The Perks of Inception

The squawk of swarming overhead alluded to the dawn of a new day. In the span of a little over a month, the so-called "Wolf Pirates" had shifted between calling five different islands their home, doing so to escape the hands of the marines, whom were hot on their tail for the reasons inscribed upon the newspaper that fell from the crutches of the passing seagull. As it laced the warm climate of the tropically invested lands --brushing against the lush leaves of the towering trees as it did-- the curled gazette was firmly caught by a blue fleshed entity with an imposing figure.

What his eyes perceived from the fine print instantly brought a smug grin to his face, and the very first thought that escaped his mind was to report back to the captain, who had situated himself in a cave no less than a mile away.

Straightening up from his crouched posture revealing him self to be very tall and muscular man, with a distinctive shark-like appearance, complete with pale, blue-grey skin and small, round, white eyes, gill-like facial markings under his eyes, and actual gills on his shoulders along with sharp triangular teeth and blue colored blue hair styled in the form of a shark fin. His attire composes of a simple pair of black pants held together by a white sash around his waist, a long opened black coat and a pair simple sandals.

Glancing back down towards the paper in his hand He couldn't keep the grin off his face while making his way toward's the cave he knew his crew was located in as his sharp eye's glanced to his very own visage grinning back at him along with the Word's"Great Blue" Worden Luhr, Wanted Dead or Alive 75,000,000. Upon entering the Cave he quickly makes his way towards the center before calling out towards one of the figures residing in it.

"Oi Captain! Take a look at this," Luhr calls out as he casually tosses the towards his Captain all the while grinning almost madly and in clear excitement.

"It Seems our bounties have gone up, I'm now worth 75,000,000 and Your's has gone up to 183,000,000". Luhr Exclaimed as he leans against one of the near by walls.

Receiving the paper from the newest member of his crew, Veno glanced down at the site of his mug being featured on the front cover, along with a brief summarization of their past antics over the month, his updated bounty, and most peculiarly, a headline that astounded even him.

"Public Enemy".

"A job well done, boys," Veno chuckled between a puff of his cigar, rolling the newspaper and passing it toward Erin, who was seated on the ground with his back against the cave's stone wall, "we've become celebrities this past month. Shit, the World Government's gone so far as to givin' me a second name!

"Public Enemy!" he barked, enjoying the very sound of it, as if it were music to his ears. Looking down at what was a gruesomely beaten man at his feet, Veno issued a kick to his gut. "Ya hear that? 'Cause of you, they're callin' me that!"

Veno's hands fell between his legs next, and in one short interval, he zipped his fly open, thrusting his hips forth to expose his weapon of choice, the barrel's size of which was a sight to behold. A hand to his crotch and the other into his emerald mane, the recently appointed Public Enemy carried no qualms in hosing down the beaten man at his feet with a golden liquid.

Still, as warm and rich as it may have been, it brought an unbearable stench to the cave, which was made obscure by the shriek the man uttered in response.

Erin just sighed as he took the newspaper up. He looked over it, seeing what he expected to see. He never actually thought it was possible but they had somehow managed to kidnap a world noble. "Thanks Captain. I'm surprised this crazy scheme actually succeeded but I'm happy at the same time." He spoke with a small laugh and a thumbs up to his crew-mates. "Wow listen to this they haven't even got me in here. I guess the ability to become wind comes in handy huh." He stood up from his spot and walked over to the edge of the cave. Leaning on the wall and looking into the sea.

Leaning off the wall Luhr makes his way over to the beaten and humiliated Nobel with condescending look on his face.

"To think the entire world are ruled by pigs like you" Stated Luhr as he crouches down in front of the Nobel ignoring the putrid smell emitting from him before Snarling viciously and raising to his feet before stomping on the Nobel's head hard enough to hurt but not enough to kill him.

"The thought makes me sick to my stomach" Snarled Luhr as he gives the Nobel one final kick before walking off and punching the wall causing it to crumble away.

As Veno zipped himself back up, a fuse within his mind suddenly flared. His golden eyes shifted across the cave, settling for seconds at a time upon the man at his feet, Luhr, then Erin. Cleansing his hand against the side of his trousers, Veno joined Erin at the brim of the cave.

"They're here," he declared, "I can sense them." His once golden eyes were overtaken by a shimmering red. Smoke streamed from his mouth as he pulled his cigar.

"There's 10 of 'em." His brow narrowed. "No… they have an eleventh with 'em?" Veno blinked his eyes about in disbelief. "I see; so they've sent one of them, have they?" A maniacal grin forked his lips.

"Do ya see him too, Erin?! He's comin' for us!" He shot a look back at the savagely beaten man. "The game's over! Y'know what that means, don't ya?"

Walking toward the man, Veno held him up by the ear many a feet above the ground. "We've milked ya for all yer worth. It means that yer useless to us now.

"The World Government for the past month has negotiated with us in exchange for your life. We've been running rampant, never upholding our end of the bargain; taking our reward yet never giving you up in return.

"We were met by marines, whole fleets of 'em. Each time they came, we took care of 'em. But this time's different, and you wanna know why?

"Because never had they bothered sendin' an admiral. Not until now."

Divine Penance
Aboard the Nimbus, pirates of various ethnicities were sprawled on the floor, piss drunk. Considering the sun had only just recently bloomed into the sky, it was much too familiar a sight. The pleasant morning was distraught by the sound of gunfire.

"I didn't let you idiots on this ship to drink yerselves into the grave," Veno barked, the nozzle of his trademark pistol sizzling with the crisp chimmers of gunpowder, "goddammit, why the fuck can't anyone around 'ere be of some friggin' use?"

The corpse of his own subordinate now lay at his feet, provoking another nearby --who had been watching in horror-- to call out in detest. "Hey! You can't just go around killing people like that whenever you want! We're your crew for-"

Pow! Another shot was fired, striking the naysayer right between the eyes.

"I'm the fuckin' captain. Don't tell me what I can and can't do. Now someone come 'ere and clean this shit up."

Looking over a rail of the ship and out into the vast sea, Veno placed a cigar to his mouth, lighting it to sustain his anger. Smoke fumed from his mouth.

"Hey Captain can you try not to get blood on the ship yet, It was cleaned about an hour ago." Erin spoke in a very casual manner as he floated down from the crows nest. "Though we do have a more pressing manner at hand. You see I spotted the ship of a celestial dragon heading in our direction. I'd advise you to move the ship cause trust me if you get near those assholes they open fire like nobodies business." He warned his captain. Erin had worked around the marines for years and just about everyone there knows how moody the celestial dragons get.

Veno only offered Erin a stern glare for his incentive. "A World Noble? The fuck's one doin' here?" He was questioning himself more so than Erin. "Don't be retarded. Chances like this don't show up every day. I want ya to continue on straight ahead and bring us right in front of that son of a bitch, and that's a captain's order."

He eyed Erin from the corner of his eye. "Don't make me say it again."

Erin sighed at the thick head of his captain and moved to the wheel. He then peered at the ship with his superior vision. He could only see eight guards and one noble however they were always under guarded. It's not like anyone dared to take the wrath of the entire marines upon them. Anyone except Veno. "I sincerely hope this works Captain." He shouted as he spun the wheel towards the ship and blasted the wind. The ship lurched forwards at full power, only slowing as it neared the ship of the world noble himself.

Just as Erin had feared, the Nimbus took fire almost immediately as it flung within close vicinity of the opposing vessel. The deck beneath their feet was thrown into an uproar, and the ship began to rock backward, enduring heavy damage across its body.

"Fuckin' hell!" Veno barked, all the while somehow maintaining his balance aboard the bobbing ship.

"P-please cap'n! Turn this ship around! You don't know what the World Nobles are capable of! Their bad news, I tell you, bad news!" hollered another member of the crew who was holding onto a pole for his dear life.

Something within Veno instantly snapped, and the pirate captain found himself reaching within his coat for his gun once again. "I don't need a guy on my ship who's afraid to die."

A bullet rang through each of his nostrils, shooting up into his brain and felling him instantaneously.

Looking to Erin, whom many aboard the ship --with the clear exception of Veno himself-- viewed as the First Mate, Veno donned his usual stern gaze. "You stay 'ere and look after the ship. I don't want another ball hittin' 'er, ya understand?"

Removing his coat and tossing it aside, Veno leaped into the waters bare-chested, leaving Erin in charge of the crew and ship for the time being.

Erin sighed as he stepped off the wheel. Nothing was ever easy with his captain. He activated his devil fruit and created a wall of wind that began deflecting the cannon balls into the sea. He then pulled his sniper off his back. He held it up to his eye, aiming down the scope. With the ring of a shot through the air a bullet flew from his gun, piercing a marine straight in the head. It then moved to another marine and another until the entire deck was covered in bodies and one scared world noble. The bullet had been redirected constantly, moved by a massive condensed force of wind. It was not possible to escape Erin's gaze.

By the time Veno climbed aboard the opposing vessel, the entire squadron of enemies he thought himself to have were long since dead. The very first thing he did upon discovering this was look back in the direction of his own ship, sending Erin a peculiar gaze, while mumbling under his breath, "the fuck I tell that guy?"

Nevertheless, he had within his grasp what he had initially sought: a lonesome Celestial Dragon. One who despite the circumstance, did not feel the need to bow before another. Who, while cowering with fear, still saw himself within the spotlight.

"How dare you cross the path of my ship, and how dare you step foot here without my-" the world noble was interrupted by Veno's fist smashing through his rounded globe-esque mask, and meeting the side of his jaw, sending him onto the ground in a spinning mess.

"Y-you insect! I will have you pay for this!" Reaching into his back pocket, the world noble unveiled a gold plated den den mushi, one that Veno recognized as an immediate threat, to which he responded by placing his boot over the noble's hand, snapping every finger composing it.

"Shut the fuck up. From 'ere on out, yer nothing more than a bag-a'-shit, ya 'ear me?"

Tucking the man beneath his armpit, Veno issued a grievous stomp unto the enemy vessel, leading it to crumble under the wake of his sheer strength alone. Thereafter, he leaped from it, and literally stood atop the water, as if it were a malleable substance of some kind.

Eyeing the damage that had been done to the Nimbus, he instantly regretted not having saved the parts of the other ship to repair his own, as he walked back over. It would be a hard week's worth to fix the Nimbus after this; but Veno looked forward to the work under the prefix of notoriety.

The poor Celestial Dragon put up the best fight he could, squirming about and kicking his arms and legs every which way. He had been on his way to marry for the twenty-sixth time; he had expected to be showered with flowers, not fists.

Cant Jargon
Two weeks following their successful abduction of a Celestial Dragon, the pirates under the authority of Veno --still without a name-- ransacked what was their second island, while heading on over to their third. They had already collected large sums of compensation money, after falsifying a deal with the World Government in which they had no intention of fulfilling.

The battered Nimbus docked anchor along the shore of that which was regarded as Blagh Ait, a small island located some place within Paradise. Holding up the den den mushi he had collected from the World Noble, Veno looked to place an order for more of the same.

Purupurupuru…

At the sound of his call having been received, Veno began to bark at once. "Oi, listen up. This is Veno."

There was an uproar on the other end. "It's the Public Enemy..!"

"Aogami is on the other line!"

"It's the man who kidnapped the World Noble!"

Losing his patience quickly, Veno sneered. "Shut the fuck up and listen! Ye don't want me to blow his brains right this here minute, do ya?"

Finally, some silence for his thoughts.

"Good, now listen 'ere and listen well: my crew and I have arrived in Blagh Ait, along with yer precious Celestial Dragon. We're willin' to give him other to ya for 300,000,000."

There was yet another uproar. "But you asked for 150,000,000 the last time, and we gave it to you!"

"Why should we trust you now after you cheated us twice?!"

"We've already given you more than-"

Veno's hold over the phone tightened. He reached for his trusty handgun and blew shots into the air to silence the marines. "Shut the fuck up, or the next one goes through his head! Ya 'ear me?

"300,000,000, and I want it delivered to me fast. We won't be here for much longer."

Hanging up the phone, Veno looked over his shoulder to the rest of his crewmates, who had grown to fear the man, especially in the presence of his pistol. Then, all of a sudden, there was an explosion that went off which the Nimbus' inhabitants saw from over some trees.

Turning with a glare, Veno placed a cigar into his mouth. "What in tarnation?"

One Hour Earlier...

Somewhere to the north of where the Nimbus is stationed in an Auction house that's filled to the brim with Marine's and high class and wealthy people. Standing on a stage was a man dressed in very wealthy clothing who held up a mic to silence the crowed.

"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, Lord and Ladies, Today we have a very great assortment of specials from Giants straight down towards those Filthy Fishmen" Yelled the Auctioneer as he moved about the stage.

"Now let's the bidding begin, First up is a member of the tribe" Claaed out the Auctioneer as he began the "Show".

Meanwhile backstage in one of the many dark and disgusting holding cells surrounded by people of all Diffrent species we find Worden Luhr shackled to one of the walls silently watch as one by one people were escorted out towards the stage all the while the crowed cheered in excitement which caused him to sneer in anger.

"Fucking trash and their need for slaves" Groweled out Luhr as he strained against his shackles in anger.

Watching as a young female mermaid was brought onto the stage and to his rising anger and disguise the cheers and yelling got louder.

---

Sitting in the now almost empty cell Luhr suddenly snapped his eyes opens as a few guards unlocked his cell door.

"Get up Fishmen filth It's your turn to surve your betters" Called one of the guards as they grabbed the chain connected to the explosive collar around his neck.

Growling Luhr let them lead him onto the stage where the people into the audience started to curse and tell slurs at him and the people of his race all which drove his anger to the boiling point and cause him snarl viscously at the crowd scaring them and caused panic as he easily ripped though the Metal cuffs around his wrist before quickly and brutally snapping the necks of the guards around him tossing the bodies into the crowed causing the audience to attempt to flee however their only escape was taken from them when Luhr appeared in front not he crowed with a bloodthirsty smile on his face.

"Just where do you think your going, Didn't you all come here for a Slave" Smiling and flexing his muscles Luhr took a step forward.

"Well.Here.I.AM!!!" Yelled Luhr as he began to tear his way through the crowd leaving a bloody and messy trail behind.

There was an immediate rise of commotion, with Luhr's sudden freedom alerting the marines who had been stationed upon the island. With their rifles at the ready, they appeared in town in the nick of time, standing erect amongst the ensuing mob as the scurrying citizens left the scene.

"You damn Fishmen!" one yelled aloud, cocking back a gear before opening fire upon Luhr's position, "rot in hell!"

Following his lead, tens of marines began to unload their ammunition --or so they had planned, until an obscure shadow made its entrance onto the scene. With a single flicker of its armament arm, the figure countered the swarm of bullets, causing them to literally crumble to dust. "Iron Mallet."

As the marines looked with fear at the sudden arrival of a man with long flowing green hair and a long red coat, he looked over his shoulder and back at the fishmen behind the cause of all the ruckus with a devilish grin plastered across his face. "I thought ya might need a hand."

"It's him! 'Public Enemy' Veno, the rookie with a 55,000,000 bounty!" one of the marines hollered.

Raising his hand over his head, Veno coated it with haki, causing it to be turned black with spiritual power. He then swung it down with tremendous force, invoking a razor sharp crescent air blade that split the ground en route to slicing a large group of marines. "Iron Hatchet!"

Glancing back at the newly identified "Public Enemy" Veno, Luhr couldn't help but grin as he watch him split the ground right from under their feet before turning his head to the right and catching a sword that would of beheaded him with his teeth before biting though it and gripping the attackers head easily lifting him off the ground.

"Veno that's what they said you were called right ?" Asked Luhr as he uses his monstrous strength to crush the marines head easily before flicking the blood towards a group of oncoming Marines.

"Blood Bite" Called out Luhr as the blood droplets turned into mini shark like bullets that pierces through the marines with ease killing them.

"Aye, that's right," Veno confirmed, felling another wave of marines with another swing of his arm, "so how's about ya give yer life some meanin' and join my crew? We could use a strong feller like you." He ducked, skillfully evading an incoming katana swing by a marine, only to dispose of him with a single knee to the gut. In the distance, his sight caught a hold of an incoming marine vessel --one he identified as being the very one he had summoned as apart of his bargain with the Celestial Dragon.

Taking to a dead sprint toward the direction of the ship, Veno called out to Luhr. "Come if ye want! I don't got the time to beat around the bush over 'ere forever."

Watching Veno Rush towards a incoming vessel Luhr just chuckled as he effortfully dodges countless attacks.

"A Pirate huh?" Glancing around at the destroyed Auction house as well as the countless mangled bodies surrounding him, Luhr couldn't help but laught as he runs after Veno.

"After what happened here today I'm pretty sure they'll be coming for my head and Between the two of us I like it where it is" Catching up to Veno Luhr turns towards him giving him a grin

"The Name's Worden Luhr Before coming here I was known as the Monster of the Sea on Fishman Island but I guess now I'll be called whatever the hell you want Aye Captain."