Man Up

"Which one, which one... which one should we do first?" Graham Alexander said as he looked over the wanted posters sprawled across the table. Dozens of posters were laid about, grouped into eight distinct piles. Eight crews, rookies all. Eight prizes that the Manly Pirates planned on gifting to the world government. This new wave of blue was their ticket to a life free from persecution until they could retire. This wave was their captain's path to becoming a warlord.

Alexander discarded three piles out of hand, removing the lowest of the crews out for their first effort. Easy prey wouldn't impress the Marines they had talked to. It would be better to take them out in the middle, taking a couple of the targets who may be able to fight back first, that left five crews.

Ghosts, Dreads, Busters, Bandits, and Feathers. The Ghost's location was unknown, and they had amassed quite a crew. They would be best handled last. Like the others, they were set aside. The Bandits only had a single member worth mentioning, as such, they could be handled at leisure. The captain of the Busters was a small fry, outshone by one of his own crewmembers.

That left two, two targets that would be both worth the effort and tough enough that the Manly Men could impress. Alexander decided that those two should be handled first, taking them out with a quick one-two punch.

"Heads Dreads, Tails Feathers it is then," Alexander mumbled as he pulled out a coin. As it hit the ground, it bounced once before settling, exposing it's back to the words.

"I guess it is the Angel's unlucky day then," Alexander uttered as he held up a poster of a young blonde woman. A halo shone over her head as she flew on snow white wings.

Alexander held up his thumb to his ear as his pinky lay across his lips.

A ringing sound could be faintly heard as he commanded, "Phim D. Sera."

The Call
"Purupurupuru"

Sera was flipping through the inventory of their latest heist, the sacking of a ship filled with part of the Heavenly tribute, when she heard the Den Den Mushi at the desk of her small cabin ring. She walked over to the snail hanging upon the wall before picking up.

"Hello, who is this," Sera questioned to the snail as she picked up the call.

"Phim D. Sera." was all that was heard before the caller hung up.

Sera scratched her head for a few moments before softly putting the receiver back. Then with a shrug, she exited her cabin. Today was their last day on Gallanholm Atoll. The Feather Pirates were making their final preparations to leave before setting sail to their next destination. All the supplies for their voyage were bought, her people had had plenty of time for rest, the log pose had finished setting, and they needed to head out soon before the Marines found them.

She walked out on the deck, smiling as the crewmembers smoothly packed the last few crates of supplies down into the hold.

She spied her first mate managing everything, the ever-capable Brisei Augus. Walking over to him she ask, "Any problems Augus, or is everything going as good as it looks?"

Wind breezing by his hair, Augus stood around, arms crossed, and face stern. After all, just like Sera noticed, he had been managing everything that happened around them, that was his duty as Batma- As the first mate of the Feather Pirates. Sera's sudden question had him turning around, though, he kept a calm expression, "Yes, Cap'n!" Augus blinked, "I mean, it's all going fine!"

Augus, much like Sera, also harboured a Log Pose, picking it from his pocket. "I have already given some instructions to the rest of the crew..." Sweat covered his face, "Since... well... our navigator disappeared." And people insisted he was the shady one, sure, right.

"I figured she had gotten cold feet after she didn't follow us around. Oh well, she's the one who's still going to end up with a bounty and no one around to protect her." Sera finished with a sigh. "Nothing to do about it now but get going."

Sera turned towards the rest of the crew looking over them before shouting loud enough to carry across the deck and over the noise. "Finish packing everyone, Anchor up in thirty."

Turning back towards Augus she'll just smile as she states, "I have a good feeling about this trip."

The sound of light breathing could be heard from near the helm of the ship. As one peered forward, they would find the figure of Aries Ovis lightly sleeping as the ship was docked, using a soft, woollen pillow to do so. One would think that being the Helmsman of the crew, he would be the most attentive to their course, but that wasn't true at all. Whether someone could wake him up or not, was another story entirely...

Up in the crow's nest, the loud sound of jazz blared across the ship. A symphony of trumpets spouted their sweet music from the back of Jazzman G. Nathaniel, the crew's musician and temporary lookout. He'd already clambered up to his perch with glee and was just biding his time as he stared at the waves.

"Well, it's about time to get going," Sera announced to Augus as a small white light formed in her hand. A small stone made out of light materialized, Sera applying just enough power to create it. "Now to wake Ovis up, and hopefully not end up passed out on the deck in the process..." Sera added dryly. She had become extremely wary of the effect Ovis's power had on her over the time she's known him.

A small pop could be heard as the bolt of light struck the helmsman on the ear. Hopefully, it'd sting him enough in order to get him up enough to take the ship out, if not there were always bigger bolts.

The sleeping helmsman suddenly felt something akin to a needle being shoved deep inside his ear. "Aaaah!" Suddenly, Ovis exclaimed for the first time in his life in front of the crew. They were so used to hearing a muffled sound from his voice that something like this would have no doubt shocked them.

"Ow ow ow ow...what was that for?!" Ovis was visibly irritated for a moment before the pain subsided and he calmed down. "Ah...sorry..." The helmsman returned to his naturally lethargic way of speaking. "I'm extra sensitive to pain, for some reason, so even small things cause me to scream like that..."

Shaking his head, Ovis looked to his Captain and Augus. "We're going now?"

"Indeed! Much like Cap'n said," Augus yelled with a smile and eyebrows high. He pointed in the aforementioned direction while covering part of his body with a wing that had suddenly sprouted from his shoulder, "The one we are to go to is..." Augus glanced upward, finger falling, "Is..." He glanced to his sides, using his finger to scratch the side of his head.

Everyone was quiet, but Augus almost exploded in beads of sweat. "I-I don't work well during the day, okay?!" Suddenly again, he had pointed at Ovis, "You- This is your power destroying me!" Tears flowed out of his eyes.

"Next stop is the island of Schluesselschloss, Ovis." Sera explained with a hint of annoyance. "You slept through me explaining this the last time I talked to you about it, then buried me in wool." She turned to Augus before adding, "Augus, if you need to get out of the sun for a bit, I can handle things from here."

Turning back to Ovis, she added, "Take the ship out and set us for course 13-24-81. Should take us where we want to go."

"Oh...sorry, Captain, Augus-san. I'll...yawn...try to keep awake." Ovis responded to Sera and Augus affirmatively and took hold of the helm. He began to follow the coordinates that Sera asked for, as he began to turn the wheel to hoist the ship in the appropriate direction. "Sails are good, the wind is in our favour and the sea is calm. We should reach our destination in good time, although...this is the Grand Line..." Ovis said with a hunch of uncertainty. He was used to calmer waters in the Blues. He'd hoped that the Grand Line's erratic weather did not cause the ship to veer off course.

"Please do that, I'd like to not have a repeat of the Pudding Island incident," Sera responded with a shiver. She didn't like to speak about the Pudding Island incident.

Augus crossed his arms but tried to give out a reassuring smile. Not that Ovis could even see it. "I can keep you awake with my echolocation bullets, Ovis-kun!!" Of course, just a bat's specialization, "No rush on our destination." Or should they rush? He honestly forgot if the Captain wanted to go as soon as possible. Augus, too, shuddered at the mention of the incident.

Taking a few steps towards Ovis, Augus stood between him and Sera, then turning to the latter. "Why don't we explain the isle to him again, Cap'n?" Another smile, "After all, as you said, he did sleep through it all." A chuckle escaped Augus' lips.

"Probably should." Sera agreed with a pause before continuing on. "Schluesselschloss is an island that a lot of trade goes through because it's where another grand line path merges into ours. It's a winter island, though a mild one. There is a moderate Marine presence, just due to its rather strategic location. On the bright side, however, the log pose reset time is only two days. They also are one of the largest exporters of mint in paradise. Most toothpaste contains mint from this island, and they even have their own brand of floss known as Schluesselfloss."

"Schluess..-" Ovis bit his tongue trying to get his head around using the island's name. "Can I call it SLS, Captain..?" Ovis asked, almost pleading, not wanting to put in the effort into saying that island's name repeatedly. "Well, anyway...If there are Marines there, do we want to port away from the official docks?" He tried to hold back his yawns, though one could just feel the tiredness oozing out of his eyes. "Mint...mint is nice..."

Augus scoffed, "Who would ever guess we would visit a tooth-paste island? But, yes," He clapped loudly and looked to overboard, "Mint is nice! During a cold night, aaaaaah." Augus inhaled the sea air and coughed for a second. "If there are Marines there," Face wide, he pointed towards the sky, "We shall defeat them!"

Drax
Alexander walked through the halls of the manliest of ships, The Mountain's Rest. An island sized ship that floated through the grand line. Built by the ancestors of their captain to rival the ark Noah itself. Now it served as a base for the Manly Pirates, a crew of pirates and thieves that had plied the oceans for over a decade now. Nearly a thousand strong, the crew was one of the most formidable groups left in Paradise. Unlike so many others seeking out dreams of grandeur in the New World only to be crushed under the heels of the Yonko, they had been successful enough in Paradise that they had simply decided to ignore the New World entirely. Nearly a dozen crews had come under their sway, leading to a crew of nearly two thousand at their fingertips. A good sized number for a ship such as theirs.

Alexander reached the captain's hall, a massive room at the heart of the ship where his old friend could command the crew. Nearly a dozen aides ran to and fro, bringing and leaving with messages to across the entire island ship.

Alexander gave an informal bow as he addressed his old friend and captain, Drax Douglas. "Captain, I have done as you asked. The Feathers are on their way here." He announced as he held up four wanted posters showing Sera, Augus, Quinn, and Ovis. "I've also alerted the Marines that they will soon have their first set of gifts."

"A-Alexander-san!!" A crewmember yelled, which prompted Alexander to notice the absence of his very captain. "Cap'n's gone for a swim, b-but!!" The person pointed for the sea shakingly, wherein waves formed and rose through the air, a large shadow crept from the waters.

Sharp teeth, many rows of those, became visible, pertaining to a dark snake-like monster. "HE GOT EATEN BY T-T-THAT!!" The same crewmember let tears flow out of his eyes, shaking uncontrollably. And then it would surely devour all of them.

Saliva flew into the sea, the monster roaring with all its might, or so it seemed. Its cheeks bloted, eyes widening and part of its body hunching backward, it roared again and moved around, sending myriads of ripples in all directions. The ship likely went from one side to the other, gradually meeting with the waves.

Yet, even as that happened, the monster roared another time, which shot an immense amount of saliva. Though, it had red mixed in. From inside, an observant person could see someone... spinning inside the saliva. This shot flew towards their ship and soundly landed with a large explosion, another shadow stepped from this mass of saliva, one with red skin and large form.

Drax Douglas stepped out of the mess on his tip-toes, arms waving around. "HMHMHMHM!!" He mused, eyes closed.

"Grand Show, Captain." Alexander announced as he flexed his flagrant pectorals in appreciation.

"I see you've opted for some manly exercise first thing in the morning, my old friend. If it wasn't for the fact that I can no longer swim I would have been more than willing to join you." He continued with bemused laughter.

"OARARARARARARARARARA!!" Douglas rested both fists as his hips, closing his eyes in a loud laughter. They opened and he winked at Alexander, "Yes, my boy!" Then, smile still full, Douglas pointed at the fleeing Sea King. "I was taking a BEAUUUUUTIFUl wash time inside that beast's stomach!" Hands rising and being brought together above his head, Douglas spun several times in place, sustained by one leg while the other rose.

Still spinning, Douglas mused at Alexander. "Any news, good friend?!"

"The Best of news. I have done as you asked, the Feathers have fallen into our trap. They are on their way here as we speak." Alexander boasted as his biceps bulged in excitement. "The Marines are already diverting a prison ship our way to collect them once we have caught them."

Douglas extended his arms and clapped his hands gently, faced with Alexander. "OARARARA! Marvellous, most beautiful!!" Feet on their tip toes, Douglas soundly walked across the deck, "This means that the Shichibukai status is not far from our dancing haaaandsy, teheeeee." He cupped a crewmember's check and slapped it gently.

"Now, what was our plan-" Douglas halted, shaking his rear a few times and jumping in place, "-To convince them further that we mean NO harm?" He waved a hand at Alexander, after all, as his right hand man, it was no surprise he kept track of all their plans. Where had Lee Jin been anyway? That guy too was not only cute, but highly organized.

"I am here, sir!" Lee Jin's voice peeked from a distance, as a muscular, shirtless figure with a pair of black hakama came jogging down the path that Alexander and Douglas stood on. "Like yourself, I was engaging in some training, sir!" Jin was a military enthusiast, serious to a fault but ultimately wishing for the best for his crew.

"I believe we should hoist a white flag, sir! That may let us talk to them with ease!"

"That sounds like a most magnificent suggestion. We draw them in with the allure of our glistening diplomacy, then snap the jaws of our trap down with our glorious glutes." Alexander laughed whole-heartedly. "Then all we have to do is deliver these flattened Feathers to the Marines, then we can do the same to the next group."

"OARARARARARAR!" Douglas clapped with the tip of his fingers again, "I never regret having brought you all along to this-" Knees bent, Douglas tapped his feet at the docks, jiggling his arms widly, "-RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE!" Another round of applause came through, some crewmembers did just the same, stopping their activites even.

A final clap brought everything to a stop, birthing a gust of wind. "This means... we are to get the dance started!" Douglas opened his arms widely, laughing loudly. His legs moved and his feet skidded along the ground, shifting his gaze over Jin's, Alexander's, and everyone else's forms. "Any other pointers or doubts?!"

They had come such a long way, when it had been just him and the former two. While his gaze went over everyone, Douglas felt like embracing the two of them and taking them into some sort of ballet or galla. But, not then, they had business to do.

Feather Overboard
It had been two days since they had left Gallanholm, clearing the archipelago upon which it sat without much issue. It had been a rare stretch on the Grand Line where not a single storm had lashed their ship. It had been all smooth sailing, much as Sera had expected when she set out on this course. After all, she had a good feeling about all of this.

Everything seemed completely normal as the ship came into a thin fog back, reducing their line of sight to well short of the horizon.

Sera looked around at the approaching wall of fog, trying to think about and remember more about winter islands. She had never been on one herself, but she was fairly certain that fog may surround them due to the cooler air. That being said, she was fairly certain that they still had around another week of travel before reaching it.

"Anyone else think we shouldn't be approaching an island yet?"

"Yes, it is odd, very odd. We should have had at least a week before we even came close to another island." Breaking from the thin fog that gently coated their ship and now entering the line of sight of their captain Sera was none other than their main engineer and scientist, Archimedes D. Alana. She took a place standing to the side of her captain. "If you would like I could have my mechanical bird friend here take a look past the fog? Only if you deem it necessary of course." The bird sat upon her shoulder looking off into the distance, almost as if he could look past the fog.

"Go ahead." Sera responded curtly. "At least we can make sure we aren't about to run ashore that way."

"You heard the lady, fly free little bird." Alana smiled warmly to the bird, he let out a gentle tweet before taking off into the fog. "Here, its eyes are connected to a display, so what it sees, we see." Alana pulled a small screen from her pocket. The screen showed footage from the bird's point of view, all that could be seen for miles was fog. As the bird made it about a few miles out from the ship what could be seen was a large mountain, it seemed to have emerged from the fog almost out of nowhere. "Well, at least we found something in the seemingly endless fog. If there is an island up ahead it's surely covered in this thick fog." Alana tapped the screen and spoke closely to it as if to send a message to the bird. "That should be all, great job! Fly back now, be safe." As the bird went about making its return to the ship Alana spoke to Sera. "How should we proceed? Doesn't look like there are any obstructions for miles, so sailing as we are now should still be moderately safe.

"All right, I am of the opinion that we should investigate the random ghost island, all in favor?" Sera responded enthusiastically to both Alana and the rest of the crew.

"Aye aye Captain." Ovis said in a very matter-of-fact, lazy tone, as he continued to direct the ship towards the island, blinking repeatedly to avoid going to sleep again.

"Ovis is actually staying awake," Sera said with a hint of surprise. She had become used to his regular naps while steering. "Maybe he's excited about the island afterall."

The ship creaked through the fog, the low visibility meaning that all eyes were on deck to make sure they weren’t about to run ashore. They could see barely two hundred feet off the edge of the ship. It was a sailor’s nightmare, running this close to land without being able to see it. But the Feather’s persevered on, curiosity triumphing over caution. They were running quarter sails and barely moving, but between all of the eyes watching and a solid crew, their captain was confident they could navigate this fog.

Sera was currently flying in circles around the ship, using her wings to their advantage to extend their vision out with her ability to patrol around the ship. That being said, this island was curious. Usually, by now there would be some semblance of land visible in the ocean below, rocks or reefs that surrounded the island showing up as a lighter colour of the ocean. But as far as she could tell there was nothing but deep sea beneath the ship. Even so, they couldn’t afford to be reckless. Coming to this island was enough.

“I don’t see anything suggesting we’re about to reach an island, I’ll fly ahead and check.”

Sera flew forward ahead of the ship, her Halo shining through the fog even as the rest of her body disappeared from sight. Her four wings flapped in harmony, quietly carrying through the air, the breeze ruffling her hair.

Barely clearing the small waves and eddies of the ocean below, Sera soared along with the sea, looking for the island ahead. The ocean below her remained mercilessly dark for several minutes before she finally saw signs of lightening in the water below. She was finally nearing land.

A beam of light shot up in the air, alerting her crew to follow forward even as Sera explored further on. The sea lightened up further and further, until about half a mile later she could finally see the land ahead. She had found the island.

Sera was back on deck aboard the now anchored ship of Feathers. They had laid anchor off the beach she had found. Rowboats were being lowered into the water as they prepared a landing party. While a majority of the crew would remain on the ship, Sera and several other key members would go ashore and explore this new island. If it proved welcoming enough, they’d probably camp there a few days to explore before heading on their way.

“Augus, Ovis, Nathaniel, Alana, and Berkley. You come with me. We’ll explore the island and make sure it’s safe for the rest of the crew.” Sera ordered her subordinates, speaking gently but firmly. She had picked the stronger members of the crew, her first mate, musician, technician, helmsman, and one of the soldiers who had joined her from Floweria. That’s what her landing crew would consist of.

She looked over at the crew members who hadn’t been called and in particular one large redhead, “Quinn, you’re in charge of the ship while we’re gone. Make sure we’re ready for anchors up at a moment’s notice. This island isn’t on our charts. I have no idea what to expect." While Quinn would normally go along with the group, to keep stock of everything that happens as well as to be another of their competent frontline members, someone had to stay and watch the ship. Quinn was an experienced sailor and merchant, making her the obvious choice for such a responsibility.

Sera was waiting at the beach when the rest of the crew showed up on the boat. There was only room for four, and it made sense to her to have someone go ahead and watch the shore while the crew members, only some of which could fly, approached. Anyone who knew her well would be able to tell that something was slightly off with her, she seemed more excited to be visiting this island than she probably should be.

As the rowboat made its final approach, the fog started to thin as the sun rose higher in the sky. Beyond Sera, the crew of the feather pirates could see the island starting to come into view.

The mountain that Alana had noticed earlier dominated the island and its horizon. A large forest surrounded on this side, though from what the Feathers could see from the boat it thinned out towards the western end of the island. Beyond that, several rolling hills could be seen to the east as the forest thickened up and what looked like a town was spread across on flank of the mountain. All in all, this island seemed like a relatively nice place to live and visit. At least it looked like it.

The other five members of the group hit the beach, footprints deep in the soft sand. Sera looked over them as she waited for them to get ready.

"So here's the plan. We're going to split into two groups. The group I'm leading is going to head towards the mountain town. The other one will be lead by Augus. You guys can pick where you want to go. I'll leave that up to you. Any objections or group preferences?"

"I'll go with Augus-san...yawn...he helps me stay awake, I think..." Ovis said, slowly wobbling over to Augus' direction while awaiting further orders. His eyes were blinking fast, showing he was trying his hardest to stay awake.

"I-I suppose I'm with you then Cap'n. I-I mean we worked umm like good no no, well. We worked well together last time." Nathaniel sputtered as he moved to stand next to Sera, rubbing his arm sheepishly.

Augus frowned, despite his smile, and patted Ovis' shoulder when he passed by. "We are probable to proceed cautiously throughout the wilderness," Finger pointed at the forest, Augus waited for whoever else, if there was even anyone else, to join him and Ovis.

Given how quiet the two could be, it was no wonder that the route would be taken. They could provide some intel about the island, just maybe, and discover something hidden within the woods. Plus, it would surely be dark inside there, with all those leaves and trees banded together.

"All right then," Sera announced. "Berkley, with me. Alana, follow Augus and Ovis. We'll check out the island and then return here shortly before dark."

With that, she motioned the Nathaniel and Berkley to follow her towards the town.

Cloudy with a Chance of Feathers
The deep forest towards the southern end of the island was quiet, the thick canopy leaving it in perpetual shadow. It was obvious not many people came here. A couple of small cabins could be seen here or there, but the few the trio of feathers walking through the woods were empty. It was obvious that they had been occupied recently, but for now, the trio were the only souls around.

Up a Creak without an Oar
The town near the mountain of the island was deserted as they entered. Signs of life were abound, trash lay on the street in places, dirt showed footprints quickly leading to various doors. The flash of eyes could be seen through the shutters and curtains on the windows at the three strangers in their midst. Two men and a woman walked through the streets of this town, lazily making their way to the centre of the town as they explored this strange island. An island that by all means shouldn't exist.

"You know Captain, I don't think the locals really appreciate us being here." the tall man walking in back yawned as he voiced his observation.

"They probably think we're pirates." The woman responded matter-of-factly.

"We are pirates." The man will bluntly note back.

"I suppose that is fair," Sera admitted with pursed lips. "Well, at least we aren't here to steal anything."

"Yo, Nathaniel." Berkley will prompt to the third member of the group, "Whatcha think the odds that we can get these people to trust that we're not going to rob them?"

Nathaniel thought for a moment before shrugging as he moved his hands up and down, almost as if he was weighting a scale. "I-I'd s-say like umm 50/50 maybe umm. Yeah that."

"Oh come on, I'm sure that they will be reasonable, Or try to kill us." Sera added in with a huff. "Least they hopefully won't be like the featherholes in Alnora."

Nathaniel let out a small chuckle at Sera's attempt to censor herself. "Worst to worst we can just take em all out." He between laughs.

"Yeah, worst comes to worst we should be able to fight our way out." Sera nodded in agreement.

"You know Nathaniel, I think this is the first time we've actually worked together." Berkley will comment to break up the silence after Sera's affirmation. "Where are you from anyway. Out of all the new guys don't think I really know anything about you."