Luxury or Lunacy?

As the trio looked out at the city, the streets below were lined with light, casting a soft glow on the buildings and pavement. The tall, imposing structures seemed to stretch endlessly towards the sky, giving the city a sense of grandeur and mystique but also… pain.

The pain of the stark contrast between the opulence of the city and the poverty and ruins surrounding it was palpable. The city seemed to be trapped in its own luxurious bubble, visible only to the affluent nobles who revelled in its glow, while the rest of the population remained shackled to their own struggles.

This did not include Edge Town, a likely point that the nobles would regret.

One of the guards patrolling the wall let out a deep yawn, his eyes heavy from the lack of sleep. The night seemed peaceful and quiet, but he remained vigilant, knowing that danger could strike any moment.

Larc took a deep breath and prepared himself as he started to draw attention to himself.

"Oi!" He began mocking the guards and taunting them, calling out insults and starting a small commotion. "Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!"

As Larc's distraction worked, drawing more and more guards as he amped up his protests, Karma started assembling his platforms, creeping up towards the sky. He used his Devil Fruit ability to create wooden platforms, forming semi-stable steps to climb up the towering wall.

With every step they took, the wood creaked under their weight, and Krys, Karma, and Xed had to be careful not to make too much noise. The wall was 80 meters high, but with Karma's ability, they could safely reach it.

Xed felt the wind intensifying as they climbed higher, and he began to feel uneasy. "Hey, Karma, is this really safe?" he asked nervously, feeling his skin crawl as he looked down to the plunging depths.

"Who do you think I am? Don't worry, Xed," Karma responded reassuringly. "My platforms are sturdy enough to hold us. Just focus on climbing and we'll be at the top in no time."

The three of them finally reached the top of the wall and looked out at the illuminated streets below. It had taken them only a few minutes, but the massive trail of wood they had created had settled down, blending in with the surrounding wall.

Karma walked to the edge of the wall, overlooking the city and as he gazed out, an idea formed in his mind.

"Yo, Xed. You ready?" Karma asked Xed, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"What-" Xed started to ask, but before he could finish, Karma shoved him forward, sending him tumbling over the wall and into the city below.

During the fall, Karma observed Xed's composure as he clamped his mouth, suppressing the urge to scream. Turning to Krys, he couldn't help but praise Xed's self-control.

"Damn, that Xed is something else. He kept his cool and didn't scream like a baby. Impressive," Karma remarked.

"You know, it would've been funnier if you said something more than 'You ready', why not something like 'Where we dropping?'," Krys replied, a smirk on her features as she always enjoyed seeing Xed suffer.

"Let's save that for later. For now, let's show Xed what we just experienced," Karma replied.

Karma braced himself for the fall by sticking one foot out over the edge. As he did so, he could already feel the turbulent winds buffeting his body, even though he had not yet begun to drop. He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and then let go, initiating his fall into the deep drop below.

Krys let herself fall after Karma, her eyes fixed on the ground rapidly approaching below. She trusted his power to control clothes and use them to cushion their fall. She felt the rush of adrenaline but she quickly pushed the thought aside as the ground grew closer and closer.

Meanwhile, Xed felt like his life was flashing before his eyes as he fell, his eyes tightly shut. The sudden tugging sensation on his clothes caused him to open his eyes gradually, sighing in relief as he realized he was safe. He yelped as he hit the ground, the impact jolting his body.

As Karma and Krys landed beside him, Xed glared at Karma, disappointed they couldn't fly using his power to control clothes. "Why the hell couldn't we just fly there? You can control clothes, can't you?" Xed asked, his frustration evident.

"I can, but my control isn't that fine-tuned yet. So it'd be like QWOP when I try making us airborne since I can only give general commands like up or down. It's getting better, though," Karma explained.

Krys reached into her bag and pulled out a Transponder Snail to check if it was okay and wondered where they should go next. "So, where are we heading?" Krys asked.

"Let's just find a building to occupy. Edge Town is probably used to stragglers like us," Karma replied, gesturing towards the surrounding area.

As they walked through the streets, Karma's assumption was quickly challenged as they arrived at a gloomy, run-down apartment complex, a stark contrast to the colourful, vibrant inner city.

They entered the building, and a man was sitting on a chair nearby. Karma walked past him without even acknowledging his presence, but the man soon stood up and demanded payment from Krys.

"Hey, you three. You gotta pay if you wanna come in here," the man said, his tone hostile.

Krys quickly handed over some cash, and the man nodded before shrugging his shoulders and handing over a piece of paper that was yellowing and with parts of it either torn or missing. The paper had a number scrawled on it.

"Do you have a key for us or…?"

"There's no such thing in Edge Town." The man cryptically states, before going back to a slouching position.

As Karma, Krys, and Xed climbed up the creaky staircase, they finally reached the room they were looking for. The sight that greeted them was why the landlord didn't bother giving them a key- the latch was snapped in half, and the door knob was partially torn off.

Xed didn't hesitate to point out the obvious, "Ah, so that's why that dude didn't give us a key."

Krys pushed the damaged door open and stepped inside, examining the dishevelled state of the room. Appliances lay in a state of disrepair, barely holding themselves together.

The peeling wallpaper was a testament to the poor upkeep of the place. Krys remarked, "This is only a fraction better than Gray Terminal."

After a quick search of the room, Karma found a wooden cupboard that was not in use and decided to make a somewhat passable attempt at a lock by barricading the door with it.

As they settled in, Karma let out a familiar ring of a Transponder Snail while the others sat close. "Pururururu-"

It didn't take long for Larc to pick up. "Hey, Larc. Are you fine after that whole distraction?" Karma asked.

Larc's voice came through the device, "Yeah, I'm fine, the guards couldn't even run at me and catch me, I ended up bonking a bunch of them before leaving. I'm staying at the bandit hideout of Dadan."

Karma nodded, "That's good to hear. We'll contact you if needed, if you see anything wrong, tell us immediately, Larc."

"I will. Keep in touch," Larc said before hanging up.

As the night fell, Karma quickly built some hammocks and cleared out some space on the space in the bedroom, living room and kitchen… or what was left of them.

Xed asked, "Is there any reason why we can't just use the mattresses on the floor?"

Karma responded, "I wouldn't risk sleeping anywhere near the floor. Who knows what kind of diseases could be lurking down there? We don't want to end up with the Bubonic Plague or something, do we?"

Xed took one look at the grime-filled floor, he slowly nodded and all three went to their respective hammocks. The night was silent, and they all eventually drifted off to sleep, ready to wreak some havoc tomorrow.

~

Dawn illuminated the city, casting a golden light over the extravagant lifestyles of the nobility. The wealthy and privileged went about their day as usual, collecting profits and scheming for more. In the midst of their conversations, a man and a woman, both nobles, discussed a recent robbery that had occurred at a clothing store.

The woman sighed heavily and said, "It's truly a shame that our leisure activities are constantly interrupted by the plebeians' attempts to steal from us."

The man chuckled wryly and replied, "Yes, they can be so uncivilized. It's no wonder they can't afford the finer things in life."

The woman rolled her eyes, visibly exasperated, and said, "Regardless, we can't let their antics ruin our day. We should focus on more pressing matters, like how we can increase our profits even further."

The man nodded in agreement and said, "Absolutely. We need to be more ruthless in our business dealings if we want to stay on top."

The woman's lips curled into a sly grin as she replied, "I couldn't agree more. It's survival of the fittest, after all."

They both shared a laugh before continuing their day, completely oblivious to the struggles of the common folk around them. They didn't even bother to hide their disdain, for much like everyone else in the inner city, they looked down upon those who were less fortunate.

Meanwhile, Krys, Xed, and Karma were camouflaged in a motley assortment of clothing, making it unlikely that anyone would associate the items with them. Karma donned a classic suit that looked like it was straight out of the Victorian era, while Xed sported an eccentric orange dress with a comically oversized hat that covered his ears. Krys, on the other hand, felt rather suffocated in her dress, which was filled with puffs.

The trio meandered among the crowds, overhearing conversations and gathering information. They learned that the nobility loved to talk about themselves and their businesses, and by the first half of the day, they had gathered a considerable amount of information.

Krys broke away from the group and headed towards an extravagant cafe. She sat down at a table that was already occupied, and the nobles looked at her strangely when she pulled out a fistful of ten-thousand Berry to pay for a drink. It didn't faze her much since the money was stolen anyway.

One of the noblemen responded, "Oh? Quite an expensive taste."

A server rushed to their table and whisked the money away before returning seconds later with a cup of coffee, which was lavishly decorated, fitting for a noble.

Krys took a sip of her drink before responding, "I'm in the mood for something extravagant today."

The nobles nodded in agreement, impressed by her taste. A tall man with a monocle leaned in closer and asked, "May I ask, Miss...?"

"Class…ie," she replied.

"Miss Classie, what brings you to our little corner of the city?" he inquired.

Krys took another sip before responding, "I'm always interested in hearing about the businesses of the nobility. When fine gentlemen and women like you show yourself in a magnificent aura, I couldn't help but notice."

The group smiled, happy to talk about their wealth and influence. "Well, we're in the business of mining," said a woman in a flowery dress. "We have a lucrative business off the coast, employing slave labour, of course."

Krys tried to keep the disgust off her face and instead asked, "Oh? I notice that slight tone of yours… what problems are you currently facing?"

The woman was surprised, was Krys really able to tell what they were thinking based on a slight change of tone? …Nah, she already heard another family talk about their ventures and woes in business.

The group looked at each other before the monocle-wearing man spoke up. "We have a rival company that's been undercutting our prices. We were hoping to partner with the higher royalty to take them down, but it seems like they're not interested in our offer… for now."

"Higher royalty?" Krys asked, intrigued.

"Yes," the monocle-wearing man replied. "There are three tiers of nobility: the royals, the greater nobles, and the lesser nobles. The greater nobles are currently expanding their families with marriages, while the lesser nobles like us are fighting to keep up in court and business."

Krys nodded, understanding the dynamics of the nobility a bit better now. "And if that doesn't work, what do you plan on doing?"

The nobleman simply replied, "What needs to be done."

Satisfied with the additional information, Krys handed him another casual ten-thousand Berry before leaving the cafe. "Farewell, for now, I might have more interest in the future."

"Hmm… a fine day to you too, Miss Classie. There's always an opportunity to work under us."

Krys stepped out of the cafe, her mind abuzz with the information she had just acquired. She walked down the bustling streets, the sounds of merchants hawking their wares and the clatter of horses' hooves echoing around her.

Lost in thought, she suddenly realized that she had been walking for a while and had ended up at the entrance of a gate entering High Town, the even inner part of the city. She turned around and headed back to where Xed and Karma were waiting for her, eager to share the information she had gathered.

When she arrived, Xed and Karma looked up, curious about what Krys had discovered. Without hesitation, Krys relayed the conversation she had with the nobleman in the cafe, detailing the dynamics of the nobility and their plans to take down their rivals.

Karma's mind churned, he needed a solution and he had found one not even a minute after it popped into his head. "Xed, you ready to get sold off?"

"..."

"..."

Xed sighed, he knew where this was going. "I'm going to kill you for this…"