Graf Ludwig

## Lieutenant Ludwig

**Gold-Leg Ludwig** (金足のラドウィグ, *Kinsoku no Ludwig*)

Graf

Graf Ludwig (グラフ・ラドウィグ) is a Captain of the Marines. He comes from a noble family from the West Blue, in a minor kingdom that they rule. Inheriting the rule was meant to be his, but he wasn't able to reach the expectations needed of him. Afterward, he reluctantly joined the Marines. Because of his ties, and the division he was in, he was recieved rather negatively. Yet nothing could bring him down, especially when he made use of his unique fighting style. After complaints were made, he was profiled by high-ranking members of the Marines. After they found out that he had done nothing wrong, and of his potential, Ludwig was sent to Headquarters where he would train and become one of the most promising marines to walk out of Headquarters in years.

## Background

Ludwig comes from the Graf family, a group of nobles that rule the Reikland Kingdom in the West Blue. He was the first-born son of the family, and as such there was much expected of him, even from a young age. He was taught many things, but as an elective of sorts he studied combat intensely. His favorite subjects were in military science as well as martial arts, things he excelled in while in other studies he simply failed. From an early age, to reward him for his general success, Ludwig's father gifted him private lessons from a master of the Black Leg Style. From this point at, he became known as Gold-Leg Ludwig, a title which he still takes in stride despite the past woes of his childhood.

He started to become uncontrollable with the power he possessed. The decision to give him such power, without any seeming repercussions, would later disturb his father greatly. Ludwig's image as the golden child of the family was stained. No matter what, no matter how much people reasoned with him, Ludwig always got his way; human or weapon. It didn't come until the day of his supposed coronation that he was outright refused to be crowned by both his father and the people. They hurt him deeper than any real wound could, they took his identity and destroyed it. He was promptly exiled, and instead of fighting for his position, Ludwig instead sadly left as a young man without any direction in his life.

Later, Ludwig relocated to a nearby Marine base and enlisted with them, always trusting in the ways of the World Government. The Marines knew of his situation, and the kind of person he was so they pushed him down in the same way that his family and people did. This time however, Ludwig fought back. He became a monster, and was beginning to lose his well-place trust in even the Marines. Those days were dark times for him, the days where he almost lost even his pride. It wasn't until a high-ranking unit sent straight from Headquarters finally put Ludwig down after he had terrorized the local island. Before he was sentenced for any crimes however, he was given a full psychological profile. After learning of his story, and how it was his fellow Marines' fault for the ensuing chaos, combined with his nobility, as well as his potential power: He was acquitted of all his crimes and sent straight to Marine Headquarters.

From there, he was trained every day up until the point he would pass out. It was true that he learned of combat, and was a relatively healthy person, but nothing like that could've prepared him for the raw endurance training they gave him. They threw everything at him, and no matter what he got right back up from the dirt for as many times as he fell over. Over the years, he started to learn more, understand how to apply himself and put his skills to their best use. He became the strongest of his rank, and from there he simply soared into power.

A year later, Ludwig is still climbing up the mountain of power that is the Marines. He never complains, he simply tries to continue to reach the top. He is now a Lieutenant of the Marines, and has begun to assemble himself a rag-tag crew. Many of them, he doesn't like, some he even hates. But it's what he's given, as his quick surge into power coupled with his cocky attitude hasn't been looked upon kindly by the bureaucracy of the Marines. So in turn, he's been stuck with the most disheveled and dishonorable people among the Marines.

## Personality

Ludwig is the kind of person to take all things in stride, and be unaffected by things even in the worse situations. It's his pride for not only himself, but the powers that be above, that allows him to persevere even in the most dangerous of situations. He naturally parades himself around others, never settling to let himself below others, even when clearly in the presence of those who are more deserving of respect than him. This often gets him into trouble, as when he is questioned on this he will often respond aggressively, only further egging on anyone who doesn't like him. He is initially resentful towards all people, even more-so for the oddball crew that he seems to have assembled recently. However, with enough time, as long as they give him a *good* reason to care about them, he'll at least acknowledge their existence.

The core of Ludwig's being is his Pride. Without it, he would be nothing. His pride doesn't just go to himself however, for the faithful powers above. Be it the Gods, or even the World Government that oversees the daily routines of common life, Ludwig also holds a sense of faithful pride in them as well. It's this which gives him an unnatural determination, to see all things he sets his mind through completely, no matter what the cost of it is.

This pride of his is not without its effects on his general being, however. He believes himself to be above all other people, if only for his candid vigor and not for the many other things he's been able to accomplish throughout just a portion of his life. This often leads him to parading himself around, and critically expecting his subordinates to follow in suit. When people go against this, or are even intolerant of his pompous actions, Ludwig takes great offense and will react in a similarly negative manner. Even if this is towards someone that is supposed to be of a higher rank than him, often putting him at odds with many others within the Marines. Hence why he's always sent the "runts". He is always resentful towards people, and especially these runts of his. He dislikes all equally, but if they give him a good enough reason to have even a modicum of respect: He'll gift it where necessary.

Ludwig's motto when it comes to the ideals of the Marine is his own kind of Justice, "Proud Justice". In that no matter what, he should always be proud of his actions and the ways of the Marines. This pride also extends to his sense of protection for the commoners of the world, never wanting to bring them into harm's way unless it conflicts with one of his previous ideals. Nothing will get in the way of his Pride, even if it's at the cost other's lives. Even despite this, he treats all civilians with a wholehearted notion of good.

## Appearance

   There's a lot regarding Ludwig's behavior that also translates into his being, and how he dresses. He has a prominently golden mane of hair, which when uncut often reaches shoulder-length. It is fashionably messy, as Ludwig always takes the most pristine care of his basic looks. He has very chiseled, and clean, facial features. His skin is relatively of average tone for someone of his ethnicity. His eyes, like his hair, are similarly golden in color. They are sharp, and constantly on the look for something to be out of place. His physique is tall and rather lean, with well-sculpted muscles that are a result of years of training.

Most commonly, Ludwig wears colors that complement his naturally golden features. Because of this, he tends to wear many types of yellows and greens. Most typically he will wear the 'Justice Coat' typical of anyone above the rank of Ensign. The only thing particularly special about this coat is that the Kanji for 'Justice' (正義) is embellished in colors of glittering gold. Underneath this, Ludwig will typically wear a simple, green dress shirt with the sleeves rolled back. Complimenting this is a golden tie with no particular designs. Flanked on each side by two straps made with rivets of brass. Beneath this he wears a set of black pants, and real, leather dress shoes. That both are similar shades of black to Ludwig's gloves that he commonly wears.

## Abilities & Powers

From years of studying the Black Leg Style, as well as other types of martial arts that focus on the use of legs, Ludwig developed his own style of fighting. This, he called the Golden Leg Style. Unlike the Black Leg Style, from which it derives, the Golden Leg Style focuses on capitalizing the user's strength as well as their body weight into singular strikes that are capable of breaking bones with each blow. With basic knowledge of the human anatomy, as well as a fondness for the Kano Country (one of the most advanced militaristic states within the West Blue, known for the Happo Navy), Ludwig created a fighting style that focuses solely on this factor and maximizes its potential through the use of his most advanced form of fighting: Shén Tuǐ. By increasing the friction on one of his feet to an impossible level, he is able to ignite a leg with fire. Because of his unique physiology, it also becomes a sodium-based fire. Increasing both its heat and changing its color into that of a yellow. This allows him to potentially incinerate enemies that he duels with.

* Graf Physiology: Ludwig's people are known to possess an unnatural level of sodium on their body, which is what Ludwig discovered upon learning his variant of the Diable Jambe. This means that when their body is ignited, they create sodium fires which are the most intense kinds of flames that can be created with organic materials. Because of Ludwig's unnatural durability, compared to the average Marine soldier as well as his intense training to hone this ability, he is able to withstand these flames and use them for his own means. This also means, much to Ludwig's dismay, that most animals are naturally interested in licking him similar to how many mammals like to lick salt blocks. For the same reasoning.