconds later she watched as the captain collapsed with a grunt. Slowly her gaze drew from the captain to fall on the young man, startled as he cut her bonds.

As soon as she was released Kia lept to her feet and nimbly put a couple extra feet between them. Once calmed by the tramatic experience she took notice to his appearance. He didn't look like one who belonged here in Louge Town, or perhaps, any of the islands close to here. She chewed on her lip quietly before clearing her voice. "I'm fine," she said, voice raspy and dry both from the long run and the dirt that had been thrown around when she was tossed to the ground. "Who are you?" she added, clearing her voice again, wincing slightly. While she proceeded to ask for his identity her hand nonchalontly traveled up and held her bisept. During her run she had an encounter with the marines, and a stray bullet caught her nastily.

"Who am I?..Hmmm." Ryu thought abit as he wondered how to say it. "Well....I guess I'm a traveler?" He chuckles nervously as he gives a slight grin. He wasn't to sure of just telling her he was a pirate. It was then that he noticed her holding her arm abit, looking at where she was holding. "Hmm? Did that bastard hurt you or something?"

Not to long afterwards, the fallen commander began to get back up as he grunts still in pain. Ryu, looking back at him, he gives off a sigh, "What? You still want more you Marine scum?" Not looking back at him, the commander reaches into his coat and pulls something out, suddenly yelling. "Report! Pirates have appeared near the central plaza. Send as many men as possible!" Once he finished talking, he dropped a Den Den Mushi he had in his coat, looking back at Ryu and the girl with an evil grin. "Hehe..that should teach you to mess with the Marines, punk." Slowly getting back up as he keeps talking. "Now you'll be hunted down as a pirate for getting in our way you, brat!" Ryu simply smirks as he looks at him, leaving the commander confused now. "Fine by me...I just so happen to have decided to become a pirate today...so you helped me out." The Commander grits his teeth in frustration as the more Marines come from around the corner.

"Gun," Kia replied gruffly, the grip on her arm tightening a little. She blinked slightly, trying to understand exactly how a 'traveler' could practically beat a commander with no weapons at all. If only she could have wipped out her sword she might have been able to take down some of the damn marines. The brunette flinched as the commander lifted himself to his feet, face contorted. She stiffened at his command, emerald eyes traveling to the young man.

So he wanted to be a pirate, huh? Well it just so happened that Kia needed a ship to sail on, needed a way to get around the world to create her map. This man seemed to be worthy for the task; he certainly had enough skill to protect her if need be. "Pirate, eh?" she said with a grin, wincing a little as a pedestrian brushed past her wounded arm. "I've got a boat if you want a good escape. Follow me if you don't want to waste your time with these bastards.." Staggering only lightly she twisted past him and began down the road, skillfully weaving through the crowds and random marines.

Her boat would be large enough to carry a small group of people, four or five; it could be turned into a pirate ship, though because of the age and other malfunctions it wouldn't last long at sea. Truthfully she'd come to Louge Town in order to find a boat to steal, though for now she'd have to wait.

Hearing her offer, he looks at her with a joyfull suprise, "Really? Awsome!" Giving off a jokingly wave at the commander he grins at him before he then darts off, following the girl.

Arriving at her boat, he crosses his arms and nods abit. "Not bad, I guess this will do for now." He then looks over at the girl, "So...Why are you helping a pirate get away from Marines?" Now sounding abit serious as he looks at her, curiously.

It wasn't long after that that the sound of men was heard behind them. Looking back, he saw a group of Marines with rifles getting in position, ready to fire. Realizing their situation now, he darts toward the boat. "Well, time to head off!" As he leeps into the boat, he manages to dodge the wave of shots that pass over them as he lands."Get this thing going already!" He tells the girl as he ducks from the shots.

"Let's just say the Marines have been hunting me for, eh, more than half my life, and anyone who opposes them is in some way or another an ally." Kia was doing her best to raise the sails and get the boat in check with her one good arm. The other hung limply at her side, blood running down the wound and dripping to the deck from her fingertips. As soon as she unfurled the sails the boat gave a lurch and began off. Quickly she raced into her cabin, retreived two hand grenades, and made them useful by giving the marines a parting gift. Once the situation appeared to be, at least, slightly underhand she leaned against the railing of the boat, one eye closed against the pain from her arm. The world was swimming and spinning around her, and she crumpled, too overwhelmed to even see if the man had made it aboard the ship.

As they then began to set off, he looked off at the marines desperatly trying to shoot them as they get farther away, laughing at their failed attempts. But his laughter stopped when he looked over and saw the girl in pain as he paniced abit. "Shoot! I didn't know you had that wound that bad! Where's the First Aid on this ship?!" He asks her, panicing alittle as it almost looked like to him that the first person to aid him in his journey was about to dei infront of him.

"Forget it, I'll look for it myself!" He then said as he darts off, dashing into the cabin as the sound of things being thrown around as he looks for the First Aid could be heard from where she was at. After a few moments, he darts out, carrying a case as he goes over to her. "Ok sit down. Let me see that!"

----

After he finishes working on her arm, he falls back as he sits on the floor, letting out a sigh of relief. "Man...that was abit of a panic...heh." He grins alittle, trying to laugh the situation off.

If she had been in her right mind, Kia might have yelled at him for being recklace as he searched for the First Aid, but she wasn't in her right mind, far from it in fact, and at the moment the only thing she was actually comprehending was that the pounding in her ears was her pulse becoming quick to pump more blood through her system. She didn't exactly have any recollection of what happened after that other than the man had wrapped her wound and was talking more to himself than her.

Her eyes traveled to the sky so not to look at him, not exactly wanting to look like a fool. Overhead she could see only clear whether coming up, but at sea that could change at a moments notice. Throat dry and cracky Kia sat up, rubbing her forehead lightly before wincing at the pain in her arm. She had to admit, it was a million times better than earlier, but it still hurt.

"So you never told me your name, mystery man," she said, swallowing first so her voice wouldn't be crusty. "I'm sure you've heard of me, The Silent Theif, Kia Redong. I've only been famous for like seven years now... or was that eight?" She shrugged and yawned. She was tired, extremely tired. Sleep. Kia's eyes momentarily traveled to the cabin. One bed and a hamock, that's all they had left to use. She wanted to groan, maybe even just destroy something, but for now being aqcuainted was good enough.

The Silent Theif?...Hmmm..Nope...can't say I've heard that name before. But nice to meet you Kia." He chuckles abit as he then sits up straight, facing her. Mine's Ryu Kazer. No fame or anything like that for now. But in time everyone will know it. After all, I will be the next Pirate King." He grins abit at his own remark as he then falls back onto the deck's floor, looking at the sky.

"Oh man....talk about a wild first day though. Didn't even get a chance to gather up a nice crew before taking off. Marine bastards." A tone of annoyance as he kept looking up at the sky, remembering the commander that ruined his plan.

Kia chuckled lightly. "Well I'm from West Blue, so maybe that's why." She eyed him a little while absently rubbing her arm. "Pirate King huh? That's a big dream you've got there, Ryu. But I'm not one to talk, I guess. I want to create the best world map anyone has seen. It'll be even better than the one Nami from the Straw Hat Pirates dreamed up." She reached up and rubbed her eyes with her good hand. "We'll have to stop at another island before we head off anyway, this ship won't last much longer on the sea." The brunette pulled herself to her feet and limped to the mast for balance. "Of course maybe a lesser town would be better to stop at. I've already got a high bounty, and I'm sure you've gained one as well."

Grins at her remark and mentioning her goals. "Yeah? Well the future King of the Pirates will need a map I guess. Does that mean you want to join my crew?" Looking over at her as she get's up, still laying on the ground.
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Once they finished talking, he flipped off the ground, landing on his feet as he stretches abit. "Well, guess we better start heading to somewhere huh? You rest up from that wound, I'll keep a look out and will call you if I see anything at all." Before he could give her a chance to reply to him, he already began to walk toward the helm as he walked infront of it, leaning against the front as he looked ahead at the empty sea infront of them.

Kia considered the question. Her town had been ravaged by pirates, her family slaughtered at their hands, so why would she ever want to truly become a pirate? No, she didn't have to be a pirate, she could just use his strength for as long as she could until she needed to head another direction and finished the map... "For now," she answered indefinately, face expressionless, and continued to stare off at the sky.

"I'll be fine, it's just a matter of moving it," she replied, keeping the pain from her voice. Just walking aggrevated it, but for now, she'd just have to suck it up. The brunette climbed up to the crows nest- using one arm of course- and proceeded to watch their direction. "There are several islands and towns up ahead that we can stop at to stock up and maybe get another ship," she called down to Ryu.

Derian had just recently landed on this small island. It had a few small villages, nothing very interesting, except the local taverns. The inhabitants have given the island the name Soyland. The few people, who live on the island, were rather simple minded farmers or fishers, but they enjoyed their live, well at least until a few months ago. The marine has just started building their own port and a base, so they claim about everything on the island as their own. The former hard work, just turned even worse, as they now have to feed the hundreds of marine soldiers. Well, that happened on a few islands, so it was nothing exceptional. Usually Derian wasn't really interested in this matter of politics on other islands, but he was somehow stranded on the island, as the ship, he arrived with, got confiscated. The crew was put under arrest and the goods stored in the marine base. Now that Derian was in one of the villages, he made his living stealing a few of the goods from the marine, not more than he needs to life and the marine was to busy noticing. He was rather successful on it, to a short time ago. His nature came through as he ended in bed with one of the rather more beautiful ladies of the island. To bad for him, that she was the daughter of the marine base's commander.
He woke up, hearing the slams on the door, confused he looked to the side, where the sleeping beauty lays. One thought just had to appear into his mind, as he recognized the voice: 'OH NOES!' As silently as possible he slipped out of the bed, than he put his clothes back on. The angry voice from the door has not silenced, so the lady woke up as well.
"Where are you going, Derian? I thought that we wanted to have breakfast together?"

He faced her with his smile, well it was rather nervous looking.

"I'm so sorry. I would have loved to, but your father seems to think otherwise..."

With this last words he jumped out of the window in a heroic jump, but forgot to notice that he was on the second floor. He landed in the dirt next to the house, which sadly was noticed by the guards of the rather paranoid commander...

Looking up at her at the crow's nest, his first thought was how she got there with one arm, but then turned to what she said as he then looked ahead. "I think I see one of those islands up ahead. We'll land there and restock like you said I guess." Standing by the front of the ship, he looked at the closing in town.

It was when they were close enough that he noticed that there was a large Marine base on the island aswell, remembering what they just went through at the last town. "Well...that sure is nice..." He says in a sarcastic tone of voice, turning over to where Kia was at. "Hey, come on down! It looks like we'll have to be abit sneaky around here if we don't want to get over run by soilders again!" Once he finished calling to her, he noticed what seemed like a group Marines gathering in front of a certain house, aparantly targeting a young man. "...what are the odds....of coming across TWO people chased by Marines on the same day?" He asks himself as he keeps watching as their ship arrived at port.

Kia nodded in reply, climbing down expertly and landing silently to the deck. Her eyes immediately traveling to where he looked, spotting a man jumping through a window to escape marines. "Wonder what he did," she said quietly before releasing the anchor. Swiftly she put a hand out on the railing of the boat and threw her legs over in a quick jump. Satisfied once on the ground she moved towards the shadows, her dark clothing practically disappearing into the shadows; hence, the Silent Thief. First, they needed a ship, but if there weren't any here, she could grab some supplies first. She headed out through the crowd, eyes on the ground so nobody would recognize her.

Seeing that Kia was aparrantly going to take care of the supplies and ship, Ryu decided to do his own little "walk" as he leeped off the edge of the ship and began to walk toward the crowd of Marines sorrounding the young man. Getting close enough to listen in to whatever they were saying. In his right mind, anyone being chased by Marines couldn't be all that bad. Peering through the crowd of Marines as he looked at the young man in the middle of them. "Wonder if he's yet another target of these Marine scum?", he thinks to himself, his cloth covering his head alittle to keep from being spotted by the nearby Navy men.

The guards closed in around Derian, he had no real chance to escape from them, so he lifted his hands to surrender. Two of the guards roughly bound his hands with a rope that they found near the wall of the nearby house. The guards dragged him along to the front of the building, pushing him in front of the brawny commander.

"So, who do we have here? A thief that tried to murder my daughter? How could you dare to come even that close to my house!"

With the last word spoken he smashed his fist into the face of Derian, who tried his best to remain calm. He withstood the open punishment and patiently waited a bit for the commander to calm down. He knew it was best to have the commander believe his own story, if he knew the truth, he might have killed Derian on the spot.

"Do you know what we do with thieves here? They are to hang! Luckily for you, the gibbet hasn't been finished, but I am sure you can wait a day or two. Take him to the base!"

Two of the former eight Soldiers flank Derian as they push and drag him towards the marine base, even thought he willing came along. The commander's daughter watched from the window sadly.

Over hearing the event before him, he watches with a glare as the Marines begin to take the young man tied up toward the large base. Beliving this was a good enough chance as ever to do something, he takes a loud step forward as he makes sure to catch the Commander's attention as he looks at Ryu. "Huh? What do you want?" The Commander spoke to Ryu as the other Marines also turn to look at the strange young man that appeared.

Look straight at the Commander's eyes, Ryu smirks at him. "I'm just a passer by, watching the show of a bunch of Bullies picking on just one man. Even I don't remember the Marines be THIS much of cowards." Ryu let's out a low chuckle as he keeps his same expresion as he looked at the Commander. "I'm not one for getting into buisness that doesn't concern me, but I'm not one for seeing morons abuseing their little title of "Justice" for their own gain either. So what do you say that you let that guy go, before yet another town I visit ends up having a baddly injured Commander." Finishing his sentence, he gives an almost evil glare, sending chills down the spines of the Marines as the Commander just looks in rage.

"You dare threaten a Marine Commander?!" The commander then grabs hold of a large sword he had on his side, swinging down at Ryu with a powerfull impact, making the dust where Ryu was cloud around him from the force of the Commander's attack. To everyone else, it looked like he smashed Ryu to the ground.

As the dust began to clear up, the sight was infact a shock to everyone watching. Ryu stood where he was, arm up as he actually caught the sword in mid air. Grinning at the COmmander as he looks at Ryu with abit of fear. "Wha-what are you?!" Ryu let's out a "Hmph" as he keeps his grin. "No one special, just the man that will go on as the next King of Pirates." He says those words with abit of a cheerfull tone.

"Ryu, we've got trouble!" Kia yelled. She was running, and by running I mean sprinting as fast as possible down the street. There were several marines racing after her, sweat on their brows and anticipation in their eyes. Over her shoulder was slung a bag filled with food, paper, pens, and any compases she could steal. She swiveled past a flying dagger, desprately running as fast as someone with a bullet wound could. She couldn't help but notice how he'd got in the middle of the battle, the same way he had when she herself was in danger. "There's a ship at the other side of the harbor. If we sail over there now we can get it quickly." She hurried past the crowd of Marines and to the ship where she threw the supplies on board before turning and firing her pistol several times at the running men.

Derian looked back at the scene for a moment. I guess that he really wants to help me, poor guy, he thought to himself. Than he was amazed that he could still stand, holding the sword up, after such an attack. This guy really seems to have some skill and power, maybe we could work together, at least to leave this island. The houses blocked his sight to the rest of the scene for now, but his two guards had wondered, why he would stop and are now watching the scene closely. I guess this is my only chance, I hope this guy could really help me, Derian thought as he dashed into the soldier, who held a sword in his hand. Both were surprised by the sudden resistance of their prisoner, so the tackled one dropped his sword. Quickly Derian used the blade to cut the rope that bound his hand and held the same blade in front of the other soldiers nose.

"My belongings, please."

Hastily the guy placed the equipment of Derian to the ground close to him.

"Now leave your weapon here and take your friend here to your base. I'll give you a minute to be out of my sight!"

The marine released the belt that held his sword and quickly woke up his companion. As he saw that he was knocked out far more than he expected, he dragged him along towards the base. Derian could not help, but show a victorious grin, he had lucked that he had survived this action. He should probably go now and help the guy, who just saved his life unknowingly. He dashed back towards the village, after he put his weapons back on.

Seeing Kia dash near the scene, once again with Marines behind her, his expression changed to a happy grin as he replies to her, still gripping the sword above him. "Nice job! I'll meet you there. Got a new guy to join our crew once I finish this bully up!"

Looking back at the Commander, he changes to his "different" grin. "Now for the bully..." He chuckles as he knocks the blade in his hand up into the air abit, before then kicking the Commander in the chest, sending him down to teh ground as he then dashes over him, stepping on his face. As he ran past, he spotted the man that was taken away before free and heading his way. "Looks like you got out. This way, my other crew member got a ship." He tells him as he runs toward the harbor where the Kia and the ship was at, Marines starting to fire at them from behind, failing to hit them as he leads the young man.
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On arriving at the ship, seeing Kia fend off the Marines that followed, Ryu rams by the remaining Marines, knocking off the dock and into the water as he makes his way to the ship. "Sorry, in a hurry here!" He yells out to them as he leeps into the ship. Grinning abit, he looks at Kia, "Everything good so far?"

Her arm was burning, on fire from the exerting run. Kia clawed at the ropes to raise the sails, working to keep most of the pressure off her injured arm. She then twisted out of the way of a flying dagger, grabbed it from where it stuck in the mast, and expertly threw it back at the marine. When Ryu arrived she felt the burden on her shoulders lift a little, and a little could sometimes go a long way. At his question she nudged her thumb over to the buldging back of supplies. "Bread, cheese, some alcohol, and as many other healthy things I could find. I also managed to get some navagating equipment so we don't get lost." She lept forward, foot smashing on the railing of the ship on a marine's fingers, sending him tumbling back to the sea.

As his rescuer kicked the commander down and disappeared behind the house with him. Derian just continued to run, but during that he was ready to shot the first one to attack him or his new comrade. He hurried over the small hill, where the other two soldiers had just pushed him and met the guy, who saved his life.

"Thanks for your help, my friend. Let's go to your ship, we can talk more there!"

He dashed after Ryu, barely being able to keep up. Once they reached the street between the house, he turned towards the direction of the house, he had jumped out and waved his hand. He could see the young woman still standing on the window, watching the scene in amazement. For a moment he stopped to shot at a marine, who would have blocked their way. With a quick motion he aimed at the mans left knee and shot piercing through it and another soldiers feet. Both fell to the ground painfully holding their leg and feet. He jumped on the ship just behind Ryu, this time even on his feet, rather than the last time. As he saw a woman with trying to set sail, while she was obviously wounded somehow, he quickly interfered. Gently he pushed her to the side, carefully not to hit the arm.

"I am sorry, milady, but a beautiful woman like you shouldn't have to do this kind of work... at least not when you are injured. Let me help you with this and rest a bit, my dear."

He continued the work that Kia had done before, carefully taking a few views over his shoulder to evade the incoming projectiles. A few bullets scratched him, but luckily it was nothing serious. After some time the sails were set and the wind would carry them away from the coast a bit. Exhausted, Derian took some time to breath, while sitting against the ship's rail.