"The Price of a Prank"

**Date Completed:** 1/25/2023
**Previous Role-Play**:
**Users Involved:** User:ClassyBoio, User:Rekka Elow
**Timeline:** 1585
**Setting:** Little Garden
**Characters:** Elow Rekka, Constantine Harp

We pan in on the tree line on Little Garden, you can see a crashed pirate ship next to a small raft on the shore. Zooming into the top half of a tree where Elow Rekka is relaxing on a branch holding a transponder snail. Next to is her unnamed pirate captain that was a week into his grand line adventure, and his arms a tied behind his back and he lays belly on the branch. The captain struggles -"let me go you fuck!". Rekka kicks him in the face nearly pushing him off the tree "hush, I'm trying to talk to the navy." Rekka talks nonchalantly into the snail's receiver "Sup is this the navy" she picks her nose.

At the other end of the communication was a small patrol of no-face marines, enjoying some lovely banter with one another. The sudden female voice made the three jump into position from their post atop their post. After the initial shock of hearing a foreign voice, one of the soldiers pieced together who it was. "Yes, this is the Navy. State your purpose", one of them spoke into their snail's receiver, the other two men seemingly defeated at the idea of having to deal with Rekka.

Fortunately for them, their time didn't have to come yet. Instead of going to deal with the psycho-bounty hunter, one of them whispered to each other. "Go get Private Harp. He's fresh off of training, right? He has no idea who she is!" It was unanimous at this point, an announcement ringing through speakers to the base requesting the recruit. Constantine Harp was sewing on a design to his uniform, one that wasn't about to be appreciated by his higher ups, when he was called upon. A sudden eagerness to serve radiated from the man as his coat was dropped onto his bunk and his body rushed to the lookout post.

Meanwhile Rekka still on little garden “Why can I fight a marine! you guys' suck!” She slams her transponder snail shut and it makes a small clacking sound. “My are the damn marines suck pussys” shouts Rekka. She looks at the scared captain she beat to a pulp earlier that day “I bet you get it, I'm sure they gave you lots of trouble for a 10mil bounty on your head”. The defeated captain responds, “What does it even matter I'm going to Impell down now… my crew abandoned me” Rekka laughs “They were a handful of cowards, you know what, ill teach them a lesson for you if i find them”. “Sure, why not” the captain says while staring down at his ship burning on the beach.

Before another word could be said to the hunter, their communication ended with a click. The now disheartened marines were soon excited once more when Constantine arrived to their position. "Yes, sir?", he asked, standing at attention. The soldiers snickered at his stance, returning it playfully. This rubbed Harp the wrong way, but he didn't question their authority for now. "We received word that there's a bounty at Little Garden. We... well, you are going to retrieve that bounty as your first assignment."

"Bounty retrieval..? That seems a bit heavy for a first assignment...", Harp questioned a little, causing the marines to look at him in disgust and disbelief. They were about to speak before silenced by the saluting man saying," It will be done, sir! I'll take a ship and retrieve the bounty from... uh.. from Little Garden!" The marines laughed at his stance, waving him off to complete the mission given by the crazy woman.

Harp had exited the base and went to the water's edge with a ship prepared for retrieval, anxiety gripping into his heart. He was a simple tailor before this, and suddenly trained to sail the seas instead of make the sails. "C'mon, Jericho, you got this...", he reassured himself with a white-knuckled grip snapping him back into reality.

About half of the day had passed as he was sailing, still adjusting to the sloop he was provided. There was a cage for something at least the size of a bear on the back of the ship, just behind the wheel. Wind blew into the mast, pushing the wooden vessel forward as quick as it could go with the tide. Harp was enjoying a small meal on deck when the island started to briskly take over his view, the distinction between grass and tree growing as he grew closer.

Suddenly a gunshot rings out from the island. A few seconds passed before the side of the small marine ship he was sailing makes a loud sound and some wood splinters off. It seems he was hit. The sandwich he was eating basically flew out of his hands from how hard he flinched, rushing to the side to view the damaged hull. "Damn it! They didn't say I was going to get attacked!", he complained, a little relieved that no water was filling the ship. Another shot rang out and the same as before 8 seconds then impact on the ship, then another and another. This happened for a couple minutes for a total of 12 or 13 shots, Harp had lost count out of fear when one of the shots went through the hull and sounded like it hit close to him.

Another reason he couldn't keep count was because he was continuously trying to ensure nothing penetrated his ship, knowing his ass was grass if he lost it on the first day. Harp crawled onto the top deck and loaded up a cannon to be fired, now having the assailant's position pinned down. "Stop firing, or I will use force!", he shouted to the island, the waves overtaking his words so nothing could even reach whoever was shooting.

His helpless screams where interrupted by the annoying sound of a transponder snail "bada bada bada... bada bada bada..."

Harp stopped his movement to glance to the snail making noise, quickly answering it with confusion. "Private Harp of the Navy", he answered professionally, as if he didn't just scream a threat to whoever was on the island. He hears a girl laughing through the snail, "Wait Wait Wait, they sent some Private kid this time. Thats great", "How long have you been in the Navy kid."

The man huffed at being called a kid and his authority challenged once more. "I've... about a month. And I'm not a kid, I'm 21!", he announced childishly, wanting the teasing to stop even for a moment," That's beside the point! I was told you have a bounty you need to collect." She responds, "Alright Private man, first of all got the bounty right here." somehow, he could hear that when she said man it sounded as if she had used finger quotes. She continued "What makes you think that cannon could hit me from here, you are roughly 400miles out."

That response made Harp think for a moment, questioning if he wanted to be a sniper or not. Deciding against it, he simply sighed into the receiver. "Well... I don't know, I could've tried at least", he admitted in defeat. He soon returned to the helm, steering closer to the island with the snail resting on a nearby podium. "Don't shoot, I'm coming in to pay and receive." As harp says that one shot rings out and instantly, he could feel the bullet was very close to hitting his head, to the point he felt as if he lost a couple hairs. Her sick laughter comes through the snail once more.

”You almost shot me!”, he shouted through the snail, hiding behind the cover of the sloop. He couldn’t bring himself to peak over even the smallest bit of wood unless he was adjusting the ship. She was deranged! His anxiety was spiking, some of his hair falling out, and he couldn’t tell if it was the hair shot off or just stress. The snail blares out "GAHAHAHAHA, alright i have had my fun come out and ill come down from this tree."

Harp was entirely ready to end this trip he had been assigned. Not only was this bounty hunter absolutely crazy, he was almost sure he wanted to retire on the spot. This job wasn't something worth dying for! Well, at least not yet. His ambitions were far to great to give in to one person's methods just yet.

The ship eventually docked near the shoreline, Harp waiting with the ship and the board connecting it to land. He had a gun at the ready, though it appeared to big and heavy for the man to wield properly. His eyes eventually laid upon the woman bringing the captain in with him bound in ropes and a gun in her hands. Her eyes widen after seeing his gun "Thats a sweet piece you go there, do you know how to use it?" She remarks. "Shoot me with it" she tosses the capture out of the way all while staring deep into the kid's eyes, with a peering glare only someone unafraid would have that.

The gun in his hands, a standard-issued flintlock from the looks of it, was held nearly limply in his hands as he held it. Harp didn't have the courage to genuinely shoot someone, so he just shook his head and assisted the captured pirate onto the ship. The bounty was successfully secured in the cage, the weapon stored in the belt of the marine, and the small bag of berries safely held out for the hunter to collect. "Thank you for your service, Elow Rekka. If that will be all, I'll be on my way." She seems pissed as she says, "your no marine, didn't even want to have fun... you know..." She turns with a grin, "Im a pirate now."

Private Harp stopped in his tracks, looking back to the... pirate? "What do you mean?", he asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. Even the pirate in the cage was confused. "You heard me, I'm a pirate now." shes smiling, "Bounty hunting was boring so now I'm going to be a pirate... Thats not a problem i assume?"

"It's not a problem... I think? I don't know, I wasn't really given the protocol on how to deal with this... I guess you're free to go, considering there isn't a bounty on your head." Harp shrugged off the statement of the woman, approaching her with a hand held out for her to shake before saying," Doesn't matter to me. If a bounty comes on your head, and you're ever around here again, keep in mind I'll be hunting you down." It wasn't meant to be a threat, more so a good luck from one dreamer to another. "I won't shake the hand of a coward, come back when you have the balls to fight me kid..." she walks off kicking a rock angrily into the woods. She stops to say "tell the boys back at the base this pirate heading to the east.

"I'm older than you!", he declared with a huff, folding his arms. The coward comment he could accept, he knew he wasn't the bravest, but he wouldn't stand to have his age disrespected. "The next time we meet, it'll be on sight. You'll know it's me!" His little declaration of war against the ex-hunter ended the conversation between the two, the smaller ship Harp was sailing soon leaving shore to return to base.