TIMESKIP: 1 year
Date: May 20th
Time: 8:00 AM
Weather: Clear but cold
OOC: Any of my characters are open for interactions!
IC:
Karter Zael | 17 | Crewman | Calm Belt Pirates | Tagging: Open | Location: Ship
For the year that had passed, they’d done their best to stay out of trouble as much as possible. For Karter…that was no easy feat. He wanted drama. He wanted trouble. He wanted something,
anything, to happen. But nothing did. They stayed off the radar now that the majority of their crew now had bounties. In a way, it was exhilarating. How many a pirate took pride in their bounties, even though it put a target on their back?
Karter lowered his hand to the string necklace with the charm Captain Nira had given him and Navii upon Navii's arrival. What had happened to them? Shortly after Ace had shown up, Nira had disappeared, leaving Nyx in charge, and no known first mate. The crew had only been together a couple weeks before then, but he still couldn’t help but miss the captain who had held them together right from the beginning.
Micah Tariah | 20 | Lookout | Calm Belt Pirates | Tagging: Open | Location: Ship
Micah stared out idly from the crow's nest. Not another island or ship in sight. It was peaceful in a way. She liked that. She NEEDED that. Nira was gone. Buck and Draco were gone. Azara was gone. Lord, she’d never get over Buck and Draco. In the short time she’d known them, for a while they’d been her best friends. Maybe even more, in the case of Draco. She didn’t know what had happened to them. Had they gotten off on an island and been left behind? Had they been hurt in some horrible accident? Whatever it was, they weren’t there now.
The truth is, I’ll probably never see them again, and…I have to accept that. If they ever show up again though, I’ll hug them and never let go. A single, silent tear traced down her cheek. She hated it. Wallowing in self-pity for missing friends who had been gone more than a year. She still had friends, after all. Karter was KIND of a friend, even if most if their interactions were banter, and Luka was DEFINITELY a friend, if not even more. Maybe she found herself attracted to people too easily, but…he had been kind to her. When she had needed a pillar to lean on, he was there when no one else was. They fought together, worked together, sailed together, talked together…he was everything she could’ve asked for, truly!
Although things like this were complicated, Micah knew that intentional or not, she’d come close to saying something of her crush on him too, but dared not, for fear she would ruin what friendship they had. Hoooowever, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t take a page out of Kass' book.
Kassandra DeMarks | 24 | Navigator | Calm Belt Pirates | Tagging: Open | Location: Ship
Kass had recovered from the worst of her injuries, left only with burn scarring over her arms and chest, but that was well enough hidden. In all honesty, she hadn’t been expecting to come out alive when she’d challenged Sakazuki, and she wasn’t sure why she’d done it in the first place. To make sure she went out fighting instead of quite literally stabbed in the back? To take his attention off crewmates who WOULD'VE been killed? Whatever the case, by some miracle, she had survived, even if just barely. She was lucky that Quin had been able to fix her up, with so many injuries to tend to.
Now she sat with a book in her lap, relaxing. It was cold outside, but it was a clear day. Bundled up in a jacket and long pants, it wasn’t as bad as she had expected, but then…she’d come from an island where days of warm weather were few and far between.
Portgas D. Ace | 22 (?) | 2nd Division Commander | Whitebeard Pirates | Tagging: Open | Location: Calm Belt Ship
Ace knew he was WELL overdue. He’d called his crew on the Den-Den Mushi, and it worked out well. Well, not really, as there had been an accident, but it worked out well for HIM, as it meant there was no rush. He’d still overstayed his welcome though, he was sure. He knew Karter at the very least was angry at him. Blamed him for something he wasn’t 100% sure the cause of. He hadn’t wanted to ditch the crew while they were injured though, so he and Sabo had stuck around.
He didn’t know Sabo's plans, as things with the Revolutionary Army were still well under wraps, and Sabo refused to reveal anything, even to him, but Ace knew that once things had settled and he knew the crew was safe, he would have to return home. Maybe he would visit sometime. No, he would DEFINITELY visit sometime. For better or for worse, he had come to care about these people.
Nymeria Roanen | 24 | Captain | Jade Pirates | Tagging: Siegfried | Location: Ship
Nymeria sighed, standing at the helm. Not much was happening now. With her bounty up and the status of Siegfried unknown. "Although it’s been a year, I never asked." That was embarrassing enough. She turned her attention towards her crewmate though. Siegfried hadn’t talked about it, or if he had, she hadn’t been able to at the time take in many details.
"I hear you had a…run-in with the Revolutionary Sabo. How did it go?" She was more than anything glad he had come out relatively okay. Sabo was tough, and she knew Siegfried was no coward nor weakling himself, but when she’d first heard of it, even just in passing, admittedly it had worried her.
Nico Stone | 19 | Cook/Infiltrating as Seaman | Mythic Pirates | Tagging: Open | Location: Marine Headquarters
Nico was in the mess hall early. Awake earlier than normal. Just days prior had been the promotion from Seaman Recruit to a Seaman, signifying he was capable of defending himself in a fight, that he didn’t need to hide behind someone. The training was hard, and that was when he wasn’t one of the ones in a special training regime like Linkk was with Coby. He could only imagine how difficult that was, and it didn’t seem like they wanted to stop anytime soon either.
Nico had managed to snoop around a bit, gather some information. Which bases were less heavily armed and therefore safe to pass by. Who was most wanted, the new bounties for the Mythic Pirates, and had been able to pass it on via a couple stolen calls with Arken. He missed his crew. He was a Marine here, and he had a friend in Linkk, absolutely, but in the end, he was a pirate at heart. He wanted to be on the galley of the Argo, preparing dinner for the crew, or standing at the rail, looking out over calm seas. Freedom to go where he wanted, do what he wanted, but he’d have to have patience.
One day. One day I’ll be back home. Whatever happens…I can’t let myself lose who I was before. In all honesty, it hurt. He was living a half life. Neither himself nor an act, but something in between. Enough to cover himself up— and he’d gotten better with time— but not enough to completely erase his identity either. He knew in his heart though, he couldn’t hide like this forever. It was small, but he’d had a bounty. It was only a matter of time before someone recognized him, even if his wanted poster bore a faded photo of fifteen year old him rather than the nineteen year old young man he had become.
Monkey D. Luffy | 19 | Captain | Straw Hat Pirates | Tagging: Open | Location: Thousand Sunny (?)
Luffy was, as usual, aboard the deck of the Straw Hats' ship. The past year had not been kind to them, riddled with a variety of adventures that anyone with any sense in their head would call terrifying or reckless, but Luffy— and admittedly a couple of the other crewmen— called fun.
Luffy was bored now though. Content enough after a big party with the crew, and stuffed full of food, he was laying on the deck, glad for the coolness of the air. No longer the middle of a hot summer, but instead, May. Coming up to the end of summer. This winter and spring had been colder than anything he could remember. Unsettling, but nothing anyone save for Nami seemed to have worried about. What DIDN'T Nami worry about though? She was always on them for something, weather, navigation. Hitting the boys over the heads for idiocy, really whatever struck her fancy at the moment, so while he appreciated her opinion most of the time, in this specific case, Luffy didn’t feel like getting hit AGAIN arguing over the weather.
Usopp | 18 | Lookout | Straw Hat Pirates | Tagging: Open | Location: Thousand Sunny (?)
Working alongside Franky, Usopp had finished the last of the repairs to the Thousand Sunny. While she was certainly an impressive and high-tech ship, she was also quite high-maintenance! Usopp didn’t mind. She wasn’t the Merry, but how many times had the ship alone saved their lives?
Usopp wiped sweat from his brow, emerging from the steaming hot engine room and wiping grime from his hands on his workers apron before untying it and casting it off to hang over the rail. Luffy was half asleep on the deck and…lord only knew where everyone else was. That was alright. While certainly, the mechanic was a social butterfly most of the time— probably the one and only thing he WASN'T absolutely terrified of— he didn’t mind the peace.
Coby | 20 (barely) | Rear-Admiral | Marines | S.W.O.R.D. Agent | Tagging: Linkk | Location: Marine Headquarters
May 20th. Only a week ago had been Coby's 20th birthday. It was hard to realize he had made it this far, between Alvida's loose temper, Garp's harshness, and all his stunts on the field. How he was alive, Coby couldn't even BEGIN to guess. If he had to, he would only assume it was less because of his own skills— though being a human tank and being able to take most blows with minimal surface damage or even unflinchingly certainly helped— and more because of the people in his division, the people who had cared for him, who had watched over him and held his hand in the infirmary when he was dying or hurt, the people who had encouraged him not to give up when it was all he wanted.
Over the course of the year, three more pirates had been captured…two by him alone. He’d also gotten himself caught up in a little mix-up on one of the northern islands and prevented the need for a Buster Call. Now that had ALSO almost killed him, but he’d determined not to pass out until he was home, and ended up powering through it. After those stunts, he was promoted. First to Commodore, which was good enough for him, and then…even higher. Rear-Admiral. Twenty years old, less than four years of service, and he was the fourth highest rank in the organization.
Sometimes he still worried about Helmeppo, as the man hadn’t shown his face since the battle with the Calm Belts, and tracking him had proven fruitless. Whatever had happened, he had covered his tracks well. He didn’t want to be found. It almost made Coby want to give up. Helmeppo had first been his best friend, then one of his amazing boyfriends. There was still good though, and lots of it. What Coby was REALLY looking forward to, what kept him going, was the knowledge that he and Lucian were about to get married. For real. Not talking about getting married. Not 'in a few months' about to get married, but that it was right in front of them.
Coby undoubtedly would’ve asked Helmeppo to be his best man, but that wasn’t an option. He hadn’t asked An, guessing as the person closest to Lucian, they would be standing at Lucian's side, so instead, only a couple days ago, as a matter of fact, it had boiled down to asking Linkk. He still didn’t have an answer, as he’d had to rush off, but hopefully a chat with his protege and ally today would yield some answers.
"Linkk?" He knew Linkk must’ve at least thought about it for a moment, and Coby hoped he’d have an answer. If not…well, he wasn’t entirely sure what to do at that point. "Did you ever…Did you ever think about what I asked? Sorry to drop something like the question of being my best man and all on you and rushing off. It’s a pretty busy time."
Helmeppo | 23 | Lieutenant Commander | Marines | Tagging: Open | Location: Town
Helmeppo had for a year wandered around the town, never sticking around in one place too long. Cheap hotels, self-made shelters, wherever he could find, really. He hated being alone. A few times he saw the man who’d called himself Cato. Off to chase down pirates, no doubt. Helmeppo had considered offering a helping hand, at least he wouldn’t be useless then, but he'd long ago extended the offer, and it had never been taken. Surely there would be no harm in asking again though, right? Especially now that he'd read of the new bounties. If he hadn’t already seen, he figured that was something Cato might want to know.
Helmeppo sometimes wondered if it was worth it to go home. Anya and Coby aside…who ACTUALLY wanted him in the Marines? The son of a traitor. People looked at him and saw Morgan sometimes, and he loathed it. Out here, it was easier. But at the same time…
Anya and Coby…they probably assume I’m dead after all this time. In a selfish way…I hope they don’t. If they do, then that means Coby might’ve pushed me to the back of his mind, if not forgotten me altogether, with all that goes on. Anya's probably moved on without me, undoubtedly found someone ever better than anything she could’ve had with me…I was lucky.He couldn’t show his face again though. Not yet, and he couldn’t very well just walk in unannounced after a year of absence, like it was nothing at all. Either Coby would hit him, or Garp would. Or maybe even both of them. Not to mention the suspicion and doubt it’d stir up, and Helmeppo would prefer to stay off the radar. So he would wait. For now.
Devin Elmer | 19 | Lieutenant Junior Grade | Marines | Tagging: Open | Location: Marine Headquarters
Devin hadn’t moved up at all, but that said, she also hadn’t expected to. A promotion wasn’t exactly an everyday thing, and she’d nothing she would consider outstanding, to capture the eye of the Admirals. She watched as Wyla moved up, as did Coby, and An. That was only to be expected though. They were the impressive ones. She’d never let it bother her, she was content to be in their shadow for the time being.
Kitchi Tala | 21 | Commander | Marines | Tagging: Kirsten | Location: Marine Headquarters
Kitchi had emerged to the mess hall earlier. Cleaning up after the fiasco with the pirates had been a disaster. The construction and rebuilding had taken more than half a year, and healing from injuries…well that was no easy feat either. He’d come away lucky, and only because he’d fled. He’d watched as Kirsten rose higher and higher, climbing the ranks with an alarming speed. He couldn’t have been prouder, in all honesty.
Kitchi had a lot of things regarding Kirsten on his mind. He’d tried to tell her once that he liked her. He’d ended up tripping over his own words and running away before he could make things even worse. He’d tried to get her a gift, but beyond work…he didn’t even really know much of what kinds of things she would like. He planned to try again to say something. He knew he would regret it if he didn’t.
Sabo | 22 | Chief of Staff | Revolutionary Army | Tagging: Open | Location: Tropica
With no current action from the Revolutionary Army, and his own freedom as their second in command— who more or less just tended to do his own thing. Few folks questioned it anymore— Sabo had opted to stay with the crew for a while longer. He knew Ace may have to take his leave soon, but there was nowhere Sabo was urgently rushing off to, and it had been helpful, he figured, to have some extra hands on deck to help pick up the pieces.
Sabo now leaned against the rail, pipe leaning against the wall of the cabin a few feet to his left. His dark gaze shifted out over the calm seas in front of them. TOO calm, given the storm only the night before, he couldn’t help but think.
Averill | 24 | Therapist/Civilian | Tagging: Open | Location: Clinic
Averill had just finished with his first client of the day. Today would not be one of his heavier days, which he figured was good. He’d certainly like the chance to get out at some point. Close the office a bit early and go for coffee or dinner or something of the like. Just a little treat. He’d found himself seeing more patients for a brief moment in time after the pirate incident too, some of the Marines involved, even. In specific, his most…difficult client had to have been a boy who looked worse and worse each time Averill saw him. He suspected the boy was dragged in by friends rather than there of his own free will, however.
That had been a while ago. They’d been booked for an appointment, but the Marine had never shown up. Oh he was a stubborn one. Averill wasn’t paid enough to track down clients who missed an appointment though. A waste of time and energy if they didn’t want to show up in the first place.