Oxiana Mello 🐍

General information:

Name: Oxiana Mello Age: 29 (Post timeskip) Height: 190cm / 6'9" Personality: Her easygoing nature and demeanor makes her seem very relaxed and.. well.. 'mellow', often making her a target for people and pirates who might be looking for an easy mark. She's very easy to approach, and emits a friendly aura that makes most feel welcome in her presence. However, they way she treats everyone with the same enthusiasm makes it difficult to know if she's being legit or just putting up a font. She gets her kicks from witty banter and sarcastic remarks. Devil Fruit: Hebi-Hebi no mi: model Samar Cobra (a highly venomous spitting cobra)

She can shed her skin to counter superficial wounds such as scrapes, scratches, heat and cold. It is also possible for her to layer it to deflect heavier hits, cushioning them with her own skin. Although it's a potent skill, she hates using it because it flakes horribly, like massive dandruff and dead skin.

Toxin secretion through her teeth and gums, under her nails, able to inject through her own specialized fingergun technique named "Shigan: snakebite" where she uses two fingers to emulate a snake bite. Can also fling drops over longer distances with high accuracy, or fling drops with little accuracy like a shotgun.

Her saliva secretes an antivenom, so any toxin applied along with her saliva is harmless, and tastes kinda sweet.

Like a snake, her initial ambush speed is explosive, but she is unable to keep up the same speed over longer durations. Strengths:

Rokushiki master, specializing in 'finger pistol', 'paper art', and 'iron body'.

Haki: Specialty is observation haki, and paired with her snake senses, she is able to sense certain things and people from afar by flicking her tongue, much like how a snake smells and senses. She's also able to vaguely pick up on people's intentions and feelings if they are within 15 meters. She can also use armament haki, but mostly for offensive means, empowering her 'Snakebite'.

Grip strength. Part of the reason she uses a modified finger pistol with two fingers is to be able to grab on to people better. She's very hard to get off once she grabs a hold of you, she would be excellent at rock climbing. Traits: She's hella expressive and emotional, but she has a kind of disorder where her tear ducts work overtime over the smallest excess of emotion, which has made her adapt a very "mellow" demeanor. Any emotion that is being felt a little more than normal makes her tears roll, not because she's sad or crying, but because her body just can't handle it and uses tears to process it. Any amount of extra joy, anger, excitement, or sadness triggers it. She's been described as a weirdo or sometimes creepy for "crying" while doing her Cipher Pol work.

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

Backstory:

Mello and Lucci were two kids from the same batch who were recruited by the World Government to undergo training to become Cipher Pol agents. Mello stood out for her relentless optimism, regularly cracking jokes and sporting a smile that brought a bit of light to the rigorous regime the litter of kids faced. Despite their contrasting personalities — Mello's cheerful and witty disposition clashing with Lucci's serious and calculated demeanor — they were drawn together, forming an unlikely friendship. The time came when Lucci, among others, was selected to join the more elite CP9, somethng that would intensify his training and isolate him from Mello and the rest. As he departed, Mello sprinted alongside his departing ship as far as the dock allowed, shouting out for him to promise a visit back to her — a promise Lucci made.

Years rolled by, and Mello found her place in CP7, serving with dedication. Basically she joined the intel unit of Cipher Pol, (I just happened to pick CP7 to be the intel unit), focusing on espionage, as well as gathering and handling of intelligence. But Lucci's absence grew heavier with each passing day; no visits, no letters. Her curiosity and missing her old friend led her to quietly probe for Lucci's whereabouts. This curiosity was met with resistance from her superiors due to the secretive nature of CP9, and ultimately they stopped her inquiries with a lie: Lucci had fallen in the line of duty. Shattered by the belief that Lucci was gone forever, Mello's spirit broke. After over a decade and a half with CP7, the hope of reuniting had fueled her. Now, extinguished. She took leave from her duties to recover, but her lack of income forced her into a poor lifestyle. Hopping from ship to ship, island to island, Mello did whatever odd jobs she could find, all while dealing with sad accommodations, from bug-infested motels to makeshift hideaways in the wild, living like a hobo for 5 or so years.

Circumstances led her to a war-scarred isle in the grand line where the government, stretched thin on manpower, had reluctantly requested a Cipher Pol member to supervise the building of a Marine outpost. It was here, during a confrontation with pirates from her past as an agent, that she crossed paths with the one assigned to the task -- Rob Lucci. The sight of Lucci, alive and now a member of the even more prestigious CP0, turned her world upside down. Overwhelmed with relief and emotion, Mello couldn't help but burst into tears. I like to imagine that all CP9 agents, especially Lucci, went through harsh indoctrination and memory suppression during his CP9 training, which stripped him of any memories that could hold him back, Lucci initially did not recognize Mello or recall their long-ago promise. However, their unexpected meeting sparked… something that was teetering at the edge of his mind.