Vertigron

"Aloof creation of subjective morality."

- Zeta

Vertigron (ベルティグロン, Berutiguron), alternatively known as Mosōkō (猛蒼虎, lit. "Fierce Azure Tiger"), is highly-skilled and, while formerly a low-ranking officer in the Marines, and one of the current bodyguards of Ganymede Pyrrha — his technical caretaker.

Born into a prominent clan in the Wano Country as Ikuya Shinomoto (詩之本 郁也, lit. "Origin of the Poem About the Fragrant One"), he spent most of his life living under the Black Widow Pirates; after learning of his country's harsh past, specifically concerning, he fled his country in secrecy and abandoned his clan so he could join the Marines — wanting to liberate his country from piracy, so history won't repeat itself. At some point, during his tenure as a soldier, he suffered severe injuries during one of his missions and was at death's doorstep — found only by the graces of Pyrrha and her assistants.

Though his life was saved from undergoing significant and  modifications, he was declared deceased — thus had nowhere to go and his goal brought to a halt; through his savior's offers, he's able to traverse his path once more. Given a new name to go by, he performs his duties with the utmost precision while continuing to hone himself. He's known as "Crouching Ashura" (尻座阿修羅, Kouza Ashura) due to his fierce techniques and counterattacks — taking on the visage of a demon when fighting.

Appearance
Although modified, Vertigron remains to be a character worthy of a degree of attention in terms of his looks; he notes that he was one of the few marine soldiers that stood out because of it, constantly getting hit on by many of his female coworkers, which he found distracting at times. A rather tall figure, he's a handsome individual — possessing a tan skin complexion, silvery-white messy hair with gold highlights and pale blue eyes. Having practiced swordsmanship and martial arts for many years, he's gained a noticeable well-built muscular frame — seen in his arms, legs, neck, and abs, to the point where he complained that his clothes would feel tight. Probably his most notable feature is the scar over his right eye, gained when he fought one of the various beasts inhabiting Wano sometime before his departure as part of his training.

As a lower-ranking Marine soldier, he wore the standard uniform of the ranking, minus the cap; however, upon suffering a severe loss at the hands of a notorious pirate crew and undergoing an extensive surgical procedure, he's gained several scars from the incident — normally seen on his right arm, and various cybernetic and genetic modifications; in terms of the former, he now has a mechanical right arm that's gold and black, made with the latest MARITECH equipment. He sports a black eye patch over his missing right eye, covering up most of his scar. In terms of the latter, he's one of the few that's been implanted with ICHOR — Pyrrha's prized nanomachines, used to help repair and replace most of his damaged organs, while turning him into a of himself. Upon the operation's completion, he noticed that his body was much stronger than before as if his frame was much sturdier and his form becoming more flexible. Unlike other cyborgs, he still has several human parts to himself thanks to the genetic surgery — maintaining his humanity to a greater degree.

Now working under his new master as gratitude, he gains a new uniform to suit his personal interests, which uses the same material found in Artemisia's clothing; Vertigron dons a dark grey, white, and black outfit that's equipped with thick, gray vambraces, and silver gauntlets that's outlined in gold. There's thick fur outlining the collar and a gray soft turtleneck underneath his outfit.

Personality
"The only thing I have left now is my goal... I have to achieve now more than ever since many think I've died!"

- Vertigron's willfulness in the face of his grim reality.

A man dedicated to his country, Vertigron is someone who's willing to induce many sacrifices in order to achieve his goals, having done so throughout his lifetime; he believes that everything achieved thus far is built upon a sacrifice, thus everyone and everything is expendable to a degree. This grim mentality is built upon years of exposure to dangerous elements and knowledge on the world and its workings — injustice being commonplace and justice being an illusion. The happiness that's found is ephemeral, with despair soon following in some form; this philosophical view exposes his somewhat defeatist and sardonic mentality — which Pyrrha has noted to grown progressively worse after Vertigron's modifications. He's also shown a, strength is emphasized over everything else, as one can achieve their goals through an accumulation of strength.

As someone who's known to be a loner, Vertigron is very anti-social and prefers to keep to himself; matching his stern and serious posture, he's known to be cold and apathetic at times, taking no interest to anyone or anything that doesn't fall in line with his plans. Even with Pyrrha and her group, he shows a degree of apathy, following their orders because they saved his life — comparing it to a business transaction. Regardless, he's known to be loyal to those he considers allies, despising treachery to the highest degree; thus, he couldn't betray Pyrrha or her group if he wanted to because it would make him both ungrateful and hypocritical — two traits he views as signs of a pathetic person. In addition to being an open-minded and methodical person, looking at everything from multiple angles, he's incredibly intuitive, often relying on his instincts to get by — which is attributed to years of martial arts and sword training. He's noted to have a keen interest in philosophy, mathematics, and the sciences — well-versed in all three to some degree, often earning praise from Pyrrha and some of his former allies. Due to his constant scowl and intimidating figure, many have mistaken him to be a pirate — even though he despises their existence because of what the Beast Pirates did to his homeland many years ago.

With many Wano Samurai, he's a nationalist, doing everything for the sake of his homeland's improvement; it's to this extent that he joined the navy at a young age, believing that he can quickly amass power by being in the organization, which he can utilize for improving Wano's condition. In addition, he's quite desperate to drive the Black Widow Pirates out, believing that the country should be ruled through a shogun that understands the people and prioritizes certain policies such as isolation to ensure they shouldn't suffer. He shares the "spirit of the Wano Samurai" — exhibiting his enjoyment for combat, his need for strength, the fight for his homeland, respecting his opponents, and wanting to prove himself so that he's not underestimated. While not being technologically-savvy as the rest of his group, he's displayed more than enough insight into using basic tools, often doing so in ways that others have yet to discover and could be worthy of being an invention in some form.

History
"All I want for my country is for it to be independent once more and to be a proud nation ruled by a proper authoritative figure like in the days of old. The last thing we need is filthy pirates ruling us once again and the corrupt officials who stand by and let it happen."

- Vertigron's desires for his homeland, which drives on his current motives.



Equipment
Aigredure (, lit. "Violent Spirit, Twin-Edged Sake Cutter"): The name was given to Vertigron's new weapon, Aigredure is one of the latest weapons of the MARITECH line that's modified for his usage; though the design is simplistic, sticking to Vertigron's preferences — honoring his status as a samurai, it has unique functions that make it easier to wield in battle. Appearing as a guard-less twin-edged halberd, it's rather light making it easier to swing; the top half's blade is black with a blue line in the middle while the bottom half with a white line going through the middle, with the two conjoining at the Celtic crosses that's before the two pale purple handles. The base of each handle has a strong magnetic mechanism that allows Vertigron to join and separate them at will in preference to his fighting style; as one who's skilled in sōjutsu and kenjutsu, he employs these functions in tandem with his swift fighting style — interchanging them rapidly to throw off his opponents. In terms of MARITECH functions, as Aigredure reacts to its wielder's biological makeup — it becomes more powerful with the user's battle intensity, seen whenever Vertigron accesses the highest limits of his powers. They're normally stored in a pair of sheaths that he keeps strapped to his lower back.

Quotes

 * (About the Black Widow Pirates) "Just another trashy pirate crew that imposes their values unto my country. I wonder who they're working with? Which foolish ruler did they bribe so that they can gain control over our proud lands?"
 * (His time in the Marines) "Aside from getting attention from females, it wasn't much to write home about. It was rather mundane if you don't mind me saying. Everyone was the same and because I stood out, people started to get attached to me — mainly so that they could climb the ladder by riding my coattails. Sometimes, I regret joining the organization, but I need all the support I can get."
 * (The loyalty to his savior) "I'm dead, huh? That's what the official reports mark me off as? Not surprised. As a low-ranking soldier, I was a mere afterthought. They have more like me in their new batch. However.... you saw something in me that's worth saving, and for that, I'm forever in your debt. You gave me the chance to achieve my goals once more. The only thing I can do for you is to serve under you. If you wish, would you like to have me, master?"
 * (His views on ) "Justice is like a blank canvas. It can be dyed any color the painter desires; that's why the concept is never black and white, regardless of what the World Government says. Not only that, justice is something decided by the most "skilled" painters. The more power and influence you have, greater your influence over the concept becomes."
 * (To Artemisia) "So shrimp, how does it feel to be the bronze medal?"

Trivia

 * He's based on Grøh, the latest addition to the Soul Calibur series.
 * Like with his partner, he was created due to the recent conversation the author had on chat with cloning, thus remedying an idea he quickly abandoned. However, it did give the author a chance to create a cyborg.
 * Considering that the author already has many high-ranking Marines, it would be best to make one that didn't have any ranking, yet was still skilled to a certain extent. You could say that this character is the "strongest low-ranking Marine soldier" if anything.