One Piece: A Sea of Endless Possibility

Rose lit up at Coffret's offer, before she nodded, "I know all the best places! Come on!" Flower in one hand, Rose took Coffret's arm in the other as she dragged the woman along, heading back into the town.

As they left Avalon blinked, before muttering, "Left out..." Stretching, the horned pirate decided to make his way back to his ship, thinking, "Maybe I'll relax for a bit."

---

As the sun sank on Elder Point, the already quiet town simmering down even further, Alphonse sat in his study, a cup of cold tea at his side, piles of books shrouding his view. Letting out a huff, he pushed the book 'Landscapes of Ages' aside, rubbing his forehead lightly as he reached for his tea. Bringing it to his mouth, he gagged at the room temperature liquid. How long had he been sitting there? Putting it down, he stood immediately, going to make a fresh pot, passing through a few more rooms, dusty and disused, the scholar having no purpose for them in the oversized mansion. The kitchen was neat and tidy, however.

As he blended the leaves, lit the match, and set the pot to boil, he knew that he wasn't quite in his right state today. He wanted to believe it was anticipation for the coming meeting, but he had a feeling those two pirates from earlier were part of the cause. Brushing that from his mind for now, he moved on to thinking about his hopeful enterprising.

Sure enough, there was the sounding of a bell from the door. Alphonse called, "You may enter!" As he headed to the intermittent room, he was surprised to she that his tall, homburg wearing associate had already entered, taking a seat on the couch as Alphonse entered. The navigator greeted, "Captain."

Captain 'Little Lock' Ness of the Big Coffer Pirates nodded, "Yo." Adjusting the sleeves of his dress shirt, he began, "You finish up with that devil dude and the cute chick from earlier?"

"I do hope so," Alphonse added, though he wasn't sure how truthful he was being.

Ness waved his hand, muttering, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Back to the important stuff." Scratching his chin, he laughed, "I mean, 10 million upfront and four times that when we get back? Makes my bounty look like nothin'."

Alphonse sighed, "I'm well aware of your...reputation." Adjusting his glasses, he began, "Moving on, I believe the most efficient route to Raddery Island would be past Isle Mihi. I can arrange for an eternal pose to be delivered to Nil Heights, so once you pass Reverse Mountai-"

Raising a hand, Ness frowned as he interrupted, "Whoa, whoa, hold on, no one said anything about Reverse Mountain!"

Blinking Alphonse noted, "You claimed to be aware of where Raddery Island was located."

Ness shrugged, "Okay, I may not have been completely honest, but if it's in the Grand Line, I'm calling it off."

Staggered, Alphonse snapped, "You could have mentioned limitations earlier."

Ness grumbled, "And you could've mentioned the freaking Grand Line! No one comes out of there okay!"

Alphonse began, "My father..." The mention of that man caught on his tongue, leaving a bitter taste. Why had that been the first thing to come to mind, and not countless others?

Ness shook his head, insisting, "Hey, look, anywhere else, okay?"

Alphonse thought for a moment, before sighing, "I may be able to arrange something, but you won't be getting that amount."

Ness grumbled, "What? That barely covers the overhead for dealing with the Marines and bounty hunters!"

Losing patience, Alphonse waved his arm, stating, "Then I'll find someone else."

Eyes narrowing, Ness finished, "Fine, we'll talk later." Getting up, he attempted to stretch, but his arms bumped into the ceiling. As he made for the entry room, he added, "Don't be too long, my guys are getting restless."

"Is that a threat?" Alphonse asked darkly.

Ness chuckled, "Huh? I told you I'm one of those adventurin' types. Never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it." Tossing a few fingers in salute, Ness finished, "Later."

As the pirate left, Alphonse was starting to feel as though an opportunity followed with him. Trying to regain his bearings, he returned to his kitchen, frowning as he saw that the water was already boiling. "What a waste," Alphonse muttered to himself.

---

At the crack of dawn, Alphonse, dressed lightly, stepped outside to see his newpaper on the stoop as usual. However, a bit of bustle caught his ears, and he couldn't help but notice a few townsfolk heading to his doorstep.

---

On the small ship of Avalon's, the sun had breached the horizon when he woke up, stretching his arms out on his hammock. Feeling hungry, he was hoping Kim from yesterday was ready to cook. His stomach growled in anticipation as he remembered the food yesterday...
 
Being out on the streets together with Rose was fun, as she dragged Coffret along from shop to stall. There were all sorts of interesting items, foods, and clothes on display, and Coffret couldn't help but go on a bit of a spree. Amongst other things she found a lovely white tunic dress with a blue floral print, together with a belt to put around your waist, as well as a set of sparkling glass vials.

Walking down Main Street, laughing and chatting with her new friend, Coffret overheard a conversation between two older ladies.

"I don't like those pirates staying here... There presence is a bad omen for the entire island."

"Are they referring to me and Avalon?" She thought to herself.

"Their big ship sends chills down my spine... I just hope they won't go into town and start wreaking havoc."

"Big ship? Well it's certainly not us, then..." She thought back to the dock, remembering the ship with the jolly roger lurking among the sails.

"They're here because of him, aren't they? Oh, that rascal, he spends all his time cooped up in that huge house, and without as much as considering the rest of town he just up and invites a bunch of criminals! Does he really think they'll do his bidding fair and square?"

"Here because of him... Huge house..." Coffret remembered the sleazy looking man in the Homburg from Alphonse's mansion, and a feeling of discomfort crept up on her. Something felt... Off. But then, she was once again swept away by Rose, and she didn't have any more time to dwell on it.

Some time later, darkness had fallen, and Coffret thought of returning back to the ship. But then she remembered; waking up earlier that morning, she had done so in the only hammock on the ship. She wondered if Avalon had stayed awake for all this time, steering the ship by himself without a wink of sleep. Feeling bad, she decided to spend the night at a local inn. Asking Rose for recommendations, they parted ways upon reaching the inn, and as soon as Coffret plopped herself down on the bed, she fell into a deep, comforting slumber.

Waking up early in the morning, Coffret put on her new dress, and went straight to the dock. She borrowed a set of boarding stairs from some fishermen, and climbed over the railings to Avalon's small ship.

"Good morning!" She said in a perky voice, knocking on the door to the small cabin. "Are you up yet? Did you sleep well?"
 
Hearing a knock on the door, Avalon donned his coat before jumping over, returning Coffret's greeting with a nod of, "Course I am! I did. Yes." Stepping to the deck of his small boat, he suggested, "Let's go get breakfast." Looking over Coffret, he noticed she was wearing something new, but didn't mind it for now, instead hopping onto the dock.

Leading the way, he began to head in to town, unable to help but notice that the streets were busier than he'd expected at this hour, a few people talking in hushed tones, quieting down once Avalon and Coffret passed by. Too focused on the prospect of food, Avalon paid it no heed, reaching the restaurant they'd stopped at by yesterday.

Avalon loudly greeted, "Hey, we're back for more! I want eggs and steak!"

At the appearance of the pirates, Kim gave them a worried look, before saying, "Er, I'm not feeling too well, just a little nausea...give me a minute." Before Avalon could respond, she moved herself to the back of the open air restaurant and out of sight.

Avalon blinked, "Huh, she seemed fine to me yesterday..."
 
Following Avalon, Coffret couldn't help but notice the thick atmosphere in town. Something was brewing, and whatever it was, it was about to explode.

They walked into the restaurant, and even Kim was being distant. Coffret looked out onto the street. "I have a bad feeling about this..." She turned to Avalon with a serious expression. "I think we need to go see Alphonse."
 
"No need," Came a familiar voice from behind them. Turning about, Avalon saw Alphonse turning the corner, properly dressed, a rapier at his hip and a newspaper under his shoulder. He wasn't alone either, as a few of the other local men were with him, including Rose's dad, though the young girl was nowhere to be found. The group was quite humorless, but a few faces were more than a bit angry as well.

Alphonse began, "I'm surprised you haven't skipped town, considering."

Avalon blinked, "Considering what?"

"My coin collection!" came one cry.

"My grandad's ceremonial blade!" came another.

"My life's savings!" "My wife's wedding ring? Seriously!?" "The whole barrel!?"

As Alphonse waved for them to be quiet, Avalon growled, "What!? We didn't take anything!"

"Oh?" Alphonse argued. Taking the paper in hand, he unfolded it as he began, "I beg to disagree."

The front page was rather telling: 'Notice: Rare Regorigia Flower stolen from Recursi Island. Please notify authorities if you have any information.' There was more text, but accompanying the headline was a sketch of the flower, highly detailed compared to the faces next to it. The other pair of sketches resembled mugshots, though their features were simplified. One was an angry looking man with huge horns and black, straight hair, and the other was a cute image of a woman with long, light colored hair, her drawn expression a plain smile.

Avalon muttered quietly to himself, "My horns are not...who drew that...kick his ass..."
 
Staring at the newspaper sent a chill down Coffret's spine. She expected the news to come out sooner or later, but the timing at the moment was horrendous. She gulped.

Then, her expression turned stern. "Yes, we might have taken the flower. But that was under different circumstances. What motive would we have to steal the possessions of the people on this island? And, where exactly do you think we've made off with the loot? Our ship's down at the docks, go ahead and search it. I doubt you'll find any of your missing items there. I stayed at a local inn last night, want to have my room searched as well? Besides, Alphonse... We're not the pirates with the most shady reputation on this island at the moment, now, are we?"
 
At Coffret's observation Avalon raised his eyebrow, while Alphonse narrowed his eyes. The navigator shook his head, beginning, "I've considered that as well, but they are soon to be in my employ, and have no motive. I already plan on paying them, so they have no reason to take more."

"They're pirates," Avalon shrugged, even though he wasn't quite sure who was being discussed. Avalon added, "Besides, that flower is super valuable, and we want to buy a ship here!"

Rose's dad nodded, "I guess they could've tried to take it if they wanted too."

Ignoring them Alphonse flipped the paper over, giving it a read. After a moment, his eyes widened, and the navigator reeled. One of the men next to him leaned over, eyes widening as he gasped, "Th-that's how many zeroes!?"

Alphonse glanced towards the docks, before wiping his forehead, stating, "I may owe you an apology, as your motive is weaker, but for now, I have some more suspicious characters to see to." Breaking into a run, the navigator made his way off, the men following.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Avalon turned back to the restaurant, mumbling, "They're not gonna need help, are they? I'm hungry." Eyes widening, he gasped, "They didn't steal anything of ours, did they!?"
 
Coffret had her eyes fixed at Alphonse as the group scampered off. Even when they were out of sight, she still felt uneasy. "I wonder what got him into such a rush..."

As Avalon broke the ice, Coffret broke into laughter. "No, they should be fine... I think. Anyway, there's nothing we have of value for them to steal! I mean, the ship's still down at the docks, and I suppose they could've taken the flower while you were asleep, but considering we have an endless supply of those as long as I'm alive, there should be no problem."

She shook her head, smiling, until she suddenly froze. Something had dawned upon her. "While there might not be anything we own of value... You didn't see Rose with Alphonse's group, did you? And, she doesn't seem to be in the restaurant, either. I'm afraid we were out until quite late last night, and she had to walk home all alone after dropping me off at the inn, and... Oh, maybe I'm just being paranoid, but you don't think they could've?..."
 
Thinking about the contents of his stash, Avalon wanted to say 'speak for yourself', but the mention of the missing young girl made the pirate stop, thinking for a moment. Head rolling on his shoulders in thought, he muttered, "Well, she could just be at home..." Still even as the words left his mouth, something didn't quite seem right.

After a moment, Avalon simply shrugged, "Well, his dad went that way, so let's go see. Still though, who would steal Rose?" Letting the question hang in the air for a moment, Avalon began to lead the way, pace quick, though nothing that could be considered running.

---

A few minutes later, the quicker group arrived at the docks, Alphonse and company setting their eyes on the large pirate ship not far from the Hinnon Breeze. Alphonse hadn't seen the boat before, but he did note that the figurehead was in the shape of a key. The deck was also unusually quiet, which gave Alphonse the thought that someone was sleeping in. Adjusting his glasses, he called, "Ness!"

Peeking up from the deck, a few pirates in brown and yellow clothing stretched out their limbs, before one of them asked, "Huh? Whatcha want with the boss?"

Alphonse began with something of a silly question, "I'm curious as to if any Fruit users are present on the crew. Locks and hatches opened without any sign of forced entry..." The navigator had initially thought that Avalon had been dishonest about his Fruit, but in retrospect, the pirate didn't seem the type to be so knowingly deceptive.

The other pirate chuckled, "Hehehe, what's the matter, mate? Something happen last night?" Alphonse felt his teeth press against each other..."
 
Avalon and Coffret arrived only moments later. The tension in the air was tangible, and almost thick enough to cut with a knife. She tried examining the hull of the ship for any signs, but of course, if there were any clues to them having stolen anything, it would be hidden inside. And she had a feeling that they wouldn't let people waltz up on deck just like that to check it. But, Coffret desperately wanted to know if they were keeping Rose in there, and letting her anxiousness get the best of her, she cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Rose! Rose, are you there? Can you hear me?" She shouted. She knew that even if they had kidnapped Rose, she might be gagged or unconscious, which wouldn't let her speak. But if, on the off-chance that the pirates had overlooked such a detail, and Rose did reply, Coffret wouldn't hesitate to board that ship on her own and knock out the entire crew by herself if she had to in order to free Rose.
 
At Coffret's call for Rose, the pirates merely blinked in confusion, but a few more were coming to deck, their numbers already out pacing that of Alphonse and his band.

However, Rose's dad asked, "Huh? What about Rose? She should be at Kim's place."

"Nope, no roses here," Came another voice from the ship, the tall captain in the homburg stretching his arms.

From behind him, a shorter, but broader, muscular man in an ill fitted suit, his feet bare, his hair short and ears wide, chuckled as he spilled liquid to the ground, laughing, "Not one flower on the island, I think."

Alphonse stared Ness down, growling, "Rose is a young girl, and I'd also like an answer regarding some stolen goods."

Ness shrugged, "We didn't take nothing."

Alphonse insisted, "Then may we be allowed to see the interior of your ship?"

Scratching his head, Ness muttered, "Nope, no can do." With a lazy shrug, the captain added, "I hoped you quiet little folk would just no when not to stick your damn noses, but you're asking for a beating. I tell you I've never hurt anyone who didn't deserve, didn't I?" Increasing in tone, he continued, "I'm a gentlemen! Stealing from the peaceful rich so I can fund the oppressed explorers like myself. Course, I was thinking of looking at your pretty mansion later tonight, hoping to snag some of that stash of beris since I didn't have the time earlier."

As Ness waved for his crew to lower the gangplank, Alphonse demanded, "And Rose?"

Ness shrugged, "Oh, I'm telling you we didn't hurt no one...but we couldn't let a witness rile you up."

"Bastards!" Rose's father cried out.

Avalon quickly raised a hand, grabbing Coffret on the shoulder, as Ness finished, "Oh, don't worry, she'll be fine! But for now, I think I'll beat you lot black and blue!"

Jerking his head towards a window on the ship, too small for Avalon to enter, the pirate suggested, "Go that way, Coffret." As the gangplank clattered the the ground, Avalon stepped between the way up and Coffret, tightening his fist at his side.
 
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Coffret clenched her teeth. As she had suspected, these pirates were behind the disappearance of Rose and the people's possessions. She nodded as Avalon ushered her to enter through the window, but before he could go off, she put her hand on his shoulder. "Be careful..." she said, letting go.

With the pirates and the townspeople occupied with each other, Coffret let a root slither from the dock to the window opening, and slowly crawled up it, hoping she would go unnoticed. Once she had heaved herself inside, she looked around. An unpleasant aroma, that of sweat and lack of cleaning, struck her.
 
Avalon nodded at Coffret's warning, staying put as the woman left, keeping his eyes on the deck.

Once the gangplank lowered, a pair of pirates drew their blades, menacingly walking down. Alphonse briefly glanced at Avalon, a few meters away, calling, "Should I expect your assistance?"

Avalon shrugged, "They didn't take anything of mine."

Clicking his tongue, Alphonse waved for the others to stand back, drawing his rapier as he made his way up the gangplank, towards the pirates. Rose's dad warned, "Hey, you're not going to take them all on..."

Another of the villagers agreed, "Not even Dominic could take on a whole crew!"

Eyes narrowing, Alphonse hissed, "I'm not my father." Blades flashing, the two pirates charged Alphonse, weapons raised. The navigator's blade whipped out, poking each of the pirates in their raised arms. As they stepped forwards, their blades didn't lower, their faces expressing shock as they ran by Alphonse like blind men, stumbling into a heap at the bottom of the gangplank.

"M-my arm! Wh-what did you do!?" One of them cried. However, both the two looked up in fear as the locals surrounded them, brandishing clubs, evil grins crossing their faces.

As Alphonse graced the deck, pained pirate cries following him, Avalon clutched his chin in thought, nodding, "Oh, okay, that's neat..."

Teeth bared, Alphonse was jumped by more pirates, their steel flying, but Alphonse was deft, deflecting blows, slipping paralyzing strikes through, pirates falling back with stopped arms or collapsing on stopped legs. Avalon's focus narrowed as he saw Ness slinking around, the tall pirate moving in swiftly.

Acting fast, Avalon hopped off the deck, landing halfway up on the gangplank from the side, before kicking off as Ness lunged at Alphonse, the navigator's rapier in no position to react to Ness' hands, the fingers long, thin, and edged. Once Ness was in reach, however, Alphonse had another reason to gasp out as Avalon's fist stopped Ness mid charge, the captain's eyes bulging as his gut was struck, Ness being sent right into the main mast with a loud crack.

Alphonse blinked, "Ah...thank you?"

Avalon grinned, "Hey, that was risky you know. Where were all those guts yesterday?"

Brandishing his rapier to the small horde, Alphonse insisted, "This risk is necessary, but why do you fight? You have no stake!"

Avalon thought for a moment, before reading his stance, dukes up in front of him as he answered, "I guess...the risks make it fun?"

"Fun!?" Alphonse gawked, unable to grasp the horned man's logic as Ness, no longer pleased, stood from his spot, adjusting his hat.
 
Coffret found herself in what seemed to be the berth deck. She was grateful that her Captain seemed to be a pirate who withheld hygienic standards at least higher than these. All was quiet, except the sound of the ruckus coming from above deck. Coffret sneaked up to a door, slowly and silently, biting her tongue to stop herself from screaming while stepping in a pile of dirty underwear. She opened the door, and examined the outside area. There was a short and narrow strip of hallway, with a door opposite the one Coffret had just opened, which presumably also led to the crew's bunks, a flight of stairs leading above deck, and a flight of stairs leading further down. Wondering where she would've held a hostage on board a ship, Coffret made her way down the stairs.

Reaching the end of the stairs, Coffret came across what looked like the cargo hold. Aside from stacks of cradles covered with wax cloths, there were also various objects strewn about willy nilly, and Coffret wondered whether they were the townspeople's possessions. But she didn't have time to examine it any further, since she was focused on finding Rose. She searched everywhere; peeking under the wax cloths, looking into the cradles that were open, and even prying open some cradles that had been nailed shut but looked like they could reasonably fit a human inside. Still, no luck. Scratching the back of her head, she tried to think of where they could've hidden the girl. "Think, Coffret, think... You need to think cleverer, maybe it's too obvious that they would stash her below deck like this? Or, maybe... You're not thinking obviously enough." While pondering, she had let her eyes wander across the hold, and they stuck on something which struck her as odd. A lone cradle, which she had already searched through, stood in the middle of the hold. Strangely amiss, as it was not stacked against the walls of the hull like the others. She rolled up the sleeves of her dress, and attempted to push the big box out of the way. It gave way quite easily, and upon examining the place where the cradle previously stood, she discovered a rusty iron latch. Pulling the latch at first garnered no results, but eventually it flew open, revealing a small hatch. Looking down, she could see another flight of stairs, which she walked down to reach below the lower deck.

This area was dimly lit, and the air was dense by the lack of oxygen. That hatch was probably not opened very often, and other than that, there didn't seem to be many openings for the air to circulate. She looked around, noticing an oblong figure on the floor. Squinting, she was able to discern it as the body of Rose, tied up with rope and gagged. Upon her discovery, Coffret let out a sigh of relief, running up to the poor girl.

"Rose! Rose! Are you OK?"

She asked, shaking the shoulders of her friend. She didn't reply, and Coffret deduced that Rose had passed out, perhaps from having trouble to breathe while being gagged in this stuffy room. But at least she was still alive, since her pulse was still steady, albeit a bit weak. Coffret tried to undo the knots tying Rose's body, but they were really tight.
 
While Rose didn't stir to Coffret's touch, after a few moments of struggling with the rope, the metallic echo of the hatch slamming shut resounded through the lower deck. From above, a man laughed, "Ahaha, little girl sneaking through our treasury, you are not so wise next to Jersei Villé!" While the man was on the short side, his hair was gray, the curls wild, and some facial hair surrounded his mouth. He wore a baggy white shirt under a frilly vest and red slacks. Slipping a hand into his vest, he pulled out a vial of a mysterious liquid, spinning it in his hand as he laughed, "You'll be going nowhere else today!"

---

Battered and bruised, one of the Big Coffer Pirates stammered, "W-we can't get through!" Menacingly, Avalon and Alphonse continued to guard the gangplank, yet to take a scratch.

Scratching his head, Ness grumbled, "Looks like I'll have to step in again..."

"Guhuhuhuh, let me boss!" said the beefy man in the suit with short brown hair laughed, as he took another draft from his bottle, before tossing it aside, the empty container bouncing away.

As Ness nodded in conformation, Alphonse admitted, "He seems strong."

Avalon finished, "The captain might have a Fruit though."

Alphonse added, "And I'd have a hard time blocking those strange hands. I'll take this one." As Avalon stayed back to guard the gangplank, Alphonse stepped forwards, eyes glinting behind his glasses as he asked, "May I have your name before I run you through?"

The man in the suit snorted, "I'm Jack Lopet, the crew's helmsman, but good luck taking me down: I'm invincible!" Kicking his bare feet against the ground, Jack lunged, the ape of a man raising an arm to punch. Gritting his teeth, Alphonse stepped back, aiming his strikes as well as he could, but the man's muscles took the hits, letting out a few drops of blood as Alphonse dodged the fist, which flew into the railing, sending bits of wood flying.

Avalon blinked, "His arm didn't stop."

Alphonse shook his head, explaining, "The pressure points are at the elbow, but I had a bad angle." As Jack shook his hand out, dropping a few splinters, Alphonse suggested, "I'll just have to see what I can do."

Jumping forwards, Alphonse shot a low strike, aiming for the knee, but Jack hopped up, flipping about as he aimed a kick. Alphonse landed, trying to move away, but Jack's heel struck his back, flooring him. The helmsman landed above Alphonse, cracking his knuckles before raising his fist, aiming a punch down. Alphonse rolled to the side, the fist grazing his shoulder, before buckling his legs, rolling onto his back before launching out his feet, his shoes slamming into Jack's head, making him raise his head. Despite the audible sound of his jaw smashing against itself, Jack swiped his other fist as Alphonse began to descend, smacking him in the side and sending him bouncing across the deck, the townsfolk letting out a groan at the navigators expense.

Rose's dad gawked, "Aren't you gonna help him?"

Cracking his neck, Avalon insisted, "You guys can't handle the pirates, can you?" Glancing at Ness again, 'Little Lock' seemed to be in the same position as Avalon: if either moved, the other would retaliate.

Sputtering, Alphonse put himself on all fours, shaking his head, "I should have smashed your jaw...you must have felt that."

One side of his mouth hanging a bit, Jack laughed, "Whatad uh tellya, Im fuggin invishable!"

Slipping into a crouching position, Alphonse staggered a bit as Jack came closer, no doubt ready for the finishing blow. Alphonse aimed his rapier as he stood a bit, Jack reaching him and raising his hands up, clasping them together. Swiftly, Alphonse jabbed upwards, stabbing twice. As a look of fear crossed Alphonse's face, Jack grinned, bringing his fists down. There was a spurt of blood as they landed, the pirates letting out a cheer while the townfolk moaned. Jack didn't let up either, continuing with a flurry of blows, Alphonse miraculously still standing from the storm.

One final punch had Alphonse wobbling away, the navigator drenched in blood, which dripped from Jack's hands. As Jack giggled, Alphonse reached into his pocket, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping off his face. As Jack laughed, Alphonse interrupted, voice clear, "Why so amused?"

Jack chortled, "Im beein the stubbin outta you!"

Alphonse scoffed, "I didn't feel a thing. Perhaps I've found the secret to your invincibility?"

Jack glanced at the bottle he'd drunk, before shaking his head, saying, "I drung it all."

Alphonse shrugged, "I suppose you did. Then the secret must be...ah. You weren't damaging with me with those hands, was that it?"

Blinking in confusion, Jack looked down, letting out a gasp as he saw his hands, hanging limply, two puncture wounds on the wrist quite clear. Avalon couldn't help but grin as Jack let out a cry of fright, snarling, "Bu-buh y-ya missed meh! Bof times!"

Alphonse shook his head, insisting, "You'd have been able to tell if you could feel a thing, but all you had to go off of was my fabricated reaction."

Eyes wide, a bit of spittle dripping from his mouth, Jack let out a cry of rage as he lunged forwards, limp hands back as he raised his head, aiming for a headbutt. Glasses shining in the light, Alphonse moved, sliding to the side as he jabbed once at Jack's close leg, before strafing a bit more and jabbing the other one, both strikes finding their mark, blood letting as Jack fell, crashing into the ground. His arms flopped about as he muttered, "C-can't...mobe."

Whipping his rapier to the side, Alphonse let some of the blood drip off before sheathing it, noting, "While I get to deal with my pain as it comes, like a rainy day, you must deal with the flash flood when whatever you drank wears off. Enjoy your immunity while it lasts."
 
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The hairs on Coffret's neck stood on end as she heard the sound of the hatch closing behind her. She quickly turned around, and her eyes were met with the sight of a rather malicious looking man. She rose to her feet, backing away a bit while eying the small bottle in the man's hand. He was shorter than her, and by the looks of it, she could probably win over him even if it came down to raw strength, but the contents of that enigmatic vial worried her.

"Oh, really? I'd like to see you try to stop me." She said in a rather sarcastic tone, throwing on a slanted smile more confidant than she really was.

"Well, well, a bit cocky are we, eh, miss?" Jersei exclaimed over-zealously while stupendously cocking his head to the side and mimicking a gasp. "I'll just have to put you in your place then!" With a swift whip of his wrist, he launched the vial towards Coffret, whose reflexes barely allowed her to leap out of the way. The glass bottle was smashed against the hardwood flooring of the lower deck, and as soon as the contents came in contact with the air, they ignited, creating a gas that expanded with such speed that a loud bang rang out, making Coffret's ear ring. She looked with a mixture of horror and amazement at the spot on which she had been standing just moments ago. The are of impact was pretty close to Rose's unconscious figure. Coffret knew that she couldn't let a fight break out between her and Jersei in here if she wanted to keep her friend safe, but the only way out was up and behind the closed hatch.

"Hyehyehye!" Jersei cackled. "You might have dodged that one, but this next one won't miss!"

He grinned while pulling out another vial from his vest. Coffret tried to make a spurt towards the hatch, leaping forwards as Jersei launched the second vial. But her movement was too predictable, and the frail vial was smashed against her thigh. A searing, stinging pain spread through her leg as a loud bang once more echoed throughout the somewhat confined space, and she fell to her knees. Jersei rubbed his beard, cackling pretentiously over his victory. But, Coffret wasn't down yet. Swiftly, she smashed her knuckle onto the floor, making a twisted and bare tree trunk sprout up underneath the hatch, forcing it open. With Jersei distracted by the sudden reveal of her power, Coffret hurried to make her way up, drawing him from Rose.

Once up in the cargo hold, she tried to run up the stairs. If she got out in the open, it would be much easier to avoid Jersei's blasts, and she would gain the upper hand. But, he recovered quickly from the shock and followed behind her, throwing a potion at her feet. This time, however, there was no loud bang. Not immediately, at least. Instead, Coffret lost her footing, suddenly finding the surface of the floor almost frictionlessly slippery, and he crashed onto the floor with a thud.

"So, you're one of those, eh? A pesky Devil Fruit user. But you won't prove a match to me with such petty tricks!"

Sliding across the floor, Coffret struggled to catch a grip while muttering that Jersei was the one pulling petty tricks. Once she got her footing back, she turned towards Jersei, clutching her hand.

"Bramble Whip!"

A length of entwined brambles riddled with thorns stretched out from her clutched fist, and she whipped it towards Jersei. But, he reached in under his vest, pulling out a slightly thicker vial, removed the cork, splashing the contents onto the whip reaching to tear into him. It suddenly disintegrated, and Coffret staggered backwards in shock.

"Hyehyehyehye! You think organic matter is any use against a well versed alchemist like myself? Now, what do you think would happen if I were to pour this onto that lovely, smooth skin of yours?"

There was no questioning it now. That man was a complete and utter psychopath. Feinting another attack, she leaped backwards, squeezing herself between the boxes stacked against the wall.

"Tsk!" Jersey clicked his tongue. "You don't want me damaging our ships' precious cargo, do you? The Captain would be rather cross with me... But, I suppose that if one bag of grain is infested with mites, you burn it to save the rest of the harvest, don't you?"

He threw a vial at Coffret's entry point, and it produced a rather heavier explosion than earlier. The crates were evidently damaged in the blow. But coffret was making her way through the tight spaces between the leisurely stacked crates, and the wax cloth covering them and the dim lighting in the cargo hold provided excellent cover.

"Come out and play, little rat!"

Jersei launched yet another vial in a random direction, producing and even larger explosion than before. He threw another one, with growing intensity yet, and it landed not far from where Coffret was hiding. It was now or never for her.

"Leaf Sickle!"

Shouting, she burst forth from the crates with a large, sharp, slightly curved leaf of some sort in hand.

"Aha! There you are!"

Jersei threw yet another potion at her feet, and despite her pace, she felt her legs not responding to the movement. They were affixed to the floor, and the momentum of her body made her fall over. The cause of her sudden halt was some sort of extremely sticky substance which had spread from Jersei's vial. Now her arms and hands were caught in it as well, and the more she struggled to get away from it, the more she stuck to it.

"Well, as much fun as it was playing with you, I better end this now."

He slowly walked towards her, and in a final act of desperation, Coffret made a wall of green leaves appear right in front of his face. Annoyed, he clawed his way through the bush that had formed in front of him.

"I told you, I am done with the games!"

Reaching inside his vest to pull out another one of those acid bottles, he suddenly felt a burning itch on his hands. He quickly pulled it out and examined it to see if he had accidentally uncorked one of the bottles and had their contents leaked. There were no signs of that, but for some reason, he had developed a rash. His chest area also started itching, and he instinctively reached inside his shirt to scratch it. The scratching provided some instant relief, but the more he scratched, the more the itching spread. Desperately, he tore off his vest and shirt to get a better reach, running his hands vigorously up and down his hairy chest.

"It burns! It burns!" He screamed, thrown into a frenzy. "What spell did you cast on me, with!? Undo it immediately!"

Coffret calmly arose from her position on the floor, walked over to Jersei's discarded clothes, and picked the vest up.

"But-- How!?"

"The Teflonia produces an oil that provides a non-stick coating to any material. I simply had to grow enough of it under the surfaces of my body that were covered in your goop to get loose." She explained while rummaging through the many inside pockets of his vest. "Or perhaps you're talking about the itching? That was from the poison ivy whose urushiol you got all over your hands while pathetically fighting it earlier. It spread onto your chest when you streaked it while trying to reach for one of those horrid concoctions of yours." She pulled up one of the bottles containing the acid, and showed it to Jersei. "Ah, found it. Now, what would you say if I were to pour some of this onto your skin."

"No, please! I'm sorry! Forgive me! Have mercy! And please get rid of this itching!" Jersei begged while flailing on the floor.

"Don't worry, I'm not as cruel as you are. But, if you want relief, you better do as I say."

He nodded fervently.

"Good. Then, get back down there." Coffret pointed to the hatch. Whimpering, Jersei made his way down. She followed, and once they were down, she cocked her head towards the floor.

"Get on your belly, arms behind your back."

He did as he was told, and she tied his arms and legs up with some vines. She then walked over to Rose, and poured a tiny amount of the acid onto her ropes. It was enough for them to sizzle up and become thin enough to tear apart.

"Hey! Hey! What about me!?" Jersei groaned.

"Be quiet! I'm getting to you." After Coffret had removed all the rope tying Rose up and made sure the acid hadn't gotten anywhere on her, she proceeded to rub Jersei's chest and hands with some type of damp moss. His spastic and erratic movements calmed down, and he settled down into a quiet, almost euphoric state. Coffret picked up Rose, who was still unconscious, and decided to carry her above deck to get her some fresh air. Hopefully, the fighting above had settled down already.
 
While the townspeople cheered at his victory, Alphonse stepped back to Avalon, stating, "It's your move." With a grunt, he took a seat by the railing next to the gangplank, muttering, "Even with those limp hands... Avalon, Jack did a bit of damage, but I can keep watch as long as you handle Ness."

Avalon grinned, popping his knuckles as he made forward, nodding, "Piece of cake." Turning back to Alphonse, he chortled, "And what was with that line? 'Flash flood'?"

While Alphonse narrowed his eyes, Avalon's attention was drawn as a lengthily footstep made itself heard. Snapping back, 'Little Lock' Ness towered above Avalon. Showing his palms, he shrugged, "Hey hey hey, you shits have done a bit of damage to me and my guys, we've done some damage to this town's economy... What do ya say we live and let live? I'll give you back your little runt, ignore the mansion, and we'll be on our merry way?"

Before Avalon could even think to answer, a few explosions from below echoed throughout the ship. Moving his fists up into a fighting stance, Avalon insisted, "I wasn't gonna agree anyway."

Ness sighed, "Figured." Fingers changing shape, he raised one arm, thrusting it forwards, using his height to get a downward strike, Avalon raising his arm to block. Flecks of blood spattered about, landing on Avalon's face and torso, the pirates eyes widening as he saw Ness' fingers, wrapped around his arm, cutting into the flesh. However, they were not blades, but rather long, narrow...

"Keys?" Avalon blinked.

Ness grinned, fingers on his other hand clicking as he rolled them, bragging, "I got the Key Key Fruit! One little twist and I can open any-"

Ness finished that sentence with a grunt of pain, the tall captain having the wind knocked out of him as Avalon's fist found his flesh stomach. Briefly being lifted off his feet, Ness stumbled back as Avalon muttered, "Bragging about your cool powers...you're really ticking me off."

Ness chuckled, "Green with envy?"

Avalon twitched," You have no idea. No idea."

"Then maybe you're red with..." Ness suddenly leaped into action, moving with impressive speed as he finished, "...anger." As Avalon moved to block, Ness grinned, twisting his wrist a bit.

Avalon let out a gasp of pain, looking at the cuts in his arm to see them widening, as if being torn open. Letting out a snarl, he shot his better arm out as Ness stabbed forwards. Ness managed to stick two of his fingers past the open blazer into Avalon's bare chest, drawing blood, but Avalon held him at bay, striking him in his side, sending him bouncing back again.

Avalon growled, "Stay and fight me you hit and run bastard!"

Ness shrugged, "Eh. I've already won this." Reaching into his pocket with one hand, his key fingers shrunk as he withdrew a knife. With his other hand, he brandished it at Avalon, grinning as he gave the arm a twist. Avalon braced himself, but there was no way he could be ready.

Avalon felt short on air as the wound in his chest opened up, but not because of the pain. In fact, he didn't feel a thing at all. But still, he was made breathless as he saw his chest pop open, ribs visible in the makeshift hatch, which revealed his beating heart to the world. While Avalon gawked, Ness began to charge, raising his knife, which glinted in the light.

Avalon raised his hand, closing his ribcage, returning his chest to normal. Ness slowed his charge, arms slumping as he came to a stop. Blinking, he muttered, "Huh. No one's thought to do that before."

"Really?" Avalon asked.

"Yeah, no kidding..." Ness huffed.

Adjusting his homburg hat, his legs began to shuffle, the tall man adjusting his footwork before jabbing a keyed finger at Avalon, twisting it. As the very air began to shift, becoming clear. Ness chucked the knife, which quickly began to move at impossible speeds, cutting through the air as there was an odd popping noise. Avalon grimaced as he raised his arm, letting out a breif yell as the knife lodged itself in his bad arm. Before he could yank it out, Ness fiddled with the arm that had tossed it, twisting it. The knife widened, 'opening' in Avalon's wound, making the horned man shout in pain as he quickly ripped it out, tossing it into the ocean.

Adjusting his glasses, sweat beaded on Alphonse's forehead as he mumbled, "Did he...somehow 'open' the air to create a pressure difference?"

Avalon growled, "Shut up unless you have an idea that'll help me open his face."

Ness shuddered, "Bad idea. A face with the skin gone...it looks scary as shit, mate."

Snarling, Avalon charged, insisting, "Guess we'll find out!"

Legs pumping, Avalon made his way closer to Ness, whom raised his arm as he backpedaled. Avalon tried to be quick, but Ness was quicker, ripping open the air once again. Avalon nearly slipped as he was pulled by the pressure difference. He felt his eyes and lungs strain for a moment as they tried to resist, but as he got his breath, he was thoroughly stunned as Ness slipped to his side, raising one of his long legs, kicking Avalon in the face. While the horned pirate staggered, the air returned to normal, but Ness continued to strike, attempting to make the pirate fall.

However, Avalon held his ground, wrapping an arm around Ness' leg as he growled, "You won't make me fall!" Shifting his feet, he twisted his torso as he lifted Ness, raising the tall pirate into the air, his homburg slipping as he was forced back into the deck, crashing. Ness quickly recovered, pushing himself to face Avalon, though he still remained in a sitting position. Shooting his hands out, Avalon made to grab while Ness went to cut. Avalon gripped him by the lower parts of his hands, just above the wrist. Ness strained as he tried to bend his fingers, but they would not reach, nor would his wrists twist.

As they grappled, Avalon began to force on hand onto the man's chest, Ness struggling as Avalon stabbed Ness with his own finger before twisting his wrist. Ness' eyes popped open as his chest did, revealing his heart, pounding rapidly. Letting go, Avalon raised his fist, but Ness quickly closed the passage, laughing, "Hah! Not getting me with my own trick!"

Avalon wasn't aiming for the heart and the horned pirate's fist collided with Ness' falling face. Do to being in a sitting position, he didn't go far, and Avalon continued to pummel him, his torso bouncing as it suffered the flurry of blows. Spreading his stance, Avalon sank one last fist into his chest digging in before twisting his shoulders, sending him flying, Ness shooting into the ship's mast with a crack.

As he sank to the ground, his body refused to move, the captain coughing, "Yeah, of course. Why bother trying to go to the Grand Line? The Blues are rough enough..." With one last grunt, he slipped into unconsciousness.

As Avalon took a breath, he let blood drip from his wounded arm, before glaring at the pirates, hissing, "Anyone else?" Gripped with fear, those closest took a step away, fearful.

From below, the townsfolk were quiet for a moment, before beginning, "He won!" "Ness got beat!" "We've got our stuff back!"

As cheers of victory echoed, Rose's dad made his way forwards quickest, snarling, "Now tell me where my daughter is you priiiiiiicks!"
 
"Mister..." Coffret's voice could be heard as she walked up from below deck. "She's right here."

Carrying Rose, she went over to her father, carefully transferring her to his arms.

"Don't worry, she's just unconscious. The air down there was stagnant, but she should come to if she's out in the open for a while."

As Coffret's dress fluttered in the ocean breeze, she noticed a large, soot coloured stain and a hole in it where she had been hit by Jersei's explosive potion.

"Aw, shucks! I just bought this!"

Deciding it was no use keeping it in its current state, she ripped the length of the dress that had been stained off, making it a mini skirt. Pleased with her decision, she looked up, noticing Avalon and Alphonse some way over.

"I see you two handled yourselves up here. I ran into a rather unpleasant fellow below deck, myself. He ruined my dress, you know. But in the end I--..."

She saw their wounds, or rather, Avalon's wounds, and Alphonse's blood soaked figure.

"You're hurt! Or wait, that blood doesn't seem to belong to you, Alphonse... But no matter. These open gashes, on the other hand, would be the perfect job for the Regorgia."

She held out her palm, and the familiar blossom bloomed from it. She rolled it in her hands, and squeezed out some juice onto Avalon's wounds, and they immediately seemed to cover themselves up.

"I haven't had the opportunity to make a proper infusion just yet, but this should do for now."
 
Daughter back in his hands, the father cried joyously, "Rose!"

"Zzzzz..." the girl snored.

Glancing around at the amount of wounded, the man sighed, "Well, you always have been easygoing..."

As Coffret healed some of Avalon's wounds, the cuts sealing from the liquid, Avalon let out a sigh of relief while Alphonse blinked as he watched an impossibly rare flower be destroyed right in front of him. Recomposing himself, he nodded, before patting Avalon and Coffret on the shoulder, moving past them.

Gaze moving across the pirates still assembled, (more than a few of them shamelessly gawking at Coffret's legs), Alphonse growled,"You lot: the stolen goods. All of them. In fact, your whole storeroom excluding foodstuffs: bring it out."

One pirate growled, "You can't take everything!"

Hand slipping to the hilt of his rapier, Alphonse glared, ordering, "Move. Now."

While they didn't seem keen, something grabbed their attention, as Jack suddenly began to scream. Though he was breathing sharply, it didn't seem to help much, as his screams increased in volume and agony, until after a few moments, his eyes rolled back into his head as he passed out. Alphonse snapped his gaze from the fallen helmsman back to the pirates, who broke into a run as they went to work. Looking back to the townsfolk, Alphonse finished, "Give them a hand: I would like them gone as soon as possible."

As the townsfolk gladly went to work. Alphonse turned back to Avalon and Coffret. While men busied themselves on the deck, Alphonse began, "While I consider myself this town's defender, were we to attempt to take on these pirates alone, to do so, much less without a loss of life, would have been impossible." Bowing low, he finished, "For that, I cannot thank you enough." Raising his head, he adjusted his glasses, before finishing, "Please, have a meal at Mrs. Kim's: I'll pay for every morsel."

As Alphonse began to head off, Avalon grinned, "Hell yes, I am starving!"

---

Poor Mrs. Kim's stove wasn't ready for Avalon's appetite. A fight took a lot out an angry pirate, after all. Of course, it wasn't all eating, as Avalon had to know about Coffret's fight from down below.

While Avalon, bandages wrapped around the scratches on his arm that hadn't fully healed from the flower, got down to his last plate, Kim taking a rest, Coffret felt a sudden force as something smallish collided into her.

Looking up at the woman, arms clutched around her, Rose was about to cry as she began, "I'm sorry Miss Coffret! I lost the rose you gave me and I talked to strangers which you probably would've told me not to do just like my mom and I was asleep so I didn't get to see you fight and and and and..."
 
Coffret was visibly startled by the sudden onslaught, but upon realizing who the source of it was, she let out a sigh of relief and laughed it off.

"There there, don't worry! I'll make you as many roses as you'd like. The only thing that matters is that you're back with us, all in one piece."

She bent down to whisper something in her ear.

"...And if you really want me to, I can show off some of my techniques on Avalon."

Stroking the girls' hair, Coffret turned to Alphonse.

"Thank you for the meal. Well, I should probably be thanking Mrs. Kim for her hard work, but you paid for it all. Now, I'm sorry to be bothering you with this again, but... Have you really made up your mind? About not coming with us, I mean. I understand that after a day like this, you'd probably rather stay at home and protect the village, but we could really use someone like you. In fact, I'm not so sure there are many out there that are like you."
 
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