A Quiet Prevention

Anton took a deep breath as he headed towards the captain's quarters on the marine ship. He was finally going to learn why he was here. It was a bit of a surprise when he was given the order to be here, but not told what his assignment were. They had been sailing for a day or two now, and the poor marine still had no idea what he was supposed to do here. It was starting to get to him. He just wished they would tell him and break the suspense already. His mind was starting to come up with scenarios of their own.

Reaching the door, he gave a small knock. "Come in." came a voice on the other end. Anton took a deep breath and turned the nob, letting himself into the room. The room had been set up like an office, a large oak desk sitting near the back window. The captain of the ship, marine captain Stalton, a lean man with a hard jaw and a bushy black mustache, looked up from his paperwork. "Y-You wished to see me sir?" Anton asked, slowly closing the door behind him. The captain nodded. "Yes, please have a seat Mr. La'croix." The timid marine moved to take a seat before the desk. The captain shifted some of his papers around before looking back up at him. "Now, I'm sure you're wondering why you're here to begin with." Anton nodded, keeping quiet and letting the man explain.

The captain pulled out a map, spreading it out on the desk before them. "This is Mackabee Island. A rather small place, out of the way. Nothing really going for it, so the World Government pays no attention to it. However, recently, we have discovered revolutionary presence here on the island." Anton blinked. The Revolutionaries? He had heard about them, but weren't they more focused on the Grand Line and the New World? His question must have been all over his face because the captain nodded. "It's a bit of a surprise too, but it seems the revolutionaries have decided to make their move here in the Blues, starting with the North." "So, we're going here to put them out of business?" Anton was visibly nervous. He was never fond of having to go into battle, especially since he didn't see too many men on the ship.

The captain shook his head. "We could, but there's something high command wants to know first. These guys set up shop very quickly, and we want to know just where they got their supplies from. Otherwise, they could easily establish revolutionary outposts all over the place. If we can figure out their supply lines, we can cut them off and kill their operations before they take root." He then pointed at Anton, "And that's where you come in." Anton was getting an ever growing feeling of dread. The captain continued. "We want you to get in there, and find out where they're getting all this from."

Just hearing that caused Anton's face to pale. He swore his heart froze in his chest. "B-But why me sir!?" he spluttered, trying not to scream. The captain's expression didn't change for a moment. "To be honest Mr. La'croix...you don't look like a marine. In all honesty, it's kind of amazing you got through basic training as you did. So, we figured the revolutionaries wouldn't be able to identify you as well." "B-But I'm no spy!" Anton was trying not to cry right now. The captain chuckled. "And that's why they wont suspect you. Now come, we're almost there. Once we're within range, we'll set you on a lifeboat and you make your way to the island. We'll keep out of sight until your mission's complete. Then just take the boat and head back out to sea where we'll be waiting for you." The captain rose from his seat, walking around the desk and heading for the door. It was clear by his posture and words he expected Anton to follow him, and wouldn't let him say otherwise.

Anton let out a pitiful groan as he stood up to follow him. Why did all this stuff have to happen to him?

Anton let out a pitiful groan for the umpteenth time since he had gotten on the boat, as he pulled at the oars, bringing himself closer into he island's rather modest looking ship yard. Why did it have to be him? They picked him because his pathetic demeanor made it impossibly to identify him as a marine, but wouldn't that same demeanor prove he was inadequate to the task? This had bad news written all over it and he knew it.

He was so caught up in his own misery he didn't realize he had come into dock, his ship bumping into the side of the pier. The young man jumped lightly, looking around as if afraid something had just attacked him, only to let out a sigh of relief when he saw nothing there. "Hey! You there!" Anton let out a frightened squeak as he jumped once again, looking upwards to see an older gentleman standing on the pier, looking down at him. "Are you ok down there?" the man called out. Anton hadn't expected to encounter anyone so soon. He gave a meek nod. "I-I'm ok sir. Th-Thank you."

The man didn't seem to buy his words as he disappeared back down the pier. A moment later, a rope ladder was thrown down to them. Anton hesitated for a moment, before starting to climb his way up onto the pier, where the old man was waiting for him. "Are you alright?" the man asked, looking over the nobly dressed man before him, "I saw your boat coming in from a distance. Did you seriously travel all the way out here via row boat?" Anton paused, not sure how to respond. He couldn't say yes, he looked nowhere near capable of that. But he had to come up with something fast. "Th-The ship I was on was sunk...by pirates..." Anton spluttered out, really making up the story as he went along, "I-It was horrible! The ship was being ripped apart. I was barely able to get onto the lifeboat and get out of there. I'd been stuck out at sea for almost two days!" Anton's tone had become frantic during his little performance, unwittingly pulling off a convincing impression of a man just horribly traumatized.

The older man was shocked "Oh I'm so sorry! That must have been a waking nightmare for you. Come, you probably haven't eaten during that time, have you? I own a tavern not far from here. We'll get you something to eat and then we'll work something out." Anton could only nod numbly as he let the man lead him on. Well, he had managed to make contact with a local and get onto the island without any problems. But that was honestly the easy part. Now he had to find those revolutionaries and infiltrate them. The thought of that was more terrifying than any fictional attack Anton could come up with.

"Oh you poor thing!" The tavern owner's wife, a portly, older woman said, clearly concerned as she set down a plate, holding a fresh cut of lamb, mashed potatoes and peas down in front of Anton, "Having to go through something so horrible! Go on, eat up. There's plenty more if you need it." Anton couldn't help but smiled at the hospitality given to him by these folks. When he first was sent to this island, he had thought he would be all alone in a dark, scary place. Instead, here he was, having a nice meal.

"So tell us," the tavern owner spoke up, sitting beside him, "What's your name? Where are you from?" Anton paused for a moment, trying to think of a response. Should he lie? No, these people deserved better. He just didn't have to give the whole truth. "I'm Anton La'croix." he replied, "From Lvneel." The tavern owner gave a small chuckle. "A far way from home, aren't you? What brings you all the way out here?" Now Anton had to think fast. "I...I was on a merchant ship. We were bringing some goods down to Loguetown when we were attacked by pirates." At that point, the man's wife appeared, bringing drinks to the two of them. "Judging by your clothes Mr. La'croix, I get the feeling you were the one who owned the ship." Anton paused, his mind scrambling for responses. "M-My father owned the company. I-I was just sent to oversee the matter." he looked down sadly, "Good job I did of it." The woman gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Now don't be so hard on yourself young man. You did the best you could. Nobody could have seen a pirate attack coming. The fact that you're still alive despite all that shows you're more capable than you realize."

Anton couldn't help but smile at their words. Despite his meek demeanor, he had still managed to get through the hell that was marine training. Most people would have been kicked out, written off as a failure, but he had made it. Granted, he only made it because his instructor wanted his record intact, and the training had left him a wreck, but that didn't change the fact that despite all that, he was still here, still alive. And that's not even mentioning the Devil Fruit he had. That at least gave him a leg up over others.

While this was happening, Anton had completely failed to notice the man in the corner of the tavern, watching him as he ate. The man was looking over the undercover marine with a critical eye, a frown on his face. Without a word, the man rose from his chair, leaving his payment on the table before turning and walking out.

"Thank you very much for the meal," Anton said with a smile, the plate in front of him cleared, as he rose to his feet. The older woman smiled, taking pride in her meal. "You're very welcome young man. And don't worry about the payment. It's on the house." Anton paused as he had reached for his coat pocket. He gave a small smile. "Are you sure? I wouldn't feel right just leaving without paying." The older woman scoffed and waved the motion away. "Think nothing of it. You've already been through so much." "So, what do you plan to do?" the tavern owner asked.

Anton was unsure for a moment. He was here to find the revolutionaries, but he couldn't say that to them. Especially since he had told that whole story about being a merchant's son. "Well, I'll just see if I can find any ships willing to take me to Loguetown and try to get a hold of my father there." The older man's expression fell slightly. "I'm not so sure you'd find any way out at the moment. There's some stuff going on on this island as of yet." Anton blinked in false confusion. He knew what the old man meant. "What sort of stuff?" The man looked like he was going to respond, but thought against it, shaking his head. "Nothing for you to worry about young man. Just, be careful out there, ok?"

Anton gave a nod. "I will. Thank you so much for everything." The older couple nodded as Anton turned and stepped out of the tavern. He shivered lightly, feeling the cold chill in the air. Well, that meal was nice, but now he had to get to work. He had to find these revolutionaries, and fast. The sooner he got the information, the sooner he could get out of here. But how was he going to do it?

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone disappearing down an alleyway. Anton couldn't help but look in that direction. Someone was trying to hide. That meant someone had something to hide. And if there was anyone on this island that had something to hide, it was a revolutionary. Cautiously, Anton headed towards the alleyway, trying to keep himself as quiet as possible. As he rounded the corner and stepped in, he looked around, trying to see where the mystery man had gone to. But there was nobody there. Where did he go? There didn't seem to be any places for him to hide in.

"Welcome to Mackabee."

Anton didn't get the chance to turn around, before something slammed into the back of his head. The marine's vision blurred as he swayed, then hit the ground with a crash.

Anton groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. The back of his head throbbed, his mind trying to piece together what had just happened. There had been a voice, and then someone slammed him on the back of the head. He tried to bring his hand up to rub the sore spot, but found that they couldn't move. It was than that he became aware of the ropes tying him to the chair. His eyes snapped open, looking around. He was no longer in the alleyway outside the tavern. Now he was sitting in some dimly lit room. Just where was he?

"Good to see you're awake."

Anton looked to the men in front of him. One was a young man, shaggy dark hair, dressed in a brown long coat and a white scarf around his neck. He was slouched on a chair in front of him as two men in dark coats stood behind him, rifles in hand. Anton slowly paled as he took in the man's arrogant smirk. "Wh-Who are you?" he spluttered, already knowing what the answer was. The man smirked. "You can call me, the Vagabond. the man responded, even his voice oozing arrogance, as he leaned forward in his seat, "And you have something we want, Mr. La'croix."

Anton gulped nervously. "Wh-What's that?" The Vagabond chuckled. "Your father owns a merchant company, correct? Well, it just so happens that we're in need of some extra supplies. And with you here, well, I think we can get a nice little discount from your father." Anton was at the same time both relieved and frightened. They weren't aware that he was a marine, yet at the same time, he wasn't a part of a merchant company. What was he going to do? The Vagabond smirked. "Now, why don't you tell us what company you belong to? Then we can send out the ransom note. Nice and simple."

Anton had to stall for time. He shook his head. "I-I can't do that!" he spluttered truthfully, "I can't do that to my father! I already failed him once, I'm not doing it again!" he added not so truthfully. The Vagabond chuckled, seemingly amused by Anton's 'bravery'. "Well, we'll see how long that lasts." He lazily pulled himself up from his seat, "You guys keep guard over the room. I'm going to get some things to help this one loosen his lips." The two guards nodded, their rifles in the ready as the Vagabond turned and left the room.

Anton let out a pitiful whimper. He had found the revolutionaries, they hadn't figured out he was a marine, but how was he going to get out of this situation?

Anton sat there, tied to the chair, uncertain was to what he was going to do. The two revolutionary soldiers were still there, though they had relaxed their guard, due to not seeing the tied up 'merchant' as a threat. But what Anton was more worried about was the Vagabond. He knew he simply couldn't sit here, the guy would be back with whatever twisted torture devices he planned to use on him. But without his sword, and with his arms tied up, what was Anton supposed to do.

Then it occurred to him. The sword wasn't the only weapon Anton had.

The marine struggled in his seat, trying to rock himself forward. The guards took notice, but only chuckled at the man's struggling, assuming he was panicking. Finally, Anton managed to get himself onto his feet, standing himself up with the chair still tied to him. It was than that things took a turn for the worst...for the revolutionaries. Anton's body slowly began to change. His body grew taller as his legs stretched, the knees bending backwards. His skin turned into a light green, taking on a glossy sheen as it hardened. The ropes around his body bulged as a second set of arms began to form, and a pair of antennae poked out of his hair. The revolutionaries backed up in shock as the now hybrid zoan stood before them. "Wh-What the hell!?" one of the soldier's yelled out, bringing up his rifle.

Then Anton moved. He lashed a leg out, kicking the revolutionary right in the stomach and sending the man crashing into wall, where he slumped down like a rag doll. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, and something hit Anton in the stomach, causing him to stumble back. Thankfully, the marine's chitinous exoskeleton provided enough protection that it was more like a punch to the stomach rather than a gun shot. Anton turned to see the second guard, gun in hand and a mini Den Den Mushi in the other. "We need some backup here! That merchant scrub has a-" He didn't get to finish as Anton kicked him in the face, launching him against the wall and knocking him out.

Anton slammed himself against a wall, causing the chair to break and the ropes around him to fall slack. At least he had his arms free again, though he wished he had his sword on him. But for now he had to move quickly. That soldier no doubt alerted the guards and they would be here any minute. Anton burst out of the room, turning and running down the corridor.

And screeched to a halt when a bunch of revolutionaries rounded the corner.

Both sides stopped when they saw eachother, Anton because a bunch of soldiers were in front of them, and the revolutionaries because there was a freakish grasshopper man in front of them. Before long, the stun faded as the revolutionaries opened fire, chasing after Anton who was running from them, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Anton dashed through the halls of the revolutionary base, gunshots and the blaring alarms of the surveillance Den Den Mushis mixing with Anton's terrified screams as he tried to dodge the numerous revolutionaries aiming to take his head. Discovering his Devil Fruit abilities had made them deem Anton not worth the effort and decided to simply kill him before he could disrupt their operations. Thankfully, Anton's armour-like skin, the low quality of the revolutionaries' weaponry, and his long stride helped him keep ahead with his head intact.

But he couldn't keep this up forever. Anton had a job to do. He had to find out where these guys were getting their supplies from. And at the same time get out without being killed. Not an easy task considering the entire revolutionary base was out to get him. But where to start? It wasn't like he could go looking around for the evidence, not when an entire base was looking for him.

Anton quickly rounded a corner and ducked into a nearby door, hoping to hide from the pursuing revolutionaries. His back against the door, Anton panted heavily, trying to catch his breath as he looked around. He appeared to have ended up in some sort of makeshift office. And there, propped up against the desk, was his sword. So that's where it was! Guess whoever worked here decided to keep the thing for himself. As Anton approached to reclaim his weapon, he noticed some documents sitting on the desk. Curiosity took a hold of him as he looked over them.

The documents appeared to be shipping manifests. More importantly, manifests for equipment and supplies being shipped onto the island. Apparently the revolutionaries had stuffed funnel in from the Grand Line via numerous shipping companies, then brought together by one and transported directly to the island. There were names and everything! This was it! This was the evidence he had been sent to collect. So he found his sword, and the target all at once. That...was oddly convenient. He quickly stuffed the documents into his coat pocket. Now all he had to do was get out of here.

Suddenly, the door behind him burst apart, and Anton only barely moved to the side as a spiked ball and chain sailed past him, smashing the desk in front of him. Anton let out a frightened squeak and spun around to see his attacker. Stepping through the door, the ghastly weapon in hand, was the Vagabond. A twisted smirk was on his face.

Well damn, and I liked that desk too," he muttered, pulling the chain back and the ball flying back to his side, "Guess I'll have to put in an order for a new one when the next shipment comes in. But in the meantime, I've got a little insect problem to deal with." Anton's legs trembled as he brought his sword up. He was now fully armed and ready to fight, but something about this man sent a horrible shudder down his spine. He had hoped to get out of here without having to fight anyone. So much for that.

The wall crumbled as Anton was sent flying through it. Thankfully the fact that the wall was wooden, plus Anton's chitinous armour, protected him from the crash. The attack that sent him flying through the wall on the other hand, proved a lot more damaging. The spikes from the ball had punctured Anton's skin, and the insectoid marine was starting to bleed through his coat. Anton groaned as he pulled himself to his feet, his sword in hand.

Before him, the Vagabond slowly approached, swinging that ball and chain in a twistedly painful manner. "Honestly, I thought you'd be more of a challenge than this. he said, sounding a little disappointed, despite the smirk on his face, "Guess I need to train the men a bit more if someone like you gave them trouble." He swung his flail out at the man at top speed. Anton quickly brought his sword up, but the blade only connected with the chain, causing the ball to swing around faster and catch him on the side of the head, stunning the hapless marine as he stumbled to the side. The Vagabond smirked and yanked the chain back, causing Anton's sword to be pulled from his hands, the great sword clattering harmlessly between them.

Anton quickly regained his senses, just as the Vagabond was swinging his flail once again. Anton dove to avoid the swing, diving towards the sword and grabbing it in his hands. However, while he got his sword, he was rewarded to a kick to the face from the Vagabond. Though the exoskeleton dulled some of the damage, it was enough to knock Anton flat onto his back. The Vagabond brought his flail up to smash Anton like a bug, but the marine quickly scrambled to the side, making his way for the nearest door. Finding some amusement in Anton's attempt to escape, the Vagabond pursued Anton, swinging his flail once against at him. Anton quickly spun around and brought up his sword, just in time to catch the flail. The chain spun and wrapped around the sword, Anton ducking his head just in time to avoid the spinning ball. The Vagabond suddenly closed in, kicking Anton back through the door, knocking him flat into the dark room.

The Vagabond strode towards the fallen Anton, pinning him down with a foot. "This has been fun," The Vagabond chuckled, pulling back on his flail. The chain ground against Anton's sword, causing sparks to fly everywhere, causing Anton to flinch, "But I was never one to play with bugs for long." He bent down and picked up the spiked ball in his hand, intent on using it to punch Anton's face into a fine past. A manic grin spread across his face as he pulled back, ready to deliver the blow. Suddenly, a flame sprung up next to them, one of the sparks causing the wooden floor to catch alight. The Vagabond looked over, distracted by the flame momentarily. Anton suddenly shifted beneath him, through the revolutionary off balance before Anton delivered a sweeping kick, sending the Vagabond stumbling into a wall of stacked barrels. The barrels toppled over onto the revolutionary, knocking him to the ground.

Anton quickly climbed to his feet, noticing something out of the corner of his eye and letting out a surprised squeak and dashing from the room. The Vagabond growled in irritation, pushing the barrels off of him as he tried to pull himself up. He was going to smash that bug! However, before he could do anything, the light from the flames finally revealed what was in the room they were in.

Barrels upon barrels of gunpowder. One of which the flames that he had accidentally ignited had reached and were climbing onto.

"Oh SONOFABI-"

Anton barely had time to dive out a window before part of the revolutionary base exploded.


"And that's your field report..." The captain said, looking at the bandaged up Anton sitting in front of him.

"Yep."

"You were captured by the revolutionaries, who believed you were a wealthy merchant."

"Yes."

"You escaped confinement and found the information we needed."

"Yes."

"And then blew up half of their base on the way out."

"Unintentionally, but yes. I then got to the boat and rowed out here as fast as I could."

The room was quiet for a moment. "Is...is that ok sir?" Anton asked, uncertain. The captain was quiet for a moment before a smile spread across his face. "This is better than we could have hoped for. Not only did you get the information,
but you'd disrupted their operations as well. And not only that, but because everyone thinks you were a simple merchant, it all looks like a revolutionary kidnapping plot gone horribly wrong. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome!" The captain rose to his feet and walked around the desk. "We can cut off their supplies and put an end to their operations in one fell swoop. And we'll look like heroes as a result!" He clasped a hand on Anton's shoulder, causing him to flinch, "You did very well Mr. La'croix."

Anton couldn't help but give a weak smile. "Th-Thank you sir. Am I free to leave now?" The captain nodded. "Of course. You're dismissed." Anton nodded and rose from his seat, heading for the door. "I'll see about putting you on more of these undercover missions in the future."

Anton groaned as he stepped out of the door.

You played Anton very well, remaining true to his character throughout! And the ending report made me giggle. Though, I do find it strange that the captain keeps addressing Anton as "Mr.". I'd think the captain would use Anton's rank as his title, no?

Anyways, my main concern was with the pacing of the thread. While it was certainly entertaining to see Anton fumble around helplessly and still win the day, the story's "beginning, middle and end" didn't feel properly proportionate as per convention. The middle and end felt far too rushed in comparison to the beginning. Also, for a +1 difficulty quest, the boss fight left much to be desired. For this reason, I shall be changing the difficulty setting of the quest to 0. Next time, make a mini-profile for the boss by at least assigning him stats as per his level. Then, with the assistance of the combat guide, you'll have a better idea of what you can and can't do with the opponent. Try using a few of your techniques in the fight too! How many fights do we see in OP where Luffy doesn't use his trademark Gomu Gomu no Pistol, at the very least?

That being said, your thread was still plenty entertaining for me to read! And thus, the rewards:

EXP: +68 (50 + 0.25*50 + 0)
Berries: +500k (400k + 0.25*400k + 0)