Devroux had been spending a lot of time as of late working on his blacksmithing ability. It was something that would, in the future, bear fruit, but for now it was a past time that was taking up a lot of his time. He appreciated the control he had when crafting his own weapons and the money that it brought in when he crafted for others, but he had another desire that had been welling up inside of him for a while now. He liked formulating his own plans and having them play out his way, but he had begun to like the feeling of foiling the plans of others just as much.

The mink had managed to make a name for himself in the underworld, albeit one that came with a high price on his head, by killing Clovis Adder under the watchful gaze of Garrolt Taylor. Although Devroux had little to do with the Underworld Emperor himself, it did feel good being arguably nameless and going against him. There was a similar feeling when he and Noctis had taken down Aiko and Aido, although to a lesser degree; simple bank robbers don’t grant the same adrenaline that you get from going against an officer of a kingpin and Underworld Emperor.

For the last few weeks he’d been using every bit of time he could to grow as a blacksmith, but it had given him ample time to decide how best he’d go about fulfilling this new desire of his. Although the best method didn’t seem like the most fun, having the backing of the World Government would be a great resource to have in his back pocket. For that, he had come to the conclusion that seeking entry into the Marines was the most optimal way to go after people; however, he’d also decided that he didn’t want to take the time of enlisting as an ensign and climbing through the ranks. He planned on doing everything within his power to enlist as a Commodore – nothing else would be permitted.

Yet, although the mink had decided on enlisting with the marines, he hadn’t planned out how best to get their attention in a way that would make him beneficial to their ranks at a higher position. He hadn’t worked with any marines prior and had no real experience working with a team – Noctis being the obvious exception. Without any of the necessary training, the only thing that Devroux knew he could offer to the marines was his raw ability. He was physically superior to a normal man in every way, which meant that was the one point he needed to accent to gain entry as a Commodore.

Devroux also knew that he didn’t have a bounty put on him by the World Government, meaning that his potential to enlist was greater than that of others. The one key thing it did for him as a basic citizen, however, was allow him to turn in bounties directly to the marines without having to go through some roundabout manner and losing profit. This means that the only viable way of getting marine attention short of working with them to take down someone big – something that in itself is a feat – is taking down a high-ranking bounty.

However, as Devroux sat in Teddy’s going through the pages and pages of bounty fliers that marines publicize, none of them were high enough to be worth taking and if they were, they weren’t located on Baltigo. The time and resources that would be used in hunting down a bounty on another island were, at this point in time, not worth the risk. After sorting out the bounties that weren’t on Baltigo, Dev was left with only a handful that he could work with. Wild King Takeshi was one of the bounties listed that was last seen on Baltigo, but at the mink’s current strength, it was too great of a risk taking on a 300,000,000 bountied pirate, at least one that wasn’t Jackal, who held a special place in Devroux’s head. The rest of the bounties were small, so he just picked one at random. Fortunately, the one that he had picked was stapled to another. It was rare that the marines did this, but this usually meant that the bounties were often seen together, so Devroux could potentially scoop them both up together and make double the money with one stone.

Although the draw was random, the mink decided this would be easy enough. Reading the rest of the small descriptions given on the bounty sheet, he finished the last of his drink and left the bar in search of information on his new targets.

WC: 783
Haki Stamina: 10/10

Equipment:

Doriki:

When tracking a mark, the easiest way to go about getting information is by talking to the public. People with bounties, people like R and A, were the type of visit pubs on a greater than regular basis, making those the primary sources of information. Yet, even if you knew the right places to seek out information, experienced trackers or career-criminals often knew how to cover their tracks and make being found difficult. The amount of bounty was often a good indicator as to how well someone would cover their tracks, although it wasn’t always accurate, to say the least. R and A, true to their bounties, were inexperienced in the art of masking their own scent, making the hunt a great deal easier than it otherwise could have been.

With each pub that Devroux entered, he’d get a finger pointing him in another direction. The wanted posters of R and A were enough to get reactions out of most people, so as long as he brought those along with him, it was just about doing the footwork and following each lead. Unfortunately for him, his starting location on Teddy’s was a decent walk from where he’d end up finding his targets. From pub to pub he’d drag himself further and further into the heart of the Ninth District, but as he moved closer to this point, the information that could be found was growing. Not everyone could point to the direction that R and A were heading, but there were more people in their line of business that knew what was going on in the area.

An auction had recently begun in the Ninth District that had attracted a lot of attention from big name figures. As rumors would have it, there were members of a Yonkou crew that had gained entry, and even the Marines had caught wind of the event. It was at this very high-level event that R and A were snooping around, searching for a mark of their own. It was merely hearsay, but the word was that they had been asking around for Bazil Styx, a pirate that had found his way into the News Coo a couple times on his own. The fact that they were searching for their own mark only increased the likelihood that Devroux would find them.

After finding out some more information on where the auction was rumored to be held, it was as simple as following it. Even if it would prove to be inaccurate information, if he had found it, chances are that R and A would be following the lead as well. Upon getting to the location, Devroux flew up and perched on top of a building overlooking the rumored auction house and simply waited. He kept his eyes surveying the crowd below, the bounty papers in hand to double-check on anyone that seemed to resemble his targets. It wasn’t until the sun began to fall that he spotted who he was looking for. Obviously, these roaches weren’t keen on moving in broad daylight.

A's Attributes:

The man known as A took the lead over his sister. As one would expect in a place like the Ninth District, they roamed the street with intention and dignity, without fear that someone would stop them – after all, everyone is a criminal here. A strode with confidence, the bow on his back hanging just as defiantly as he moved. Aside from the fact that he used a bow and worse a facemask, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the man. Devroux, however, couldn’t help but take an interest in his sister, R.

R's Attributes:

While A moved with confidence and was garbed in browns and grays, R followed her brother as if every step was taken with hesitation. The clothes she worse said something different though. Her white hair made her extremely visible in the crowd already, but the bright reds and pinks she wore exaggerated that visibility. She was eye-catching, even aside from her natural beauty. From the vantage point that Devroux had over the two, he could see that she was there to accent her brother’s fighting style with the bow, as R wore an ornate short sword at her side.

Fortunately, the same reason why these two could walk out in public was the same reason that no one would care if Devroux flew down on the attack. The struggles of others were of no concern to those in the Ninth District, who only cared about making a profit. Under that impression, Devroux spread his leathery wings and took flight.

WC: 762
Haki Stamina: 10/10

Equipment:

Doriki:

R and A were hunting their own mark, hovering around the auction house in wait to jump him when he – and if – he came out. This compliance is what made them so easy to find and so easy to attack. Devroux had taken flight off of his perch on a nearby building and as he closed in on their location, the wind coming off his wings helped clear out those below. The mink’s eyes were locked with A’s, forcing the sibling duo to pause and wait for their visitor to land. When within a few feet of the ground, Dev folded his wings and dropped the rest of the way, taking a knee to cushion the fall.

As he stood up, he pulled out the bounty papers for the duo, showing them their own images. “I’m here to collect. I need a little spending money.” With those words, R and A were instantly set on guard, A being noticeably more aggressive than his sister, who was showing fear. Yet even while A was aggressive and protective of his sister, it was R who spoke first.

“What do you w-want from us?” she asked. Her voice was shaking. To some, her passive behavior would have made her that much more of a love interest. “We didn’t do anything to you...”

“Shut up, R,” A hissed. The brother put his arm up, shielding his sister from the mink before them. “We have bounties. This is the life we chose. We’ll just beat him and be on our way.”

Devroux smirked. Pinching the bounty papers under his arm, the mink proceeded to clap his hands in a sarcastic, mocking fashion. “That’s what I like to hear! People with bounties shouldn’t be so complacent! Fight for your survival!” Devroux, of course, had no intention of letting people with less than 10,000,000 on their heads be anything of a threat.

Once again, Dev spread his wings, opening them wide and raising them high to make himself into an even greater image of fear. R, still defiant, reached for the bow on his back. A’s hands were shaking, but she followed her brother’s footsteps and moved to grip the hilt of her sword. The movements were slow and stead, making it that much easier for Devroux to move forward with a burst of speed.

In a split second, Devroux had covered the distance between him and his targets, moving fast enough to insert himself between the sibling duo before they could notice, much less react. A seemed to notice first, but R moved faster; both of them moving to jump away from the mink that had appeared between them. However, before either could, Devroux reached out and tapped the both of them on their forehead. This wouldn’t harm either of them, but it would tell his targets how much of a difference there was between them.

Both R and A were able to take a couple steps backwards, but they didn’t accept the message that they were given. R rushed in, her sword drawn, and took a couple stabs towards Devroux’s mid-section. Her head was ducked low when moving in, making it easier for her brother, A, to fire three shots from his bow towards Devroux’s head and shoulders. The tactic was smart, but they were unprepared for the reality of the world.

A was inexperienced in combat with his bow and moved for too slowly to make use of the power it granted. With only a portion of his attention on the bowman, Dev was able to gauge the direction each arrow was aimed and move his head before they were fired, making Kenbunshoku Haki completely unnecessary. R, while quick with her strikes, lacked any precision with them, nor did she have the confidence to throw them with real contempt. Dev used the wrist of his right hand, covered in a steel bracer, to parry each of the woman’s half-hearted strikes and saunter off to the side.

With another burst of speed and drawing Yoru as quick as he could muster, Devroux threw a slash at A’s mid-section. There wasn’t any time for A to react, but it was again not a slash that was thrown with the intent of harming the man. Instead, the slash was hollow and short, cutting the strap that kept A’s quiver on his back. Extending his leg, Devroux kicked it into the crowd and out of A’s reach. The man was slow, but he had his sister to cover for his lack of ability. R’s lack of confidence was gone as she rushed the mink attacking her brother, her fear losing out to her desire to protect her sibling. Yet, it wasn’t enough.

Her speed was greater than her brothers, but Devroux’s Kenbunshoku Haki helped him react in time. He whipped around with Yoru, swinging as hard as he could muster at R’s weapon. The strength that he had was incomparable to her own; her arm was forced to the side hard enough to dislocate her shoulder. The resulting scream from the pain was muffled as she crashed into Devroux, burying her face in his fur. With his left hand, he grabbed the back of her shirt and hurled her into her brother, sending the two flying a few meters before crumpling into a pile on the ground.

Yoru’s blade dropped to point towards the ground as Devroux walked towards the duo. His chin, raised, he towered over the two he had forced to the ground so easily. With the exception of a few scrapes and bruises from the fall and R’s dislocated shoulder, they were still unharmed, but were shaken.

WC: 942
Haki Stamina: 9/10

Equipment:

Doriki:

Skills Used:

The exchange between the three of them was brief, but a crowd hard started to form around them now. The three shots from A’s bow had very narrowly avoided killing someone that had unfortunately found themselves behind Devroux. Those three shots were all that was needed to turn the crowd against the sibling duo that now lay on the ground. On a normal day, the Ninth District would, for the most part, turn a blind eye to the quarrel, but injuring an innocent bystander was high on the list of things not to do. Because of it, the crowd that was beginning to form was hungry, waiting for the mink to finalize the capture of his pray and cart them off.

Yet, even amidst the feelings of resentment towards R and A, some of the crowd seemed visibly uneasy with the heavy-handed justice that Devroux was dealing. It had been less of a fight and more of a one-sided punishment before they’d receive the final judgement under marine watch. While R and A lacked the control to keep their fight contained, there were those in the crowd that pitied them all the same. However, no matter which side of this emotion these onlookers fell on, they all saw the same thing: A leather-winged demon punishing the weak.

R and A were no different. They were visibly shaken by the ordeal and how much they lacked the ability to fight back. In an instant Devroux could have killed both of them, but he had settled with diminishing their ability and will to fight completely. Even then, though, A put his arm across his injured sister’s chest, barring her from the mink as he approached.

“Why would someone like you take on our low bounties?” A’s eyes were dark as he scowled at Devroux. He knew he was defeated, but there was a part of him that struggled to accept it just the same.

Another smug grin crossed Devroux’s face before speaking up. “I told you. I needed some money. You’re the only bounties on the board right now.” Having practiced his delivery with the customers at Sam’s Smithery, he was confident that his lie sounded truthful, especially with the amount of satisfaction he was currently feeling with himself. Of course, he knew the truth of what he said. They were the unfortunate stepping stones he was using to gain entry into the marines. “Now, do you want to continue or are you willing to come with me?”

“N-no more. Please,” R whispered. “We’ll go with you.” The girl turned her tear-filled eyes towards her brother, forcing him to calm down and accept his fate.

“That’s a good girl.”

The mink sprung his wings open again, gripping them with his arms after returning Yoru to its sheathe and stroking hard to lift himself off the ground. Before flying off into the sky, Devroux grabbed each of his victims by the backs of their shirts with his clawed feet and hoisted them into the air with him. Together, they ascended into the sky as the crowd watched, their eyes seeing nothing but a beast hauling off his prey.

“It’s a long flight to the Seventh District. Make yourselves comfortable,” Devroux taunted.

WC: 538
Haki Stamina: 9/10

Equipment:

Doriki:

Gradually Devroux had become aware of just how strong he was becoming. Initially when he had set out on his journey from Zou he was only able to fly when he was bracing his wings with his arms, but as he had become stronger, that had become unnecessary for the most part. The only time he had to use his arms to brace his wings now was when he was carrying extra weight. Although two humans weren’t too heavy, he thought it best to brace himself for a long flight just the same.

The actual flight towards the Seventh District was uneventful. The wind rushing past the trio’s ears made it hard to converse – not that they had much to talk about, given that they were captor and captive. R and A had mostly given up any hope of escape, especially when dangling hundreds of feet off the ground. They were in for the ride, and they played their part well.

Devroux flew until the buildings of the Ninth District gave way to the wood and steel structures of the Seventh District, the place he had been calling home as of recent. Having made their way deep into the Seventh District, the mink descended dropping the sibling duo to the ground when they were only a few feet from it and doing the same for himself.

“Walk,” Devroux demanded. Neither R nor A were bound in any way, but the pressure that Devroux exerted over the two would be all that was necessary to keep them in check. R walked coddling her arm and A walked coddling his sister, peeking back at their captor every now and then as if he were going to spot a gap to escape with.

As the docks and Marine ships came into view, A spoke up for the first time since they had left the Ninth District. “This is how you live? Spoiling the lives of others just because they had a bounty put on their head?”

“The bounty on your head means nothing to me except for a source of income. But ruining your good time is a bonus, yes.” Devroux could hear A respond under his breath, but couldn’t make out exactly what the human had said. He wouldn’t let that go, however. “Speak up, child.”

A whipped around at being called a child, the anger in his eyes showing plain as day. R immediately reacted to restrain him and keep him from attacking, but she couldn’t stop him from speaking. “Stupid bounty hunters! You wouldn’t know what it’s like to get a bounty put on your head! Sometimes you’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time!”

Slowly, Devroux moved his hand to the revolver that hung at his side, making the motion obvious in order to threaten A and force him to calm down. “I don’t care what your circumstances are, boy. You’re not the only one with a bounty on his head.”

“If you’ve got a bounty on your head, how can you so freely walk towards the marines? Are you paying off those corrupt bastards?”

The mink smiled at the comment. Bounties were most often given by the World Government in order to incentivize the public in helping them take down criminals. It was common enough that it was understandable why A would come to that conclusion, but that wasn’t why Devroux had the bounty he did.

“My bounty isn’t placed on me by the marines. They have no ill will towards me, nor I towards them. It’s the underworld that wants me dead.”

A let out a laugh. Between gasps for air, he responded, “Whatever. Get on the bad side of a card deal? Lose a bet? What’s your bounty? A couple hundred beli?”

In a flash of movement Devroux drew Bart’s Axe and lifted it to A’s throat, cutting his attitude off with a clear and real threat of death. “Do you really think I’m only worth that much?”

R hugged her brother and a bead of sweat ran down A’s forehead. The situation had grown tense very quickly and the mood had shifted, but A couldn’t argue with what the mink had said. He had less than 10,000,000 beli placed on his head and lost convincingly.

“So, what’s your bounty,” he managed to ask, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“Walk,” the mink commanded. R and A turned back towards the road and the three continued to walk for the next few minutes without another sound. Cutting the silence, Devroux spoke up again, “50,000,000.”

The captives stopped walking again, turning back to look at the mink. A turned first, but the sum on Dev’s head made R turn as well. “That’s impossible,” A gasped. “Just who did you wrong?”

Yet again, A forced another smug grin out of Devroux. “Garrolt Taylor.”

Most people on Baltigo knew the names of the nine kingpins or the aliases they lived by. Among all of them, Garrolt Taylor was the most famous, having spread his name in the underworld as the king of slaves, but those in the light also knew him – the People’s Prince. Getting a bounty placed on your head by Garrolt Taylor wasn’t just a bounty, it was a promise of death. R and A knew this, but couldn’t muster up a reply to the idea that it was really true. They simply turned back and continued their walk towards the marine ships.

WC: 909
Haki Stamina: 10/10

Equipment:

Doriki:

Skills Used:

R, A, and Devroux continued the rest of their walk in silence. The looming view of marine ships docked at port grew closer, setting the mood deeper and deeper into quiet intensity. For Devroux, this was merely a delivery for some pocket change and hopefully some appreciation when enlisting with them, but for R and A the ever-closing distance signaled an end to their freedom, at least until they’d served their time. It wasn’t long until they had come up on the docks, greeted by marines scuttling about their work. None of the scurrying men realized the bounties that had just walked by them, no doubt because their bounties were too small to remember them specifically.

Waiting outside one of the ships was a marine donning a different insignia and standing with confidence. While the other marines moved about doing other jobs to get the ship in order, he was the one pointing fingers and barking commands to make sure it all got done according to code. If anyone could help direct him to someone that could help, it was him.

Devroux stepped forward, putting a hand on the shoulders of R and A before gaining the attention of the marine. “Excuse me, sir. These two are wanted criminals. I was wondering where I could deliver them.” He plucked the wanted posters from where he had pinned them, handing them to the marine.

The marine looked at Devroux, momentarily startled by the deep black mink that had casually walked up, but he took the papers and quietly looked them over. He waved to some of the worker marines, calling them over. “Cuff these two,” he said, gesturing to both R and A. “You sir, I’ll take you to my commanding officer. She’ll sort out your payment.”

The marine whirled around on his heel, marching himself up a nearby ramp onto the ship. As requested, Devroux followed the man onto the ship. The brigantine was larger than most of the ships that pirates were seen sailing, holding a great deal of space to house a marine unit of decent size. Once abord, the marine showed Dev to the captain’s quarters, where the man in charge was waiting. The marine that Dev was with knocked on the door before entering, revealing a large cat gazing out the window of his office.

“Commodore Martineli, sir,” the marine barked, gaining the attention of his superior in true marine fashion. “This mink is here to turn in bounties for R and A. I’ve already sent them to the brig and they’ll be prepped for relocation immediately.” He set the papers down on the Commodore’s desk, returning to attention by Devroux’s side.

“As you were, captain,” the Commodore stated. The voice that came out of the cat wasn’t at all what Devroux had expected, being very feminine. Furthermore, the voice of this female mink was much younger than one would expect of someone with the rank that she had.

“Yes, ma’am.” The captain bowed to his superior, even whilst her back was turned, and left the room.

A few moments of silence went by before the marine turned around, revealing something completely unexpected. “I don’t know why he needs to emphasize that you’re a mink. I can’t imagine I’m the only one.” This, however, was not the case. The female cat mink that Devroux had anticipated seeing was, in fact, actually a younger, human woman wearing a cat suit, complete with a collar and bell. “Now, let’s see what I can do for you.”

Devroux, usually adept at controlling his emotion, couldn’t even fathom the idea that what he was seeing was actually real. He rubbed his eyes, but the view didn’t change. The Commodore was real – a real eccentric. Her pretending to be a mink didn’t insult him in the slightest, but he couldn’t help but find the situation funny. He remained quiet though as the Commodore looked through the wanted posters and went through her desk drawers, withdrawing a blank check.

“You’ll be paid in full for your efforts. I thank you, and I’m glad you were uninjured.” She was formal, doing what she needed to without wasting effort making small talk. As she continued writing the check, she continued with a question, “Is there anything else I can do for you while you’re here?”

Dev had come in search of enlisting, so her opening couldn’t have made it any easier to ask. “Actually,” he began, “I was thinking about enlisting.”

The commodore looked up from what she was doing, her demeanor having changed completely. “Oh! Wonderful!” she said, obviously more enthusiastic. “I can get that paperwork started for you right away. The World Government is always in need of new ensigns to fill out our ranks. Do you have any special skills?”

“About that...” he trailed off. The mink brought a hand to the back of his head, scratching it lightly before continuing. “I was actually looking at becoming a Commodore straight away. Is that possible?”

Once again, the Commodore’s mood shifted. Having gone from apathetic and all business to excited, she was now in serious mode. “It’s rare, but the marines are fully capable of accepting people at higher ranks, given that they meet certain prerequisites. Of course, I would hope you didn’t bring two sub-10,000,000 beli bounties today in hopes of getting that rank. You’ll have to do better than that.”

“Ah, yes.” He had hoped, but Devroux had always known that it probably wouldn’t be any more than a simple talking point to get his foot in the door. “Just a small sample, I guess, to put myself on the marine’s radar.” The Commodore nodded, but Dev continued, “As a suggestion, what would you recommend as big enough to get what I want?”

Commodore Martineli raised a hand – or paw – to her face in thought. She weighed the ideas for a moment, but came to a modest conclusion. “There are many pirate crews all over Baltigo; any of the big ones would be worth quite a bit. That might be enough. Or, if you could get proper proof, a kingpin.” She laughed at the last idea. “Of course, they like to work in the shadows. They’re hard to pin down. Just take down a solid pirate crew, and you’ll gain someone’s attention.”

“I’ve interacted with a kingpin before,” Dev stated, attempting to sell himself. “I took out one of his drug lords, so he put a bounty on my hea-” he stopped, but it was already too late. The Commodore’s expression had shifted, her tone staying just as serious.

“A bounty makes you an even bigger risk for the marines. If you die, then we’ve lost resources training and supplying you. I can still enlist you as an ensign, but if you want Commodore, the size of the crew you need to take down just went up an order of magnitude.”

Devroux contemplated on the idea for a minute, but he wanted what he wanted and he’d do what he needed to do to make that desire come true. There was no avoiding it, and he couldn’t help but get a little excited about taking on a big-name crew by himself.

“Well, I guess I’ll do that then,” he said, feeding the Commodore a modest smile. “Thank you for your time. I’ll be on my way then.”

“Sorry to spoil the fun. Good luck on your endeavor, though.” Commodore Martineli handed the mink the check for the bounties of R and A, both he and her bowing to each other as Dev left the room. Having remembered his way to the room, he backtracked until he found himself on deck. Rather than rerouting himself back through all of the marines, he simply went to the side of the ship and leaped off.

As he fell, Devroux spread his wings to catch the air before he fell into the water. Running his hand through the ocean as he sailed over it, he beat his wings a few times to pick up speed, raised his altitude, and turned back towards the Seventh District and Sam’s Smithery, check in hand and a new goal set.


WC: 1,362
Haki Stamina: 10/10

Equipment:

Doriki: