First Impressions

On the Shores of an Island
"Oi, big guy... You wouldn't happen to own a ship would ye? Or at least where I could find one?"

Jackal spoke out first, having recently arrived at what appeared to be a foggy island with a vast pine forest and a mountain range, standing at the very edge of the western side of the island. The man clad in a monk attire was soaked from head to toe, reeking of saltwater and the footprints in the sand close by showed clear indications of having just arrived from the sea. Reaching for his waist to grab what appeared to be a gourd and unbottling its cork, only to take a swig of whatever it held inside. Whipping his mouth with his forearm as he finished, he looked back at the stranger that he'd just so happen to cross paths with.

The large canine mink turned to face the abrupt man, lifting an eyebrow as a smirk formed on their face, showing the sharp teeth that shined from inside. "Wouldn't be drinking that if I was you stranger, heard the local military encampment use this here island to dump their rubbish and other waste." He explained, chuckling to himself as he gained a good look at Jackal.

Reaching down into a pile of trash, swiping bits and pieces out of the way as he dug further, the mink pulled out a marine's sword from the throwaways. The sword was obviously well rusted, but the glimmer that shone in the mink's eye hinted it to be worth much more than it was seen as.

The monk's head pulled back and his brow furrowed, all the while his eyes wandered between the wolven humanoid, garbage pile and the yonder before finally starring back at his gourd. Jackal's movement swayed back and forth for a moment, as if to prepare his reply. "Wh-...what does that has to do with what I'm drinking?"

He went on to take a few steps closer to the stranger, it was still early in the morning and the sun was still making its way up from the sea. Raising his hand to take another slug of his drink, repeating the same gesture as before with the exception of putting the cork back on the bottle.

"Smell of the rubbish seems to contaminate the taste of any food or drink brought here, but you do you." The mink said rolling his eyes.

In a large sack, the mink tossed the marine sword into a pile of weapons, ranging from more swords to firearms that had been slightly scratched by the swords around them. Seeing that the man was making his way closer to him, the mink reached for his sword, getting ready to draw it if the man made it too close. His line of work was filled with competitors, and thus a lot of 'accidents to' those involved.

"Whoa there..." Promptly stopping himself from venturing any closer, Jackal would raise his hands and drop his gourd- which would reveal that the string of rope attached to it kept the "flask" and ended up dangling from the monk's side.

Trying to stand up straight, yet his legs appeared to give in and the man's posture quickly deteriorated to the point of the monk dropping to the ground with his back against it. "Ohh, now it's really...-" With an abrupt movement, he'd lift his legs upwards and use the momentum to fling himself up yet again, dangling as he does, "kicking in!" His narrowed eyes turning wide upon laying eyes on the canine's posture and sword yet again: "Ey now... Don't do something you'll regret good... eh... Sir?"

The mink kept his guard, remaining vigilant after Jackal's strange performance. Swiftly drawing the blade from his belt and pointed towards the man, the length of the sword was truly revealed to match the size of the mink himself. Obviously, custom built to the mink's liking, the sword had silver string wrapped around the golden hilt to make up its grip and the blade being nearly as tall as its wielder. This was the mink's way of saying the same thing that Jackal had just, but with very little energy wasted on speaking.

"Looks like you've lost an eye little man. Don't think you'd like to lose the other one too..."

"One, two or no eyes... Walking the dog and teaching it how to shake wouldn't be much of a challenge for me either way..."

With each side of the man's mouth widened into a grin, yet with his eyes turning wide as well it appeared more hysterical than anything. The way the man moved appeared different, still swaying yet with the front leg resting on the toe and putting all the weight of his body on his back leg, all the while his hands raised themselves with both of them posing as if they were holding onto wine or shot glasses, one in front of the other. Copying the mink's own response, the monk figured that this would settle his intends clearly.

"You run your mouth too much. It's getting quite annoying." The mink smirked before tightening the sack of weapons and throwing it deep into the pile out of the way. With his blade drawn, he entered a readied position as he gripped the handle with both hands tightly, showing that he was, in fact, wearing armour underneath his dark robe. "Would you like a sword too?" he offered in a sarcastic-welcoming tone.

"Look who's talking..."

Taking a step back using his frontal foot, the weight would shift as his body swayed from side to side. Jackal would stumble on his own movement and try recovering by hastily using his other foot for support, repeating the same movement in rapid succession until he finally ended up straightening his body, lifting his right arm upwards whilst standing on one leg. Only to be followed by stretching his body forward with his left hand and lowering his other arm and leg whilst doing so, escalating a loud "Hah!" as the hand flung towards his opponent. Yet as the foot hit the ground, Jackal stopped himself mid-action and flung his arm back towards his mouth, which would make it appear as if he was taking a shot before swinging his head back and the arm moving overhead and back forward. The monk was back to his original stance with an even wider grin on his face.

Even with Jackal's movements, the mink remained unfazed, having closed his eyes as soon as Jackal was apparently approaching. Slowly opening them back up, the dark red irises of his eyes were prominent against his dark fur, filled with caution and determination to strike out. But something was holding him back for some reason, as his hands continued to tightly grip the sword in front of him.

"Why'd you pull back?" He taunted.

"Why didn't you... not... pull back!?" The monk responded. He appeared bewildered by his own words for a moment, shaking his head before looking back at his opponent. None of them had made a move on another, as if testing one another or prefer to keep it on the defensive. A game of patience if you will.

"But fine... you want to go?" Jackal announced, the swaying stopped and he stood as steadfast as a mountain, staring into the eyes of the stranger. The grin had vanished and been replaced by a frown, the cup-like hands turned downwards and spread wider as if to imitate the claws of a feline. Standing in position for a good solid ten to twenty seconds, the monk broke it all off and began snickering as he started walking towards the Mink like meeting an old friend, lifting and pointing one of his hands towards the canine as he did: "Ahh... Caught you! You were faking it, I knew it, I knew you couldn't do it!"

The sword that the mink held lowered and was brought back to his belt, quickly sheathing it as he did not see Jackal in an obvious hostile position. His hands seemed to retract back into their sleeves, disappearing out of sight as he stood in position, carefully watching Jackal move to ensure he wasn't pulling anything off. Besides, it wasn't like he was unprepared for an attack or anything.

"Back up little man. If you want to keep seeing through that left eye of yours I suggest you don't come within blade distance of me." The mink warned, responding harshly to the monk's 'friendly' gesture.

"I'd imagine most people would appear little in your eyes, aye? And a lot of references on my eye, don't you think?"

He didn't stop despite the man's words, continuing to walk towards him whilst reaching towards his waist to yet again pick up the gourd by his side. Unfastening its plug before taking another swig of its content, as he got closer to the canine it would become quite clear to a being such a strong nose that the beverage inside would be that of fine, fermented wine. "Why be so uptight big guy...-" Unfastening the gourd for a moment before pulling it forward and towards the stranger, "...take a swig why don't you?"

As soon as Jackal had made his move, the mink had brought back out both his hands, now holding knives tied with red string around their handles. Instinctively striking one knife to the bottle and one knife towards Jackal's face, the mink had a sort of lack of care in his eyes as he did so, not minding where the knives slashed as a result of the stranger's actions.

"Looks like you got there before me..." Those words echoed inside the monk's mind as one knife found itself plunged and grounded into the gourd, all the while Jackal had let it go and swung his body towards his left side. Showcasing the man's reflex and perhaps use of other methods, only to follow it up by pushing his body forwards and having the hand that held the gourd coat itself in armament haki as it opened up to a palm, pulling itself backwards. His body lowering itself, legs moving in front of the other as he extended the hand towards his opponent's stomach with the intent to create some distance between the two of them.

As Jackal's strike collided with the mink's body, his opponent would be sent backwards as their feet was still planted on the ground, dragging through the dirt as it made deep trenches in its path. The mink managed to catch their breath whilst still holding onto the daggers, the force being enough to pull the knife out of the gourd as its user was pushed back. Nonetheless, the stranger's abilities were shown, and the mink realised that he was now in for a fight.

"Well now, can't say I didn't deserve that." He told himself before drawing his blade. However, this time, after withdrawing it from his belt, he flicked it with enough force for the blade to separate in pieces, exposing a wire that laid beneath the metal and acted as a sort of skeleton for the katana. The sword had become a bladed whip which the mink flicked across the area with ease as a sort of intimidation. The weapon had doubled if not tripled in size because of this and allowed the mink some range to his attacks.

Now it being his turn, the mink began to quickly approach his target, the bladed whip following just behind him. However, as soon as he got near Jackal, he jumped backwards whilst sending his bladed whip right at the target. Something felt almost electrical about the weapon, as sparks of residual electricity could be seen flickering off the metal.

Smirking upon seeing his attack making fruition, Jackal would begin to lightly move around on the spot as if he was jumping. Feeling confident about the fight that's about to break out, the monk would take the opportunity to turn for his gourd- noticing the large hole inside it and the wine spilling out of it. "Whaa...!" Frantically lifting the gourd so that it's intoxicating content could pour down the man's throat instead of the ground, making it appear like he was paying little heed to the mink as he charged towards him but grew anxious as he instead leapt back.

Continuing to consume his beverage for as long as he was allowed, Jackal would lower the gourd whilst raising his other arm as grab onto the incoming whip. Sensing the danger it possessed a little too late, the man would attempt to withdraw his hand and body from the strike by diving towards the ground- yet it was too late and the whip made contact with his arm as it lowered. Charged with a sort of power unknown to the monk before, jolts of electrocution spread across the body. Clenching his teeth and murmuring loudly, even as the alcohol had made him numb to the pain- its effect could still be felt as limbs felt as though they were locking momentarily as he hit the ground.

Taking a deep breath as he pushed his legs up- and backwards until they hit the ground and the rest of his body followed suit up again, Jackal looked down at the hand which had been struck as saw a clear, pink-clad line from which the which had hit him before gazing back at his opponent. His body moving from side to side as he returned to his drunken posture.

"Who sent you? Tell your client that I'm not going to back down so easily this time. Wasn't the last warning enough?" The mink demanded as he retracted the blade to its normal form. Now holding the longsword in his right hand and pulling a dagger for his left, the warrior entered a defensive stance with both weapons at the ready. "I thought a finger and ear was just enough for you humans, but maybe I'll have to send a head this time."

"HUUUHH!? I'll like to see you try!" The monk was fast to respond but didn't perhaps think it through as the answer was supposed to tell his opponent that he wasn't associated with whoever was after him. Crouching his upper body slightly forward, focusing the weight of his body on his legs as they're kept in place for a moment before the man suddenly struck out by crossing the distance between them in the blink of an eye, provoking a gust of wind from which he once stood before finding himself just before the large mink. With both arms clad in haki, his right arm held up and resting in front of his head whilst the other had been retracted just past his stomach- only to now launch it towards the mink with the intent of hitting him in the same spot as earlier.

Instinctively, the mink had begun to turn the side so their left shoulder was facing the direction of Jackal instead, hoping that they would strike at it and avoid the same spot as before. He held the longsword in his right hand carefully, hoping to throw in a blind swipe as soon as he felt something touch his body, on that, would reach the whole of the front of his body.

Not backing down, the fist making contact with the shoulder and on to break the armour while his free hand moved to intercept the incoming blade but only just so to prevent it from hitting him. Jackal would procced to use the momentum to grab onto the now revealed fur from the mink's shoulder, using it as a means to propel his own body upwards and onto the man's figure in an attempt to escape.

The mink was surprised to see his opponent try and escape, but as soon as he felt them land right on top of him he could only smile. As soon as he felt the weight of Jackal on him, the mink charged a quick burst of Electro throughout his armour, hoping to tazer Jackal while he was within range.

Feeling the same rush as he had moments earlier, Jackal's body would spasm and lock itself as he'd attempted to leap away from the large canin mink. Barely being able to create distance between himself and the stranger, once he landed just a few feet away the monk would spot the bag that mink had thrown away earlier. "Can't think of a better way than to earn a living and getting rid of this unsettling thing coursing through my body..." Making his way to grab onto the bag and make a run for it, to where he did not know, nor did he run in a straight path either but rather juggled between left and right as if he was zig-zagging.

The mink simply watched irritated by the monk's risky actions to take the sack of stolen arms. Rolling his eyes, the mink followed by in chase, showing off the incredible speed he was still able to accomplish despite the armour he was wearing. Granted, some bits had been broken off due to Jackal's attacks and allowed for even freer movement. With both sword and dagger in hand, the mink stalked nearby whilst keeping track of the man's position with the sounds they made and their scent.

Knowing that what he was up against was a canine mink, Jackal could very well imagine that he'd have no trouble following his scent, as was even more evident seeing him at the corner of his eye whenever he looked back against the stranger that he'd just met. Having no trouble carrying the sack of weaponry, the monk continued his stride towards destiny and ran up alongside the hill and into the woods. The sun had risen somewhat since the start of their encounter and you could see the forest itself waking up despite the fog with birds singing and other animals looking on as the two, strange figures made their way throughout their home.

And this was how their battle would continue for the next ten minutes so, playing chase up towards the awfully large hill. It wasn't until reaching the very edge of it that the monk stopped in his tracks and looking back. It would appear that he'd managed to get ahead of his pursuer, taking the opportunity to survey the area as he reached for his gourd. Seeing nothing but trees and mountain tops as far as the eye could see with all this fog, turning instead to focus on his beverage from which noticed that almost all of its content had been left vacant besides the few drops remaining. Eyes turning wide as Jackal held the gourd up to let the last few drops make its way towards his mouth, from which once consumed he'd let go of the gourd and search yet again among the trees. Spotting the flickering of light in the distance, deducing that it has to a town or some sort of shelter, Jackal began making his way down the hill with the sack still in hand towards his new goal.

From behind, the sound of falling trees crept closer to Jackal as he made his way to the town. The mink from before had suddenly leapt out with the bladed whip in hand, holding it high above his head before swinging downwards with the weapon, having a fair distance that still could reach Jackal if he decided to jump back. Sparks were obviously jumping off the blade, an indication to being charged with Electro, and as it was brought down almost resembled that of a lightning bolt, nearly as fast as the real thing. Despite his large stature, the mink had managed to jump high off an unknown support, enough for him to appear in the view mid-air for Jackal if he looked back.

Sensing the ominous intent, the monk would suddenly swirl his entire body as well as tilting his upper body towards the side as he allowed the whip to fly past him and strike the hillside instead. Looking back towards his pursuer with a wide grin, only crouch down and bend his knees before propelling himself forward across the air and towards the bottom of the hill. He'd go on to kick the air once or twice while on his way down to accelerate his speed, only to use it as a means to slow him down by the end. Jackal continued towards where he had seen the lights, going by memory now rather than sight given that he'd entered the forest yet again.

Quickly making his way down the hill as well, the mink opted to land at the end instead of running down, producing a rumble in the area around him as a result. With his whip still out, the mink began spinning it around his body, cutting everything around him as he passed it from hand to hand, front and back whilst walking forward. This allowed him to train his blade whilst still in the chase but also take out some of the environment out. Proven right after he had retracted the whip and formed his longsword once again, as bits of leaves and chunks of wood fell to the ground collectively. The mink resumed the chase and cut through most of the woodlands that stood in his way, heading straight on rather than carefully dodging the obstacles.

"Yeesh... this guy is persistent," Jackal thought to himself as he could hear the mink tearing through the forest behind him as they continued their chase, "what's in this thing anyway?" Going on to open the sack whilst in the midst of running, something which didn't seem to slow him down in the least, and started rummaging around and taking them out one by one- finding all sorts of swords, axes, knives and gunfire, before putting them back in. One flintlock, in particular, caught his eye as it held neatly polished ornaments all over its hilt and a barrel much bigger than that of the normal one. He pulled the lock back and realized that it was loaded, figuring he might as well try it the monk promptly stopped and turned around towards the mink with the gun pointed towards him. Pulling the trigger and fired towards him, making it evident that it wasn't a weapon used for gunshots but rather a flare gun that was just about to explode.

As the flare moved towards the mink, his instincts had caused him to slash at the projectile, triggering it as heat blew up in front of him. The massive flash of light caught him off guard and caused the mink to stumble around in a momentary dazed state. But of course, he would be blinded due to the immense light that his eyes had caught for a split second as he pulled back. With the remnants of the flare dropping to the ground, that area of the forest lit up with a bright illumination that shone right at the mink and Jackal.

"Nice try. Little man." The mink said with a gruff voice. "But you may have to do a little better than that."

As soon as he finished his sentence his canine ears perked up and his snout twitched, a grim smile on his face appearing to display his sharp canine teeth. Gripping the blade, the mink opted to run to the side away from the heat that was building in the area, disappearing into the shadows of the trees, seemingly leaving Jackal alone.

"Tch, worth a try." Not wanting to take any chances or remain should a fire really break out, the monk began making a run for it yet again. It wasn't long now until they'd reach the outskirts of the forest and enter whatever place held the light source. With his gourd ruined and no bottles to sate him, Jackal could feel himself turning soberer with each passing moment and started picking up the pace for the chance of preventing the noises. With the canine mink out of sight, the monk was even more on alert than before and relied heavily on his observational haki to signal out any threats.

The growling of a canine was near, and sooner or later the mink returned as he leapt from the side out of the bushes, eyes closed but as if he could perfectly see Jackal. His blade held high to the side, ready to be swung and take Jackal's head off his shoulders.

Initially, the man would halt and crouch downwards with his upper body as to avoid the incoming strike, only to follow it up by raising his body yet again as the mink was just above him. Taking full advantage of the stranger's momentum as his wrists clasped together before stretching the open palms of his hands outwards and upwards towards the mink's body. Aiming to combine his own strength and the stranger's leap to send him flying further than anticipated whilst also seeking to destroy more of their armour using the force behind the strike itself.

The mink could feel a force push against his torso as he was lifted higher into the air, feeling his armour getting weaker by the direct strike. However, as he fell to the ground, he broke through a nearby tree, splitting it in half whilst he remained intact, the spot his armour was hit receiving a dent. Feeling the spot of the hit, the mink smiled as he felt that it made it a noticeable change, circling his finger around the centre before pulling himself back up.

"He's quite annoying."

With the sword still in hand, the mink took only a few seconds as his free hand reached into the inside of his black robe. Sensing Jackal's location, the mink pulled three throwing knives from within and touched the back of his head with their blades. Electricity charged the knives up, collecting energy the longer he pressed it on his fur, before in one quick movement, threw the knives towards Jackal, each one taking a different route as it passed through the trees and leaves.

Jackal had remained in his spot for a clear sign of what'd happen next, only to get his answer by the incoming projectile. His first reaction was to simply catch the knives right then and there, yet noticing the blue hue that sparks emanating from them, the monk opted to instead lift the stranger's bag of goodies as to use it to block the knives, burying them at the different spots across the container and preventing the electro from spreading towards him.

"He's really annoying."

Figuring it was best to get back on track, Jackal began making his way out of the forest yet again with the sack pulled over his shoulder.

Unfortunately, the smell of the open sack and the burnt edges of the material gave a scent that the mink could follow after. The armoured mink followed just behind with his blade drawn, opting to follow from the shadows instead and listen to what the man would do at a time.

No longer feeling comfortable being inside the forest, or rather more so annoyed with it, Jackal took a leap and started making use of the treetops instead to move from one place to the other. Whenever he couldn't land or spot another platform that could hold his weight, he'd prompt to simply use the air as the surface which upon he'd leap. It was possible to see the source of the light now, it came from a port not too far now. And where there is a port, there is a drink.

The rustling of the trees couldn't make Jackal any louder, from the shadows the mink followed and continued to disappear within the darkness.

A Marine at Every Port
Landing just outside the town atop one of the trees, Jackal turned his head back to check his surrounding but couldn't spot the canine mink anywhere, figuring that he'd show himself eventually or had something against populated areas, the monk looked back towards the town from which it didn't appear like it was particularly well-guarded given the single Marine at the entrance- not that he had a wanted poster on his face. Figuring that it was just as good a plan as any, he began to make his way down before finally entering the town, stopping just by the entrance to check for the stranger one last time but with no results and thereby moved on ahead.

Once inside, it would become evident that the town wasn't brimming with activity but a good chunk of individuals living there or merely stopping by before moving on to the next island. It didn't appear to be a pirate isle given the handful of Marines patrolling the area from one part of the town to the other, something that was perhaps obvious given the soldier at the entrance that strangely didn't question the monk's entrance. Spotting an open stand however dealing in what appeared to be pottery, grinning to himself as he approached the man working on a piece- only to be startled as he looked up and saw the monk.

"Whoa there, don't worry my friend. Despite my scars, my intentions are good." Jackal's grin turned more friendly and went on to put his palms together near his chest in a prayer-like fashion and bowed ever so slightly, to which the shopkeeper took a moment to restore his posture and frantically repeat the same action.

"My apologies... That was rude of me... Wh-... What brings you to my stand this early in the morning then?"

"I take no offence, good Sir. But I wanted to ask for two things."

"Yes?"

"First,-" Reaching down towards his waist to unlock the rope that was attached to his robes, lifting it to reveal that it held onto the gourd from which had previously been broken, "would you be able to fix this one for me?"

Taking a quick look at the gourd before replying, "Why certainly... anything else."

"Great!" The monk exclaimed with a cheerful tone before placing the gourd down on the table between them: "Next I'd like to know where I might the closest seller of intoxicating beverages! It's for medicinal purposes naturally."

Jackal kept on smiling towards the shopkeeper, even if he didn't say anything at first. "Well, I suppose that would be The Golden Keg down by the port."

"Thank you good Sir, I'll be making my way then and return later for my gourd." And with it, Jackal repeated the same greeting he did earlier before making his way down towards the port until he stumbled upon what appeared to be a pub and entered it.

As he did, it would become quite evident that the establishment had seen better days but was nonetheless populated by not only a few employees such as the man by the counter and the two barmaids that greeted him on the way in. Making his way across the perimeter and towards the counter, Jackal began discussing what array of beverages the pub had and what the shopkeeper was willing to sell.

Had Jackal kept his ears open, granted the sudden shift in the atmosphere wouldn't be too hard to notice, the pub began to grow with an immense cheerfulness. Although where the monk was positioned seemed distant from where most of the commotion had been coming from, it didn't take someone with eyes or ears of a hunter to perceive the source. Within a crowd of people was a man with greying hairs, yet baring a massive physique. He easily dwarfed a large number of the people around him, which was probably why it was so easy for one to see him without the blockade of cheering people.

"CHAHAHA!" He called out, his cheeks a rosy red as he'd obviously drunken quite a bit of liquid courage. In both of arms were two other individuals, men by the looks of it. Rocking side to side, the other two individuals had no choice but to move under the man's hefty mass. The movements caused more and more of his alcohol to spill as he jerked side to side. Whether it was the drunk haze or just a lack of knowledge, the loss of his beverage seemed to slip his concern.

''My heart is filled with you, my love! A slave for all your games! Baby hold me tight tonight! Let us fly away! Although we may be far apart My love will never change! For youuuuuu''

Although his singing wasn't the most beautiful, it still managed to keep the cheering mob enthralled. In fact, they seemed to grow livelier with the show the man had put on. He finally managed to gain the composure to open his eyes fully. From his position, although he would likely see the bodies of those around him first, his eyes were tied on Jackal's figure. He voice rose through the barricade to reach the ears of the monk. "Chahaha! Friend with the scars! Come and join me!" While most of the people who stood between Jackal and the drunken mess of a man parted so the two could clearly see each other, the party raged on without even a second of delay.

With the sudden exclamation from the senior man amongst the crowd, Jackal and the shopkeeper had to abort their conversation for a moment as they both peered over to festivities. The monk's expression at first was bland, searching the group before quickly making note of who it was that was referring to him- to which his face would lighten up and turn into a smile. Turning back to the man at the counter, stating somewhat that would be left unheard by the rest of the establishment before the man would nod and start searching for something underneath the counter.

Looking back over to the older man that had called out to him, the smile still lingering on his face as Jackal stayed in place but would bob his head in acknowledgement and continued to watch the crowd. Yet the expression then steadily turn back to its bland expression, eyes locked on the crowd and starring as if he was looking at empty space, images flashing inside his head. Snapping out of it as the bartender placed a bottle between the two of them, the monk's eyes blinking rapidly as he shifted to the beverage, hastily grabbing it and undoing the cork as he turned on his heels, began sweeping its content and made way to leave the building. Not only forgetting to leave his pay, but also the bag from which he'd entered the building with.

Just as Jackal had left, the mink from before had entered the same bar with his vision better after the flare. Having followed the scent of the bag, the mink had seen that it was clumsily left all alone: a bag filled with marine weaponry and other pick-ups vulnerable out in the open. Picking up the bag before any passerby could, the mink noticed that there were alcohol drips on the bag, most possibly left by the one who took it in the first place. Analysing the scent and looking to where it would lead him, the mink followed through with the bag slung over his shoulder, shoving his way through the door in an effort to catch up with the monk.

Seeing as Jackal refused to join him in the festivities, the man took no offence. He instead shrugged it off, coming into yet another drunken laugh. "Chahaha! More for me then!" He shouted, yet the part kept an open view of the seat the monk would eventually leave from. Even in his haze, he noticed that the man had left behind a bag. A bag that, eventually, a wolf mink would scoop up and make off with. The man's eyes widened at the show, in complete shock at what he had witnessed. A blind theft right before his eyes?

The man would suddenly bolt up from his seat, shouting to the top of his longs at the mink. "STOP YOU THIEF! COME BACK HERE WITH THAT BAG!" Even drunk, he seemed to easily be able to manoeuvre through the crowds and out into the streets. He looked up and down the street, the large, black-furred mink easily being spotted by the eyes of the man. "YOU! FILTHY MINK SCUM! STOP!" He commanded. His shouts drawing the attention of those inside and out of the buildings on the street. Their eyes and ears falling on the scene.

The world around him had turned hazy, images shifting between that of the past and the present with familiar figures who didn't belong here any more- replacing the faces of the commoners and sailers surrounding him with the monks from his birth. Jackal had started making his way towards the port, being the opposite end from which he'd arrived from but he didn't care at this point. Eagerly consuming the alcohol inbetween the heavy breaths, with each step he took and inch of liquid the monk consumed, the more he'd appear to regain his posture.

Halting his advances, the monk's shoulder would visibly rise upwards as he went on to take a deep breath before they would lower themselves once again as he exhaled. Feeling the nerves returning to their usual self and the images no longer present, Jackal would finally snap out of it but at the same time hear the thunderous declaration made by the senior at the pub from earlier. Turning around to lay eyes on not only the older man but also that of the mink inbetween them, the monk initiated the fighting stance from which he'd previously held. A grin being plastered across his face this time, "Back again are we, ey Stranger?"

"I care not for names in this business unless you are a competitor, until which I would add onto my hitlist. But it seems after all that you weren't so I care not for your name at the moment." The mink responded as he drew his longsword from his belt. "Your an inconvenience, so it's only right that I fix you."

Throwing the bag away from his position and into an alleyway just beside him, the mink reached his other hand into his robe and pulled out three more throwing knives between his knuckles, pressing them against his fur to charge them with Electro. Yet again, in one swift movement, the mink delicately threw the charged knives at the monk with careful precision as it cut through the air, leaving a small residual trail behind it to resemble that of a lightning bolt. With his longsword, the mink jerked it to release it from its locks to revert it to its whip form, a sight that the monk had seen before.

"Your turn." the mink said quietly to himself, ignoring the loud cries of the senior following behind.

The mink would feel a sudden gust blow past his obsidian fur. Before him, and between himself and the monk would be none other than the elderly man. Closer to the monk's side however, he seemed to hold something in both of his hands. A swift move of the hands would reveal the electro-fied knives that were thrown. Their final sparks going out as they were tossed to the side. All but one however, which seemed to have plunged itself into the man's chest. He would look down at it, before suddenly bursting into laughter. "Chahaha! Look at this pretty toothpick! Why is it so big and made of - Pamila is that you!" He shouted at a woman in the crowd, who seemed to shake her head in rejection of the claim.

His attention then returned to the aggressor of the situation. "You! You take my friend's bag and then attack with no provocation! Apologize! Now!" He continued to shout, ignoring the wound in his chest.

The monk had been grinning at the anticipation, only to leer at the notice of the elder man and drop his stance as he moved in between them without having requested it. As the man spoke to what appeared to a woman in the crowd, Jackal had started making his way closer to his apparent knight in shining armour and stood next to him as he shouted towards the mink. Everything about the monk's expression and the way he walked seemed to indicate the anticipation for something to come, yet it suddenly shifted completely as he took note of the knife that had wounded the man.

"Oi old man..." Looking up towards him given the difference in height, his gaze being intense but it could just as well just appear that way given the man's scars. "How were you able to touch these knives without being affected by the... electricity from I've gathered." Pointing towards the knives that had been tossed to the side firstly before directing it to one that had been plunged into the man.

"Bite me." The mink smirked in response, entering a defence stance.

The man's eyes fell back onto the knife lodged into his chest as the mink. He shot a clear gaze towards the furred individual. His eyes were cleansed of the alcohol that hazed them before hand. "Just an old trick." He lifted up his left leg, his shoe seemed to have a spot in them that were torn and burnt, as if coming in contact with something hot. "I'll have to bet that you're either a petty criminal, or maybe I'm just too drunk to realize the pain my body is in." He pulled the knife from his chest, tossing it to the side with it's brethren. Another glance at the man's chest would reveal that, while his outfit was still torn where the knife made impact, his wound had all but vanished.

"Biting you would be rather unsanitary, don't you think?" He spoke, scratching his beard as he did so. "Just return the bag and this will be done with. I'd rather not further this situation. One spark of stubbornness can ignite the flames of war."

Following the man's movement and taking note of his gimmick, Jackal was frankly impressed by it and wanted to know more about it and see if it could be applied in any other way given the monk's lack of footwear. "Very well then... As we both appear to enjoy a good drink, I wouldn't decline the help from a man such as yourself." Still standing next to him, the scarred man went on to resume the stance just prior- with hands formed as if holding shot glasses whilst constantly circulating its movements. Yet the footwork was different this time as feet wider to the point of being a shoulder-width apart, with the feet parallel, followed by bending his knees and lower the body down.

Without warning however, the monk shift his body towards his right side before changing his weight towards Jackal's left side in one movement and strike out with both wrists clasped together before stretching the open palms of his hands outwards in a powerful blow towards the older man's right side and abdomen.

"Start a war for all I care. Business might even boom during that time." The mink said as he cracked his sword-ship in the air, "All the better for me."

Jackal's attack would collide with the man's abdomen without any issue, yet as it struck, the man seemed relatively unbothered by the attack. His body seemed to sway with the movement of Jackal's palms. In the end, the attack didn't even seem to phase the elderly man. This was due to his usage of one of the Rokushiki techniques, Kami-e - the Paper Arts. His eyes would fall upon Jackal's frame, and while nothing physical seemed to appear on the man, his physiology had all but changed from before.

"It's normally the one's who encourage a war that are too foolish to realize that it weights on more than those doing the lifting." He spoke, raising his arm as he continued to look at Jackal. His right arm would come at Jackal's figure in a horizontal manner, aiming to swat him away. Meanwhile, the man's left arm would come down vertically, sending a sharp projectile gliding through the air at the mink's location. It cut through the sky as if it were butter, which quite frankly, it was softer. But that hadn't mattered, because soon the mink could end up like the sky if he didn't react quick enough.

The bystanders easily noticed that the situation had escalated beyond the intended level the moment Jackal attacked the elderly man. This sent obvious warning signs for all to evade the area of conflict.

Snickering as his body appeared to respond naturally to the proceeding actions, the monk's body arched itself back to the point that the scarred man's hair could briefly touch the ground beneath them. Having no issue holding the pose that his body had chosen to respond with, Jackal would continue the same movement to raise his lower upwards to instigate a flip. An undertaking that'd showed more merit than it'd first seem as both of his legs would stretch outwards mid-action and aim towards his new opponent's jaw.

For the mink, the large canine closed its eyes and immediately moved out of the way, narrowly missing the projectile by mere inches as he did so while it took a bit off its fur. Unmoved, the mink opened its eyes again and looked back seeing that the monk was having his own fun with the marine. Rolling his eyes, the mink saw this as an opportunity to slip out of the situation, returning to the alleyway where the bag was. The alleyway seemed to be empty with a wall no bigger than the mink blocked the other side. Picking up the bag, the mink climbed over the wall as his metal armor shuffled against the brick, causing a notable sound from his alleyway. Whatever the case, even if Jackal and the marine would notice the mink's presence there, it might've already been too late.

Once again, as Jackal's attack came for the man, he seemed to ignore the monk's presence. The fist came into contact with Eulogio's jaw, causing the man's face to move over a bit in response to the attack, but he seemed virtually unharmed. He looked down at the monk from the corner of his eye, scoffing at his willingness. "You have eyes to analyze, yet you ignore the results before you."

He rose his hand yet again, swatting at Jackal's figure yet again. This time however, it was followed by a powerful gust that covered the entire side of the street Jackal had taken up. It was impossible to see what was in or on the other side of it due to it's furious strength, the blitzing winds blinding all from it's inner turmoil. Rankyaku: Storm Strife. It seemed almost impossible for Jackal to evade the attack due to the fact it covered the entirety of the side of the street Jackal had made his turf.

While Jackal was handling that attack, Eulogio's eyes went red as he kept his sights on the fleeing mink. Without waiting any longer, he brought down his free arm once again, slamming it against the ground. The collision caused a massive piece of the ground to unearth itself. With a steel face, Eulogio gripped onto the piece of rubble. And with an iron arm, tossed it flying high into the sky. This was the true strength of his Devil Fruit, the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Hobbit. It granted Eulogio arm swinging capabilities far superior to your standard human. This made his Rankyaku techniques stronger than others, and his ability to throw greater as well.

The massive slab of earth would fall onto the other side of the alleyway the mink attempted to escape from. By blocking his escape route, Eulogio effectively forced his fleeing opponent to have to go back from where he came in order to get away. Which meant he'd have to stand before the marine once again in order to obtain his freedom. "CHAHAHA! So, you both were doing some kind of trick on me, is that right friend with the scar? Here, take this coin for your performance." He spoke, tossing some gold wherever Jackal ended up, be it in his Storm Strife or where he fled to upon whatever miraculous escape he had come up with from the Rankyaku.

In that moment, Eulogio looked at his tattered outfit, looking at where his former wound was. "Man, Metilda is gonna be pissed when I ask her to repair this..." He rambled on, "Hey, baby goat, you know if there are any nearby tailors?" He spoke, seemingly to Jackal as he was the only person nearby.

"Tch..." Simple but it was really the only thing the monk could utter upon witnessing the lack of effect his attacks continued to make, only to have his instincts seemingly scream at him from the inside with the old man's repeated attempt at striking back. Being back on his feet as the flip had made its journey, but while his instincts as a Drunken Fist fighter told him to sweep towards the side and lash back at the man, his senses or otherwise Observational Haki made it appear as if it'd be a hollow attempt. Without the time or prior experience with such an attack, the only thing that came to mind was to go on the defensive and Jackal proceeded like so, raising both arms that assumed the stance of the tiger while announcing: "Five Forms: Tiger Stance!" Suddenly, the monk's aura would change and the muscles around his biceps would flex whilst black markings, stripe-like features and even sharpened teeth would appear on Jackal's facial features. Followed by covering his arms in armament, the combination of both the haki and the increase of his strength due to the Five Forms Martial Arts, the monk gave it his all to try and stop the incoming strike despite the odds. He took it head on, and for a moment- he was even capable of halting its process. Yet with his opponent's superiority in strength and third-grade posture would repel the attempted counterattack, breaking through it and send Jackal flying.

With the marine's strike and the winds that followed, the monk would lose his footing and be flung to the sidelines and into three stands with various goods- breaking all of them upon impact before finding himself buried inside the house nearby. Groaning and coughing after his flight, Jackal would take a few moments to get back up. At first, it didn't seem as though there had been any damage, thanks to the alcohol he didn't feel any of the pain but upon noticing that his arms wouldn't stop quivering then it was evident that he'd take quite the hit. Hearing the man call out to what he could guess was himself, the monk would walk out from the house that had been unoccupied and stopped by the doorway. Not knowing what man had asked of him, Jackal didn't respond but just kept on staring at him while reaching for his waist- looking over by instinct as he came to remember upon doing so that he'd left the container for reparation.

Sighing, his gaze would revert back to the man that appeared to still be expecting an answer from him. Raising his shoulders and shaking his head before replying: "You wouldn't happen to have a spare drink, would ye?"

"Dammit." The mink screamed in frustration as the marine blocked his path. Rolling his eyes, the mink decided to join the fight, but this time with his sights set on the old man. Dropping the bag and searching through its contents, the mink smiled softly as he pulled out multiple weapons, securing them on different spots whilst loading those that needed ammunition. "Not like today's haul was going to get me much anyway."

Walking out of the alleyway, the mink was a walking arsenal by then as pistols, swords and other weapons hung off his body, not to mention the ones that hid within his robe. Sheathing his longsword into his belt, the mink pulled out a pair of flintlock pistols out from his sides and pointed both directly at the old man, releasing standard fire upon the old man to give Jackal some time to strike in himself. Whilst it wasn't so much the smartest decision to fire at a target next to someone that the mink didn't want to attack just yet, there was no way that he was going to get too close for now whilst there were bullets to spend. The mink made sure to shoot as soon as the firearms were loaded, and circled the two as to remain on the move while keeping a good distance. He needed to see for himself what the old man could do.

"You should've let me walk away little man, you're getting in the way of business." The mink complained, continuing to fire upon Eulogio's position.