A Fashion Escapade

**Date Started:** January 10, 2020
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Next Role-play:**
**Users Involved:** User: Kingdoritoz
**Setting:** Taute Haute, Paradise
**Characters Involved**:
* **Pirates:** Balmain P. Bairon, Heussaff Yvonne, Chanel Cherry, Archie, Laurant Lillie
* **Marines:** Seimei, Mitsugo Kirinji
* **Mentioned:** Belanciaga D. Catherine

## Lights, Camera, Action!

Men and women ran from one corner of the room to another, as they gathered recording equipment and set up the stage for the big shoot. The noise of screaming fans could be heard just outside the club, the doors banged with excitement as journalists and bloggers alike tried to get a scoop of the show before it started and maybe an interview with the man of the hour. A young boy in his late teens with stunning black wearing the iconic Balmain winter hat, handcrafted from real genuine albino lamar mink hide, a fantastic piece of art made right here on Taute Haute. A mechanical mobile island, home to many of the region's most popular restaurants, fashion shows and parties located along the busy seas of Paradise.

If one were to tread further inland they would encounter entire streets littered with clubs radiating bright lights and colours, fast talking businessmen with miniature den den mushi in hand, conducting business on the fly. I would list the girls but beautiful women were a common sight here so it would be meaningless to ponder the topic. The same could be said about the cuisine, the smell of exotic food and wine drenched the streets. Tonight though, upbeat music wailed throughout the city as young men and women waited in line to get inside the Madam Ruth Casino, a castle of a casino right in the middle of the island, but first they had to get past the bouncers. Some got up as early 2 am just to get in line. This was the place to be.

The fuss? It was the debut night of the Balmain Fashion Chateau's flower dance tribute show and in honour of this the manager decided to host their first interactive fashion show alongside the tribute there at the casino. A fun little show where, on top of their own models, the townsfolk could come and model custom clothing of their own design. The winner would then receive a cash prize of  50,000,000 to open up their own boutique under Balmain Fashion Chateau name, securing them a place amongst the upper echelon of fashion.

Tensions were high amongst competitors and models, alliances formed and friendships faltered. Bairon swore that some of these ladies glares could cut clean through diamond, I mean some of these girls looked as if they were ready to claw his eyes out if they didn't win. But with his security detail our here tonight he didn't feel that concerned. He had hosted fashion shows before but none compared to the size and volume of the one tonight. He was a bit intimidatimed but he wanted, no he needed, a large audience anyway, especially for his big showstopper.

"Sir Bairon the models are all in their appropriate positions and the special guests are being shown to the VIP lounge.", a rather short fellow bluttered whilst wiping the sweat off his forehead, walking alonside the teen "And just as you have requested, Lord Chuuchuu and his mistress are both seated far away from the Larrimores Family but the Garelds demand to sit a bit closer to the stage, on account of Lord Nathaniel's terrible eyesight. Do you know that the poor man one mistook a peafowl for his wife. Gigigi! A peafowl!"

"Yes, yes. I heard you the first Francois." A red glint shone in his eye as his boss stared down upon him "Do you recall what I said the last time, Francois? No? Well, let me help you. The Queen and her daughter are to be seated in the front row. No exceptions." He wanted to have a clear view of the two throughout the show. The could be no variables. No chair could be out of place and no lights on in the wrong sequence. "1980,1990, 2000? Ah, great! Its seems as though for once you did good Francois. In that case, I suppose you can start letting in our other guests while I prepare the models for the big moment." It was their time to shine. Pushing the backstage curtain aside, he made his way past the worry warts who were the stage directors to the dressing room.

Within minutes sounds of glee and joy bounced off the club walls like a jackrabbit out in the countryside, the sounds intensified as the man of the hour himself made his way down the catwalk alongside an entourage of his models lined up behind. Reporters scurried to the sides of the stage, camera Den Den Mushi flashed others beeped a red light as they began broadcasting the show live.

"3,2,1, and action!" A woman with a camera in hand whispered as she signalled her crewmen to encircle the stage. "Someone be sure to get his good side."

"But mam' you know how he is about sides! As long as it's a side it doesn't matter, they're all good!" One assistant joked. Giggling a bit the camerawoman quickly composed herself and retorted, "Of course! But don't let him hear that, his ego is inflated as it is!"

Cough, cough!

He cleared his throat, silencing not only his entourage but the crowd as well before speaking. This was a big day, not only for him but his entire team. This was the make or break part of his career and he intended to blow up, but to do so he needed his grand opening speech to be, well, grand.

A wide smile swept across his face in one sweep, one hand in his pocket while the other waved. He shyed away from the cameras but it was nothing more than a ruse. He enjoyed bathing in the limelight. "Firstly, good evening ladies and gentlemen. I am so honoured to be hosting this year's flower dance tribute and more to be blessed with the presence of Her Majesty and her daughter, Princess Yvonne." The teen clapped his hands together and soon after others followed suit. "Come on, ladies and gentlemen put your hands together for the ruling family of our magnificent mecha island!"

As if brought to life by the constant cheering and praise the two simply stood up, greeting their subjects in one wave of a hand before sitting back down on their behinds. The two didn't seem to care much for the other guests but her daughter did seem to be keeping an eye out for Bairon, staring at him for the longest time before realising he could see her. In response the teen offered his hat and took a bow in front of her before standing up straight once more. The crowd could see the chemistry from the two. It was as electrifying as the atmosphere here.

"Ladies and gentlemen before we begin to have a special announcement to make." His guests whispered in confusion whilst others merely puffed at the prospect of waiting any longer and while he couldn't blame them, I mean some of these people had come from as far as the south seas, he just felt that he needed to do this. "Well, to be honest with you it's more of a story than an announcement but it's importance remains unchanged."

"Four years…"

"Four years since that fateful day…"

"The day on which my mother, the o só noble revolutionary, met her end by the hands of the same man that she had entrusted her heart to, the one that she had grown to love. The same man who despite her mother's warnings whose child she bore inside her for fourteen painful months…"

"My father…"

"She spent nearly thirty four hours in the delivery room, some of the worst moments of her life, all for naught. Maybe grandma was right, marrying that bastard was a mistake that should have never crossed her mind in the first place. I mean, what was she thinking when she fell in love with a marine officer?"

"A marine of all things?"

"But hey, love has a funny way of working out right, right? I mean there were tales of Fishman and people wedding and starting families surrounding the Red Line, so anything was possible at this point. In essence there were more or less the same, both in mind and physiology. But in this case it was a matter of ideologies, a marine and a rebel. Rejirejireji!! I mean whoever came up with this pairing of was either a fuckin' mastermind or a real asshole. Because this shit is straight up laughable."

"But on a serious note, and this is coming from me, her son, my mother was a bitch. A stupid bitch and for god knows what reason I pity her poor soul! Not that she cared much for me though. She was always too busy working on securing "our" freedom to enjoy some of that which we already had. She made that abundantly clear through her constant beatings and days of starving me. But hey, part of me feels for her. Felt for her. And well, for the most part I did care about my mother, the part of that wasn't a stone cold revolutionary."

"But yeah, obviously by father didn't feel that way so he betrayed her. Her own husband no less. Divulged information on her friends, got them arrested her too and for what a measly badge of honour. Ludicrous. Though I guess the old timer felt somewhat bad. Why else would he get into drugs, leave me on the doorstep of some stranger he hardly knew or flee the island with some mistress, someone else he hardly knew, and not with his only begotten son?" Whispers and murmurs engulfed the museum as he spoke looks of concern and worry painted on the faces and souls of the onlookers but before anyone could comment.

"Guilt perhaps? Joy at the prospect of losing his cover? Who knows really? Certainly not me, that's for sure but whatever turned him into that wasn't the thing that turned me from a lowly street rat into one of the most reputable businessman on this floating rock. So, screw him right?!" Laughter erupted from each corner of the studio as the young man spoke. A brief silence encompassed the room before he would speak again.

"Within these past four years I have founded and ran one of the three largest businesses on our island, provides jobs for thousands and brought new life to our land, and if I may add, all before reaching 21." The teen slowly turned around a full 360°, soaking up the praise and laughter of the crowd. He revelled in such things and people praising him was just the thing he needed to stomach what he just said. It wasn't often that he admitted that he begged for money and food. Or that his mother a rebel leader but the truth had to come out somehow and today was the day it did.

"And while I do understand that most men would be content with just that but not I, Balmain P. Bairon. You see here at Balmain Fashion Chateau hope to someday push our business into the area of other seas, starting with the New World. We have already received permission from the World Government to cross the Red Line and to distribute our product there, on the other side of paradise."

The crowd gasped at such a claim. No one had crossed the Grand Line in years now and even if they had they were those people were never heard from again. Whether it was because of a shipwreck or the work of simple signal interference, nobody knew. Any other person would have been content with what they had here in Taute Haute but not him. He had a deep greed. Money, fame and women. He wanted it all and he knew just how to get it. He had enough influence here and because of him there wasn't a single person on the island who didn't own at least a scarf made by the company, even the poor did, courtesy of their countless charity events. "Now away from my daydreaming, I think that it's about time that we got this shindig underway right. What do you think, ladies and gentlefolk! Should we let the mice out to play?"

"Kejikejikeji, it's so swell it rhymes. We at hope Balmain Fashion Chateau hope that you have a good time and to you aspiring designers and fashionistas good luck. Good night, ladies and gents!" Taking a bow, he made his way backstage as some of his models followed suit while others made their way onto the catwalk.

A few weeks ago...

Puru. Puru. Puru. Puru.

The sound went on for a while before his assistant came in the room, holding the source of the ruckus, a ringing Den Den Mushi. Ignoring the call further it rang for another ten minutes, the teen too preoccupied with filing his nails to take notice, it was not until his agitated assistant pressed the green button that it was answered, smashing the thing right into his face.

"Hello?" The voice of a young woman escaped from the snail phone.

"Hello there? Is this the Balmain Fashion Chateau? The woman repeated.

"Of course, mademoiselle. This is the manager speaking. But before I can help may I please inquire as to where you obtained this number." the teen was at a loss for words. How could a mere customer get his numbers and have the audacity to call him.

"We have a special order for the upcoming fashion show. You see, my daughter Natalia and I were hoping to grace the audience with our presence in style. My daughter is quite unwell you see? She us simply dying to try on that new white whale Fishman skin dress that the whole town's talking about."

"I'm sorry mam' while that's great and all we don't quite offer that sort of product. You see, all our materials are locally sourced and unfortunately for you Fishmen are a bit of a rarity around these parts but I could offer you a deer mink dress instead I'll even throw in a matching hat free of charge." He said pushing the Den Den Mushi out of his face and into his hands, sending a harsh look her way "I'd be glad to handcraft this myself but I must ask just who are you? I can tell from your mannerisms that you're quite high ranking but I can out my finger on who you are. Care to tell?"

"Hmm, on second thought, I think I'd like to order one for myself as well and maybe a pair of white pearl slippersfor me and my daughter. Okay! I lie maybe just for me–." the mystery woman cleared her throat before apologising, "Oh I am sorry about that, Bairon dear. This is Your Majesty speaking. Perhaps I should clear"

"Uhh? Is this a joke?" the teen questioned, puzzled by the nature of the call. He had not seen his stepmother in months and now she just randomly him for a last minute order? Typical.

"For heaven's sake, I raised you Bairon. Honestly though, I swear your memory continues to worsen just as you ego grows." his stepmother teased, giggling a bit under her breath. She was fond of the boy.

"Oh, Mrs. Heussaff it's an honour to be graced with your voice once more. I'll get on it as soon as possible but tell me where is your daughter?" Bairon inquired, opening his office doors slightly, his eyes widening in surprise. Impossible! "Ahh? I'm so sorry, Mrs. Heussaff but it looks like I'll have to get back to you on that one. Something's come up. Good bye! And sorry again!!"

"Don't worry about my sweet I'm sure that–" pressing a button her phrase was cut off from the Den Den Mushi thus ending the talk.

Thud!

Puru. Puru. Puru. Puru.

"Hello? Hello?" The woman sat on her throne as her face scrunched up, "What the hell! Did he just hang up on me! The audacity! I'll have his head for this! Geralt go get me my katan–" As her soul raged out as she had an epiphany of sorts. Last she checked her son was a pompous know-it-all who enjoyed the spotlight, no matter who he had to push to the side. For him to do something like this, to ignore the spotlight, was so unlike him. Unless of course… but no. There was no way. Or was there? "Cancel that command Geralt! Where is my precious Yvonne?!" Her face tearing up as she ran out of her chair in search of her troublemaker daughter. She burst into her room as if she were a hungry glutton in the middle of a buffet.

Her eye twitched and her teeth grit "Of course it's empty..." That was the sight she was met with and if she wasn't there she could only be at one other place. Her colour flushed to floor. "Oh no, please tell me you didn't… ' ' 'YVONNE!!!' ' '"

A black pen spun around his fingers as his crimson eyes remained locked on a single piece of clothing in his workshop. A two piece leopard print suit outfitted. It was the piece that he had custom designed for the empress. Sure, it was meant to finish her off but it didn't mean that she had to die in an ugly fashion. Just as he was making the necessary changes to the outfit a voice rang from the other room as his doors flung open. "Mademoiselle! Mademoiselle! Monsieur Balmain has asked for the utmost privacy as he works! Aargh!" A man came tumbling into the room and behind him was the same dangerous predator he had kept at bay for the last 30 minutes. Its name? His stepsister. Or rather his adoptive sister.

"Oh, mademoiselle this? Oh, mademoiselle that?" the woman repeated sarcastically, clapping her hands like a drum solo before throwing her hand in the air. The vonne paraded around the room as if she was on the catwalk, "Who the hell do I look like to you?

Raising a single shaky finger his assistant responded "A princess in rags?""

"I thought I told you, Rackii, to stop calling me that and what do you mean 'rags'?! This 'rags' cost me millions! Millions!" She paused for a moment, seeing the assistant's puzzled face, before pinching the temple of her nose. Hopeless. A deep but calming sigh left her lips, shaking her head of disappointment she turned her head towards the grown up in the room, despite the stocky man being much older. "Bairon. Baby. What the hell have you been teaching these guys? How to be a bunch of wusses?" Hearing this the mortified assistant tried backing out of the room slowly but he was pulled back by a rather simple headlock. Rustling his hair a bit the princess ran her arms across the man's shoulder before gnawing inches away from his ear, grinning "Gimme two minutes with these guys in the ring and watch, by the time I'm done with 'em they'll be as tough as nails! And ready to pierce eyelids!!"

"Oh, is that so? A pop culture reference huh? That's new. You must've picked it up on your trip right? If I had to recall, you and Mrs. Heussaff were somewhere off in the South Blue enjoying the beaches there or did you jump ship and swim all the way back here just to see me?" He said putting one foot on top of the other as he sat in his chair, smirking. "Well? Which is it? I honestly couldn't care less but I do enjoy the look of rage in your eyes. It suits you perfectly."

"Ugh, no dumb, dumb. For your information, snake eyes! We just got back two days ago. Mama got sick of the endless sand so she had me pack my bags and come on home. And by the way, me being here is nothing more than a formality." she replied bluntly.

"Don't forget, we have got some serious business to discuss. Alone?" Sending a sharp glare his way Yvonne dismissed the frightened assistant with a simple snap of her fingers. "And don't forget to lock the doors on your way out shrimpy!"

"It's Francois!" The man shouted, slamming the doors behind him before scurrying down the passageway outside. He was scared.

"It's whatever! Just outta here or else I'll have to shove a boot down your ass and train you to call me daddy!! Capeesh?" the foul mouthed princess yelled at the top of her lungs. Her head titled to the side, facing a blank faced Bairon. He was uninterested. "Listen I think we might have a problem at the factory! Our latest shipment hasn't come in yet, something about a giant whale and some fish men losing a bet or something along those lines. Now our entire trade route's clogged up like the company toilets on launch night."

"Urgh… Don't remind me. I mean who eats a bicycle wheel and lives?" He groaned, his body vibrating in disgust. "Hey listen Yvonne, honey, I know we've spoken about this but are absolutely positively sure that you want to go through with this?" His voice with the utmost concerned compared to his sarcastic tone.

Sitting down in a chair opposite of the boy she let out a big puff as she took an equally large bottle of wine to boot. "Of course I'm sure Boo Bair, I mean in the nine years that we've known each other have you ever known me to joke around. I'm surprised that you still don't that about me." She said as she hugged down more than half the bottle's contents in mere seconds. "It was the bust wasn't it?"

"Blabbering a bunch of malarkey again now are we?" Bairon said as grabbed the bottle out of her hand and took out a glass cup out for himself. "By the way it wasn't your 'bust' as you call it. No, if I recall correctly, it was the racket that you seem to make no matter where you go?" Ohhhh? I seeeee! So you're interested in my–" She spun around before taking a bow, "Wonderful singing voice!"

"Not so loud harlot… I can hardly hear my bubbles settling. A grand thing to be heard." Bairon said mumbling as he sipped from his wine cup, "Anyhow, what was it you came here for? I told you everything is set up for the big day." Reaching into a drawer just beneath his workstation he took out the same notebook and inkbrush he would be using weeks later. "For one, I had both the Keji Keji and Tori Tori no Mi exported from as far as the Red Line, the Harpy model just as you requested m'lady. But I must say it did cost me quite a fortune,  180,000,000 to be precise. Luckily for you though–" picking up his glass the teen began strolling around the room, "I have a friend that works in the Marines and he's agreed to set up a meet for sometime next week."

Yvonne crossed her legs, head tilted to the side as she cocked a brow, criticising, "What's the catch? We both know nothing in life is ever free, remember the mink skin fiasco?"

"Argh, don't remind me but I can assure you there is no catch." placing his glass on the table, eyes on her, he assured "It's as simple as this; the World Government wants your mother booted out of office. Plain and simple. But of course they don't want to get their hands dirty, so if we manage to do it while we'll be wanted felons we are the ones who'll get to decide her fate." Sitting back in his chair he further explained, "The World Government won't care much as long as they gain control of the land but at the same time the Marines will be implicated as helping and abating in the assassination of the Queen of Taute Haute."

"And just how are you going to do that?" She asked making a pouty face and rubbing her eyes as if she was crying, "By asking them 'weallly nwiclllyy'?" She mockingly questioned before switching back to her somewhat normal behavior, well as normal as a drunkard could get anyway, "Pftt! Don't be an idiot Balmain the only reason why your apparent friend is helping you is so that he can set you up and make the big bust!"

"So that he can get a promotion this big!" She stood up dramatically as she stretched her arms out wide, a ballerina without an audience, "Can't you see that you're just being used! Why can't you see thar?! Ugh, Bairon!" Messaging the temples of head, she managed to calm herself a bit, "No, no. You're not that dumb of a boy. Wait a minute, you do keep records of all your business transactions don't you? Which means that you have got incriminating, hard proof against the Marines don't you. You sly dog you! With this we could bring those fools down!"

"Ding ding! And the bimbo gets it right!" It wasn't often that the girl would say something that smart so a good applause was in order, besides it didn't happen often enough for it to be considered an annoyance. "My friends at the press are eager and ready to publish to the story as soon as we make the big swap." Swishing his glass, he pondered for a moment before sipping a bit. Ahh, the calm before the storm. "Although there is a slight problem; our exit strategy." The phrase left his lips as he put down the glass. In a sense disrupting the momentary peace.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that, I told you me, Big Foot and Fish Lips have got that part covered. All you need to worry about is about making the shot. You aren't gonna have that much room to fight afterwards." the girl retorted.

"By 'Big Foot' and 'Fish Lips' I assume that you mean 'Laurant' and 'Archie'?" Ugh, this one. A sip is what he needed. "You know what? Don't even answer that. Of course it's them but only you could come up with such ridiculous names. And yes, I do have that part 'down'." Although she was royalty she behaved in the same way as a commoner. Pushing him a chair back he walked towards the nearest window, using two of his fingers to open up a small part of the blinds. A typical meeting scene. "It is getting late. I think that you should probably get going before mother begins to worry. You never know what kind of things lurk in the night"

"Oh, please. That woman would worry even if I were a few inches away from her but you're right though. I do need to get going or else the ship might leave me. Meet you in about four weeks time" Yvonne said as she stumbled out of his office, snarling at her brother's assistant on her way out. That buster wasn't even going to walk her home? How rude!

He felt a bit bad for the girl but at the end of the day she was nobility so no common criminal would dare jump her. But to be careful he did assign a guard to follow her home. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out or knock you down the stairs for that matter!" Bairon warned, a sweat dropped as he nervously peeked at his drunk friend shakily making her way past reception. "Yeesh! Do try and watch where you're going woman!"

Back to the present…

Men and women scattered in and out of the others stood by waiting for their chance to model their Balmain Fashion and handmade dresses and suits. Guard's and marines walked through the crowds to ensure that everything was in order and to keep a close eye on the soon to be dead queen. Make-up artists on the other hand stressed over their subjects as if their were working on some sort of artistic masterpiece. And there stood their stage manager, staring at Her Majesty through a slight opening in the curtains. This was wrong. But it was the only way.

One of his stage managers walked up to the teen and tapped him on his shoulder, "Sir, everything is ready to go. Just waiting on you orders."

The teen took a deep breath before turning around and responding, "It's go time ladies and gentlemen. And you, Francois go get those two, Laurant and Archie that is and have them wait by the main gate. I can let anyone interfere in this next part."

## A Fashion Catastrophe

"This year's flower dance tribute dress is a slim fitting formal dress. This golden dress has an aerodynamic feel to it with an open backside to further embrace the idea of aristocracy and social freedom, two words that none thought would be in the same sentence–" The stage director spoke as he pranced around the stage making a series of dramatic poses. As he spoke, commenting on the models walking up and down the stage, the royal duo that was Her Majesty and her daughter made their way backstage upon being called by the stage director.

The queen yawned as she was changed out of her garments and into those prepared for her to showcase in this fashion show. As a noble she never had to change her clothes nor bathe herself, something that baffled the common folk. Who would willingly let a stranger touch them? Her daughter on the other hand wasn't as submissive, shifting and squirming in her clothes as they tried to dress her, biting and scratching at anyone who would try to do so. "While I do understand that these things can get so boring, Yvonne dear, it does not mean that you have to get so riled up about it. Do try to remember that you are a princess, so I would suggest that you act the part."

"But mama…" Yvonne whined. Clearly tearing up a bit. Why couldn't her mother understand? Why couldn't she understand her feeling? Why couldn't she understand her daughter?

This simple minded child was so, ugh, simple. Did she not understand that the public needed this? That they needed hope in these troubling times, with the World Government's mounting pressure it was times such as these that helped remind them of what they fought for. "No. No, 'butts' my dear. Butts are for sitting." Her daughter needed to understand this.

"Well, that's one thing they could be used for…" She responded rather meekly. Despite being a princess her mind was littered with such thoughts that one would mistake her for a criminal.

"Yvonne!!" This daughter of hers was such a pain. Not only did she refuses to obey customs but now she dared act this way in the eyes of the commoners. They were meant to lead by example. "Dare mention that again and you will not be permitted to leave castle grounds for the next month."

Not that that would matter anyway but she needed to keep up the charade. She needed to be the sorry daughter that her mother admired so much. "I'm sorry mama… Ah lookie there! Its Boo Boo Bair!" Running out of the arms of the men and women holding she charged at the teen as if she was going in for a hug but instead followed with a hard punch to the guts. "It's good to see you again! Twerp!!" Another act of unprincess like behaviour.

"Of course, here comes the man of the hour! Bairon dear to come greet your mother properly." Aria commanded, dismissing her helpers with a simple wave of her hand. Ah, now this one was a true masterpiece of manners and etiquette. Truly deserving of his title, if it were not for the fact that they shared not blood Her Majesty would much rather hand down her title to him. "Come here."

"And it's always a bother to meet you, my dearest Yvonne." Bairon snarled as he slid to the side sending the halfwit crashing into the side of a wall. Ignoring her, he walked a couple of paces forward and dropped to one knee as he kissed Her Majesty's hand. "It's an honour to hear you speak one final time, Your Majesty." a bitter sweet greeting.

Such an ill greeting. Whatever could he mean by that. She was curious. "And what do you mean by that my loyal subject? Are you under the assumption that my life is in any immediate danger?" holding her hand up to hide the giggling on her face. Her? In danger? Utterly ridiculous. Deciding to entertain the thought, however absurd it was, she retorted "My personal guard is among the best money can buy and besides darling, I have you and your guard to protect me as well. I believe that I'm quite well guarded thank you very much but I do appreciate the concern." A smile lit her face. A calming presence.

Tch. How could she act so calm? There place was packed with marines and the island was swarming with them. Something was amiss. "Of course, he's worried mama. The Marines are here, after all."

Her Majesty's face faltered, her smile slowly turned to a frown. Her daughter was acting unruly once more. She swore If she kept this up a beating would be the least of her concerns. But since Bairon, the golden child, was here she would need to compose herself. "Yes, the Marines are here honey. To help with security that is. Honestly with all the tourists around here I see why the World Government insisted on additional security."

"Bullshit! It's no secret that the World Government doesn't like you very much and that they've been wanting to boot you for years." Her daughter goaded. Concern painted clear on her face. She was worried for her life but never this much. Or maybe it was because they were so close to her hour of reckoning. Second thoughts perhaps. No. Not at this hour. Turning to her composed brother she couldn't help but feel that this was wrong. And for some reason he didn't seem anxious about. It was too easy for him.

"Hey, Bairon can we talk in private?" the girl questioned in an oddly composed manner. Anyone who knew the woman could tell that something was up. But what?

The conversation was unnerving to say the least. To think that she trusted those damned Marines so much. Personally he couldn't stand them and their twisted sense of justice. Reading that the conversation was getting too hot for comfort he decided to chime in. "If you say so mam'. I'm just so honoured at you being here and I wouldn't want anything to happen to you during your stay here. And if Marines make you feel safer than so be it." Disgusting. The Marines were no more than deputised murderers. "Uhh? Excuse me for one moment." He requested, pulling Yvonne away by her hand into the backroom.

Another one of their "secret" meetings, huh? Her mother had known about their meetings for quite some time now, thinking of it as nothing more than a lovers' meeting. Her hand rested on her cheek as she muttered, "Those two would make quite the nice couple now wouldn't they now?" Her Highness questioned no one in particular, laughing to herself for a bit. Now, those two were adorable.

In the back room...

"Ugh, what is it now? You aren't getting cold feet are you?" Bairon questioned inquisitively as he held her by her shoulders, "Remember what the deal was Yvonne. I help you get rid of your mother and you help me get back at my father. That was the promise we made to each other." A part of him did this to protect her but the other half did this to get a chance at that lucky bastard. His father. The marine.

"Bairon! Are you still that petty? To want to get back at your drunkard father after all these years? I thought that you considered us family or at least me but I guess you don't even care about that." She yelled back at him feeling hurt and confused. And who could blame? She had every right to be angry after all it was her mother who took him in and raised him after his rebel mom died by his drunkard father, who may I remind you high tailed away from this island and who to who knows where. Probably anywhere with a bar nearby. She couldn't understand why he wanted to find him so bad.

Oh, the sympathy card? How typical. When the going got rough this is what she pulled out from her bag of tricks. "Of course I care but that doesn't matter right now! Don't you think I care? Don't you think that I care about her or you? Huh! But the thing is we don't have a choice here. If we don't take her out, someone else will and that someone else is going to come after us when they're done. Do you understand? Do you understand that?" Bairon responded, shaken, his eyes began to tear up. Appearing to be emotionally distraught. He had already lost one mother and he wasn't about to lose another. Damn it! Why was he given such an ill-fated life? "But there may be another way."

Her own eyes couldn't take seeing her brother like this so she herself began to tear up, as she embraced her brother, pulling him in for a hug. His soul was screaming and so was hers. How could things come down to this? "Another way? But there is no other way. Right?"

"Ah!" The hug threw him for a surprise, his sister didn't get this emotional, not normally anyway. Lasting a few seconds Bairon gently pushed tearing girl to the side. Strolling to the door he opened it slightly before blowing a strange whistle, hollering for his security detail. Usually his whole detail would have reported for duty at his call but not this time. He had used a particular whistle used to only summon a specific member of the group. Chanel Cherri. A youngster in the group and yet she was one of his more competent guards. Ironic.

"While we wait I might as well go over the specifics with you–", pausing mid sentence, he pulled out his signature pen and notebook from his blazer, and put it on a dressing table. "As you can see here, this casino has at least five exits and two fire escapes, all of which are occupied by at least one guard escorted by two marines each. And here… " his hand hovered just above the edge of the page, before going on "In the back row are two of the Marine's decorated Captains, sent over to oversee the assassination surely." His own drifted from left to right, black ink transforming the page into a labrinth of stairs and possible exit strategies.

"At first, the plan was to assassinate Her Majesty and escape through the skylight via the Tori Tori no Mi, which you were meant to eat. From there we would remain airborne while our ground forces Laurant and Archie dealt with the Marine forces, with some additional support of course." Bairon explained, he tapped his pen on his chin for a second, caught in own thoughts, before uttering another word, "But now, it looks like we'll have to create and kidnap a full body double of mother, and escape through the skylight. I mean it will take a bit of work but I think if I create a commotion now it could help draw out the Marines and any enemy fire. That little stunt there could create a big enough distraction for us to slip by, kidnap her with little resistance and switch her out for a lifeless corpse."

"Uh yeah, but there's one problem with that I haven't eaten the Tori Tori no Mi nor have I had any chance to train at using it. And plus on top of that we don't have anybody who'd willingly pose as a double of my mother. Unless you mean we resort to murder." That word left a bitter taste on her tongue. She didn't like the idea but, hey, here she was demanding that her brother change his plan and yet he had nothing to bring to the table. She felt useless.

The teen's eyes darted towards her, picking up on her upset demeanor. He felt bad for her. Patting her on the back and silently assuring her that all was well, the teen couldn't help but stare intently at the door. Why was she this late? When was she coming? These questions wondered around his mind like moths swarming a flame. His eyes rested on the door, awaiting the arrival of his prodigy Chanel. Minutes past before the door finally flung open. About time!

"At long last!" Bairon exclaimed, holding out his arms in prayer in a comical fashion. Thank god! "Cherri, where have you been? I don't pay you gawk around at men all day but that is of no consequence at the moment."

Huh, gawking at men? Oh please the only man worth her time was Sir Bairon and knew that. He knew better than that, at least she hoped he did. Cherri was a dedicated employee, she would never bat an eye to anyone else but her boss. It was her job to protect him, by any means necessary. Be careful it creepy and she called it being thorough. "Of course not sir! I was merely keeping an eye on those sharply dressed gentlemen you told me to watch earlier. A horrid sight indeed. I would much rather be keeping an eye on you." Any picture without her boss in it was a horrid one indeed.

Obsessed much? Yvonne hated people like this. People who depended on others to live. They needed to learn how to fend for themselves otherwise they would forever remain weak. "Ugh, keep an eye on him? I can assure you that you're the one who needs to be kept an eye on, you snooty lil' pervert."

Huh, a pervert? Another thing she was not. Cherri liked to refer to herself as 'detailed orientated'. She couldn't work with data that she didn't have. I mean how could she protect her boss if she didn't know every nook and cranny on his body then she couldn't call herself a real guard. So if that was she called a pervert then, yes, she was one indeed. "I can assure you that that is purely work related and besides the one who clearly want to be kept an eye on is you." A devilish smile swept across her face as she looked down on her exposed skin. She could put strippers to shame.

Noticing that the two women were being rather aggressive he thought it best to introduce them to each other. After all he couldn't let this burst out into a petty cat fight, I mean he trusted his guard not to do that but Yvonne… Yvonne was a whole other issue. "Excuse my manners ladies. I had forgotten to introduce you two to one another. Yvonne Cherri. Cherri, Yvonne."

Trying to calm the situation, huh? Not on my watch Yvonne thought, despite coming from crying a minute ago she was full of energy now and rearing to go. "Hey dirtward why are you introducing to this nobody?" Yvonne said rudely holding Bairon by his shirt. And in response he slapped away her hand and said, "This ' ' 'nobody' ' ' as you call her is the one who ate your gift Tori Tori no Mi, under my orders of course so don't go around getting any funny ideas." His body curled into a defensive position as he chose his next set of words carefully, "You see, I figured that since the title of queen would pass down to you that you wouldn't need that kind of stress on your mind. And remember that this was like four whole weeks before you told me that you didn't want to go through with this."

Anger would not begin to describe what she was feeling. She was furious at him for taking this away from him but as much as she hated him for this she could not help but understand why he did it. He wanted to protect her just as she had once done for him. But that didn't give him the right to take away her part in this plan. "Ugh, fine I'm still livid though but I hope that yer' got something else for me."

"Always."

With a simple clap of his hands his guard Cherry transformed her arm into a sole wing and unveiled a sheathed katana wrapped in blood red linen hidden between her feathers. "Behold, the Chikamo, a blade forged and wielded by a legendary samurai in the Wano Country who died quite some time. They say that the sword drifted from island to island, wielder to wielder, shop clerk to shop clerk until it ended up somewhere in the South Blue. Where, I of course, claimed it from a unwitty client who sold it to me for a mere designer hat. A hat! Although he did realise its value shortly after but Cherri here made short work of the fool! Isn't that right No. 2?"

"Yes, of course sir." Cherry answered in the simplest words. She was never one for words, Bairon was used to it at this point and whenever she did talk it was mostly insult related. At other times her mouth got her in some very akward situations with her telling the truth in the most bizarre way possible, in ways that led people into believing some rather strange things. Although it was a miracle that he got her to say that many words, after all at times she could go weeks without uttering a single word and answering with simple nods and grunts.

"Well, if you think that I'm about to get all sentimental on you for this then you're absolutely–", she shouted as she stated the teen down before thanking him and kissing him repeatedly on the cheeks, something that threw him off, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I don't know how but I promise that I'll pay you back somehow." She went back to her serious facade as she turned to face her brother's lackey before exploding into a mess of joy once again."Thank you! Thank you! Whoever you are!"

Leaning into her brother she whispered, "Is that your girl? I mean I always thought that you liked em' big but I guess not." she pondered aloud, stunning the teen, as she stared down on the serious blonde. Damn! She did not fit the stereotype although she did fit another field.

"I'm prettyyy sure that I introduced you t–", and there he was, cut off before he could utter a single word as his guard chimed in, "Chanel. Chanel Cherri. And no, me and Mr. Balmain here are in no way at all romantically engaged." The harsh truth. It was true that she was interested in him physically but she was in no way attracted to him, something which many found hard to believe.

Yvonne nearly exploded upon hearing this while Bairon was left deadpanned. This girl. He swore if she wasn't so good at what she does he would have fired her a quite a while ago. "What! What do you mean by 'not romantically engaged'?! A simple no would have sufficed!!"

"'Chichichi! This one's a riot! We're most definitely keeping her!" Although she didn't like the girl personally she couldn't help but appreciate her comic relief. Wiping away the tears forming in her eyes she asked, "So, jokes aside how 'bout we get on with this?"

"Pardon me?" That was the sole expression on the guard's face. She didn't quite understand what she had just but whatever it was it did spark quite the reaction among the two. "Those two must be quite close of Mr. Balmain to be acting in such a manner." Her eyes focused on the girl, glaring in her way. She needed to go.

Hearing the soon to be banished princess declaration he nodded in agreement. "I suppose that it is about time that we got this whole ordeal over with already." repositioning his signature he uttered as he made his way out of the backroom with the two girls in hot pursuit, "I do believe that we have a fashion shoot in 5 so let's hurry this up please, I wouldn't want them to get my bad side." The marines that is.

He seemed to understand the garbage he was spouting but the two girls behind him had one simple thing on their minds. A question really.

"What on earth is he talking about?"

## Here Comes the Fashion Police

"Sir Bairon! W-Where have you been? The Queen refuses to go on stage despite outlet attempts she refuses to move from where she's standing. Saying that she'll only move once her, as she put it, as she put it. Her 'B-Bairy P-Poo'." Francois stuttered as he scrambled from side to side, trying to get in his boss's direct line of sight. "Perhaps you can implore her to step on stage." As he said this Bairon moved towards Her Majesty, his mother, and yanked her by the hand onto the stage.

"S-Sir, what are you doing to Her Majesty? Sir? Sir!" Francois questioned, arms on head and feet shuffling. Was his boss out of his mind?

His boss sped walked onto the stage with Her majesty in tow, with her spotting a bright radiant smile on her face despite her squirming around in his arm. Ah, typical aristocracy. Even in the face of trouble they still somehow find a way to look serene and graceful. As they made their way down the catwalk her personal guard pushed and shoved their way past the models in their way. Someone was afoot and they could smell it. Grabbing Her Majesty in such a manner, family or not, was not something they could overlook so easily.

"Mam' are you alright? Mam'!!" Her guards cried out but to no avail. Their voices drowned out by the sound of adoring fans and loud upbeat music. Their faces of worry masked behind the allure of flashing lights and colours. "Mam'! Mam'!"

"What do you think you're doing Baironnn?" She said, smiling all the way through as she continued waving at the crowd awaiting her guard. There was something off with her son she could feel it "Say, Bairon where is my daughter? I mean you did go into the backroom together but it seems as though you were the only one that left the room. Can you please explain that to me? How you came out alone that is."

"Hmm. That sounds quite accusation-y don't you think, mother?", he teased, a lone sigh escaping his lips before carrying on, "And if you must know she left the room through the back exit alongside my assistant."

"The back exit? With your assistant? Now, why would she do such a thing? I knew that she wasn't all for this fashion show but I thought that since it was for you she'd be somewhat willing to participate but alas it seems as though I was incorrect in my assumption. But do tell where has she gone? " The doting mother blabbered on, clearly concerned for her daughter's mental health but still feeling somewhat entitled to her presence. She had a reputation to uphold.

In the same vain Bairon needed the Her Majesty's presence to keep his own reputation afloat, not that it would do him much good now. Putting on a mask of false glee and happiness, all for the purposes of keeping up appearances. It hurt him inside. People were all the same all it took was a smile and a wave to please their simple minds, and he knew that. They both did. After all she was the one who taught how to read the audience. One of the many things he has to thank her for.

"She's out back. Outside the casino walls, taking care of all the false supporters sent here to murder you here tonight whilst my men on the other hand are helping her deal with this messy ordeal." the teen answered callously, smiling and waving his hand as they made it further down the catwalk.

"No, no. Not my Yvonne. She can't be out there! It can't be! I won't believe it!" his adoptive mother teared up upon hearing this. That her daughter was outside fighting her battles. The World Government had taken it too far. She had failed as a mother but just as she was about to wail in agony a hand covered her mouth and wiped away her stream of tears. The hand of her Golden child, her son

He hated seeing her like this, both of them but he wasn't about lie to her, even it was to spare her feelings. He wanted her to hear this. "Yes she is and yes she's fighting. And she's going to keep fighting until all the paid mercenaries sent by the World Government are either dead of fifty feet under." he whispered into her ear.

By the end of the catwalk he stopped, this was the end of his journey, and as he did the press went wild. "Remember to smile and wave. Just smile and wave." Slipping out a dagger from his right sleeve he held the knife by the queen's throat, threatening to slit it open if she didn't comply. And just like all aristocrats she wasn't ready to render her life forfeit so she just nodded her head in compliance.

Hiding the blade behind his hat he said,"Shhh. Shhh. That's it. That's it. Calm? We're calm right? Good. Good." without waiting for any further response he continued, "Now listen hear, all you need to do is follow my every word to the letter." His eyes shifted to her calm face, she wasn't panicking, that's good. "Good, good. We're good. Right? Mother there's some very bad men scattered throughout this room. Now, now, we're not quite sure whose friend or foe but don't worry–", holding out one hand up, his pointing finger facing the sky, he blabbered on "And don't worry about anything, we have a very simple solution to this. All we have to do is well, and this is quite difficult to say, kill you. And yes, yes I know this is a stretch but the idea is–"

Her jerked side to side, breaking free from his home, partly due to his own unwillingness to cut her. The woman ran to the side of the stage, shocking the audience greatly, before summoning for her guards "Security! Arrest this man!" As soon as she uttered these words the room fell into a dead silence. People stopped their spectating the models and begun spectating the fashion designer gone mad.

"Well, Cherri did say that she would scream. I guess bringing the mouth gag wasn't such a bad idea. Ah, well…" Bairon murmured, his red eyes remained on her personal guard, making their way to the front of the stage. Dozens of guards lined his sides in a matter. Although by the time any of them fired a single gun he had already shot out a lone piece of fabric, hurting out from under his sleeve as tied around the hand of one of the guards. Using the fabric as if it were some sort of puppet string he forced the guard into shooting himself in the head.

And as soon as he did that the room erupted into a loud incoherent mess. People running from side to side, making their way for the exits in the building, this was the perfect opportunity for the assassins to make their move. More of the guards shot at Bairon as he flipped around the stage, reacting to the bullets shot at him at a superhuman rate, throwing daggers out of his suit in retaliation.

Bang! Bang!

Were the sounds which rumbled throughout the room, thunderbolts flying through the sky, bullets pierced through the plastered walls and narrowly missed the panicking civilians. What was supposed to be a quiet job had turned into an all brawl. The assassins scurried throughout the room in search of their bounty target, Queen Aria. Navigating through a labyrinth of men and women a lone gunner caught sight of her but before he could get a shot in he was shot down by a flying dagger. With his precision he could dish out these daggers around the room, striking down any gunman that dared point a gun at his mother. He couldn't let her die. He wouldn't!

Pulling out daggers left, right and center, the teen threw one at anyone who he felt murderous intent from. "Don't even think about it you half witted posers! Her Majesty's final breath shall be mine!" Bairon announced, jumping off the stage with a twirl in midair, several spider leg protrusions shot out of his back with daggers in tow. His body spun a full 360° as threw the daggers outwards all across the room. Hitting nearly every target with the exception of a rare few but he would deal with those later. Upon landing on the ground he shot out another cloth reached out to grab a gun right out of a guards who tried to shoot Her Majesty, pointing that same gun at him and pulling the trigger, blood splattered across his body and conscious. He could not miss.

He had taken quite a few archery classes at the range during his stay at Château Heussaff, And although different to him using a gun was not something that alien. Bairon scaled the tall walls with ease, his wrapped cloth spider leg proved to be rather useful, from he could make any shot and he had a clear view of those gunning for him.

Clever gunplay along with his throwing knives let the teen outpace the hired gunman with ease, his 'Sight' didn't make things any easier for them. Those he couldn't quite compete with, he shot binding cloth at them and shot them down right after, creating a sort of rhythm in his killing spree. It was during one of these exchanges that he used his powers to swap out Her Majesty for an imposter. And just as the fighting got more and more heated, the skylight shattered as a half bird-half human creature dropped down and swooped up that same one from right under their noses.

## Fifteen Minutes of Fame

"What?!"

"How?!"

"Why?!"

"My bounty!!"

Shattered glasses rained everywhere, the cry of angered men and women swept through the room but that didn't stop anyone from pointing their guns readily at them as Cherri flew out of the club. Although not with sustain some damage as one of the bullets tore through her leg. Upon seeing that the harpy was limping the gunmen didn't think twice about shooting her down. Creating a web of cloth he grabbed a hold of all their hands that held guns and made them shoot each other at once. Going it one, merry round.

Out in the back alley...

Meanwhile as the sound of gunshots and shattering glass escaped the club a lone person or rather a lone harpy made her way through the skylight. Limping through the air as she carried what appeared to be a body out of the building, blood dripping from her clawed feet. The girl was exhausted. She had practiced for weeks but flying while holding someone took lot out of her. Though it was all worth it to see the smile on her boss's face for her uttering these words.

"The queen is dead! Long live the the queen!" Cherry announced, a small smile found itself on her face, as she threw the decoy body right at the Marines feet. She usually didn't show this much emotion but she figured that she would need to given the circumstances, and besides her boss did say that she needed to show more emotion. It was a bad performance, yes, but it conveyed the message quite nicely. So no harm, no foul. "Grovel at your feet and rejoice! This is the time to beg for forgiveness, you impudent fools. Surrender now and perhaps you may live to see another day."

A laughter could be heard from inside the club, the distinctive laugh of none other than Mr. Balmain, "Kejikejikeji! You tell them sister!!" The girl did her part and now he needed to do his. That of a deranged businessman gone wild for no reason.

Tch. Who did these people think that they were? "Beg? Forgiveness? Get down here bloody chicken and fight us like the coward you are!!" One marine shouted, shotgun cocked and ready to shoot her out the sky. The insolence that this girl carried was disturbing. She needed to face punishment for her crimes. But she couldn't do that from up there. "You dare laugh and mock us from the skies but refuse to lower your face and face us face-to-fist. That is the very definition of a coward right there."

"That's quite the speech. Too bad I'm not listening to a single word of it." Nonsense the whole bunch of it. These Marines worshipped false gods so would she dare listen to them. In her eyes there was no such thing as a god but if there was anything close to one it had to be her dear boss. Spinning around she made a nosedive for one of the Marines, swooping them off the ground before the captain could fire at her. She carried the squirming man up till the roof before dropping him unto a pole, skewering the man on the same instance he fell on it. "Or maybe your little friend here was listening, it's so hard to tell nowadays don't you think? Oh well, that's too bad really I guess we'll never know."

This monster. "You're certainly deranged woman, I'll give you that, but that will not stop me from clawing at you until your head is mounted on my captain's wall as a souvenir." Upon saying thus he quickly turned and pulled the trigger firing a at the harpy, although it was harder to hit a moving target especially one that flew. "Damnit!" He was annoyed now, pulling out a worn machete he chucked his sword aside and jumped into the air, using the walls as a booster. "Hah!", slashing downwards at the girl he ripped through a wing staining both his sword and air in blood.

The marine smirked, taking pleasure at the fact that he pierced through her skin, but before he could let gravity do its work he was grabbed from behind by Cherri, digging into his shoulders with her sharp talons. The man writhed in agony as he was flung around by the human-harpy, dragging him from wall to wall before finally throwing back at his marine comrades. Knocking the marine officers over as others scurried to the side, groaning the man stood back up to his feet, grabbing the nearest gun using it side by side with his dearest machete but before he could take action one of his officers yelled out.

"But sir, t-this… this is–", marine gathered around the body as one covered his mouth in his disgust, gently kicking her body to make sure. Nothing. She didn't even flinch a bit. She was dead, cold as ice, there was no hope for the corpse. They had seen many bodies over the years but the mere fact that this one had been shot in the mouth and dropped from uphigh made this far more disturbing. Nodding his head one of the officers confirmed, "This is most definitely Queen Aria's corpse sir. This monster kiilled her."

"What?! Are you sure?!"

"Positive sir!"

Taking aim the marine lieutenant retorted, "Well, ain't karma a bitch. Cover up her body men while I take care of this flying menace. Damnit! Eddy, Monroe with me. The rest of you keep a sharp lookout, she wouldn't have come alone for a job like this."

Cherri perched herself on the edge of the club's rooftop, her eyes locked on the Marines' movements, they couldn't surprise her, "I must say that I'm rather flattered that you think that this was my doing but no." she blushed, not at the marines but at the mere mention of his name. "This the work of the extravagant, marvelous, fashionable Prince of Taute Haute! Mr. Balmain!"

The Marines remained quiet before one of them asked, "Do you think they pay her extra to say that?" The others turned around slowly, all with dumbfounded expressions, silencing the fool at once. But as soon as they did that a sword shot out from his throat, decapitating the poor fella in a matter of seconds. As the others pulled out their guns in retaliation the building behind them collapsed crushing many of them under debris and the ones who managed to escape were cut down by raging princess herself, Yvonne. Each slash finer than the next, the sword that was given to her continued to sharpen itself on the blood spilled on it blade, holding true to its english namesake of 'Blood Sucker'.

"Well isn't this a bit comical? A princess attempting a coup against her own mother? Where has this world gone? Even if the World Government doesn't like how your mother is running things around here it still doesn't mean that you get to do what you want." the marine lieutenant shrugged. He understood why but in the eyes of Absolute Justice that was all void. Pirates were evil and the World Government good, and anyone who opposed them fell under the latter. Plain and simple.

The marine lieutenant's surbordinates were left flabbergasted at the display but engaged regardless alongside his comrades. To each their own. Eddy went after the giant, Monroe the disgraced princess and the lieutenant the harpy. The sound of falling debris and gunshots echoed through the streets as the battle royal had at last reached full circle.

"First one to skewer their enemy gets to have dinner in my cabin tonight gentlemen!" The marine lieutenant laughed as he chased the harpy down gunning and slashing through any debris in his way. Both his subordinates looked at each and back to the lieutenant, nodding their heads in agreement.

"Yes, sir!"

At an Auction House in the Underworld...

Bodies littered the area, left, right and center. Cages bent open from the outside signs of a rebellion scattered throughout the building. Cracked skulls hung on some of the bent bars, steel poles protruding through their body whilst others were dragged across the room face first until either their legs or face gave out. Dozens of slaves stood outside the cages while the slave owners, the ones who supposedly owned them, were now the ones trapped in the cages. Reduced to mere objects. One slave owner in particular stood out from the rest, Gigi Gryffen, he owned at least a hundred slaves on the island. His death would be a benefit to all. But no his saviour, Bairon, had a much more refined plan.

The teen had given his assistant Francois a pink scarf to deliver to the man earlier, and no, it did seem suspicious at all, at the time anyway. Her Majesty was a regular here and so the teen himself had grown accustomed to the men, purchasing a couple of slaves at a time only to set them free. The auction house had always disgusted him but had to wait for the perfect opportunity. The perfect opportunity to bring it all to the ground. To do that he had purchased a Swordfish Merfolk, to be his guard as well as his saboteur. Earlier on in the week he had sent the liberated slave back under the guise that he had grown tired of the Merfolk. The slave owner locked him up once more but only this time he had not predicted the rise in strength within the Merfolk.

That Merfolk was actually the only one to ever break out of his cage well besides the giant that is. Though it had only happened once, Gryffen didn't think much of it and maybe if he did he wouldn't be where he was right now. Kneeling on the floor to his now master, Archie, all thanks to the body manipulating qualities of the pink scarf gifted to him by the worry wart assistant, Francois.

How dare his merchandise turn against him? After all his done for them? Ungrateful brats! "You won't get away with this you–" his voice muffled by a mouth gag Archie forced into his mouth. He had listened to this man's voice for the last ten years and he wasn't about to let that go on. Turning his head towards Francois and his liberated slave brethren, "I think it's about time right Francois? For us to move out that is. If we stay here any longer it's only a matter of time before the marines catch wind of this and try to arrest us. So how's about we move out already?"

"I-I think y-you're right Sir Archie. L-Ladies and gentle beasts I believe that it's about time that we escape this hellhole." Francois turned around and clapped his hands together for none other than Gigi himself, "If you don't mind?" His eyes darted to the door as he eagerly awaited to the man to open the steel doors.

Gryffen growled and sneered as he reached into his pocket, pulled a ring of keys as he tried to unlock the main door to the hospital he was using as his base of operations. It was abandoned so no one really asked any questions and even if they did he made short work of them. "Yer' maggots will pay for this! Watch this space by this time tomorrow you'll be behind bars and you'll be wishing that I still owned you!"

"Yeah, yeah the same to you too scurvy sea dog and whatnot. Let's bounce boys and go show those marine wannabe fashionistas what we've got" Archie shouted, pumping his fist into the air, sparking a reaction among the crowd as the whistled and cheered him on. Ramming past Gigi's men was no issue as they made short work of them and escaped into the streets in droves.

Back inside the casino...

Taking cover behind one of the upturned tables was the two marines sent to apprehend the culprits who planned to stage a coup d'état. Although now that they were here they began questioning the details given to them about their target. "What the? No one said anything about this island having a Devil Fruit user, two of them at that and one's a myth? Someone's pulling our string's here I can sense it." A man elderly man groaned as he pulled out a cigar, gunshots rang in the background while he tried to find a matches in his outfit. Dammit he left it back at the ship.

"I know what you mean. The reports didn't say a damn word about this nor did it say anything about a Keji Keiji no Mi user. I thought that fruit had been taken out of circulation, years ago last I checked someone named Balenciaga D. Catherine was the last to eat it." A slightly younger man responded, probably in his mid twenties, picking up on his superior's annoyance he pulled out a lighter and ignited his cigarette. "Either way, it seems as though we have no choice in the matter. Ugh." He stood up shortly after and kicked the table flying towards Bairon.

Although unfortunately for them his 'Sight' alerted him of the danger before time, merely usinh his spider-like cloth appendages to jump over, launching three of these legs the man's way.

Withdrawing his katana the man quickly cut up the three legs into smaller pieces before dashing forward, "Be sure to keep up old man, Seimei!" Swinging his sword rapidly he cut through and deflected the incoming cloth strips and daggers. But no matter how much he cut through the men standing in between him and the boy, he couldn't reach the teenager, not with all his jumping around. Although the teen didn't seem to have a problem with reaching the marine, using his appendages to to strike from all directions. Marking his chiseled body with gashes and cuts but he wouldn't let up. Minutes passed as the two went toe to toe with the marine grabbing the cloth to pull in the boy in order to slash him. Blood splattered across the room as they went at it, dripping on the red carpet below them.

A couple of hundred slashes would be what forced them into letting up, the teen and the marine tired out. Panting the boy wiped some of the blood pouring down from his mouth, the teen mocked "You're not half bad old man, but I hope that you do realise that that won't be enough to kill me. But you already knew that right?"

Hearing the youngsters' retorts the marine laughed out loud, dead bodies littered everywhere, some were his kills others were not. But one thing was for certain. None of these we're good men. Murderers and assassins. The whole lot of em' that got what was coming to them. "You've got some nerve kid! Won't be enough to kill me? What a joke kid. But hey, look on the bright at least you ain't going to die by my middle aged man hands. You'll be dying by old man Seimei's!"

"Old man, Seime–" But before the teen could finish he was struck from behind by a rather buff figure. But whoever it was sent flying across the room landing a good ten meters from where he was standing. Just who in hell had that kind of strength? Barely stand up, he dropped down on one knee as he tried to look up at the figure that just punched him. His eyesight was blurry but with his 'Sight' could see quite well, he couldn't even crawl forward but his powers worked just fine reaching out with his cloth appendages, "And this may yet prove to be useful". A large man? Maybe? The presence that punched. Yeah, that was definitely him alright.

Blurred sight cleared and legs working in optimal condition, he focused his serpentine eyes on the figure.

Cough! Cough!

"Can somebody tell me who in this great blue sea just punched me in the face right now, or rather what just hit me?" There was no way that could have been human.

"Rururururu! The poor lad thinks that you're some sort of train old man Seimei. You really beat him bad, huh?" The marine captain joked as he looked to his senior officer. Despite being on the same rank Sound still refered to him as his senior.

"Gargargargar!", he laughed in low bellowing voice that rang throughout the once lively club as he pulled on his cigarette puffing out a big cloud of smoke, "Looks like you're right Kirinji. Though I most say that I'm quite surprised that he managed to push you this far. You're getting soft m'lad." Or this generation of rookies were becoming stronger. Turning his head toward the teen he continued, "Was that a bit of Kenbunshoku Haki just now? I mean there's just no way that you could have gotten all those targets on point." cracking his knuckles the captain spat out his cigar, blowing one last big puff of smoke, "So what is it gonna be kid? Not that it matters much anyway."

"Yeah, that was my 'Sight' at work back there. A little trick that my father taught me before he left the island to go explore the great blue seas of alcohol." he joked, throwing out a dagger from under his sleeves stabbing the man in his abdomen, although it didn't seem to phase him much. Tch, tough bastard.

"Heh, taking a cheap shot I see. How very pirate-like." Seimei responded, simply pulling out the knife and throwing it on the ground. Was that the best this kid had to offer? How disappointing.

"Crap, it didn't phase him… " he cursed, pointing out his hand at the two marines his cloth appendages reached for and aimed a volley of firearms directly at the two marine captains.

Sweat dripped from the sides of the younger marine as he stared, shocked, "H-How did y-you? B-But you were nowhere close to those guns so tell me!" Biting down on his own teeth he growled at the teen, "Just how did you do it?"

Unlike his younger counterpart the elder marine wasn't as dense, "Kirinji, god dammit! Can you be anymore ignorant? He obviously did it while I was talking, after all, all it takes is a simple colour switch. Isn't that right, snake eyes?" He asked, as his cigarette smoldered. He had seen through the child's parlour tricks with one glace, his years of experience shone through his train of thought. These newcomers always had some sort new gimmick but at the end of the day they could all be broken-down into simple tricks.

"Wow, you catch on fast… so tell me this gramps how am I doing?", Bairon goaded as he took a few steps back, guns locked on their targets, ready to shoot. "I hope you're ready for a show marine." The two marines stared at each other for a few moments before looking back at him. "Tch. You've got nothing left kid. You tried, I'll give you that kid, so here's a B for the effort but this is the end of the line." Sound mocked him as he picked up and his drawn sword and launched himself at him. But just as he was about to make contact the unthinkable happened; a woman jumped in the way of the sword and took the blade to her chest. Blood splattered across his face as his hands shook, barely being able to hold his sword. He couldn't believe what he had just killed an innocent civilian.

"I c-couldn't control m-myself… ", were the sole words that escaped the young girls mouth before the light in her greyed out eyes went out completely. What just happened?!

"Huh, now that's a nifty trick you've got there youngster mind sharing?" Seimei questioned, observing the corpse that had dropped dead on the ground. Turning the girl's face side to side every few seconds, the elderly man let out a bug sigh before speaking "Yep, an authentic face of shock, alright. I wouldn't go out of my way to say this was mind control, after all when you've served as long as I have you learn a couple of things, but this girl was definitely not in her right state of mind."

"Oh? You liked that, huh? Well there's more where that came from. Ladies and gentlemen, behold the latest in Balmain Fashion! The mummy soldiers!" He clapped his hands in applaud and as he did more games clapping in applause could be heard and as the two looked around to see who was cheering they saw a large crowd of people who had previously ran out surrounding them with kitchen knives, shattered glass and guns in hand. And just judging from their facial expressions and their commentary the two Marines could tell that these people were not in control of their own bodies.

"What in the mother of–" were the only string of words running through Logic's mind while Seimei on the other cracked his knuckles in preparation of showdown. The elder man payed no heed to the 'mummies' blocking his path, in fact he was pumped to let lose for once, "How about we get this over and done with. Shall we sissies?"

"Don't make us do this…" a middle aged man who was a part of the teen's mummy soldiers begged, tears dripping down the sides of his. For a moment he felt bad for him but for some reason this guy looked familiar prompting him to ask, "Wait a minute. Aren't you that one guy who rated my casino at three stars in your last review?"

"..."

"You know what? You, kind sir, have just earned the honour of dying first!" Almost as fast as he could say this the mummy soldier had already been taking down, sparking unrest among the rest. Heh, funny. The loud mouth didn't stand a chance. At least next time he'll know not to do such a thing ever agai–oh yeah, he's dead! He can't do anything about it, now.

The mummy soldiers charged at the two marines in droves and no matter how much they punched, kicked and slashed through the crowd they could not see the light of day as they piled up on them. The Marines were overwhelmed, although they could easily slaughter the whole lot they were stopped by their morale code and their duty as marines. Deciding that they would need to retreat and reevaluate the situation old man Seimei toppled the pyramid of men and women on top of them by simply standing up. However unfortunately for Mitsugo he had sustained major injuries from the stampede.

"Don't you worry about it champ, I'll get you out of here." Old man Seimei solemnly promised as he set his sights on the wall, he would need to bulldoze fight through it if they had any chance of escaping but before he could reach for his surbordinate, a lone gunshot rang throughout the room.

A single bullet. A single bullet from one of Bairon's guns was all it took to bring down the mighty marine known as Mitsugo Kirinji. Wailing out the elder marine lost all common sense and charged at the teen. But midway he was tackled through a brick wall landing outside, on the cold pavement. As he was about to stand up he was bombarded by a stream of compressed water pinning him flat on the ground before being impaled through the chest by cold piece of steel. A katana. A katana vampiric katana that drained him of his precious essence. His blood. His vision reddened in anger as he caught only a glimpse of his attacker's faces. The culprits you may ask were none other than another batch of teenagers, although two didn't seem to be quite human with one being Swordfish Merman while the other was a abnormally girl with small horns protruding out if her head.

## Piracy is in Season

"Yvonne, Laurant and Archie? What the fuck took you so long?" Bairon asked with a hint of annoyance masked in between his charming demeanor. His body was covered in blood and slashed along with multiple bullet holes. In fact the only reason why his body was still moving was because he was manipulating it with the clothes he was wearing as if a puppet.

His teammates were not without their injuries but none were as dire as that of their ringleader. Yvonne was the first one to speak as the other two shied away from addressing the teen, "Well, let me see shithead. We had to take care of the guards and marine officers out here along with the cops who came snooping by after hearing the
ruckus that you were making." Taking a look at his wounds she grabbed his arm "You don't look too banged. That's good."

"Doesn't look too banged up? He looks like a bloody crab for goodness sake Yvonne-sama! We should get him to the nearest hospital." A sharp teethed swordfish spoke out as he circled the two. Although she did not appreciate this concern and immediately retorted, "Well nobody asked you now, did they, Fisher?"

"Don't appreciate the 'tude sister. And besides, that supposed 'tude was so two seasons ago." Archie snapped at her as he turned her attention to the giant in their group of misfits, "Isn't that right, Lillie-san?"

"Yes, Lillie agree that Mr. Bairon looks like a red tomato!" Out of the entire group she had the least vocabulary skills, but what would one expect she was a slave after all. Well, former slave earlier today he had sent Archie to raid the Underworld on their island and procure as many slaves as possible vehicle making a clean getaway. And by the looks at it they had done pretty well, with at least twenty slaves from different faces being present and ready to fight for their freedom.

"Ouch, ouch. Hey, Yvonne would you quit poking at them!" Bairon said sounding a bit peeved at her. She was poking and digging in holes that didn't concern just like she normally did. And it hurt like hell! "Anyway how's about time for your phase of the plan what's our play here, I do admit that that the abduction part of our little plan needed a bit ironing out. There were a few hitches along the way we made it. Didn't we?" The Marines put up more of a fight than he'd thought they would.

"Okay, Cap 'n Boo Bair! Our exit strategy is real simple we ram through their defenses and commondeer that marine ship just off the coast for, uh well, piracy purposes. I mean they did kinda' impound your yacht, so yeah. And hey, hey look at it this way, now we have a bigger ship and you get to rub it in your old man's face that you and a bunch of your teenage friends hijacked a marine ship on a mere whim." The princess knew that Bairon would buy into the story he always did if it had anything to do with sticking to his old man. Seeing the doubt on his face she reassured him "Don't worry, mama is in a secure location along with your Cherri friend. And if anything comes up she'll contact us via Den Den Mushi."

And sure enough it did, although it was the the extra assurance that sealed the deal really. "I absolutely hate it when you make sense. You know that right? Laurant, darling, the megaphone if you will?" Although his body ached in pain and lagged due to his loss of blood Bairon jumped on top of a sign post and announced, as his voice echoed through the streets, "Residents of Taute Haute, I, Bairon P. Bairon, am here to tell you that piracy is in season and that this island is hereby under the protection of the Balmain Pirates from this day forth. Spread the word my friends and fellow fashionistas! Spread the word!" He grabbed onto the sign post and slid down, erratically jumping from one side to the other as he sang a song to himself, grabbing the groaning the sword of Itami's dead partner. "Onwards to victory ladies and gentlemen! Onwards!"

Those were the last words that escaped the teen's lips as his army of mummy soldiers, which numbered in the thousands, along with his men and liberated slaves laid siege to the marine ship, leaving a very bloody memory in the minds of the residents of Taute Haute. Thousands of bodies remained afloat in the water as Bairon used his mummy soldiers to decimate not only the marines' confidence but their will to fight as well. Both spectators and those manipulated were left speechless at the actions the Balmain Pirates had committed that day. This was a day to be remembered. The day that the Balmain Pirates set sail from this island and out into the world, leaving with only half of its mummy soldiers and a majority of its liberated slaves behind to protect the island in the main crew's absence. Bairon had entrusted Francois with this task, something which he knew his assistant could get done. To safeguard the island against marines and pirates alike under the name of their Jolly roger.

On the Thousand Year Party Machine...

"Hohohoho! Hohohoho you learn boat row it out to sea!" Songs of celebration rang throughout the ship as the crew threw a party in honour of their defeat of the marine ship. The crew was much larger than when they'd laid siege to the ship. Before leaving the island the crew opted to recruit anyone who was willing to join their crew, with a surprising number wanting to join, turns out that more people were sick of the Marines than they'd originally thought. While others were merely mummy soldiers who decided to join the crew to live somewhat free.

"Cheers to 'Snake Eyes' Bairon! Hip hip! Hoorah!" The men cheered as they had little drinking competitions among themselves while others opted to play poker. In the captain's room there stood Bairon with a lone bottle of whiskey as he stared down on a map of Paradise. His wounds had been treated by the queen upon her return as thanks for doing something which she couldn't in years; make her people feel at ease. Although she didn't approve of how he did it she was proud of both her children and wanted to grow further so in order to do this they needed to make their own decisions without her around. She decided to stay behind on a neighbouring island of Taute Haute, Trompete Island, to try and work things out.

"Hmm, if we cut straight through Fish Man Island we should be able to make it through the grand line but first I'll need revenue to fund my businesses at sea. Ah, Balmain Sea Fashion Chateau. How splendid."

Elsewhere the stone known as Seimei had snuck his way past the patrolling mummy soldiers after surviving the attack on him by the Balmain Pirates and defeat of the Marines on the island, grabbing the nearest sea ferry he could find he jetted away from the island. Reaching marine headquarters in a matter of days to go inform of the rising of a new Pirate crew. The embarassment that would ensue.

Marine Base Office…

"So according to your account this boy slaughtered at least a dozen marines and mercenaries in under five minutes, murdered your apprentice in cold blood, laid siege to an entire marine ship and possesses two devil fruits or at least one formidable fruit and another secret power?" The bespectacled man taking off his glasses took a cloth from under his table and cleaned his spectacles, "And what was this apparent teenager's name again?"

"Balmain P. Bairon."

-Fin-