The scene opens up with Lucas walking through the front gates of a junkyard located in the slums of Baltigo. He was wearing a vomit green jumpsuit, his black boots, and a large backpack. The reasoning for this attire was for his work. He figured he had taken a long enough time from inventing with his little adventures with the crew. It had come time to get back to the grindstone and make some inventions that would benefit himself and the crew. He was whistling an upbeat tune while walking through the trash heap that was created by the inhabitants of the area. Lucas wasn't looking for anything in particular, granted he had some ideas of what he was going to make. He was here to just gather some supplies to be dismantled and resembled into something he could make. Luckily enough there was a small shack near the center of the place where he could use as a base of operations. This was a shack that was used as a means for the meeting with Gil and Spook about the Ball that was taking place in a few weeks.

The crew was off doing their own thing for a while in preparation for the party, Lucas figured he could do some his own preparing. It did not take long before he began to walk through the trash heap to find some materials. While moving through the junk he picked up various pieces of discarded tools and such. While whistling the cogs in his brain began to spin.

'Well I got some weaponry now but I need a better way to carry it besides in my pants and suspenders. Maybe I could fashion myself a holster and a backpack. Something that could be used for multiple weapons and gadgets. I know! I could make a utility belt! Oh oh and a tactical holster for the larger weapons.' He got a bit excited at the idea of making useful stuff like that. Because he knew if it caught on he could make a killing making inventions for people. Maybe when the pirate life calmed down he could open a shop of sorts for people to come and request goods. 'Maybe I could get Devroux to collab with on some new forms of weaponry. Maybe a super suit of armor powered by electricity of some sorts.' He chuckled at the idea of having an armor powered by electricity, it would be a leap into the future no doubt.

 

Looking around the trash heap Lucas spotted an individual hanging off to the side of the junkyard. She looked as if she was trying to murder a den den mushi with a screwdriver. He was a bit taken back for a moment, maybe the girl was trying to fix a malfunctioning snail or maybe trying to do what he initially thought. Knowing a bit about the technology he figured he make his way over to the girl struggling. Not to mention there seemed to be a nice junk pile full of scrap metal next to her. It was a matter of killing two birds with one stone. Well saving something in this case. Lucas moved very carefully over the trash heap as to not slip and cause a trash-slide onto the woman on the other side. Not to mention being so big himself Lucas falling on someone could cause some serious damage.

He managed to get a comfortable slide down the side of the trash and reached ground level once more. While sliding down he spied some near-pristine metal with fabric hanging off of it. It was something definitely to investigate while speaking to the individual with contempt for the den den mushi in her hand. As he walked past her he spoke, “Tryna fix it or kill it?”

His question would come off as a joke as he passed behind the girl towards the metal mentioned earlier. He rummaged around in the junk to make sure nothing would move while pulling the metal and fabric from the heap. Not giving the girl much time to answer, “If ya like I could take a look at whatever you are trying to do. Could save you and the snail some trouble.” Lucas was a multitasker, especially if he was already doing something. Even though at times it came off as him being rude, due to appearing preoccupied.

 

Sofia replied to the joke sounding a bit embarrassed by the whole thing. “It's alright I am only teasing.” He said while grabbing a chunk of metal out and looking over it with careful eyes. Sofia tried to be casual about her excitement but the inflection in her voice said otherwise. Lucas didn't mind really he was an inventor and scientist. Fixing or making something to help someone was an honor. He continued to poke through the metal while she told a small tale. After hearing the dilemma she was going through Lucas stood up and turned around. He got closer to her, towering over the girl he hunched over to stare at the den den mushi for a moment. “That seems like an easy upgrading, it's just a matter of fiddling with the properties of the snail and modifying it to meet your needs. I have heard of some of these kinds of snails already existing through abnormal means of course. Luckily enough for you, I am a scientist.”

Lucas placed his backpack on the ground and began to loads up pieces of fabric and metal into the large satchel. Enough to fill it up but not overload the bag with nonsense. He was pretty sure the Junkyard wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon. No need to grab a lot right away. “I can upgrade the little bugger but we need someplace where I can work. There is a shack not too far off from here where I can do it real quick...” As Lucas finished his statement Sofia reached into her purse and pulled out some expensive shiny parts. Stuff that could make this upgrade a lot faster. He wouldn't have to break down existing metal and junk. He could just use what the girl had and make the ordeal a lot smoother.

“Oh that will work just perfectly, and I am Lucas sorry for not introducing myself sooner.” He replied. He would shake her hand as a sign of his friendliness but being covered in dirt and trash wasn't too clean. He didn't want to get her dirty on accident so he just picked the bag back up. He slung it over his shoulder and began to head towards the shack's direction. “Come on the place is not too far from here.”

 

'Well easy for me,' Lucas thought with a grin on his face. Not that he was arrogant in his abilities just confident he could finish a task in a short amount of time. He had the right tools and that was the hard part. The woman was extremely formal which made him wonder how she ended up in a place like this. Not that Sofia couldn't take care of herself, more so just didn't seem the type to be on Baltigo. Everyone was always so full of surprises. Lucas smirked at the motion before trudging through the filth of the junkyard to the shack in the middle of the place.

“It's really not that big of a deal I only request that you remember me when you need something made. I need the work.” Lucas replied.

Lucas didn't mind it really, he was already going off to work on some of his own ideas. Adding something new for him to do was not that much of a stretch. He just needed a few moments to draw up the schematics for the signal booster. It wasn't too long before they were in front of the shack. Lucas pushed the door open, revealing a workshop on the inside. Two rooms, the room where someone used to live in and a small garage where work used to happen. Some tools were still laying around so it was just a matter of getting to work.

“Make yourself at home, I will get right to work on your request.” He said while setting the backpack down. He Walked over to the garage area where a desk sat with tools scattered all over the place. Lucas had made this a second base of operations to avoid revealing the crew he was on and the floating ship. He didn't quite trust everyone he ran into for good reason. There was no telling who was gunning for the captain. There was no reason to put everyone else in danger if said individual was dangerous. Lucas walked back over the large sack and pulled out the parts given to him by Sofia. Some golden wires, polished springs, gears, and a radio antenna. The next bit of business was getting the Den Den mushi from Sofia.

“If you don't mind I need your den den mushi to work on the attachment.”

 
Lucas put the equipment on the table next to the den den mushi that looked just like Sofia. Lucas first eyeballed the snail for a moment, looking for a proper spot to graft the equipment to. Sofia mentioned her contact information is on the side of the snail. Which Lucas took out his pocketbook filled to the brim with ideas and jotted down her information. He was trying to create a business even though he was a pirate.

Looking at the snail he figured he could place it on the right side. A small metal cube that would give the snail the ability to mass sends messages. After picking a spot Lucas then took the equipment and materials given to make the small metal cube. Due to being so small, it wouldn't take long to make such an attachment. The hard part was getting the small pieces to fit into place before attaching it to the side of the shell. It would take roughly an hour of careful placement before a box that was maybe a pound was created. The box was roughly 10 by 10 centimeters in terms of size. A small box that could fit on the side of the Den Den Mushi. The trick is to get something compact and near weightless so the snail could function normally and move around freely. Also, it was nice to have something that wasn't bulky in the pocket to carry around.

The tricky part was placing it on the side of the snail. Lucas got up and walked to the garage portion of the shack. He looked in his bag for a small metal plate. A plate that wasn't too big but big enough to place the cube on with four screws. Thankfully he grabbed some scrap metal. He removed a flat piece and took it over to the back of the room where welding equipment awaited. He took a moment to measure the metal to cut it using the blowtorch in the room. It was old but it still could produce a blue flame. Grabbing some gloves and a face-plate for protection it took to the metal with haste. He cut a small square out of the metal for the snail. It didn't take long due to its size.

He waited a bit for the metal to cool off. During that period he looked for some small nails he could use to hold the attachment in place. He grabbed the sheet, a screwdriver and some screws over to the table where the snail waited. Due to being partial, mechanical Lucas was able to pop the side of the shell off with the screwdriver in hand. That way he could patch the cube's cables into the pre-existing wiring. After some tinkering, he sealed the shell back up with the cube attached. It took little over an hour to do all of this. One would think that Lucas did this before, no he was just quick with his hands.

Lucas stood up and dusted himself off presenting the snail to Sofia. “Well I am done here, It should be able to contact multiple people and I have your information. I will call you when I get the chance to relay my own information.”

He didn't want to tell her his affiliation with the Calicoes for a clear reason. He was still unsure where this girl's allegiances lie. It was better to keep bits of his life hidden for good measure.

 

Lucas handed the project over and Sofia seemed pretty happy with the results. That was a refreshing feeling to know his work helped out someone in need. She cheered after receiving her product. Now finished with her project he figured he could squeak out two more projects before the day's end. He made sure to wait to see if his project worked first. After taking the device Sofia decided to make sure it worked on the spot. Which was the smart thing to do, if anything was wrong with it she could hand it back over to be fixed right on the spot. She made a call to someone she knew no doubt some crew members. The Snail rang a few times before someone picked up. Some words were exchanged before she quickly hung up. It meant that the gadget was working and Lucas had succeeded. He was excited to know he didn't mess up the small commission he picked up out in the junkyard.

Sofia shook Lucas's hand giving many thanks, “It was really no problem I am just glad I could help,” He replied. He was proud of the work he did on this day. Sofia then went on to explain why she needed this project done asap. A new way to transmit information could be revolutionary. He was glad that he could be apart of something bigger than himself. “A Den Den Show? Dencast? Sounds interesting,” He replied while holding his chin. Advancing the den den technology was something that most people have always wanted. It wasn't the top of Lucas's list, he was more into weapons design.

The girl seemed a bit odd but not more odd than what was usual in this world. Lucas was always used to meeting new people and interacting with various characters. With that Sofia said her goodbye, “We will meet again, I will be calling soon. Or maybe you will see me in the papers who knows?” He said with a chuckle. Sofia may not have knew it but there was some level of truth behind that. Lucas had some major plans for the future. Eventually his bounty would net him a lot of attention as it grows. Rolling with the Calico pirates was only going to make that grow. Even with a mask, his big frame and personality would become recognizable as time went on. For now it was best to stay under the radar until the time called for him to step out into the spot light.

Lucas got up and locked the door behind Sofia so he wouldn't be bothered during his little crafting session. He still had some work to do. He still had to work on his holsters for his weapons. A simple tool yet very effective. Remember the scrap metal and leather mentioned earlier? Well Lucas got back to work in the shop with haste. He got out a sewing kit that would let him stitch some materials together by hand. This was going to be a easy craft, it just took a bit of time to make what he desired. The first thing he made was a back holster for bigger weapons that he could sling over his shoulder. It was a black back holster for a rifle or shot gun. It is made of a mesh material that can survive in water and minimal heat damage. The holster is designed to hold the light and medium rounds for shotguns and rifles. It has one strap that can be affixed for all sizes of the wearer. This person being Lucas.

That took roughly three hours to make. Taking no time he made the second thing needed. This was a belt that is placed around Lucas's waist. The belt is a teal color with various pouches around the belt. The pouches are big enough to hold several smaller gadgets and tools. Since this is the first iteration of the belt it is not as refined-looking as desired. However, it does what it is designed for. With that being done night had fallen onto Baltigo. He had spent the majority of the day working on projects. Which he was proud of. He tried on both of the newly crafted projects. A bit of tight fit for his large frame but it was good enough for him. If it was tight it stayed close to his body and wouldn't fly about when he moved. With that, he cleaned up his mess and packed up. It was time to head back to the ship for much-needed rest.

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