It was hot, hotter than it usually was in the fair kingdom of Lulusia, the fact that the street was bustling with shop owners wishing to sell their wares and those willing to buy them in abundant numbers swarming like locust in a narrow secluded area didn't help that singular fact, some stuck to the shadows wishing to keep out of the heat while others basked in its warmth albeit with a drink in hand to quench the thirst caused from the sun's rays. From somewhere in a crowd those with an observant eye could catch a small figure of about 5'3 feet that was wearing a rather thick  brown cloak as they waddled through the street, those the figure passed would glance an eye at them wondering why would they subject themselves to such thick clothing in the sweltering heat, the answer would be because this figure wasn't a citizen but in fact an Ensign by the name Fiora Cervil of the Marine's working for the World Government.    

Although her faction wasn't the reason she was wearing the thick brown coat shrouding her appearance, Fiora was actually told to patrol the area to spot suspicious activity that may be going about, but Fiora had a problem that many others didn't have and that was her species. Fiora was, in fact, a Fishmen that were hailed to originate from Fishmen island, although Fiora herself had never been there her heritage was all to present just by first look, she wanted to just more than patrol the area though, and she couldn't do that walking around like she usually does, it would cause far more attention than her  thick coat.

However, in trying to avoid one situation, Fiora got caught in the traps of another, the pure resilience of heat. Although she was well protected the heat beating down on her coat had only increased over time and was now slowly but surely baking her in her own disguise, as she walked down the street while raising her left hand to wipe the sweat gathering on her forehead she spotted something that was always there yet at that moment her eyes saw it as a gift from God, a tavern. Adamant in escaping the boiling heat of the suns effects upon her own attire Fiora begun to walk straight towards the tavern at a even pace despite wanting to run as she wasn't about to break her disguise over a little heat, minutes after pushing and shoving her way  through the crowd she came upon the entrance to the tavern door with nothing but the silver door handle and a square sign that said, "Welcome to Maccio's Tavern"

When she lightly pushed the door open to walk in she would be meant with the site of one of Lulusia's maiden citizins on the bar playing a guitar to a group of drunk patrons singing an old song with slurred words, a pair of maidens not far by gossiping to each other, while the rest of the paying patrons were scattered about minding their own business.

Inside Tavern:

Finding an empty table to sit at centered around four others filled with various guests like her Fiora finally sat down and let out a sigh of relief from being in a shaded room that was much cooler then the harsh condition of outside had forced upon her, moments later one of the maidens that had been gossiping came up to her with smile as they asked, "Hey stranger, what will you be having today?" Fiora reached into her pocket and took out a five hundred worth of beli dollars and put it on the table for the maiden as she said, "Water will be lovely, Thank you." As she took the money the women would muse to herself as she walked away to get her Fiora's water, "A lady, don't get much of those around her that don't order a real drink~"

While Fiora waited for her order to be fulfilled she let her natural senses fade increasing her hearing as just about everyone knew that taverns had the most gossip floating about and Fiora was in need of a little break from her pesky patrolling of Lulusia's common ground area, the first conversation she listened into was just a group of seven burly man who looked as if they had been working in the mine's as was suggested by the black powder looking substance that resembled dirt complaining about how their boss doesn't pay them enough for the dangerous work they put it in despite the long torturous hours, another group of just two men were sharing a discussion about what tools would be best to shave down a particular wood swell that had manifested in the house they were building interfering with the continuation of building the rest of the house, and from another corner a male had slid a ring to the center of the table where a woman was sitting in front of him awe stuck who had no doubt just got asked to be wed.

But it would be the fourth pair that caught her attention as a group of four-man  sitting at a table begun eyeing the rest of the patrons as they sat in front of a fifth male, who bore a rugged face with scruffy facial hair to match as his attire was nearly all green beside a touch of very light brown as he sat with a sword slung across his back, Fiora slightly lifted her head a bit more so she could glance at the group while listening in on them. The male sitting from the far right begun to speak to the one with the sword across the table, "Boss the "shipment" is being delivered in about three days time." The male with the sword who had just had a drink placed in front of him took it into his hand and begun taking a few sips and savoring it for a few moments before giving his response as he placed the cup back down to talk, "Three days huh? I could have sworn I ordered for that package to get here by tomorrow at dawn, can I assume someone's disobeying my orders?"

As he said that sentence all four man began to shift around in their seats in a nervous jitter but only the one in the middle had the guile to speak albeit in a panicked whisper, "That's not it boss! these revs-" Fiora's hearing would be interrupted with the slamming sound of the waitress putting down  her drink with an angered expression, "I have been standing beside you for nearly two minutes and you didn't even bother to notice my presence, you think you're better than me or something?!" Fiora would slightly turn her head glancing an eye at the waitress who just interrupted her at the most important part, her white iris glaring thought would cause the waitress to step back a few feet, "Sorry, I got lost in thought." By the time Fiora looked back at where the group was sitting they had made their way to the door exiting the tavern, Fiora was sure she heard a conversation to something that could be possibly big, she felt it in her gut but she needed more information to go on or else the higher ups will never take a second glance, Fiora quickly took the cup of water and chugged it down quick and then proceeded to get up leaving a three hundred beli coin tip.

The moment Fiora was outside she looked to her left that leads to a crowded street and then looked towards her right and saw the guy walking in front of the four men as they chattered while walking down an alleyway that leads to even  more connecting alleyways, not wanting to lose her source of possible vital information on what could be bad for the marine's Fiora begun following the group of five about six meters behind them. As Fiora kept on their tail she would be subjected to the torturous banter of the four-man going on about all the hot women they had banged in their days and even rated them on a one to ten scale, yet despite their eagerness to talk the man in the front with his sword slung across his back was utterly silent, although it had been pretty clear back at the tavern who he was Fiora definitely knew he was the boss of this small party and the aura he put out was one that held some fighting experience.


 

Walking in front of his men as they exited the tavern and entered onto the alleyways the swordsmen who went by the name of  Pike begun thinking about the information he had just received, you see Pike was a revolutionary wishing to liberate countries away from Marines and the World Government alike, his business in Lulusia was just another flight of steps in that long enduring flight of stairs to making sure it happened. However despite his mind being littered with the way of how they were to proceed his senses were not so blind as to realize the lone figure draped in a thick brown coat tailing him and his men as they walked the alleyway, as a revolutionary someone was always tailing him rather it was other pirate's or marines or whatever forces may want the intel his faction possessed in abundance, usually he would let his man deal with this type of nuisance but he had been in enough battles to know that anyone who was alone and still pursued him wasn't the average fighter, and despite all appearances and attitude he cared deeply for those under his chain of command and was not so willing to let them get beaten to save his own skin.

Pike would call out the name of one of his men, "Jace, come here." and a rather short but burly man would come up from behind him looking somewhat panicked, "Once we reach the connecting alleyways I want you and the rest of the group to go home, but go separate ways never know who's on our tail, understood?" the burly short man visibly smiled as he fell back and told his mates their bosses order, Pike could have explained the real reason why he wanted them to leave separate ways but that would only make them want to stay and he couldn't worry about someone else if the figure following them this whole time was as strong as he thought they were. Sure enough, as they reached the connecting alleyways his men begun to leave going through separate alleyway channels and the captain would stop and turned around to face his stalker, "And who might you be?"  


As Fiora followed the group one of the male figures who was rather stubby looking had walked up to the man leading the front, moments later after he spoke the stubby man had smiled and communicated something to the others as they also visibly smiled, it would be about a minute later they reached connecting alleyways and the group suddenly split apart, but what was most alarming was how the man with the sword stayed and then turned around facing Fiora directly as he asked who she was.

Clearly caught red-handed Fiora took off her heavy cloak as the point of it all was not all but useless, the mans left eyebrow would slightly curl but other than that his face was just as stern as ever, "So I'll ask again, who are you?" Fiora reached into her pocket pulling out gloves and begun to put them on as she spoke, "Fiora Cervil of the marine forces, I'm going to have to ask you to come with me to answer some questions." The swordsmen hummed as he took out his sword in turn, "A marine huh...I guess now I'm going to have to silence you and take you with me." Fiora sighed being honest for the moment as she put her right leg forward in a slightly bent position and her left leg behind straight in a fighting stance, "This is annoying but I guess this is just how it's gonna be." the swordsmen responded as he lifted his sword in a fighting stance as well, "Indeed"

A moment of silence would commence between them as they stared at each other with six meters of distance between them, the swordsmen made a twitching movement and then commenced into a full sprint towards her and covered the distance in seconds as Fiora mentally thought "He's fast!" while the swordsmen made a diagonal swing of his blade with his left hand from his left down to the right up, Fiora in response thrust her right hand forward at a slightly lower position so the metal tips of her gloves would halt his blade, she then immediately lowered herself as she did a sweeping kick motion with her left leg causing the swordsmen to jump back. Fiora taking the offensive this time rushed him instead albeit not as fast as the swordsmen could move and jumped into the air as she swung her left leg out in a mid-air roundhouse kick in which the swordsmen dodged by ducking down as he rolled forward and immediately turned around to swing upwards while behind her facing her back, Fiora who had already landed on the same leg switched to her right as she glanced slightly behind her and kicked right at the center of his blade to stop the attack and then leaped forward to gain some distance.

Fiora immediately turned around and then begun reeling back her left hand as the water vapor in the air begun to surround it forming a layer of water in the shape of a claw of  one-eighth inches wide and one inch long, before flinging her finger forward like a dart causing the layer of water shaped like a claw to fly forward towards the swordsmen who easily swung his blade splitting the claw apart as it was just condensed water, he then dashed forward towards Fiora thrusting his blade and Fiora swirled out of the way letting her motion carry her as she did a spinning backhand punch straight into the swordsmen temple that sent him back a few feet before he quickly recovered with his sword guarding him and Fiora seeing a chance closed the gap and punched at the center of his blade with all her strength causing  the swordsmen to be pushed back into a wall by the force of her punch.

Fiora hadn't noticed it until just now, but besides his speed, the swordsmen weren't as strong and suggested by how his voice was getting a tad more harsher he didn't have the endurance to last as long as her either, if she wanted to win she didn't have to actually beat him but tire him out until he couldn't fight. Not wanting to lose her advantage Perila dashed forward towards him and lifted her left leg up for a front kick, the swordsmen rolled against the wall to the left to avoid it but Fiora continued the motion by getting closer to the wall and with the same leg pulled it in and aimed to kick the swordsmen on the side of the rib in which he blocked with his sword and then twirled out of the way reversing their position, now with Fiora against the wall the swordsmen swung his blade from a upward position going down, in response Fiora opened her hand and flexed her finger muscle's causing the metal tips on gloves to extend into one inch claws and jumped while she took advantage of the sharp claws and forced them into the tiny cracks of the wall in the alleyway to keep herself aloof for a few seconds as she used both legs to deliver a double back kick into the swordsmen face at full strength making him fall back as he spit up blood, she then relaxed her finger muscles retracting the claws as she landed back onto her feet.

Fiora turned back around as she watched the swordsmen roll around on the floor wiping the blood away from his mouth as he got back up, Fiora not above kicking anyone on the ground rushed forward to do just that but the swordsmen had expected this and swung his blade in a wide swing as she got close allowing the tip to cut her leg but with depleting strength he fell back flat on the floor,   because Fiora was running she ended up tripping while sprawling forward past the swordsmen grunting in pain as her leg begun to bleed. At this point, Fiora was getting tired too as she lightly begun to pant from a lot of movement, although the swordsmen endurance was far more taxed as he was fully panting from exhaustion, there wasn't much fight left in either of them to continue this for any longer.

Fiora was poised to end it, with one final attack, but it would be risky. Fiora began to push herself off the ground as she lightly limped herself back onto her feet while the swordsmen did the same, Fiora gritted her teeth and reopened her palms and flexed her fingers so the claws re-extended but then she staggered in which the swordsmen took the time to rush her as he spun around as he swung his blade upwards Fiora had stepped back causing her to grunt from her foot but nonetheless grabbed his blade hand with her right and swung her left elbow into his arm forcing it to go upwards as she got into his personal space making him grunt in turn, the swordsmen then used his right foot to push into her injured leg forcing her body to bend its knee but this is exactly the situation she wanted as before he could fully make her bend she twisted her body and thrust her right palm into his chest at full strength using fishmen karate not only was their a grunting pain coming from the swordmen as he was hit but inside his body the water was pushed against his lungs making up upchoke some of his body natural fluid before he flew back three feet still standing, after a few seconds he then droped his sword and finally fell to the ground.

Fiora took a heavy sigh of relief as she let her whole body relax and slid down onto the floor facing the opposite direction of the knocked out swordsmen but glancing over just to make sure he doesn't get up, Fiora begun to reach into her pocket for her baby den mushi and turned it back on, "This is Ensign officer Fiora Cervil, I got a criminal in need of transport in the Common grounds a few paces away from Maccio's tavern, suspect has important information regarding a deal that's happening, copy." After a few seconds, a click of a radio was heard and somebody answered, "Copy that, stand by for transport."

Skills used: