Right and wrong is subjective, isn't it? In that case, it'd rather be wrong as many times as it takes to achieve my ideal of freedom.

Scanning the Ninth District Market place for materials for his dials, Jackal hoped to find at least one or two merchants who'd managed to stumble upon a few conch shells that'd be of use to him for his recent makes.

Alas, dubs all of them, and the trip the market, though never a bore, ended up being a complete failure in the sense of being productive. In center street, one occurrence was much different from anything he'd ever seen before, and honestly, as someone not too familiar with the outside world, though, it'd been three years since he'd been free, a sights of a clown dancing in the middle of the street, while juggling three metal balls, was indeed, intriguing to him.

However, the market wasn't as kind to outsiders trying to promote anything other than a product, so as the man did his usual routine, the force shoulders bumping into him to and fro, eventually brought him to his knees, knocking off his jester hat, which seemed to have a bit of a Christmas Theme.

Trying re-calibrate after the unfriendly bump, the man's third eye came into view to all around him, and the flyers he'd been handing out occasionally, would've taken back burner to everything else on his person. The murmurs from the gawking racists came in like clock-work, even though the marines had enforced the law about Three-Eyed Clan's men being equal, obviously, in sewer dump like Baltigo, the words of the World Government only acted as lighter fuel to already unquenchable racial flare. "Eew.. Look at his eye... It's moving... Is that real?" one of the crowd members announced.

Scrambling for his hat, his parchments scattered all across the street, the Bandit King slid from behind the crowd to the front to garner a much more personal view. Retrieving his hat, the members of the crowd began to scream and shout at the teen, "That circus has Three-Eyed People! What a bunch of freaks!"

"Those monsters are responsible for the chaos in the world today! I hope you all die out!"

"Monsters!"

Just as the Bandit King had enough, leaping over the crowd, jaguar mink landed in the inner circle of the crowd. Dressed in a jester uniform, the Mink carried a single long-sword at this side, and with much intensity, the Mink drew the tip of the blade, and smack the Three-Eyed Clansman in his face.

"My name is Dan Dan. I'm a worker at the circus! If my slave has offended you, then I truly apologize. I was overseeing his actions from a far, I assure you, this one is not a threat, we've already broken his will and his mind! I hope that this wouldn't discourage you from coming to our circus. Despite his race, the boy is the perfect subject for the knife throwing show!" the Mink, Dan Dan explained.

Biting his lip, blood began to run onto his Calico Scarf, draped in his brown hooded robe, the Bandit King surely just watched a bit longer, before it became to obvious as the crowd disbursed. The Jaguar Mink scuttle around like a mice following a pied pipers tune, giving out flyers to the crowd members, picking them up off the ground, one by one, until finally, the market had returned to normal. The Mink would quickly grapple onto the Three-Eyed, leading him down street, through the nearest alleyway, and out of curiosity, the Bandit King followed, trialing behind far enough that his presence wouldn't be noticed.

"Why- Why must it always be us!?" the unknown voice coming from the Three-Eyed Member exclaimed.

"Sampha. I warned you about leaving the carny to come out into this cesspool. Ignore the ringleader's orders sometimes, he doesn't have our best interest in mind." Dan Dan stated.

Propped against the one of the wall's that acted as the entrance to the alleyway, the Jackal Mink's keen hearing fed the entire conversation his way with perfect clarity.

Clutching onto the brace around his neck, "It's because of these cursed slave collars!" Sampha shouted. "I hate them. All of these humans don't understand us! My people we're slaughtered by them and now I have to work as their entertainment. It'd rather pull this collars switches and die-" Sampha's words were cut short from a massive backhanded slap from Dan Dan.


"You're only 18 Sampha. I've been with this circus since I was a cub. Through my own desire to see the world, I ventured from my homeland to become a pirate. After losing many crews, I ended up in their care. The Ringleader is a nasty man but I urge you, don't forfeit your life. I plan to escape this circus one day, and resume my dream of returning back home... to Zou. I'll take you with me." Dan Dan explained.

Breaking down in tears, "I know Dan Dan. It's just... I don't want to be treated like this anymore." Sampha stated, wiping his tears in his raggedy attire. "Let's get back. We don't have much time left until the show commences anyway. I'll buy you a drink after tonight's performance." Dan Dan stated.

As the two exited the alleyway, and entered back onto the main street, Jackal and the Three-Eyed Teen's Sampha's eyes met momentarily. A smirk filled his face, as Jackal remembered his good friend, the foolish Alabasta Prince who also carried the clan's blood. The shackles that'd been placed on him, even as royalty, the world they'd live in was constantly looking for groups to blame. Before the Pirate Era, it was the Revolutionaries, before that it was those who'd resist the World Government's formation and now, in a more modern context, with the appearance of the Devil Fruit, once again, the blame landed on another group, the Three Eye Clan.

Picking up a flyer that'd happen to left in the elements of the wind, Jackal decided to check out the show, just to inspect what kind of operation the circus had been running. With enough time dedicated, Jackal climbed onto the rooftops of the buildings in the district, using his claws as pegs to scale the structures. At the pinnacle, the Mink would leap from building to building, checking the poster for the street's address, finally, in the distance, after about thirty-minutes by foot, he'd stumble upon a red and white tent in the clearing, with it's own makeshift metallic barricades, put in place to mediate the massive crowd that huddled to get in.

Putting on his goggles, Jackal used their telescope option to scan the perimeter of the tent, circling around the buildings in the area until he'd made it to a clearing in the back, a kind of stable of smaller tents where the carnies housed. Leaping from the ceiling, and gliding several meters inward, Jackal land in the heart of the carnies camp but as soon as he landed, the cold feel of steel pressed against his head.

"Where in the world did ya' comeback from Mink. Are you dumb!? Boss said you can't sneak out on showday!" the woman exclaimed, chewing the gum in her mouth feverishly as the double barrel shotgun was in contact range to the Mink's dome.

"Shishishishi... Sorry. I lost my outfit... and my flyers. Some Bandits stole all of my possessions. I had to buy new clothes and- Look! Forgive me! I only got picked up in the last island, I'm new to this all and a little slow. Forgive me." the Bandit King stated, grovelling, assuming his character almost instantly. Jackal had forgotten this feeling, the need to assume a character to fool those around him, it was a life he'd often been accustomed to as a slave, a bitter-sweet kind of experience.

Lowering the gun, and chucking the Mink onto the ground by slapping him in the back of the head with the barrel, "Good. Once ya' understand who yer' masters are! Go and help the others carry out the Big Bretha! We're almost nearing to the main event. Don't forget your face-paint!" the woman announced. "Thus continues the curse of women placing guns to my head." Jackal thought to himself chuckling. Shedding his robe, and pillaging the tents for a circus performers outfit, Jackal finally blended in with the other carnies, however, the treatment of the non-human performers was atrocious, having to balance the tank with the Baby Sea King on their backs, with no assistance from the other staff, Jackal propped the cage down, and retreated back, scanning the crowd to see faces of all those in attendance.

It'd be then that Jackal would pick up on the faces of the Jaguar Mink from earlier and the Three-Eyed Clansman who'd also been in his performers attire in the back stage area. As the Ring Leader began his heckling towards the crowd, the sound of the whip lashing against the Sea King brought merriment to much of the backstage staff, except those who'd been on the other end of it for most of their stay there. One thing Jackal had lost was his ability to stay in character, as the blood lust oozed from the Bandit King, even the terrified staff that felt the pressure coming from the performer, dared not to inch any closer.

That sentiment sparked a fuel in the other non-human slaves, the Fishmen, the Minks and the one Three-Eyed Clansman, however, none of them even moved an inch, because unlike Jackal, they truly knew the consequences of speaking up. Right before the Ring Leader was about to raise his whip for another strike, the Mink stepped out from rafters, springing into mid-air with several explosive charges until he'd make to the tightrope, overlooking the crowd, but at the same time, a familiar face had stood up and voiced his stance, and even if he couldn't see Jackal with the distance between them, the goggles formerly on his forehead, and now on his face, made it even more obvious what was about to happen.

Hanging from the tightrope upside down, using his legs as braces to maintain suspended, the Mink chuckled to himself, "Beat me to it, Cass." Jackal stated, loud enough for himself to hear.

Skills:

Right and wrong is subjective, isn't it? In that case, it'd rather be wrong as many times as it takes to achieve my ideal of freedom.

Keeping tabs on the developing scene, Jackal tinkered with the cogs on his goggles to get a quick gander of the incoming Fishman who seemed quite peeved, and it was none other than his old Conrad, Cassius from his work with Ursa all those months ago. "Hey!" one of the carnies shouted from the other end of the tightrope, it was a woman wearing tight leotards, with fluffy feathers and shimmering material as it's make. "You aren't suppose to be up here! If the Ring Leader sees you-" the woman's statement was halted by the sound of the cracking whip against Cassius hand. Turning his attention back towards the floor, "Shishishi... You shouldn't have done that." Jackal murmured to himself laughing at the Lesser's Mink's ignorance.

Of course, from this height, and hanging upside down, it was hard to focus on any exchange of dialogue, especially with the nagging tight rope performer heckling him every other second. What happened next didn't shock Jackal one bit but ensued chaos in the entire tent, with Cass slamming his hands into the Ring Leader's Face, the once astonished looks on the carnies huddling from a distance to watch the defiant man stand up to their handler, altered into agitation and hatred. A few by foot, and another half a dozen by animal, from behind the shades, the carnies tried to encircle the Fishman.

"Showtime." Jackal uttered, releasing his grip from the tightrope, adjusting his goggles to regular 20/20 vision as he'd descended. In one smooth motion, the Mink would've backed the Fishman, lifting up his goggles onto his forehead, releasing his blood lust towards the incoming grunts. Who now froze in fear from the menacing aura that bled from the Bandit King. However, the animal driven carnies didn't stop, as the animals, mostly the rhino's and tigers, three and three, six in total, came charging out of more so fear than anything else.

"We have to stop meeting like this Cassius. At least over drinks or at the local diner like normal beings do." Jackal stated grinning. "I'll handle your rear... I'll let you deal with the leader." Jackal concluded, cracking his knuckles.

Right and wrong is subjective, isn't it? In that case, it'd rather be wrong as many times as it takes to achieve my ideal of freedom.

As Cassius focused on his own dilemma, Jackal engaged the incoming carnies atop the Wild Beasts, who'd now be within Jackal's immediate sight, close enough for the Mink to identify the finest details of their clothing, facial expressions, and overall demeanor. A mixture of fear and anger, combined into a swirl of frustration, as the being that stood between them, and their Commander and Chief, simply gawked at them awkwardly with a grin. Extending his right arm forward, the Mink focused Electro into the palm of his hand in the form of an electrical sphere, about the size of a tennis ball. Beyond speeds that any of the incoming foes could've fathomed [4], the sphere darted towards the center of their formation, with several electrical threads left attached to the ball, funneling the electricity from the power house that was the organically generating Bandit Captain. Upping the voltage, the sphere would've expanded into a wide dome about twenty-five meters wide, which was a bit excessive in size, but it'd ensure that none of them could've escaped what came next.

As the electricity surged through the carnies bodies, the ever growing dome assumed it's final size, electrocuting anything withing it's contents that couldn't withstand the surge to nothing more than burnt carcasses. It'd happen so fast that even the carnies didn't have a chance to scream in agony, the pain was so intense, they'd instantly died upon contact. The Larger Cats furs were singed, puffed like that of a rug singed by constant friction of alien feet. The Rhino's horns snapped from the condense electrical surge, causing the beasts to fall over, as their very legs incinerated first under the discharge's guise. Cancelling the dome, the remaining of the carnies that'd watched from behind the curtains of the tent, froze in awe.

Among them was the three-eyed, and Mink from earlier that he'd tailed from the alleyway. After watching the Bandit King's handy work, all of the wild animals in their care went wild, finding any and every route possible to escape the man's presence. Descending from the tightrope above, the gymnast, a woman by the name of Jade placed a pistol to the Mink's head. "Don't be afraid boys and girls! I got him now." Jade announced. This could've been nothing but the case, Jackal sensed the woman's descent way before her feet had even touched the ground but, if he could've pretended like she had some control, it'd lure the others out. Bending onto his knees, "You've got me." Jackal stated raising his hands into the air in a comical manner.

Curious to the Mink's reasons for surrender, Dan Dan wrangled a fleeing gecko, and grabbed Sampha by the collar as they'd rushed towards the woman's aid. Among them aback a Spotted Duck and another Tiger Beast, was the blonde curly haired woman in spandex leotard who'd placed the shotgun towards Jackal's hind earlier. "Dan Dan! Let's use this chance to escape now! Something's not right about that Mink." Sampha announced, paranoid. "I know. However, you've seen his strength. If we save him, maybe we can make it out of here alive." Dan Dan murmured, lowering his voice as they'd been drawing closer to the other carnies positions. Surrounded in a circular manner, the woman on the duck pointed her shotgun towards Jackal once more.

"You know... I'm kind of getting tired of women putting guns in my face. Female Lesser Mink's seem to gander amusement in this." Jackal declared. What'd happen next would've occurred in an instance, a surge of Electro would've discharge from Jackal's shoulders, from this instance, four electric wire would've shot off. The first line severed the pistol bearer's wrist from her hand, the second impaled the shotgun wielder through her throat, causing the gun to drop onto the floor; the third and fourth impaled the carnies in their hearts, leaving Dan Dan and Sampha alive. The bodies dropped onto the floor, and at the same time, the Bandit King rose to his feet once more. "Shishishi... Among them all, you two we're the only two who didn't harbor any ill-will towards me. Read it all through my Haki. Now, Mink and Lesser Mink, do you have some kind of business with me?" Jackal inquired.

Tossing the boy to the Mink's feet, "That boy wishes to sail the seas. It's been his wish from the time he'd been enslaved to this circus!" Dan Dan shouted. Peering over his shoulder, "What's the meaning of this Dan Dan!?" Sampha retorted loudly in frustration blushing in embarrassment. "There's no place for a old cat like me who isn't equipped for travels anymore. I'm tired." Dan Dan stated. "I like you elder. However, I can't take anyone on the seas who isn't useful to-" Jackal's words were interrupted by Sampha assembling his three part staff in seconds, and placing against the Bandit King's throat. "Bite your tongue. I might not be as strong as you... but I have a dream. I'm an archaeologist. I must decode the secret's left by my ancestors in the Poneglyphs." Sampha stated. "Decode? Poneglyphs? Unless you're Three-Eyed that'd be an impossible mission." Jackal rebuttal.

Smirking Sampha began to unwrap the head band that concealed his third eye, once unveiled, it stayed clasped shut. Until with ease, opening to peer at the Bandit King along with the man's other oculars. Taking a closer look at Sampha's attire, he'd remember something that sent thrills down his spine. "That outfit... That's a Helper's Attire... Did you used to work for Santa?" Jackal inquired, as his PTSD trauma from that year brought on cold sweats. "Ah. You know him? Yes. Head Elf Javis gave these to me during my time in his care. A little odd, a Three-Eyed Man dressed as an elf isn't it." Sampha responded grinning. Hopping down off his animal, and drawing his blade in one smooth motion, Dan Dan turned his attention towards Jackal. "Bandit King. From the Family of the Jackal is it?" Dan Dan inquired, extending his blade toward's Jackal's face. "I don't have much time left. My only last wish was to see this boy garner his freedom. I request a trial. As on Zou, I wish to die in combat." Dan Dan announced. The almost default smug look on Jackal's face turned serious, as he'd knocked away the man's blade with his bare-hand.

"You know what your asking me... Dan Dan was it?" Jackal stated, glaring towards the man with murderous intent. However, the Jaguar Mink's willpower didn't falter even a bit. "I wanted to die at Ursa's hand... A Mink strong enough to carry my will. I'm an old man now... So I'm aware that I ramble a lot. If you return to Zou one day, just fulfill this one promise." Curious, "Of course. I can sense your resolve." Jackal stated, facing the man eye to eye, regardless of the difference in their heights, as the Jaguar Mink looked down into the Bandit King's eyes. "I have a son. His name is Nigel. Tell him this, 'The Family is yours now. I love you.'" Dan Dan stated, raising his blade above his head to assume his battle stance. "Stop it! I won't let you die Dan Dan!" Sampha shouted, wedging himself between the Bandit King and Dan Dan's position. "Move. Get out of the way Sampha!" Dan Dan shouted scowling.

Raising his finger, concentrating Electro at his tip, Jackal fired off an electrical beam that penetrated Sampha's through his shoulder, and pierced Dan Dan in his heart. In one fatal blow, the Mink had won the contest far before it'd even commenced. Releasing what'd just happened, Sampha spun backwards to attack the Mink in rage, but Dan Dan's last fleeting move embraced the man in his arms. Coughing up blood, the Mink whispered these words in Sampha's ears, "In our culture, this fight started the moment I drew my blade. Don't hate that man. He reminds me... of my master. Sampha. Live Strong. If anyone can take you to where you want to be... i-t-" Dan Dan said in his final words.

A loud screamed echoed throughout the tent, the only persons left were Jackal, Sampha, Cassius and his men, of the living at least. Jackal gave the Three-Eyed his time to weep, as he'd walk over to the Fishman who now had the Ring Leader's hand in his grasp. "A little souvenir for the road. I never pegged you as the sentimental type. You've gotten stronger, Cass." Jackal stated smirking.  

Right and wrong is subjective, isn't it? In that case, it'd rather be wrong as many times as it takes to achieve my ideal of freedom.

The mood in the tent was similar to that of a funeral, at least for the carnies. The personages of Cassius's crew scuttled around gathering the adequate materials needed to house the tank that the Sea King was placed in.

"Shishishishi... I must give it you Cass. You never struck me as a people person. Yet you have so many crew around you... Interesting seeing this side of you." Jackal stated grinning. "I gotta keep tricks in the wing... A man like me with so many enemies after my head... A trick a day keeps the undertaker away." Jackal concluded. "It'd be down for drink... Let me just grab my latest crewmate. I know this amazing pub down by the harbor." Jackal stated.

Walking over to the Three-Eyed Archaeologist and Carny, Sampha, the Bandit King would snatch the man by the collar of his Winter Themed Sweater, and follow Cassius and his men for the next hour or so. Drinking Milk, and exchanging tales about their current activities in the world. Jackal would've filled him on his progress with Mother, his own crewmates, and any other whimsical detail that floated into the Mink's mind. It was nice to have a Conrad to drink with randomly every now and again, the pub was filled with noise and cheer, as Cassius men welcomed their latest nakama.

Spitting out his drink onto the counter, "Y-Y-You know about Pluton!?" Sampha exclaimed, partially to his own intoxication and the other half to the nature of the topic at hand. "Do you know how dangerous Ancient Weapons are... You might think that the information you've gathered so far is easily trusted but tons of those Three-Eyed Tombs your describing we're misdirecting from true history. If you want to truly acquire Pluton-" Sampha's words which we're paired with a very cocky tone was negated by the Captain running his tail along the man's exposed stomach tickling him into submission.

"This is a time of celebration. Save the knowledge for another time." Jackal stated grinning.