8 First Bounty

After gathering some basic information while sitting at the bar. I stood up and walked to the wall cover in bounty posters. I removed one of the lower bounties and made my way to the exit.

From what I've seen, as long as the bounty isn't over 3,000,000 they'll pay it here, in the back of the bar. They do something to confirm, hand you your money and send you out the back door.

I found the system fairly simplistic, yet efficient. Most of the bounties here are endorsed by the underworld. Only a few are from the world government. This led me to realize the difficulty non allied nations deal with. When one isn't allied to the world government, ones country no longer gets protected by the marines, they no longer care about wanted criminals in your territory and they even ignore your conflicts with other nations. Basically any kingdom or group unallied, will be left to fend for themselves against criminals, pirates and even other kingdoms.

The bounty I chose was a light skinned tan man with a large curly, crimson red Afro. He used spiked knuckles as his weapon of choice and like to prolong combat because he liked to toy with weak opponents. This was In fact one of the lesser criminals in the town, there were many, far more threatening figures, and just as many bellow, but he was an annoyance and clearly had pissed off the wrong people.

A perfect choice for my next target. His reliance on his own strength rather than that of lackeys makes it an almost guaranteed one on one and his use of spiked knuckles proves he at least knows how to fight in close quarters. I couldn't help but smirk. Leaving the bar, I took a last glance at the barkeep, smiled and waved before departing. She gave me a causal glance, nodded and went back to cleaning the mug in her hand.

Going over the bounty again I wondered if I was starting too high. Joe the mountain ape was his name and his bounty was 70,000. It's not enough to book a ship let alone buy one, but it's a start.

I checked my pistol before doing anything else. Ensuring that I had a proper back up plan should I end up on the loosing side.

"The former owner, ah damn what was his name again... oh well, doesn't really matter." He clearly didn't care much for his weapon and hadn't cleaned it at all.

I began to take it apart, clean it and put it back together again, something I learned from my time haunting a museum in Washington DC.

After making sure it would work without a hitch I loaded it with a few rounds (Flintlocks in the One Piece world can fire several bullets) and placed it at my back tucked into my waistband.

Taking my time I found a place to sit, it was the roof of an abandoned house, and meditated so as to perfectly digest the nutrients from my meal. After sometime had passed I got up, stretched and jumped down from the top of the small building. Rolling upon my landing I noticed something that made me grin from ear to ear. A smile just like that of Cheshire Cat.

It was one of the few people that was known to hang around Joe. Not a lackey per se, but rather a groupie that loved watching Joe beat the crap of out people he didn't like. I slid into one of the back alleys, jumped onto a trash can and pulled myself back onto the roof of the run down house, all to get a better view. So I could follow him straight back to Joe.

Looking at the wanted poster again, I could even see this guy standing behind Joe cheering as he beats some helpless fool. Things rarely ever lined up like this for me, but I'm not one to look a gift horse In the mouth.

Going from rooftop to rooftop, ducking into alleys every now and then, I followed this groupie for a good few hours. He went into the bar down the street, I guess he was too cheap for Miss Bartenders ale. He walked lopsided down the street, clearly piss drunk, hauling a tankard of ale with him over his shoulder he then stopped at a food stall to argue about an apple and then punched the guy and ran off with half a dozen when he couldn't haggle down the price.

Dropping apples as he ran, looking straight up comical, trying not to fall while holding a larger than he is barrel, and half a dozen apples. When he almost seemed to disappear. It was on the outskirts of town. After losing him for a second I began a closer inspection. And there it was a hidden fort tucked into the bushes. Blended in almost perfectly to the environment and if you didn't know it was there or see someone go in you might never notice.

I turned back and picked up the apples he had dropped. Moving into a better spot to observe I began to focus. I could have stayed their for hours, waiting to make sure Joe was in there, or I could get closer and take a risk. I decided to do neither.

After returning to the village, giving that man his apples back and using what money I had left to buy a book of matches I returned to their 'dwelling'. Sneaking close I struck the book of matches and lit one end of their camp on fire. Within a moment a small flame engulfed the dry leaves surrounding the place and the whole thing was set ablaze.

"Damn. Not quite what I expected, but I guess it works just the same." I stared marvelling at my handiwork as 2 men came roaring out of the hut. Both sloshing around half empty mugs and cursing at the world itself. Walking over towards the panicking men I swung my metal pipe and bundle of rocks toward Joe's groupie, taking him out before he realized what was going on. Joe was quicker on the uptake.

Tossing his leftover ale at my face he tried to tackle me to the ground. Hoping to get me pinned in his favourite position to beat someone to a pulp. And since I had lit his base on fire he was even more ravenous and savage than the rumours said.

Closing my eyes and taking the ale I braced my self tossed my pipe to the side and waited a second before lifting my knee up with every ounce of strength I had. Hoping to nail him in the jaw and knock him out cold.

I miscalculated his skill and he raised his arms in a cross to block my knee. Tanking the hit, he gripped my shin with his left hand and swung his right arm across his chest with his spiked knuckles towards aiming my face. Quickly wiping the ale from my eyes, I put up my arm to block the strike, placing my left hand on my bicep and flexing my forearm to take the punch. Stopping the spikes an inch from my face.

But this was my first real fight and I was clearly overestimating myself. Not all my opponents will be pathetic weaklings who rely solely on weapons to intimidate. This was a skilled fighter and I went in expecting to take him out like it was nothing. Now I would pay for that mistake.

I may have blocked the hit, but I was still standing on one leg due to him still gripping my shin. I toppled back from the force of his blow and he took that chance grip my leg further, pull his left arm back and using my leg he literally hurled my entire body clean through the air. Whipping me into a, slightly burning, tree.

The strength it would take to throw me like a rag doll and pitch me into a tree like I was a softball, made me realize yet again the difference in physique between earth humans and humans in the One Piece world.

Reeling from the blow and trying to gulp as much air as I could, I tried my best to steady my breathing and concentrate on the deadly bandit before me. The name mountain ape make sense given his ridiculous strength, long arms and thick, dense looking fists.

He charged at me before I had time to catch my breath, diving to the side I avoided his spiked knuckles and grabbed at the dirt around me. Tossing it into his face and trying to knock his legs out from under him with a sweeping kick. He fell back, rolled and got up again like it was nothing.

"You're dead. You hear me! DEAD! THERE WONT EVEN BE ENOUGH OF YOU LEFT TO BURY!"

Clearly enraged Joe winded up another haymaker and closed the distance in one massive stride. Taking this chance I stepped forward, shifting slightly the left (Joes right) I narrowly avoided the massive blow. His spikes scratching my cheek as it passed by me. Luckily he telegraphs his punches so it's fairly easy to read them as long as I'm calm.

Dodging blow after blow it was clear that his strength was starting to wane. Strength cost energy and using all your strength in every punch can be exhausting. Each punch left a small cut as i barely avoided them, but in the end the small cuts weren't deep enough to cause any real discomfort. In fact I revelled in the pain and fear of being alive.

An unconscious smile coming to my face, which seemed to further infuriate Joe as his swings got wilder and more ferocious. Little by little I was tiring, my movements were unpredictable and it was the only thing keeping my from being struck. Using my knowledge of dance and rhythm I found his and let him lead as I followed. All the while I was slowly pulling him where I want to go. Making him think he had me cornered at with my back to a tree I dropped my smile and he lunged once more with everything he had all in is left fist.

Making a quick sidestep I avoided the blow and watched as it sunk deep into the bark of the tree. Taking this chance, where his arm was straight and taught, I gripped his forearm with my left hand and slammed my palm into his elbow. 'CRACK'

"AAAHHHHHHHH"

Joe collapsed to his knees holding his broken arm with his right hand. Cradling it as one would a child. He looked up at me, hate, pain and rage written clear on his face. I gave him a moment to stand, and to took a stance with his left arm to his back while standing sideways, so as to make a smaller target.

"I have to admit this had been fun. Your a worthy opponent for my first bounty. Now come, and don't hold anything back."

"AARRRRGGGGGG, I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!"

Striking out with a series of sharp jabs I saw the hints of a boxers form. Seems he's no longer trying to kill me in a single blow. Interesting... let's see what happens when I do this.

Dodging and blocking each jab as they come at me I waited for him to slow. And after his 13th strike it happened. He slowed enough for me to catch his wrist with my left hand, then gripping with both hands I pulled him towards me. I then shifted my weight to my back foot and brought my knee up to meet with the right side of his head. Then planting my foot back down while twisting his arm and forcing him to fall backwards, I followed up by landing a powerful side kick clean to his

left temple.

He reeled for a moment before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell unconscious.

At this time Joe's groupie had come too and saw the final blow delivered straight to Joes unprotected skull. Ending the fight. "W-who are you?" He asked as he looked upon the man who just bested his friend.

"Me? Heh. My name is James Marshall ||."

James was wearing hardly any clothes, was covered in small wounds and with the fire slowly burning out in the background he somewhat resembled a demon.

And with that sight seared the groupies mind, he passed out again.