Iggy unleased a gout of flame, illuminating the interior for a brief moment while he looked around.

-1FP, succeed PER by 1

The creature’s interior appeared like an enormous cave. Water spread out into the darkness. But there was some sort of rope hanging down in what might have been the middle of the cavern. It looked to be hanging from beyond sight above to several feet above the level of the water.

An eerie silence filled the cavern.

"Ahlrite, letz duuu thisss boyz!" the Transformed Taro screams, as he runs towards the front of the ship, then leaps off and flies towards the rope. "TARRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOO BONNNNNETTTT!"

"Capt'n! I bet we could use our cannons to give this takoyaki a case of indigestion." roared the dragonman as he headed for a cannon.

"Cease fire!" Nezha says, "Let the good doctor check out the rope before anything else."

Taro reached the rope, and pulled on it.

KACHUNK

A light came on, bright but distant, directly overhead from Taro’s position. The cavern of the beast’s mouth was illuminated, seemingly a vast empty dome, low rumbles coming periodically from below the dark, calm waters.

In the distance, on one wall, there was some structure snaking up the side, all the way to where the light was. On closer inspection, it was a set of wooden stairs. The ship wouldn’t be able to make it that close to the wall, but some smaller boats could dock right by the bottom of the staircase.

The Dragonslayers dropped anchor. As it hit the floor of the cavern, the whole place rumbled violently. Water sloshed over the sides of the ship, but eventually the beast quieted.

Taking a small boat to shore, they docked at the base of the staircase. The hike up was long and dreary, the light from the center dimmed at the edges. The stairs wound the perimeter going up to some sort of doorway near the ceiling. The door creaked open, a small room of cold steel beyond. A single, round window sat on the wall opposite the door, and through it they could see out into the dark blue of the ocean.

The beast was moving.

Another door to the side of the room opened, leading further up, but not in the cavern. These lead up at a much sharper angle, like a ship ladder. After another arduous climb, the stairs opened into yet another steel room. Another round window looked in what felt like 90° from the window below, this one the direction the beast was moving. In the distance, a dark mountain was approaching, likely an island above the waters.

The room lurched suddenly, everyone sliding toward the window, and the beast came to a halt, then began ascending slowly, breaching the water several miles offshore an island. On the ceiling of this room there was a hatch sealed shut by a circular handle.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:05, Sat 30 July 2022.

“I have a feeling about our current situation, Captain. It is the same feeling I’ve had when I’ve consumed a delicious Quadruple Inferno Beef Burrito. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but shortly after, I saw death…and an intense, painful heat coming from below.”

After listening to the doctor, Iggy shouldered his way to the door. "If that's the way you feel, then I'll open the door."

The door opened with a hiss as the pressure of the compartment regulated with that outside. Strangely, their ship was waiting for them, seen being expelled from the Sea King’s maw. The whole creature shook suddenly and began to descend into the depths, the room they were standing at beginning to sink back into the ocean.

Who can swim? The ship is a ways away. :D

Dr. Bonnet ascends from within the beast, but just as the good doctor was getting comfortable in its dank bowels, the sun scorched his eyes immediately as he exited. His meek form began to crumble and he agonized from the incendiary sun. “Damn the sun! I will extinguish it from the heavens! I will ki-...” Dr. Bonnet began to stutter as he frantically looked about. “Ka…Ka…” Dr. Bonnet appeared to be fainting under the cruel sun as his body dropped to the ground. As the good doctor feebly attempted to push himself up from the exterior of the beast, his hands grew into hideous claws! Taro’s back ripped open and wings burst forth with a mixture of fire and blood! The transformed Taro, in an inferno of rage, exclaimed, “KAMINAAARIIIIIII! Kuhmmm wyth me naow!” As the creature Taro stood up, he saw his ally Kaminari, put him on his back, and launched into sky as a phoenix reborn. In the air, the transformed Taro looked back and yelled to Ignatius, “We mayke wayy fore our shyp! Ignayshus, grab the kaptan!”

Iggy's eye widened as the creature began to sink. He jumped into the air and instantly transformed into his dragon form. He snagged the captain with a claw as he flew up and tossed him high in the air. Irezumi tumbled through the air as Iggy nimbly turned and flew underneath him, catching the falling pirate on to his scaly  back. "Can't go letting you drown Cap'n"

"Doctor, change back! Kaminari will keep you from drowning until Iggy can circle back!" Nezha orders from his perch stop the dragon. Fearing the anchor is still hooked in the Sea King's maw he shouts down to his crew, "Cut the anchor! Cut it before it drags you down!"

A sound echoed from the ship as though from a loud speaker.

”Already done, captain,” said Viola’s familiar voice.

The waves from the descending Sea King tossed the ship violently, but not enough to capsize it.

---

After a few trips to grab the crew from the sea, the Dragonslayers were reunited aboard their ship, a lone island their only course.

As they approached, the captain could see a small Navy vessel anchored just off shore, though the scouts said they didn’t see anyone aboard. A lone man stood on the shore, facing away from the approaching ship, Navy captain’s coat hung on his shoulders, the symbol of the World Government flapping in the breeze.

"I suspect the Navy Captain is waiting to speak with me." Nezha says to his assembled Commanders and Viola, "I will go alone, but I trust you'll know if you need to intervene."

---

After rowing ashore he approaches the waiting man, "Irezumi D. Nezha, Captain of the Dragonslayer Pirates. Can I help you?"

”We need to talk, Nezha,” said the familiar voice of his brother. ”I called in a favor to arrange this meeting. Three things you must be aware of as you enter the grand line.” He raised his right hand showing three fingers, then dropped two of them, gesturing firmly with index finger.

”One: Our brother has become more fanatical than ever before. Something has changed him. I do not know what. He has grown so barbaric that he may need to be put down before his zealotry becomes too much of a liability.

“Two: Zheng and Barbarossa are making plays for each other’s territory, but they’re doing it largely in the shadows. They may have employed any number of lesser pirates to do dirty work for them, against each other, as pawns on a grand chess board. Do not get caught in the middle, or you could make enemies of both. More than you may have already.

“Three: There is a shadow government that has arisen in the Gold Star Kingdom. The front lines have become so hostile that we are too short handed to look into it. Usually, these are not bad for our cause, but we have actually lost agents that were merely observing and reporting. Zhenren wanted to ask the favor in person, but I was the closest we could manage. I’ve taken great risks to being this message in person. We were sure you’d be interested, so we took the liberty of bringing you here. The next island is the first of the Gold Star Kingdom. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. And, sorry for not sending a note, but you know how reliable post is these days.”

It didn't take Iggy long to fish his companions out of the water. He would have liked to save Taro for last, but on his first trip back, (after depositing the captain on board), he was struck with pity for the condition of the Dr. as he drowned. Kaminari was doing his best to keep Taro afloat, but the devil's fruit really was like an anvil, and Taro kept dipping below the surface. So he swooped down and carried him away to safety. "Why do you keep saving his life?" He wondered to himself.

---

Iggy wasn't happy seeing the captain row off by himself. "Viola, I need a cross bar in the bowsprit, that can take the weight of the ship. I plan to tow us closer" He flapped into the air and began to circle as the bar materialized. swooping down he grabbed the bar with both of his rear claws and propelled the ship closer to shore where he could keep a watchful eye on the captain and assist if needed
This message was lightly edited by the player at 06:42, Tue 15 Nov 2022.

"I am deeply saddened by the news of our brother... I'm not sure that I am surprised by it though, of the three of us he was one who truly believed in the work of the World Government. Has he drawn the ire of his superiors or are they using his zeal as a weapon?"

"We will heed your advice as much as we can, but if it is a war of proxies I fear our involvement may be unavoidable. We can't avoid everyone out of fear of distant Emperors. We will help who we help and deal with the consequences as they come."

"I appreciate the gravity of what you're asking of us and that grandfather would have come himself. However, it is very good to see you brother, thank you for saving me; you can see the scar from the bullet here since the wound can't before I ate our family Devilfruit. We will bring justice to the Gold Star Kingdom, rest assured."

Taro shook off the dreadful sea water and began to speak with Ignatius.

“Iggy, I want to thank you for saving my life. It reminds me of the time I fought in the Obreah War, 632 years ago. I was the captain of my own ship, and my men and I were known as the Death Walkers. Regah ‘Soul Swapper’ Lystocah, was my right hand, ‘Wraith Waltz’ Lynvale was my helmsman, Kaylu Lemaht was the crew’s doctor (if you could call it that!), and the rest of my crew were the Lystocah quadruplets: ‘Despair’ Rovero, ‘Damnation’ Trelahk, ‘Dread’ Ruri, and ‘Doom’ Ungamal. When the Death Walkers fought in the Obreah War, we fought alongside the Lrahtujy crew, led by Lrahtujy himself, which was a pirate crew of dragons who ruled the skies. Our crew, ironically enough, was knocking on death’s door, but Lrahtujy himself saved us from entering into the void. Ever since then, I’ve had a tot-“ The good doctor pauses his speech and a look of bewilderment comes over his face. He begins to scratch his chin and twirl his scalpel. He thinks to himself aloud, “Wait, was I a captain in this life or my previous one?” Dr. Bonnet shakes his head and looks up towards Ignatius and continues from where the good doctor thought he left off. “As I was saying Mr. Wanna, thank you for saving me. It is quite shocking that I’m thanking a dragon!” Taro chuckled to himself. “We used to hunt your kind! Back in the Obreah War, 632 years ago, Lrahtujy, a nasty, scaly, flaming red dragon ravaged the skies with his swarm of lowly drakes. I was the one who put his tyranny to an end when I sliced his body into a million pieces!” Taro cackled maniacally for a few moments then dropped the ground and sat with a dumbfounded look. Taro’s eyes wandered around the ship and the ocean until they locked onto Ignatius and the good doctor spoke yet again. “Iggy! I wanted to thank you…” Dr. Bonnet continued to thank Ignatius for saving his life and recounting contradictory tales of past events with the dragon folk  that might (or might not!) have happened.

”I haven’t heard anything from his superiors either way. A strange bout of silence that makes me wonder what you just asked. As for the Emperors, just be wary. Small time alliances may be clever ploys to leash you beneath one or the other before you know it. Something is strange within these factions as well, but I have yet to place it. Change is brewing, great change.”

He finally turned to face Nezha, eyes hard.

“I hope that you can trust these men,” he said, looking over the motley crew. ”And women? Interesting. I had heard, but now I see her.”

His eyes stopped on the doctor and he raised an eyebrow.

”He has the death surgeon’s scalpel? I can feel the evil of that thing from here. Is he out of his mind?”

Iggy continued to huff and puff as he hauled the ship closer to shore, minding the deapth of the water. It wouldn't go to strand the ship after all. If only that Doctor would shut up. It was hard to focus on his task with his constant prattle.

After the third iteration of the "thank you tale", Iggy began to regret saving Taro from a watery grave. Four more later, and he was contemplating the ramifications of "accidentally" sweeping the doctor off of the ship with a "careless" tail. Three more thank you's after that, Iggy decided that the ship was close enough. He released his grip on the ship and flew out of earshot of the deranged Taro, who continued to ramble on as if the dragon was still there.

"Hmm... I wonder if he's been assigned some secret mission. In any case, we will consider our friends carefully as we move on. I appreciate the advice, there are many factions in all this that I need to navigate carefully. We can't afford to get trapped in a foul alliance."

Nezha meets his brother's gaze and indicates to his officers, "Just as you did, my officers have saved my life already on this journey. I trust them completely. It is with them I will build an armada to overthrow the Celestial Dragons."

"Does that surprise you? I've met Revolutionaries who are women, haven't I? Lt. Commander Viola is one of my officers and there are yet still more among the crew. All who were freed joined up so far, though I do not demand it."

"Yes, I do believe he picked it up in Lvneel. Doctor Bonnet is quite unwell, but also extremely good at his job. It is an insane undertaking I have embarked upon, so it makes sense that he was attracted to it."

“I mean that she’s an interesting choice for the fruit you were given,” he said. “An older female slave will be the last anyone thinks to have such a power. And she looks to command the crew well.”

“But alas, my time is short. I must return before my absence is questioned too deeply. If you have any questions about the world, now is the time to ask.”

"It was no matter of cunning on my part, Lt. Commander Viola is their leader because they choose her to be so. Nezha says, "It was good to see you brother. Thank you again for saving me. Until we meet again."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:21, Sun 18 Dec 2022.

“Ah, so they chose her. It all comes together,” he said, nodding. “Until we meet again.”

Jinzha turned back away from Nezha, studying the ocean on the other side of his small island, hands clasped behind his back. The Dragonslayers reconvened, and Viola spoke up.

“Captain, we have a heading,” she said, looking over at the Log Pose, needle now fixed with a direction.

They sailed away from Jinzha, and he didn’t appear to move an inch as he disappeared over the horizon behind them.