Gil had found the Baron to be rather cozy once he got used to it. He had been used to the transient life for quite some time, but having a place where he was safe from the prying, persecuting eyes of the public had it's charm. A place to set up shop, so to speak. He had taken over one corner of the dining area and made it into a small clinic. He had had his eyes on a particular private room for a clinic, but as a guest he wouldn't intrude that much. He was here because once again, some poor fellow had fallen to some rather nasty poison. He couldn't seem to get a beat on this one either. It had a whole new string of symptoms to the one that had plagued Bazil. A displaced shower curtain was all that separated the rest of the muscle and their sick comrade. Hardly the privacy that one should expect while under care, but hey, if you're careless enough to join up to Jackal's band of merry men then you should expect some rough edges here and there.

Speaking of the mink, Jackal waltzed through the ship and spread apart the curtain. He then hauled an unconcious body onto a table-bed. "So this is..." Gil blinked three times, getting the gist that this was the poisoning culprit. At the mention of 'Gilly', Gil's eyebrows knitted over his black eyes and he looked pointedly at Jackal. Seeing the cheeky grin that was all too big for his face, the fishman croaked, regretting giving a reaction to the mink's tease. Gil would get up and look over the woman that had been given to him. Taking his time to give a thorough check up, he invaded her privacy without care to ask her.

"Well you see, I'm afraid I can't do that." He breathed in and out. It was a shame for them to part ways, but after the news he had received, he couldn't pass up this opportunity. "I've come across a rumour that what I have been looking for these past few years is on the island known as Baltigo. It could all be for naught of course, but this is the first lead I've ever had. I'm determined not to let this go to waste. I'm sorry Jackal. Thank you for the offer." He gave a tiny bow from the hips, the motion all too awkward for a usually deliberate fishman.

"I refuse your refusal to not join up with me"
Well now, that just plain didn't make sense. Gilbard sure did find Jackal to be a weirdo sometimes, though apparently he was the strange one from the reactions he received from the general population. It was a strange coincidence to see that Jackal was headed toward Baltigo as well. All the same, Gil's idea of fate wouldn't concern itself for individuals, mere grains of sand. There was something to be said about taking things as they went though. After all, a ship travels fastest with the wind and current at it's back. To be honest, the news that he had received had frightened him. There was a great many questionmarks awaiting him, and the idea of traversing Baltigo by himself was not one he looked forward to. From the sound of it, Jackal had a lot to deal with himself in the future. Maybe their cooperation would yield something greater than the sum of their parts.

"It's true, you're the injury prone type that needs a season pass to the doctors." Gil croaked, Jackal's cheerful jesting beginning to rub off on him. "Well, I suppose..." Gil shuffled in place, crossing his arms and thinking. "If we are going to the same Island then we may as well travel together." He shuffled again. That wasn't what he meant to say. "The problem is, I don't know what exactly I'm looking for. I left the Conclave in search of a 'miracle cure' that has something to do with me personally. A ship came from Baltigo with rumours of a miracle cure, and this is the first I have heard of such a thing in years. I have no idea what is out there, but I feel some sort of responsibility to this." It was his direction in life. Like a needle spinning toward magnetic north, he had begun this medical career to fulfill this responsibility. "I couldn't possibly ask you to assist on such an open ended task. But if you could, I would appreciate that. In return, I would be more than happy to follow wherever your 'will' leads."

Gil nodded, feeling the air was suddenly thick upon the utterance of his unknown goal. "Go enjoy yourself, I'll see what I can do here." The fishman spent an hour or so extracting Mo's poisons from her and using them to derive an antidote to cure the afflicted man. He took care to keep samples of everything for his personal use. Once Gil had access to a fresh sample of the poison, the act of creating an antidote was simple enough, at least for him. Those that used poisons usually only used that which they could cure themselves. With that in mind, the act of finding a way to locate that special something was a procedure. Gilbard produced dozens of samples of this and that, from formal medicines he had pilfered from the palace to the herbal concoctions he brewed himself. Like going down a checklist, he observed the reactions each substance had with the poison.

"... Gingerwheat extract." Gil applied his chosen cure to the poisoned man. It was a herb that grew like grass and had a spicy/sour tang to it. He balled up a clump of it and placed it underneath the man's tongue, letting his digestive juices slowly drip feed it into his system. By this point he had a lot of experience with poisons. From coral to creature, there were many poisonous things under the sea that Gil had experimented on over the years. The ocean was an appealing place to gather resources as it was one that humans didn't have as much access to as he did, so there was less chance that they had used it to it's full potential. After a few minutes, the man's condition was beginning to improve. Relief from the attack to his body showed on his face, the profuse sweating coming to an end. After finishing up with the personal care, Gil headed up to meet with the others. Finding them well into their umpteenth round, he slumped down next to Jackal and wiped his brow. "Looks like your man will be alright. Although if he keeps following you, who knows how long that will last. You know, after all of the fuss you've caused on this island, I am curious to know more about how you got here."

Gil raised an eyebrow as he watched the grunts pull up around their table. Like toddlers awaiting their story time. He refused the alcohol, politely excusing himself and explaining that he didn't know how the brew would affect the population inside of him. Listening to Jackal, he learned many things. About Zou, a place he had never heard before. He had seen a few minks on his travels, and witnessed a few uses of electro. He guessed at the fact that the minks were split up due to their sleeping habits meant that there was variation of nocturnal and diurnal behaviours. It sounded like it could be an efficient way to live, but Gil knew that divisions in people, no matter how small, often lead to friction between groups.

Gil learned that Jackal had been to drum before, other than their Christmas kidnapping. Although it was a sick coincidence that Jackal had also been a captive at that point too. He then spoke of friction between a gang of bandits. According to Jackal, he had some type of honour. It did sound silly to Gil, as being a thief was a profession that was meant to reap riches. Having a code of conduct seemed like an obstacle rather than anything positive in Gil's mind. Although Gil couldn't see himself partying up with anyone that took to petty thievery.

"With you... It's like... my heart won't stop beating."
Gil turned to Sinbad. "If you also have flushed cheeks and dilated pupils then you may be experiencing infatuation. Hmm nope, must be the adrenaline."

The mention of Pirate King came up. Gil shot the man an incredulous look. Pirate King was a dream that sailors stumbled toward with stars in their eyes. It didn't make practical sense to go for something like that. Although with Jackal's answer, he seemed to get the jist that this particular dream wasn't quite off the table. Maybe Gil was getting into something way over his head with this group. Though Jackal talked about retiring and Gil was sure that a king of pirates wasn't someone who was able to retire when they felt like it.

"Hmm I suppose there is no harm in sharing with you guys. Where to start... Well I left the Conclave a few years ago with a human girl with an incurable ailment. She had come to the Conclave with a crew of adults that were searching for me. For what reason I have no idea. There should be no reason that a group of surface dwellers would know of me."

"Anyway, the crew was massacred for their crimes but I managed to trade my exile for the girl's life. I am still not sure why I made that choice. Maybe I felt some sort of responsibility since they were looking for me. All I know is that it involved some kind of 'miracle cure'. From that point on I devoted my now meaningless life to the pursuit of this cure. This meant traveling the Grand Line and learning all I can of medical science. But so far, no such luck." Gil's raspy voice cut to the short and hairy of it.

Gil silently digested Jackals words. He didn't know if they applied to him. Maybe 'why' didn't matter, because that was all in the past. "Thank you Sinbad, everyone." He nodded in acknowledgement. The young blonde did seem kind and generous with his comradery. It felt strange to be included in something like this. But it wasn't all that bad of a feeling.

"The girl, well, I don't know if she's dead or not by now. I managed to find a family to care for her but her illness is terminal. There was nothing I could do for her. Even with all that I have learned from then, all I could do is prolong her suffering. Don't misunderstand, I don't care about the life of one human fledgling, but for the implications of this 'miracle cure' may mean." Gil nodded at Jackal calling it a night. He had had enough of talking for one day. Socialising wasn't his strong point. Heading to Cactus Island sounded like a good idea. Getting away from the mainland of Sandy Island and away from the marine infested dunes was a good direction.

So this was the beginning of his comradeship with a bunch of bandits. First they were headed to Cactus and then to Baltigo beyond that. But what exactly would happen along the way, it would be anyone's guess. The tumultuous era was gaining ferocity. However the stormy seas ahead looked a little more forgiving when others shared in his journey.

"Understood, Captain."

exit