12-17-2014, 09:17 AM
Tak Tak Tak!
The trio raced to respective corners of the ship, spreading out in haste. Comparable to ants pouring from a ravaged anthill, Luffy and gang were dwarfed by the dominating threat before them. Several stories aloft, the scaleskins enclaved the commandeered vessel like a pack of hungry wolves upon a fawn. The alpha male floated motionless, glaring into Straw Hat with feral eyes. The fearless pirate stood equally resolute, meeting the mighty harbinger's penetrating gaze with one of his own; it was captain against captain.
His crewmates both shot an eye at the devil-fruit eater as if awaiting orders; neither were certain how, or if they would come out of this alive, but maintained faith in their leader nonetheless. Don't piss him off rubber brain . . . we're all fish food if that thing goes berserk! Buggy thought to himself, sustaining a readied but weary stance as he examined the seemingly impossible odds surrounding him, erratically glancing around. The star clown could feel Kilala shaking morbidly within the confines of his eccentric head-ware. Hell, I certainly wish I had a flashy hat to hide inside about now.
Bubble Man peered enviously through his goggles at Straw Hat. Not for his endearing eminence, nor his bravado, but for his utter absence of fear entirely. Amazing, just standing there like a stone, calm as ever. Is he really that confident, or just crazy? He pondered, staring down at his convulsing legs. A case of the ole' pre-death-by-giant-sea-dragon jitters. Frustrated, he shook his head free of doubt. No! I may not know them all that well just yet, but I do know I'm not going out with my snorkel between my legs! Inspired with renewed gusto, the aquatic robot stilled his heart and clasped his arm buster, ready to fire upon command.
Enraged by Luffy's refusal to submit, the beast roared with malicious intent, burning red scales flaring up to emulate its fury. The resonating sound vibrations from its howl alone carried enough force to tear away splinters and planks from the ship's bulwark. Yet unstirred, the rubber pirate merely retaliated with a lively grin as if to prematurely claim victory. Placing a thumb between his teeth, he bit the tip and inhaled a deep breath.
"GEAR . . . THIR— !"
BARAAA! BARAAA!
Abrupt cries of an assumed trumpet interrupted the eager captain, causing him to comically lose his footing and frantically fight to stay aloft the ship. In unison, the serpents relinquished their formation in response to the horn's bellow. Bubble Man cocked a brow as the fiend's animosity subsided. They slowly retreated into the sea, prompting the aquabot to lower his blaster, puzzled but relieved.
"Oy oy! Get back here you oversized eel! I was looking forward to a fish-fry later!" Luffy shook a fist in discord, disappointed by such dull anticlimax. "Gyahaha! That's right! Turn tail and run ya' flashy bastards!" Buggy taunted, albeit with phony spunk. Beads of sweat trickled down, smearing the makeup on his face as he loosed a sigh of reprieve.
Graced by fortune, their hides were spared. As red nose took to the helm, his furry little friend hopped from the safety of his hat, purring with jubilance against Buggy's neck. With a slight alteration of course, they arrived ashore within minutes, proximally near where the horn originated. Shielding his eyes from the beating sun, Luffy noticed a pinkish figure in the distance, standing at the peak of a cliff.
"Ahoy there strangers!" the odd humanoid greeted with a welcoming gesture of his...hand? Rather, a single-clawed appendage. Kicking off from the boat's railing, Straw Hat planted his feet upon the soft beige sand, taking in the scenery. Lush greens cast upon by a turquoise sky, the make of a typical island, complimented by a mildly active volcano at the epicenter from which magmatic veins poured out.
Everything appeared ordinary, save for the peculiar fauna roaming about, course that was to be expected in such a vast realm of the unknown. There was an air amidst the isle, Luffy's instincts were screaming from within; this place...is definitely hiding some secrets. Such an epiphany further fueled the pirate's lust for adventure.
"Well well, at long last we have a few new guests!" the odd stranger announced as he scuffled over to the befuddled group, whom unanimously granted their full attention. "I am known as Slowking, esteemed advisor of the royal council," it introduced, bowing before them.
"Ah? Say, do you po—"
Thwack!
"Stop asking that!!" demanded Buggy, swatting his moronic colleague across the head. "Hey you, pudgy, just what the hell were those savage beasts? Your flashy guard dogs?!" he insisted, extending a finger toward the sea.
"Mm? Oh, right. My sincerest apologies. Gyarados. That is the proper moniker for those 'savage beasts'," Slowking explained. "A smorgasbord of marine life inhabits these waters, guarding the isle of Cinnabar. Gyarados happens to be one of them, led by the large red one. I advise great caution when treading the surrounding sea, many a ships have met their end by indecently provoking the provident species dwelling in the dark blue and—awhh..." Trailing away mid-sentence, the royal creature dozed off.
"..." the triad stood silently dumbfounded. Approaching tentatively, red nose poked the slumbering greeter in the forehead. "Wake up!"
"Uh! Ahem! Right then. They respond to the call of this conch shell," he continued, pointing to his outlandish diadem of sorts, adorned with a solitary ruby jewel. "Blowing into the mouthpiece at its apex, depending on the melody I can instigate either aggression or submission. Unfortunately, it only works on certain wild species that protect the isle from intrusion. The more intelligible ones rescind obedience."
Pop!
A snot bubble burst from Luffy's nostril, startling himself awake. Drawn out explanations bored him into disinterest. Now HE fell asleep? Boy I've fallen into a strange group, pondered Bubble Man with callous expression.
"Hahaha, well I shan't pester you with extrinsic details," the crowned advisor digressed, waving his arm across the land as if to present its luster.
"Welcome to Cinnabar Island!"
The trio raced to respective corners of the ship, spreading out in haste. Comparable to ants pouring from a ravaged anthill, Luffy and gang were dwarfed by the dominating threat before them. Several stories aloft, the scaleskins enclaved the commandeered vessel like a pack of hungry wolves upon a fawn. The alpha male floated motionless, glaring into Straw Hat with feral eyes. The fearless pirate stood equally resolute, meeting the mighty harbinger's penetrating gaze with one of his own; it was captain against captain.
His crewmates both shot an eye at the devil-fruit eater as if awaiting orders; neither were certain how, or if they would come out of this alive, but maintained faith in their leader nonetheless. Don't piss him off rubber brain . . . we're all fish food if that thing goes berserk! Buggy thought to himself, sustaining a readied but weary stance as he examined the seemingly impossible odds surrounding him, erratically glancing around. The star clown could feel Kilala shaking morbidly within the confines of his eccentric head-ware. Hell, I certainly wish I had a flashy hat to hide inside about now.
Bubble Man peered enviously through his goggles at Straw Hat. Not for his endearing eminence, nor his bravado, but for his utter absence of fear entirely. Amazing, just standing there like a stone, calm as ever. Is he really that confident, or just crazy? He pondered, staring down at his convulsing legs. A case of the ole' pre-death-by-giant-sea-dragon jitters. Frustrated, he shook his head free of doubt. No! I may not know them all that well just yet, but I do know I'm not going out with my snorkel between my legs! Inspired with renewed gusto, the aquatic robot stilled his heart and clasped his arm buster, ready to fire upon command.
Enraged by Luffy's refusal to submit, the beast roared with malicious intent, burning red scales flaring up to emulate its fury. The resonating sound vibrations from its howl alone carried enough force to tear away splinters and planks from the ship's bulwark. Yet unstirred, the rubber pirate merely retaliated with a lively grin as if to prematurely claim victory. Placing a thumb between his teeth, he bit the tip and inhaled a deep breath.
"GEAR . . . THIR— !"
BARAAA! BARAAA!
Abrupt cries of an assumed trumpet interrupted the eager captain, causing him to comically lose his footing and frantically fight to stay aloft the ship. In unison, the serpents relinquished their formation in response to the horn's bellow. Bubble Man cocked a brow as the fiend's animosity subsided. They slowly retreated into the sea, prompting the aquabot to lower his blaster, puzzled but relieved.
"Oy oy! Get back here you oversized eel! I was looking forward to a fish-fry later!" Luffy shook a fist in discord, disappointed by such dull anticlimax. "Gyahaha! That's right! Turn tail and run ya' flashy bastards!" Buggy taunted, albeit with phony spunk. Beads of sweat trickled down, smearing the makeup on his face as he loosed a sigh of reprieve.
Graced by fortune, their hides were spared. As red nose took to the helm, his furry little friend hopped from the safety of his hat, purring with jubilance against Buggy's neck. With a slight alteration of course, they arrived ashore within minutes, proximally near where the horn originated. Shielding his eyes from the beating sun, Luffy noticed a pinkish figure in the distance, standing at the peak of a cliff.
"Ahoy there strangers!" the odd humanoid greeted with a welcoming gesture of his...hand? Rather, a single-clawed appendage. Kicking off from the boat's railing, Straw Hat planted his feet upon the soft beige sand, taking in the scenery. Lush greens cast upon by a turquoise sky, the make of a typical island, complimented by a mildly active volcano at the epicenter from which magmatic veins poured out.
Everything appeared ordinary, save for the peculiar fauna roaming about, course that was to be expected in such a vast realm of the unknown. There was an air amidst the isle, Luffy's instincts were screaming from within; this place...is definitely hiding some secrets. Such an epiphany further fueled the pirate's lust for adventure.
"Well well, at long last we have a few new guests!" the odd stranger announced as he scuffled over to the befuddled group, whom unanimously granted their full attention. "I am known as Slowking, esteemed advisor of the royal council," it introduced, bowing before them.
"Ah? Say, do you po—"
Thwack!
"Stop asking that!!" demanded Buggy, swatting his moronic colleague across the head. "Hey you, pudgy, just what the hell were those savage beasts? Your flashy guard dogs?!" he insisted, extending a finger toward the sea.
"Mm? Oh, right. My sincerest apologies. Gyarados. That is the proper moniker for those 'savage beasts'," Slowking explained. "A smorgasbord of marine life inhabits these waters, guarding the isle of Cinnabar. Gyarados happens to be one of them, led by the large red one. I advise great caution when treading the surrounding sea, many a ships have met their end by indecently provoking the provident species dwelling in the dark blue and—awhh..." Trailing away mid-sentence, the royal creature dozed off.
"..." the triad stood silently dumbfounded. Approaching tentatively, red nose poked the slumbering greeter in the forehead. "Wake up!"
"Uh! Ahem! Right then. They respond to the call of this conch shell," he continued, pointing to his outlandish diadem of sorts, adorned with a solitary ruby jewel. "Blowing into the mouthpiece at its apex, depending on the melody I can instigate either aggression or submission. Unfortunately, it only works on certain wild species that protect the isle from intrusion. The more intelligible ones rescind obedience."
Pop!
A snot bubble burst from Luffy's nostril, startling himself awake. Drawn out explanations bored him into disinterest. Now HE fell asleep? Boy I've fallen into a strange group, pondered Bubble Man with callous expression.
"Hahaha, well I shan't pester you with extrinsic details," the crowned advisor digressed, waving his arm across the land as if to present its luster.
"Welcome to Cinnabar Island!"
![[Image: giphy.gif]](http://media3.giphy.com/media/Rx8H5yTo36LLy/giphy.gif)