Name: Lucha Rodriguez
Bounty: 55,036,000
Description: Season 2: Lucha Rodriguez travels to the different towns of Momoiro Island frequently to keep moving and keep the local authorities off his trail. From town to town, he wrestles in the name of a lucha libre, bringing in a crowd of people at every underground event. Normally, such a spectacle wouldn't earn a bounty, but Lucha has a bad habit of brutally wrestling his victims into mangled corpses on stage, forcing the audience to witness a cold-blooded murder. In his mind, it's the greatest wrestling show a luchador can give.
Last seen: Momoiro Island
Sworn Enemy:N/A
Attributes: 4-4-2-2-2]

---

“Lucha Rodriguez” Sofia mentioned to nobody in particular, as she looked at the bounty poster on her desk, as she was seated in this inn room she had rented for herself.

“Famous wrestler” she then wrote into the margin of it. “Frequently keeps moving to dodge Marines.” she then added.

“What else did they tell us at the Marine Station?” she then mentioned out loud.

“He gets big crowds!” Anna Blue then said, from within her head. “Don’t forget that!”

“Ah yes. That.” Sofia then replied, and wrote that down too. “I guess that’s part of the package of him being famous, but oh well. I’ll write it down.”

Then, she leaned back into her chair and just stared at the poster.

How could she capture this guy?

“Wondering how you could capture this guy?” Anna Blue asked.

“Yeah. You read my mind.” Sofia chuckled.

“Well, I’ve been around you long enough to know what’s in your head. Besides: I’m literally in your head, bwohoho!”

The noble chortled, and then continued to look at the paper and think.


There seemed to be a paradox. How did he attract so much people, yet not any Marines?

Were the Marines giving a blind eye to his events? Or was it possible that the Marines were too disconnected from the underworld that they have no way to actually know? Or perhaps, he just appears there by surprise - but then, how would the crowd know that they should go? It’s not like so many people can appear at an event like that so often without much notice.

Why would such a notice not reach the Marines as well? Were all of the common folk in cahoots with this guy? Or just against the local government in general?

She scratched her chin.

“Why do you want to go after this guy anyways?” Anna then asked her. “It’s not like you have to do it, right? Weren’t we against Impel Down and all of that?”
“Well, yeah.” Sofia then said. “But it doesn’t hurt to get on the Government’s good side before we do that thing, you know? Besides, they’re touting it as this super humane place. It’s probably great. Hopefully.”

Anna narrowed her eyes. “Bullshit. We both know that Impel’s got something fishy in there, we haven’t been investigating for so long to just drop it here!”

“I need the money, OK?” Sofia then admitted. “Things, everything, is expensive. I can’t get my goals achieved with dreams alone.”

“You’re starting to sound like your father.” the Marine then said.

Sofia then just remained in silence.

“True. But my goals are different than his.” she then said. “We both acknowledge what’s crude reality. But it’s what we choose to do with that which is different.”

Anna shrugged. “Alright then. So, what do we do to find this Luchador guy?”

“It’s easy enough to know where he has been recently, because of the commotion of his events. The problem is to know here he is next, because once we know where he has been due to an event, he’s likely already in transit to a new place.” Sofia explained.

She then rose a finger. “So the trick is going to be to bet on where he is going to be next. There’s only so much distance he can feasibly travel to, to give his next show, and only so many towns within that distance.” she added.

“What we’re going to do is fish. We’re going to wait at a town and for an event to pop up. Once it does, we move in to get him. If he just doesn’t happen to have an event there, we just do the same again and wait for him at a new location. And so on, until we find him. Or if it just stops being profitable to go after him anymore.”

“So, we’re gambling.” the tiny girl then stated.

“Yes, we’re gambling.” Sofia then admitted.

“But with a system.” she added, as she pulled out a map of Momoiro. “He was last seen here, in this town. So, the furthest he can go are these other two towns. Which one is your pick?”

“Ugh. It really is gambling.” the little Marine then said.

“C’mon, just choose already.” Sofia insisted.

“Alright, alright. I, uh. I choose this one.”

“Yagtown it is.”

---

They arrived at Yagtown, and then they waited for the event to show up while seated at the city center at one of the outside tables of a bar. Rather, just Sofia did. Anna Blue was still just chilling inside of her head as usual, with the Gruntson brothers within her, as usual.

There had to be some kind of ruckus, they assumed. Some kind of big gathering of people. And then, there it was, people started to all go to the same place, down the same streets and alleys. Quietly.

Sofia assumed that it had to be the event, and so, she got off the table, paid the tab, and then started to follow them, to wherever they were heading to.

Eventually, she arrived to a massive coliseum, with banners hanging from it.

That were announcing that it was a fashion show of some kind.

“GAH!” Anna Blue blurted out from inside her head. “A fashion show? Really? We’ve waited all of this time and come all of the way here for this?”

“I told you it was a gamble.” Sofia then said. “It wasn’t guaranteed that we were going to find the event we were looking for.”

The noble then sighed, and turned around, to then see a man in shorts and a luchador mask have the same look of disappointment that they did, looking at the fashion show banners. Luchador Rodriguez.

They then turned and looked at each other.

“H-hey, aren’t you…?” Sofia started off.

“D-DON’T FUCKING TELL ME THAT THIS GUY MADE THE SAME MISTAKE.” Anna Blue yelled inside of her head.



“Luuuchador Rodriguez? Of course, my señorita. It is indeed I.” he replied with a thick Spanish accent. “You want an autograph of me, si?”

The noble shrugged. “Sure, why not.” she said back, and pulled out a paper and a pen. “What brings you here, Mr. Rodriguez?”

“The… battle!” he called out. “Which… There is not! So…”

“I guess I just did a little mistake. BWAHAHA!” he chuckled, to then laugh out loud while putting his hands on his hips. He then took the pen and paper offered to him, scribbled his name into it, and then gave it a kiss, to then hand it back.

“For a beautiful señorita such as yourself.” he then said. “And now, I must be off! Battle awaits!”

“Oh, wait sir!” she then called out.

“We’re going to get him here? All of the Gruntsons are ready!” Anna Blue then said. “We can shoot him down right now!”

The Castle Castle user then quickly made a clone of herself besides her Navigator and then it shook its head. “Not yet.” it mentioned. “Not here. Patience.”

“Yes?” the Luchador replied. “I wasn’t actually leaving yet.”

“Oh.” Sofia muttered. “Anyways. I was wondering if I could go with you. It’s always so hard to catch one of your shows! And I really wanted to see one…”

He rubbed his chin. Then he looked back at Sofia. “Will you pay for our transport?” he asked.

“I-I could do that, yeah.” she then said. She didn’t expect for a criminal like him to be of the kind of person that would bother with train tickets, but it was a fact that he only had his bounty just because of his excessive violence in fights. So maybe he was just a normal, albeit overly passionate, luchador in the rest of his life.

“Then of course you can come!” he cheered, and grabbed her hand. “I’ve always got time for fans like you. The train is going to leave any moment now, so we must be quick!”

The noble nodded. “Let’s go then!”

---

They both got spots on the backmost part of the train, by Rodriguez’s request. Apparently he wanted some extra privacy while he travelled.

“You could probably just do without the mask.” Sofia then said, as they were both in the same cabin.

“R-remove my mask?” he replied. “Never. You wouldn’t understand, señorita. I am Luuuchador Rodriguez. The mask defines who I am. Without it, I am not myself. It’s part of my soul. My being.”

“Oh.” the girl replied. Then, she went to quickly change the subject. “What event are we going for, by the way? I sort of just went with you in the spur of the moment, and I really am enthusiastic about seeing you fight. Just, where? Heh.”

“To Bollera!” he claimed. “There’s got to be some kind of wrestling competition there soon. I know it. I can feel it in my guts.”

“W-what? You can just…senseit?” Sofia wondered, amazed.

“No, actually I have a pamphlet right here about it - BWHAHAHA!”

Sofia then just looked at him with a deadpan expression.

“C’mon, soften up.” Rodriguez then said. “It’s just a joke.”

“I really thought you had superpowers for a moment there, Mr. Rodriguez.” she then chuckled.

“Yeah, I wish.” he then said. “Once I win enough of these fights, and get real big, I’m going to be getting one of them Fruitas del DIABLO!. That’s when the TRUE power of Luchador Rodriguez will become reality. And then, I can have real fights!”

“Real fights?” Sofia wondered.

“Do we shoot him now?” Anna Blue asked from within her.

“Not. Yet.” the mini-Sofia then stated. “We have to wait for the right moment.”

“What better moment than now?” the navigator insisted. “He’s right there. A sitting duck. Aren’t you going to take this opportunity, laid down here for you on a golden platter.”

“Patience.” she insisted. “Patience. Wait for my signal.”

“Yes, real fights.” he then said. “There is only so far that a normal human can go. I feel like I’ve already gone to the maximum potential of spectacle that can be achieved with just being… Human. But, with a Fruta del Diablo - oh! So much more could be done! More space for creativity, more possibilities! I just hope I get a good one, though, Bwahaha!”

“I see.” Sofia then said. “To be honest, I’m quite excited to see that happen.”

“I’m glad you are!” he boomed. “I live for the audience, after all. It’s my passion - it’s why I was put here on this Earth.”

“That’s a nice passion to have.” Sofia then said. Then, the train started to stop. They were approaching Bollera.

“Do you have all of your luggage?” the noble asked. “I was just wondering if you just always travel like this. With just your clothing, mask and nothing else.”

“Exactly so!” the fighter replied. “I live for my art. I don’t have any time for pointless worldly possessions, for my body is all I need. And, uh. My mask. And my wallet, Bwahaha!”

Sofia chuckled daintily. “Anyways, our stop is here.” she then said. “We should be getting into the hallway already.”

“Señoritas first!”

“Very well.”

She then made her way to the door of the small cabin, and started to walk out, and the Luchador followed closely after her.

“Get in your positions” her internal clone then said. “It’s time.”

“And why did you tell us sooner that it was going to be now!” Anna Blue then protested, as she got her rifle.

“Because I had to wait for the right time.” the miniature replied. “I didn’t know that this situation would come out like this.”

Then, the real Sofia suddenly stopped, and rose a finger. “Oh, I forgot something.” she mentioned.

Rodriguez bumped into her, to then say “W-what, yeah? HYUOOGH!”


Five bullet shots appeared in his chest, having been fired from castle loopholes in her body, concealed by the grooves in her dress.

The Luchador took a few steps back. “We-were… Something… Attacked me!” he exhaled.

Sofia then let herself fall against the wall and pretend to be able to barely hold herself up, while whimpering “I-I’ve gotten hit too! What’s going on?”

And as the consciousness of the wrestler faded, another volley of shots fired out into his legs, and the cumulative damage to his body made him quickly pass out.

Once the noble heard a final slam onto the ground behind her, she turned around, finding the Luchador to be on the ground, with a puddle of blood around him. Quickly, she bandaged him him up, but his face as well, so that his identity wouldn’t be seen. Then, she carried him out into the train station and finished tending to his wounds.

---

“Here you go.” the noble said, as she sat the unconscious man onto one of the seats in the Marine’s waiting room in Bollera.

“What is it darling~?” a man in a uniform and heavy makeup asked her.

“Luchador Rodriguez.” she replied.

“Wait, you’re… Sofia, aren’t you?” he asked. “I-I know you! There’s rumors from Jordsand tha-”

“I’m in a bit of a rush!” the noble then stated. “I’ve got to leave quick. But I hope that getting two bounties for you guys is good enough, heh.”

“Ah, sure.” the man replied, to then wave his hand in a girly way out towards her. “Just… Lay that hunk over there. Somewhere.”

The noble nodded.

“Forgive my rudeness but, my money?” she asked, as she pulled out the man’s posted from her purse and showed it to the man.

“O-oh! Fire, darling, fire.” the man started off. Sofia didn’t understand what he meant by that, because she was out of touch with Momoiro slang - she had just got here. But she assumed it was something good. “Here is your dinero. Take good care of it now~!.” the flamboyant Marine then said, and extended his hand to her, which had the check.

The girl took it and then stuffed it into her pocket.

“Thanks…” she replied, and made her way out of here, with a chipper smile on her face. It was a relief that she got to accomplish this and get the money. And now, it was time to get out of here.

“Anna?” her miniature clone then asked her Navigator.

“Aaaalready way ahead of you!” she replied. “I’ve got all of the sea charts ready, and the Log Pose all set up! Ready to leave when you are.”

“Perfect.”

“But, Sofia.” the short Marine then said. “That way you earned his trust, to then betray him - pretty fucked up, don’t you think? Like seriously, girl.”

“We’ll leave in the morning.” the mini-Sofia then said. “Be ready for then.”

“H-hey! What about my question?” Anna protested.

The clone sighed. “...What needs to be done, needs to be done.” she replied. “It’s not easy for me to digest this either, Anna. Sacrifices have to be made.”

“Easy for you to say! You’re not the one going to Impel!”

“Hrmpf.”

“Yeah, dodge the problem more.” the navigator then chuckled. “I get why you’d do this for the other noble guy. But this was all for the cash - in exchange for some guy’s freedom.”

The clone just continued to look away. And then, Sofia dismissed it, making it disappear from Anna Blue’s side. She didn’t want to talk about this.

[EXIT]