[Episode] ENTER: Neo

NEO, THE AVID REPORTER

■ 566 WORDS ■ "I'm still getting paid, right?" ■

"Just don't get me killed!" Those were decent last words. Irony waiting to happen. With his luck he was going to die on this ship, or they all were. Pirates were scum, all of them. It isn't to say he didn't meet a few decent sailors back in the day, but exceptions weren't the rule. He was stuck to them not because he needed them. Truthfully, they were his audience. They read his stories, his reports, his findings. To them, he was a celebrity. You can't really ever have the perfect person to consume your content, and the fact they weren't total pieces of shit made it a bit more manageable. Everyone was an enemy to someone else. It was nice to be some sort of hero for a while at least. He was sure somewhere regarded him as a boogeyman, probably... maybe.

The haze and headache seemed to burden his brain as he got up. He blinked a few times hoping it would cure his hangover. "Yeah, as if." he thought to himself. A deal was a deal. Truthfully, it was his birthday, WAS, at least. He was already pretty tipsy when he made it to the bar. A drinking challenge was not his best idea, but it wasn't like he was a mastermind under the influence.

Right, all of this was because of his choices. He chose to get drunk. He chose to challenge a pirate to her game. There wasn't luck to blame, just himself. All of this, was because he was barely good enough at his job. He walked over to the railing to stare at the water as the ship continued to sail. The crew went about their business and all they did was check on him every so often. That was how it would go for the first few hours. Some would begin to become more bold in front of him, but even they knew he was starting to get bored.

"Ya want a sketchbook?" a voice creeped on him and he would finally turn around to face it. A taller gentleman he couldn't remember seeing at the bar held out the book between them. He could see the scars over his exposed arms, his attire nothing more than a black tank top and loose pants in a matching color. He seemed far more simply dressed than the others. "Keeps the mind sane, bet'r then starin' at the waves." He nodded before Neo would take the book from him.

"You ain't new to ships are ya?" he asked strangely. Neo begun to get a sense that he really didn't know who he was. Not that he knew anyone on the ship either.

"I've sailed before, or rather been on ships. I just never felt so close to the water before." He tried to explain but the words seemed to trip over each other as they raced to get out of his mouth. "Used to larger ships I suppose." he shrugged the words off, and that seemed to satisfy the man enough making him go back under deck for whatever his real job was.

"God. Jones if you could see what I'm trying to do for you, would you be happy for me or disappointed?" he spoke to the sky as he tilted his head back. It was going to be a long trip, he could feel it in his bones.

NEO, THE AVID REPORTER

■ 516 WORDS ■ "I want off this ride" ■

It wasn't a sign of weakness to rely on your friends. Friends didn't make you weak, they allowed you to be stronger. A friend, an ally was there to cover your weak spots. It allowed you to shine as bright as you could, leaning into all that you're good at. A good team was okay, it worked. A great team was unstoppable. He wished it was a simple as it was just a few years back. Before all of it happened. He balled his hands into fists and slammed on the railing. The sea breeze still tossing his hair with every creep over the tides. He looked over at the others. His eyes traced their body shapes, their mannerisms, how they interacted with each other. They were just side characters in his tale, they wouldn't be fit for a cover piece.

Capitan Miriam Ramirez. A loud woman who dressed in louder colors. By the standard of bounties, a nobody, but still a pirate. Largest crime to record is stealing a boat, the one they used now, and fixing it up enough to make it sea worthy. Her hair a bright red, and her clothes wild pastels and neon colors.

Toffee Stevenson, swordsman, always at his captains side. Dressed in a fine suit, he was the most presentable of any of them, and talked little if at all. His brother on the otherhand,  Nougat was loud, dressed in a suit as well but stained from either meals, drinks or fights. He had an infatuation with knives claiming he liked to get up close and personal.

Roger Rogers was nothing more than a sort of navigator, or at least was one better than the others. But his real claim to fame seemed to be the fact he was the one who had repaired the ship to its current glory.  He wasn't wanted for violent crimes, but the theft of lumber. Might have been the one worth the most out of the crew, but still wasn't worth the effort it would take to separate him from the others.

The final member, the taller man from before he didn't catch the name of. It seemed as if everyone kept out of his way, and he out of theirs. Neo couldn't find any habits that made him useful to the crew, or even if he was a part of it. Something about him was comforting, but also just felt off.

He tried to shake it off and took a seat on the steps of the ship watching over the crew. He opened the book and began to sketch portraits of all of the crew members. It wasn't much for him to do, but when the time came, if it was needed, maybe it would make for a decent bounty poster, more so considering he left his camera back home. It was rare when drawings were taken over photos, but it was also rare to have a photographer reveal himself to pirates. Lying wasn't Neo's strong suit. He knew he'd forget whatever he'd tell them, and in the end reveal how untrustworthy he really was.

NEO, THE AVID REPORTER

■ 320+1,082/5000 WORDS ■ "I want off this ride" ■

"Oi, Nougat what's that in the distance? That land ther'?" Miriam called out, her hand outstretched  pointing to the ship they seemed to be tailing. She tugged at the gear at her sides as it to check that everything was there.

Toffee immediately moved to grab his swords, tossing the gun to his captain as he begun to get ready. Nougat took out his spyglass to look forward at the ship while getting his own knives ready. "They're a ways ahead of us. But it seems like they're slowing down... but for what?"

Roger could be heard from below deck barely hearing the words but knowing well enough what the commotion was about. Whatever he was talking about with the stranger seemed to get him more riled up. Neo smiled, finally eager for some excitement, he begun to get up from his seat but not before he felt something heavy hit him from behind? A book? A board? A hammer? He closed his eye and winced as he turned to find the culprit only to find a sharp pain in his gut. The feeling washed over him and before he could even get a look at the suspect he was kicked off the blade and down the steps. He found himself falling towards the deck and laughter from above him.

"You guys hiring mercs now to protect that damn thing? Huahuahua! That won't stop me. I'll kill everyone on this sad excuse of a ship, where is it?" he slowly made his way down the steps, the crew stood still as they all watched over him. How the hell did he get on the ship? How did Neo not hear him? Did he really let his guard down? "I won't ask again, Miriam. Where is it."

No, he knew that voice. The closer he got, the better he got a look at his face. It was him, Portugal B. Tortuga.

NEO, THE AVID REPORTER

■ 407+1,402/5000 WORDS ■ "I want off this ride" ■

Now, this was a man worth fighting. It wasn't to say he was going to be easy, nor something of a challenge. It wasn't about earning a hard fought victory, it was about paying bills. "300,000. That's enough to make a payment for the month, and still get food for the rest of the month." He smiled, the blood covering his teeth. He was going to take this guy down, and he was going to do it here.

He reached for the pen he had been drawing, and snapped back to the man's leg. With a quick swing he jammed the pen into his leg before taking his fist to hammer it deeper in.

"Ah you little shit, still breathing??" He lifted his leg as if to stomp on his head, but for Neo, it was a wide open shot, and he pulled the pen from his wound and went straight for the man's jewels. He would cry out and wallow in pain, but not long before he rolled his body to kick the pen and to roll away from him. His blood beginning to pool and stain the floorboards he scurried to the side of the pirates, hoping his biggest fans would at least be helpful for a little while.

He tried to steady his breathing, his hand clutching his side trying to have anything to stop the bleeding. If he was going to survive until the next day, he needed to end this now and fast. They had to get rid of this man, and before they made it to his ship. He would have at least a dozen men waiting, and if they were all at the end of their life after barely surviving against him, they were doomed. Toffee silently handed Neo one of his own swords, and nodded readying his blade.

It wasn't the one's he had before, but honestly, was his swords ever his choice? "Look man, I don't-" Toffee raised his hand, as if to silence him. He didn't need to say anything, but Neo understood. He was their guest, and this ship was their home. It was their duty to protect it, and the fact he got hurt in the first place was their fault.  It was as if to say, "Sir, we'll take it from here. Remain safe."

And so he nodded in reply and took a step back. It was time to watch a real story begin.

NEO, THE AVID REPORTER

■ 345+1,809/5000 WORDS ■ "We are so fucked." ■

Eras aren't meant to last forever. There comes a time when a generation has to pass the world to the next. Its often a bittersweet moment where one has to accept their time is over, while the other gets to take the reins.  Neo always looked forward to not the moment when he would inherit the earth, but be the one to pass it on. He smiled as he took a step back as he watched his new found friends take on this unwanted passenger. He had long awaited this moment, but this was not that moment.

Nougat rushed in throwing his knives at the man. One after another seemed to hit him but each one hitting him with the handle and not even the blade. Portugal clutched the blade in his hand and with a swing clocked Nougat with the butt of the handle knocking him flat onto the deck. The sound of his body hitting the stiff wood was followed by all of his loose knives bouncing off the ground. It sounded as if someone knocked over a jar of loose change, but it was instead someone being knocked out cold.

His brother would charge in, sword held high as Captain Ramirez would do the same from his opposing side to flank him. Neo watched, the sword loosely held at his side as he begun to silently cheer for them to take this man on. Toffee's blade seemed to land, while all it took was a step to the side to avoid the blade swinging at him from behind. Portugal would extend his leg and with a force Neo had not seen in some time, kick the woman back. She flew over the deck and into the door to the quarters nearly snapping it off its hinges. He would spin his body and with similar force thrust his blade into the shoulder of  Toffee. For the first time during their time together, Neo finally heard a sound emit from his mouth, but not one he ever planed to, nor ever wanted to hear.

NEO, THE AVID REPORTER

■ 316+2,154/5000 WORDS ■ "We are so fucked." ■

He didn't plan on anything failing, though to be fair he never planned for failure. However, just because it wasn't something he expected in his story, didn't mean he wasn't prepared for it. These pirates were just that in name alone. Some petty pointless crime. There were all sorts of thieves of every kind back home, but that didn't mean they were bad. They simply were trying to survive. Just because a kid stole a loaf of bread didn't mean he deserves to die. He wasn't one to argue with the law, but it didn't mean he agreed with all of it. He didn't know what crime they may or may not have committed. For all he knew they were pirates for refusing to show up tp jury duty. Maybe their bounties were simply reward fees for returning them back home to their loving families. He never really cared to ask much about the specifics of crime nor did it come up often for him. The violent ones he typically stayed away from, and typically their super high price was an indicator of that. For those mostly peaceful he found himself enjoying his time with them before turning them in. That was an easy day. But this man was a killer, and despite only knowing the crew for a short while, they were still his friends.

"You piece of shit." he mumbled under his breath as he took a long and deep inhale. His grip forcefully clutched the handle of the sword. He had one chance to land this attack. he had one chance to save these people. if he didn't act now, they would die here, and die again when his crew arrived. Though, for a moment his train of thought broke.

If he had a crew, why didn't they fire upon them yet? "Fuck it." he started to run at the man, "Wonderland Execution!"

NEO, THE AVID REPORTER

■ 302+2,470/5000 WORDS ■ "We are so fucked." ■

He wasn't an expert. He didn't grow up a student of a famed swordsman. He wasn't the son of a great warrior. His story was plain, simple and ordinary. By any and all standards, your typical nobody. He was a background character who easily fit into crowds and was easily forgotten. He would tell you it wasn't something that bothered him, but it wasn't something he allowed himself to think about very often. It was a skill he was used to, and one that allowed him to preform his job dutifully. But every so often he wished he was the voice in the room everyone listened to. He wished he was the hero everyone looked up to. He wanted to be someone. Even for just a moment.

He ran, his sneakers trying to find grip upon the moistened planks of the ship's deck. He didn't dress the part, he never looked or acted the part. he never told anyone he was an expert or the best. He knew he wasn't. He didn't need to be the best, he just needed to be the one people needed. His sword pointed forward towards Portugal, leading his charge. His entire path, his attack, all of it telegraphed to him. A laugh escaped his lips watching this fool of a photographer charge at him. He lifted his arm and his blade to block the frontal assault, but that wasn't what he aimed for at all.

He spun his body, the blade turning to the side as he swung at the man's side with all of his force. He didn't need to be a better fighter, or a better swordsman. He just needed to survive. And here, in this moment, was to kill this man as fast and as quick as he could. By any means necessary.

NEO, THE EXECUTIONER

■  472+2,772/5000 WORDS ■ "We'll make it.." ■

By the measure of most, he was weak, foolish and inept. He was Jones' "First Mate" which was nothing more than a position given to him by his friend. He offered little outside of wild ideas, most of them with no thoughts and often impossible solutions to improbable scenarios. He traveled with cooks, doctors, swordsmen, blacksmiths, carpenters, but he was none of them. He was a survivor. He wasn't someone kept around for his ideas, or his skill, he was prized for his instinct.

He did not speak a funny one liner, he didn't have any quip. This wasn't a joke to him. He was going to have to end someone's life, and it was not something he could bring himself to joke about. He didn't cope with his darkness, nor pretend to be cheery through it all. The world was grim, it was horrendous but it was real.

The blade made swift impact with his flesh before the force taking his head clean off. It spun and landed on the deck as he continued to follow through with his motions, preserving his momentum. He was never sure until he was certain. With so many strange devil fruits around, for all he knew his skin could turn to steel, or he could actually separate his head from his body. The blood that begun to spray its red mist was sign enough, but still he kept his guard up. Portugal was dead, but he could not say they were safe now.

"Eyes up!" he yelled out, "Watch his ship for retaliation. We can't rest now." He flicked the sword to the side, most of the blood shaken off to land on the deck. Rogers finally poked his head from below deck with a rifle in hand as he carefully pointed at the ship. They would  slowly drift into it, their contact not much more than when they got to a dock at port.

"Toffee, can you stand?" he needed to know they were okay. The man staggered and shaken, was still able to stand. He answered with a nod as he tried to capture his breath. He turned and didn't need to call out to Ramirez as she begun to get up from the damage to her boat. "Rogers, I need you to watch that ship for any movement. Toffee check on-"

He was going to make a request, but a brother's love was far faster than his words. Toffee seemed to all but dive to his brother's side as he slowly regained consciousness. With the sound of a loud slap, it seemed to jolt him awake enough for him to quickly get back on his feet. All of them looked at the railing of the boat waiting for something to happen. The worst was yet to come.

Unless... it was already over?