One Piece; The Great Pirate Era

Hawkins didn't really pay much attention to the competition. He was far more worried over the fact they were starting with the light drinks.

When the drink was placed in front of him, Hawkins downed it with little effort. Now that was he was thinking about it, he hoped this contest didn't take too long.

While Hawkins practically engulfed his drink, not a drop left to spare, he had finished the first round completely. Although, had he taken notice of the other competition, he would spot that Bluno hadn't even lifted his mug up.

In fact, it was already empty. The scruffy black bearded and burly man stared at Hawkins or any other competitor who may have been staring at his quick drinking skills, before cracking a smug smile. Several of the other contestant's finished just as quickly as Hawkins, or a little bit afterwords.

Then there were others, who were still drinking, almost trying to force the yellowish booze down. They were half full, or sometimes their drinks were even still completely full. It went without saying, that a few of these people were out of the contestant, either voluntarily or involuntarily.

"I'm out, I can't drink this..." One remarked, as the other guy to his side, trying to shovel his full drink in his mouth, ended up falling and keeling over his chair. However, a few of the stragglers did happen to pass the first round, even if they would probably be weeded out in the next.

"And that's it! We're finished!" The announcer remarked, as the barmaids hurriedly grabbed everyone's empty mugs and replaced them with another larger glass mug. This time, instead of being yellow in color, this drink was a light green. "You all finished our cheapest beer in our selection, the Morning Sun."

It only made sense for them to dish out the weakest beer, if they happened to have free-loaders, hoping to get a quick buzz, with little money to spare. "Now let's see how you fare against the Froggy Groggy!"

As soon as the green liquid was placed in front of him, Hawkins examined it, wondering exactly what was in it. After a minute or two he realized that the only way to find out was to drink the damn thing. So he drank it.

This time, he took his time with the drink as if he were savoring it. Though, in reality, he had seen Bluno drink the last one so quickly so now he was going to do the exact opposite.

Elsewhere, a horn of some sort was being blown by the arena to signify the beginning of the next round.

Taken heed of the horn blowing, Flint jolted from his odd angle, as he hung upside down on the pier's edge. Since he wasn't expecting the loud and unexpected noise, he almost fell into the waters. With devil fruit powers, that would cause all sort of problems. Especially when the only person who would be able to fish him out, was a young girl, who was half his size.

"What was that!?" Flint asked curiously, once he had situated himself on the pier, and was no longer dangling by the edge. He had a handful of pebble sized rocks in his hands, and hopefully Anais had gathered more, so that he could strengthen their numbers.

Others familiar with the contest, and the way it was handled, slowly began to form, and at a steady pace, began to go off in the same direction.
-
Although the name of the greenish beer might have sound unappealing, it didn't seem froggy, or had any part of a frog within it. It actually had a small hint of lime, which probably gave it the light color.

While Hawkins was taking his time, on this round, Bluno drank his within seconds, again. Although the term was used so loosely, as the booze was practically gone, once it hit the table. "Ugh...I don't feel so good..." One of the contestant's remarked, as he swayed back and forth on his chair, before he attempted to stifle his nauseousness.

"I guess you can say he's feeling Grooooooogy!" The announcer chimed in, as a few others dropped out. With half the competition gone and the rest moving onto the next round, the barmaids brought out the third drink.

The third glass mug was even larger then the other two, and was brownish in color. The top was very foamy and each contestant had a miniature wooden ship, that was made to look as if it was damaged. "I like to call this one, Ship Wrecked!"

Anais gasped at the sound of horn, nearly dropping her pebbles.

"I think the next round is starting," Anais said. "Hurry up!" she immediately barked after.

When reaching the arena once again, the set up had completely altered. Boards were placed throughout the center, creating a large maze. It was unclear as to what this maze contained except perhaps from the people who were taking their seats from above.

There was, however, a board in clear view with a list of groups of competitors. Flint's name was under group 3. The bullies from before had been placed in a different group.

____

"Pshh, bunch of light weights," Hawkins mumbled lowly.

Seeing Bluno's strategy (or lack of change in strategy), Hawkins made sure not to look at Bluno at all as he once again slowly consumed this drink.

Once they had arrived on scene, the setup of the contest had completely changed. Flint couldn't even tell it was the same area. The lone target stands and platforms had morphed into what seemed to be an actual arena.

Or at least a place, where one could freely roam. There were so many wooden walls erected, that Flint couldn't see completely to the other end. If there was even an end, he was still unsure about this contest. So maybe roam freely was used loosely, as there would be a lot of roaming, and probably a lot of getting lost to.

Although he did find sightseeing the props and stands neat, there was only so much speculating he could do. So he decided that eventually he would figure it all out, and in the mean time began to calm down his excitement. "Group three? Huh..." Flint remarked, once he read his name off of the bulletin sheet.

Soon he and Anais would probably have to separate, as he went to his stage, and she went to the stands above.
-
Elsewhere, oblivious to the fact, that the second round was beginning to commence, Hawkins was downing his third and strongest alcoholic drink. Even one of the veteran drinkers would feel something from this beverage, hence why the word wrecked was added.

Some of the lighter drinkers, began to worryingly play and sip the foamy top, as others inspected the wooden miniature ship. "Hey, I think this ship is edible!" One of the newer participants exclaimed, as another stared at him. "Oh yeah? What's it taste like?"

"Wood!" They remarked, as the ship crunched loudly in their mouth. Others attempted to down this high grade liquor, but ended either passing out, or giving up, thus decreasing the current competition further.

Downing the Ship Wrecked completely, although more slowly, and with difficultly, Bluno still happened to finish first. Wiping his forehead and shaking the buzz and stiffness from his head, he was ready for round four.

"Woooow!" The announcer exclaimed. "We've never had most competitors go this far! We've got to up the ante!" With that remark, the barmaids cleared all the current mugs, carted away the dead weights, and placed a peculiar mug in front of everyone.

This mug was peculiar, in that it was shaped like a snake, and coiled to make the form of a common cup. Therefore the drink was tubed and spiraled all the way to the bottom. "We call this one the Sea King!" They shouted, as the top of the cup stared forwardly at its participant, with fangs and glaring eyes.

On stage, an announcer was present. However, rather than addressing the crowd as the crowd was still settling in, he approached the contestants.

"Okay, so we're going to go over the rules before we get started," he explained. "Basically, when your group is called, you need to navigate through the maze." The announcer gestured towards the group of boards. "You'll come across certain targets: marines or pirates. Shoot the pirates and not the marines. If you shoot a marine 3 times you're out. Shooting the pirates will clear the path and help you navigate through the maze. The first person to come out of the maze in each round advances. Any questions?"

_________

Hawkins definitely felt something as he finished the third drink. But he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he sort of missed the feeling of a buzz. Still though, he knew he had to keep his head in the game if he wanted to win.

Again, still not looking at Bluno, Hawkins examined the next drink. He was tempted to look at some of the others to see how they were fairing but he didn't. Instead, he took his drink and slowly downed it.

Not only was the Sea King one of the stronger drinks, offered at this bar, it also was a lot trickier to drink. A lot of the participants would find this out soon enough, if they were not avid drinkers, or had never attempted to consume a beverage in such an odd structured mug.

It had a potent taste and smell, which quickly took care of a lot of the light weights, who mostly were having a free ride up to this point. Others were still adamant about finishing their mug, but found it difficult to swallow most. It wasn't that the drink itself, was too powerful for them in taste, smell, or texture, but it still happened to pour, spill, and splash over and outside.

So of course, it went without saying that they were disqualified. Not a drop wasted, that was one of the hidden rules. If one wasn't accustomed to drinking from mugs such as these, they needed to do so quickly, or fail.
____

Seeing that Flint had converged with the people from group three, Anais felt it was time to depart to the stands for the spectators. "Good luck, Flint!" She exclaimed, waving back to him, as she headed towards the general direction of the seats.

Once he had waved back, Flint addressed the announcer and group of people he would be competing against. He was pitted in with a diverse group of different people. There was a middle aged man, slender man, with a mustache and eyeglasses, a burly overweight woman, who seemed to be a tough old farm-like lady, two boisterous twins, probably a little younger then himself, and what appeared to be someone in cowboy getup.

Once they were explained the details and rules of the next maze target arena, Flint slowly rose his hands. "So, it's still alright to shoot them?"

As soon as Hawkins went to taste the Sea King, he knew right away he was going to have to drink fast if he didn't want it to spill. Considering he had been drinking slowly the last couple of rounds, downing this was a bit easier than it would have been. That didn't mean he was completely safe: he could feel a buzz coming on with each passing sip.

______

The announcer rose an eyebrow.

"The Marines? Only if you want to lose," the announcer replied. A few people rolled their eyes at the question and others couldn't help but to smirk.

The announcer looked towards the maze. The last round was finishing up and theirs was about to begin.

"Okay, if you have any more questions, make it fast."

The Sea King was not only an awkward spiraling tube, it was one of the toughest beverages at this bar. As all the participants began to down the drink, several began to miss entire mouthfuls. It wasn't that the drink was too potent for them to swallow, even if that may have been the case for a few.

"Augh!" One of the participants exclaimed, as his mouth became caught and pinched between the sharp sculpture of the Sea King's jagged teeth. "Stupid teeth!" Of course, it went without saying that this man was completely out of the game.

No, there was something else that was foiling their every move. It didn't appear the drink was spilling out of the cup, as if they could not drink it fast enough. Such an action would had simply poured gently from beneath. The beverage seemed to splash and burst outwards, covering the drinker's face, as if there was a miniature explosion inside.

Suddenly the same action was about to happen to Hawkins, if he didn't react fast enough. And that didn't just mean quickly, since that plan didn't work out too well for the others. A very large and jiggly bubble began to slip and slide through the tubular drink. Eventually it would rise to the top and make contact with air, and everything would be over.
____

Elsewhere Flint stared confusedly at his team's informant. "Huh?" He uttered, before rubbing the side of his head, with the slingshot. "But you said it was ok to hit them a few times."

However, it was clear that he didn't really care one way or the other, and actually just wanted to get the next game started.

The announcer slapped his forehead.

"Yes, you can hit the Marines 3 times. But if you hit them even once, that's going to slow you down in the maze. So hitting just one could cost you the game. Understand?"

The announcer didn't even wait for him to respond. Instead, he stepped forward as the round had finally come to an end.

"Well it looks like we have a winner for round two! Now, for round three: who sharpshoot their way to the finish line and who will get overtaken by pirates? Contestants, take your positions!"

As the announcer spoke, each contestant was led to a different entrance of the maze including Flint.

A flare was then fired, signaling the start of the round.

________

As Hawkins reached the end of his drink, he began to slowly turn the giant mug.

Flint wasn't entirely sure how hitting a marine would hinder his progress through the actual maze, but he figured he would take the man's word for it. Rather he had to, as they were rushing all the third team's participants to the arena.

When he was waiting for the signal to start, or whatever was supposed to happen, he began to think about the targets again. Why would it really slow him down, he thought, as he scratched his head with the slingshot again. He could understand points or deductions, but was the target rigged to explode on him? Drop him down a trap door? Suck him through some crazy vacuum void?
_

Finally finding a seat within the stands, gazing over the arena, Anais took one of them. Although it was packed, with all sorts of boisterous and different audience, she was alone. It didn't matter to here though, as she kept her eyes on Flint, like a hawk, in case he did or tried to do anything stupid.

She had no idea where Hawkins was. He had said he would be back during the coming match, but she couldn't find him anywhere. And where she was, it should be easy to pinpoint anyone or anything on this tower.

In the meantime, she kept an eye on their well being, and Flint, even if he could manage himself. After all, Hawkins whereabouts were uncertain. For all she knew, he could be off somewhere getting drunk on their funds.
_
Suddenly a bright orange and red flare burst through the upper arena. At first startled, but not to the point of being terrified, Flint stared confusedly at the trail of flames. However, once he noticed several of his team's participants storming into the arena, he figured this must have been the signal.

That and the fact that Anais seemed to be shouting some obscenities, that he couldn't quite understand, but got the gist of. Gripping his slingshot, he quickly situated his hat, before rushing into the stage. Whatever happened next, was anyone's call.

As soon as Flint entered the arena, there was a wall directly in front of him with two paths on either side. Although he couldn't see them, a gunshot had gone off in the maze. Evidently, someone had already run into an obstacle.

OOC: I'm sure he cold still hear a commotion, ex; stampeding feet.

Once Flint had fully entered the arena, all hell seemed to have broken loose. Or at least on one of the contestant's ends, as he heard a gunshot go off. He wasn't sure what they were doing or facing, but from the sound of the blast, it seemed to be a hasty shot. Whoever they were, it was clear they were a little too jumpy for their own good.

Dismissing the fact, Flint switched his attention to the path and arena he was currently in. As he rushed towards his first obstacle, a giant white wall in the way, there were only two ways to go. There was a pathway on the right and another equally similar one to the left. Now, he wasn't certain that they would be the same exact passage, once he was able to see more of it. However, from where he was standing, the entrances didn't seem to differ too much.

So he figured it didn't matter which way he took. There didn't seem to be a right or wrong way. With that in mind, he casually took one step forward, about to choose his route. He then stiffly froze in place, once an unsettling idea arose.

"Wait, what if there is a wrong choice?" What if choosing right was wrong, and left was right. Or right was right, and left was wrong!? Then what!? Would there be a trapdoor to drop me in the loser spot?

"Just pick one of them!" Anais shouted annoyingly, as she watched Flint stall. While she could see most of the arena, it was understandable with his hesitance. It didn't help matters, that she was watching all the other players of the third team, rushing ahead into the maze, while he was still in the beginning.

"Right, then it's settled! I'll go left!" Flint exclaimed determinedly, before rushing through the left passageway. "And then I'll take a right, just in case."

_

Elsewhere, as the Sea King drinking battle waged on, several of the participants began to drop out. Either the liquor or their drinking techniques were not up to par. Whatever was the case, they were out. Still there were plenty of people still in the game, including Bluno. Although the signs were clear that the alcohol was taking effect on him, he was by no means a lightweight when it came to drinking. It was his specialty after all.

Once Hawkins twisted the tubed drink, the air pocket within the drink began to descend back through the spiraling tail of the Sea King. However, he still had a ways to go before completely finishing the drink, and with each passing gulp, the air pocket grew larger.

Noticing one too many participants were still within the match, Bluno shook the table, a lot of the men were using as leverage. Because of this, they failed to keep the air pocket in check, and the result was an explosion of air making contact with the outside.

Flint made the left and a wooden cut out of a pirate appeared in front of him.

__________

As Hawkins continued to drink, he continued to turn the cup every so often in order to keep the air pockets in check.

However, he suddenly felt the table shaking beneath him. He figured this was foul play of some sort and Hawkins immediately let go of the table, relying on his one hand to hold the cup and continue the drink.

Despite Bluno's best efforts to ruin the competitions round of drinks, Hawkins and one other endured. His dirty tricks did happen to have an affect on those with a case of butter fingers or a weak stomach, but there apparently would be another round to go.

The bartender and organizer of this event didn't expect anyone to have the will to drink not only The Sea King, which was one of their most potent drinks, but every other known liquor thrown at them. Or at least, every type that was known locally. While they might had succeeded in drinking them dry of every beverage on the menu, their livers had to fail sooner or later.

However, there could only be one winner, and thinking on their feet, they proceeded to mix every ounce of booze they had sitting around. As soon as the combination of potency began to settle and fizzed, three large wooden mugs were placed near the remaining competitors.

"We call this one, the Davy Jone's Locker!" Bluno and the third remaining contestant eyed their beverages worryingly, as the sensation of the drink alone began to burn.
Elsewhere, Flint spotted his first target, as a wooden cut out sprung from beneath the floor boards.

There must had been some complex mechanics to go with this shooting gallery, so that these figures reacted whenever someone's presence was detected. Of course someone like Flint probably could care less, or never bothered to ponder how things like these would work in the first place.

What he did know was that there was a pirate target right in front of him. He didn't look too friendly either, as he weilded his dual swords. Not to mention his mangy apperance, matted beard, and toothless warrior cry, which the townspeople went to great legnths to paint.

Quickly he readied his slingshot, this time arming it with a rock instead of pieces from his gun. One decisive strike to the head knocked the pirate cutout flat on the ground.

Towering above in the sky, he noticed what appeared to be cutouts of seagulls. “Pirate birds?” He pondered the possibilty, as he scratched his head with the end of the sling's stick.

He finally came to the conclusion that it couldn't hurt to take a few potshots at them. They couldn't be marine birds, that would just be stupid. If anything, maybe he could get a few extra points for hitting them. With that in mind, he launched three more rocks into the three different seagull cutouts.

Hawkins eyed the drink. He hoped his eyes weren't turning red because they currently felt as though they were on fire just in the presence of the drink.

Well, ****.

Hawkins didn't make a move for his drink until he saw the other contestants go for it. He took a breath before attempting to chug what was probably the worst drink ever.

OOC: If you don't mind, you could probably RP as Anais as well. She's sort of like the red-headed step child that is passed around :P And when we add more to the story, whenever that may be, they can be passed around as well.

The third remaining participant began to chug the contents of the bubbling, sizzling, and acidic drink. As soon as it reached his lips and the tip of his tongue, his taste-buds began to burn. While the skin around his lips didn't bode to well, his sensitive receptors suddenly all became inflamed, just as the hairs within his nostrils began to curl.

He immediately froze in place, the mug and his drinking arm idly curled, before he toppled over onto the table. First the cup forcefully thumped, before his forehead dropped directly on top. As his arms dangled carelessly, he was out of the game, leaving only Hawkins and Bluno.

The burly, dirty, unshaven, and unbeaten champion fared much better then the third competitor, but even he was at his limit.

Elsewhere Flint's decisive rocks, and not gun parts, flew into the sky. The stones slammed directly into two of the seagull cutouts. However the third was able to retreat to safety, as he only wanted to sacrifice a couple of his bullets.

Once contact was made, these cutouts cawed loudly, before the two boards plummeted beyond, and left a plum of feathers. "Huh...how'd they get them to talk?" Flint asked curiously, as he scratched his head with the side of the slingshot.

However, a few of the audience who spotted the shots amidst all the action going on inside the maze began to gasp in shock.

Anais watched in horror as Flint shot up at the sky. She covered her face for a moment.

"Oh god, we're never going to survive this."

Her head shot up.

"STOP SHOOTING AT THE BIRDS YOU MORON!" she yelled.


________

Hawkins' tongue was burning. No, it wasn't just his tongue: the entire inside of his mouth was on fire. He was wondering if it was possible to burn up in flames.

Hawkins looked over as he drank and saw the third competitor fall. That left just one. And like hell, he wasn't going to lose to this asshole. Not after all this pain and suffering.

Hawkins closed his eyes and forced as much of the drink down his throat as possible.

Once Flint had heard Anais scream amidst all the other audience's commotion, he quickly brought his attention to the cloud of feathers, and then to one obscured silhouette which plummeted towards the ocean.

"Wait..." Noticing one of the other birds, that he had knocked unconsciously, Flint quickly rushed to its aid. Immediately he lifted it off of the splintery platform and into his hands. It dangled and flopped, as if it was a rag doll.

"Oh no! Little birdie! I didn't mean to hurt you!" He remarked, as he pressed the dizzy bird against his chest, and hugged it tightly. "I thought you'd give me bonus points, honest!"

Meanwhile, the remainder of the other contestants in Flint's group and others within the maze slowly made their way towards different routes, or dead ends, raking in points here or there.

As the last two contestants began to stomach the remainder of their acidic and bubbling concoction of booze, only time would tell who would be left standing.

Suddenly Bluno chugged the remainder of his mug, and with a gnarled gasp, wiped the foam and water off of his beard. As he did so, he thumped his glass on the table forcefully, before grinning at his achievement.

Whether or not Hawkins was left disappointed at his loss, struck with intimidation, or a combination of anything, suddenly Bluno froze. The mixture of alcohol that he hadn't swallowed yet, began to dribble through his cheeks and chin, before an entire waterfall of booze rushed out of his jaw agape.

Stiffly in place, Bluno fell backwards, and remained in position as if rigor-mortis had kicked in.

"JUST KEEP GOING!" Anais shouted after seeing Flint's predicament. While she was glad the bird wasn't hurt, he needed to get a move on if they were going to win this thing.

Hawkins finished his drink shortly after Bluno.

"Son a bitch," Hawkins thought as he saw his competitor had beaten him. Normally, he would have said this out loud but he was afraid the drink might come back if he did so.

After seeing what happened to Bluno, Hawkins was very still, waiting to see if something similar would happen to him. His entire body felt as though it were on fire while also being incredibly sick. He didn't dare to move or even make a sound for the fear of being disqualified as well.

With Bluno down for the count, many of the spectators gasped in shock. They either found people engorging themselves in an all you can drink buffet game entertaining or just didn't have anything better to do.

There was only one drinking competitor left, who the audience and barkeeper stared at. They were waiting for a sign, something that signified that he was actually sitting on his seat free of will. Hawkins seemed almost as stiff and statue-like to that of Bluno, before he nose dived into the table.

However, he didn't seem to be spilling his booze everywhere or falling over as if a freshly cut tree, so that was more then enough of an answer for the barkeeper. With a whisk of his hand, he rushed towards Hawkins, and pulled his arm upwards to show the new champion.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!" They shouted, as some of the audience cheered, while others dispersed soon after because they just didn't really care.


Heeding Anais, Flint quickly placed the dizzy bird gently on a fence post, before calmly taking a few steps back. He kept his eyes on the feathered friend, who was now perched atop the stump, as he kept stepping backwards.

"Now, just wait there. I'll be back once I win this." He remarked, as he coaxed the bird to stay put through hand gestures, as if the bird could understand him to begin with. As quickly as he could, he twisted around and rushed towards the next and only path, a sharp right turn.

Once he was able to see through the corner and clearing of the angle, there was a wide open space. There were only two ways to go, which were the way he came from, or straight ahead. However, something was blocking his path, or rather suspended above.

A cutout of a wooden pirate battle ship hung by two ropes stretching to each side of the wall. There was a skull and cross-bone flag, several squared windows where cannons would be placed if it was a real ship, and a staff member who apparently was standing on a platform on the other side of the ship.

"Uh-Oh!" The staff member shouted, which was able to ring through the maze and stands by the use of speakers. "Looks like someone else has been caught by the dreaded Black Beard ship!"

Once their voice had echoed for all to hear clearly, they then pulled some strings on the platform, which raised the squared window's boards, and revealed fake makeshift cannons. A single pellet shot towards Flint, but missed him completely and ricocheted off of the wooden walkway.

"Don't get hit, or you'll have to walk the plank!"

"...That means you'll be disqualified kid." The older mustached man, who was in his group replied grumpily, as he sat in the corner with his hands folded.

Hawkins immediately pulled his hand down. He didn't want his body to be moved in any way for the time being. In fact, even after he received his prize, he thought about just sitting there for a while.

Speaking of which, what was he even doing there? He knew he needed the prize money for something. But he couldn't remember for the life of him what it was.


Anais didn't say anything upon seeing the cannon. Maybe if she didn't say anything, Flint would do a good job. Maybe, she just needed to be quiet for him to concentrate.

After having won the contest of drinking, Hawkins was no doubt expecting an award of some sort. Like any good business, this tavern were good on their word. As they had said there would indeed be a prize.

After a few congratulatory cheers and handshakes from the barkeeper, the announcer, and a few patrons who enjoyed the show, the announcer quickly got a photograph with him and Hawkins. This new picture would be plastered on the wall of fame, showing all the participants who were able to out-drink the competition.

While they made sure to get their good side when the moment was captured, Hawkins clearly had one interesting mugshot. "Good job there." The announcer stated, with another congratulatory and rough pat on his back.

"As I am a man of my word, here is your prizes." First and foremost, Hawkins got another round of complimentary booze for him to drink. It was poured in a large wooden mug, with the the number sign and one next to it.

The mug was his to keep, for whatever intent and purpose he choose to do with it. Or anyone else he might know of. He then slipped three coupons into his pocket, "And because I'm such a nice guy, I'm giving you three tickets, for three free meals!"

-

Elsewhere, the fake pirate ship, suspended by the walls, relentlessly fired at Flint. The staff member was clearly the one operating the mechanics, as whatever rope they pulled happened to open a different hatch, which fired a separate crude canon.

It appeared to just be a small pipe, painted black, which fired smaller pellets. No matter what it was and what it fired, these things still left marks on the walls and boards. The middle-aged mustached man would agree, that it even left a painful sting.

Quick on his feet, Flint leaped, so that a pellet hit underneath his feet, instead of himself. He then proceeded to roll sideways, head in zig-zag patterns, and managed to run between the line of fire of the cannons and the man grumpily and idly sitting in the corner.

Much to his dismay, he was then peppered by another handful of pellets, as he covered himself. "Darn it! Stand still."

"What fun would that be? I'm a pirate, I don't take rules!" The staff member replied, as he ran around on the platform. Occasionally he ducked and crawled, causing Flint to have difficulty aiming and shooting. Even more so because he was using a slingshot. As soon as he pulled back the rubber, the man was already somewhere else, and then he had another wave of pellets to avoid.

He wasn't going to get hit by one of these, so he had to undo the progress he made, and hope he could make the next load count. Otherwise it would all be his fault if he was to fail. They needed this reward to get them to the Grand Line.

Hawkins took the mug. His eyes were glassy, his movements were slow and he looked as though he was on another planet at the moment. He took the tickets and slipped them into his pocket. At least, that's what he think he did. He couldn't really remember.

Hawkins walked outside, silent. He took one or two drunken steps away from the doorway before collapsing to the ground, completely passed out.




Anais watched intently as Flint tried to dodge the "pirates" attacks. She was on the edge of her seat, afraid to say or do anything. Regardless of the outcome, she hoped to hell Hawkins was getting the parts they needed otherwise, they probably didn't stand a chance surviving the next round.