The concussive force alone has weakened some of my internal functions. I need to wrap this up. Kyran focused his eyes on who stood in the flooded cascade of light. "To break through five stories of reinforced steel you must be quite the man. I'll take it that you're Rear Admiral Briggs." The Rear Admiral was busy examining the area since light now shown in it. Upon looking at Lu Dahn's unconscious body he scoffed and shook his head. "Foolish pup biting off more than he can chew." Ropes began to descend into the spotlight Briggs stood in and his Marines slid down these ropes to enter the room with their guns in hand. "Secure the Commodore and detain anyone you see who doesn't identify as a Marine." He ignored Kyran and was looking to get straight down to business. "Sir yes sir!" Ten nameless Marines began to mobilize and Kyran responded to them with a hail of gunfire from his right arm. Rear Admiral Briggs quickly defended all his soldiers by smashing his gauntlet clad fist into the ground and masterfully raising a wall like rampart of terrain that worked as cover for his men. "It'd be wise to focus your attention on me if you're interested in prolonging the inevitable!" Briggs ran up to the rampart that was raised 5m ahead of him, jumped up onto the highest point of it, then jumped once more, but with this jump he vanished. With his physicality, his use of Soru wasn't even trackable by Kyran and he easily closed in the space between them before the man knew it. "Black Fist Bomber!" Briggs appeared before the wide-eyed Kyran with his steel gauntlet dressed in a ebony sheen of Busoshoku Haki. The stunned man still had his back to the wall and was basically caught with his pants down. From utterly dominating a fight, to being dominated in an instant. When Briggs unleashed his haymaker from hell on the man, he was launched through the wall, sent flying through Roukishi's office and open colliding with the wall in Roukishi's office he was burrowed in the cement like a stray bullet. Majority of his upper body that was struck by the blow was blown off from the force and now Roukishi was exposed.

"My Observation Haki told me someone was beyond this wall, but to think it'd be Gold Tooth himself." The once confident and comfortable Roukishi was also caught with his pants down. He was sitting behind his desk and he began to scramble through one of his drawers for a pistol. Briggs allowed him to do this without attacking him, but instead he spoke. "Right now, nothing warrants me taking you into custody with force. Should you choose to fire that gun, you might not live to see another day." Kyran's whole head fell off his body and onto the floor just as Briggs finished speaking. A perfect example of what could happen to Roukishi.

The old man set down the gun and raised his hands. Storming into the office behind Briggs were three Marines with rifles trained on Roukishi. One carefully strafed over to Kyran's body while the other two put Roukishi in cuffs. Briggs stepped up to Roukishi and imposed his tremendous 8`10 frame on him. "The bricks." "B-behind the painting. The combination to the safe is 7-17-24." Briggs motioned with his head to one of Roukishi's detainers and they ran to the painting and took it off the wall. Without a doubt there was a safe behind it. He then input the combination and opened the safe to see what they had come for. "This was the simplest bust yet sir!" Said the officer who retrieved the bricks. "Simpler for us than others I suppose." He thought about the condition he saw Lu Dahn in and sighed. "We can only hope he has the three remaining bricks so this campaign can come to an end. We'll report back to the Caesar until the Commodore regains consciousness. Ensure our medics tend to his injuries." "Sir yes sir!"

"Hoho, I wouldn't do that just yet boyo." Lu Dahn's vision sharpened and he could make out a man wearing a Doctor's coat on the other side of the room with a clipboard. "Where am I?'' The Doctor approached him and gently pressed on his chest to make him lay all the way back down. "You're aboard the Caesar boyo. Don't you remember?" Lu Dahn have never been in the infirmary before, but he remembered the Caesar well during his days as an Ensign. "Briggs." The Doctor nodded. "Indeed." The dots began to connect as he remembered seeing Briggs break into the facility and save him from Kyran. Along with that he realized that he had lost the campaign. He stared at the ceiling with a stone like gaze. "My my, that's quite the expression for someone who narrowly escaped death." The Doctor began to lift Lu Dahn's left arm very lightly. Afterwards he scribbled some data down on his clipboard. Next he lifted up Lu Dahn's shirt and examined his ribs. Giving it a few gentle pats while looking for Lu Dahn's reaction, when the Commodore winced in pain, he stopped and scribbled on his clipboard again. "You're recovering well. You had a pretty bad break in your left arm. You also have four ribs broken. You left shoulder seems to still be receiving from some bullet wound as well. Despite this you're bouncing back fairly well boyo!" The Doctor smiled at Lu Dahn and walked to the door. From there he hung up the clipboard on the door, turned the knob, then opened the door. Before stepping out he spoke to Lu Dahn. "Briggs will be in shortly to question you in regards to the campaign by the way boyo." With that the Doctor exited and closed the door.

Lu Dahn had a lot going through his mind right now, most of it was based on the disappointment he felt. Three out of ten. His fist clenched tight on the sheets on the patient bed he laid in. Soon enough the door knob turned and sure enough Rear Admiral Briggs came through the door. Lu Dahn's brows furrowed at the Rear Admiral's apathetic expression. "Of all the places I thought I'd run into you Ricchi. What convinced you to meddle in my affairs?" Lu Dahn wasn't interested in answering to Briggs, but he was a noble man at heart. As it stood, he owed Briggs. Not his life, but he owed the man, so he'd cooperate. "Glory. And to stand above the man who was once above me." Briggs was noticeably taken aback by the honesty, but after the initial shock he respected Lu Dahn's words. This was signified by a single nod of his head with closed eyes, he was in thought.

"Well then . . . I'll just ask you if you have the three remaining bricks of Fool's Gold." Lu Dahn forced himself to sit up through the pain, so he could look at Briggs in a more presentable manner. "I do. Their hidden on my vessel the Enforcer." Briggs nodded. "I see." A moment of silence rested in the room, before Briggs spoke once more. "Well, I'll give you credit for the work your Unit, in this case, you did in this campaign after you hand the bricks over. Have you anything to ask?" Lu Dahn pondered for a moment, before Hashirama came to mind. "There was a man, black hair and red eyes at the scene. His name is Hashirama." Briggs made an face, then spoke. "There was a man there who fits that description, but he said his name was Moona. The one who was assumed to be pushing the Fool's Gold throughout Alabasta. What about him." Lu Dahn mentally cursed. "Was he detained?" Briggs nodded. "He and Gold Tooth were shipped to Impel Down this morning. He said you put up quite the fight against him." Lu Dahn almost contorted his face in disbelief, but he knew why Hashirama had said that. Though he failed in getting the last two bricks, he'd have still succeeded in defeating one of Roukishi's top guns. There was also the fact that if Lu Dahn was discovered to have been allied with him, that he'd be reprimanded or defamed.

I see, just making sure. I have no further questions." Briggs nodded. "I myself have one more thing to add." Lu Dahn rose a brow at Briggs. "And what would that be? "I respect and acknowledge your ambitions and the guts you have. I could use a man like you back in my Unit. Think about it." Lu Dahn scoffed at Briggs and he began to leave. "Send the Fool's Gold to Marineford in at least five days of time with a mission statement." That was the last Lu Dahn saw of Briggs.

Home? He looked up at the sails and saw the Marine insignia flapping in the night wind. For the first time, he had trekked upon a place that felt like home while not on Water 7. He didn't take time to soak in the feeling, just the fact that he had experienced it was enough for him to take what he needed from it.

Retrieving the three bricks of Fool's Gold, Lu Dahn took them to his quarters. There he began to write his mission report that'd be sent to Marineford along with the Fool's Gold.

The following is a mission report of Commodore Lu Dahn Ricchi's dealings in the Fool's Gold Campaign. While reported to be on leave on Water 7, I took it upon myself to spearhead my own campaign in Alabasta. Through word of mouth in the Mrine ranks, I came to hear about the Fool's Gold scandal and learned that Rear Admiral Briggs was assigned the case. Looking to prove myself as a newly promoted Commodore, I thrusted myself into this campaign as well.

The first suspected individual I came into contact with was Matziyah Faults and his crew. In the same night combat ensued and I defeated Faults and took custody of the three bricks of Fool's Gold he had in his possession. From there I was led to a mole within Gold Tooth Roukishi's organization. This however turned out to be a trap for what turned into a fire fight with various hired guns, one of which being the incarcerated Moona. This aforementioned individual fled the scene, while unknowingly being tailed by myself to Roukishi's headquarters. Using the resources I did have, myself, I infiltrated Roukishi's stronghold and combated and defeated Roukishi's right hand Moona. Following his defeat, I engaged in combat with another one of Roukishi's operatives, a man named Kyran who was defeated by Rear Admiral Briggs who soon arrived on the scene and wrapped things up. Ultimately Rear Admiral Briggs retrieved seven of the ten Fool's Gold bricks and I, Commodore Lu Dahn Ricchi retrieved three and have sent them with this mission report.

Sealing the letter, he packaged the Fool's Gold and dropped the letter and Fool's Gold off at the barracks for it to be sent to Marineford. The campaign had finally come to a close. Lu Dahn had lost to Rear Admiral Briggs and though it could be blamed on a lack of manpower, he'd never take such an easy route out. The loss was on him, he have bit off far more than he could chew and where he found himself severely lacking was in his combat ability. Once he made it back to the Enforcer from the barracks he laid in his bed restlessly. I need to get stronger. He felt he had grasped a powerful unknown ability that he didn't exactly know much about, this being his "Instinct" ability. Despite this, he still had a hunger for more manifestable power. Whatever blessings or curses this campaign brought him were irrelevant. Until he felt he had a grasp on whatever power it was that he was seeking, he wouldn't be embarking on any more campaigns unless ordered to do so. I need it.

It was not only vaguely power, but specifically something his grandfather had left behind for him. On his travels as a Rear Admiral, before passing he had come across a Devil's Fruit. Claiming it as his own, he brought it back to Water 7 as a family heirloom at first. As his age caught up to him and his condition rapidly deteriorated though, he entrusted the fruit to a young and promising Lu Dahn. "I only ask that you find your own strength before indulging in such a thing for power. Should you not have your own strength, you'll only be using this as a crutch and I'd hate for that to be the reputation of my only grandson." What powers that particular Devil's Fruit bestowed the consumer were still unknown. Lu Dahn would be the first as far as the World Government's records have logged.

Was he really ready though? He asked himself this question often. He was strong, yet still weak, in this moment he felt weaker than he had ever been. Would it truly be a crutch that he leaned on, or would the power be his own? He understood what his grandfather didn't want to become of him, but he didn't know the current state of the world. He didn't know what the world was asking of Lu Dahn and what the Commodore himself was asking of himself. For the first time in a long time he tasted utter defeat, both on the battlefield against Kyran and to Briggs. His ego was bruised and it wasn't something he had experienced before. Would it birth growth or would he let the unfamiliar feeling pilot him to a wrong decision? Why not both?

[Exit]