#onepiecc

“Ugh.”

His slanted gaze wandered over the chained individuals lined up beside the fruit stall, their wrists raw from the manacles, their bodies hunched as if their spines had learned to bear the burden of oppression. A child with dirty blonde hair, barely old enough to carry a bucket, flinched as his shadow fell over her. He exhaled through his respirator, the disks clicking softly. "Tch. Not even a decent batch this time," he remarked, tapping a gloved finger against his chin. One of the slaves had the nerve to whimper. His boot twitched, but he felt no inclination to act. Hurting them would only diminish the value of the goods further.

The child’s whimper faded into the humid air of the market as he moved on, his orange trench coat billowing behind him like the tail of an indifferent predator. His boots, shined to a brilliance that mocked the filth beneath, carried him toward the menagerie at the plaza's far end, where cages stacked haphazardly exuded the scent of terrified animals. A vendor in a soiled apron rushed forward, bowing so low that his forehead nearly touched the ground.

"M-my lord! What, what catches your divine eye today?"

His eyes glided over the cages like oil on water, no grip, no curiosity. The bars showed signs of rust in several spots, and the odor of fear and grime was so thick it could be tasted even through his respirator. A scaled being with an excess of eyes pressed itself against the rear of its cage as his shadow moved by; another creature, covered in matted fur and quivering limbs, emitted a sound that could have been a whimper or a plea. He breathed out, the disks in his mask clicking with contempt. "This?" He drawled. "Is what is considered exotic these days?" The vendor's bow deepened, his forehead nearly touching the ground.

"M-my sincerest apologies, exalted one! The last delivery was, was held up by storms!”

His boot came to a stop mid-stride, the heel hovering just above a small, twitching nose. The creature beneath him didn’t scurry away like the others, just remained there, its pink nostrils flaring against the polished leather of his boot, its fur the dull brown of unrefined oak. It had ears that were too large for its head, one twitched as he tilted his head, and eyes that mirrored the marketplace's torchlight in twin pools of dull, uncomprehending black. A rabbit, but he had never seen one before in his entire life.

“This!” He pointed down, eyes almost sparkling. “Is the greatest thing I have ever seen, I demand to have it!”

His room — no, his cage — while spacious, felt as if it were closing in on him at all times. Extravagant chaises, chairs, a bed, and various other pieces of furniture he had no use for loomed around him like a field of oleander; beauty disguising a poisonous truth. Not to mention every piece was crafted by some slave's bleeding hand. The nightstand with its intricate engravings, only a noble would adore, was likely worth more than everything he had owned over his entire life. And to whom had he become a beautiful decoration for? A Celestial Dragon. Pretty even among these self-proclaimed gods and goddesses, but still as pompous as the rest.

As if his thoughts summoned her, Cosima's voice cut through the silence he'd been trying to enjoy. Marco kept his eyes closed for a while after her greeting. Her words, smooth and sweet like caramel, still came from the maw of a dangerous creature. It wasn't that he couldn't kill her. He could deal with the Celestial Dragon and anyone who tried to hinder his escape and return to Sphinx. Then what? Everyone there would be slaughtered and enslaved and his bounty would reach untold heights. She had him by the balls. The only surefire way he could think of to keep her from deciding his old home was too big a distraction was to play nice.

"I take it your trip went well?" He feigned his interest. Lifting his arms, he placed his hands behind his head, the thin golden chains attached to his wristbands jingled delicately. Coated in gold, he could still feel the well-hidden sea prism dampening his abilities. "You appear exceptionally pleased. Acquire something new?" Of course she did. It was rare for them to go out and not bring back some new soul to replace someone they discarded like trash or declare some new vacation spot. Something about her smile wrapped a cold dread around his ribcage.

-----------------------------

She had caught on fast.

Though, Crocodile knew that the experience of a slave, especially a female slave, meant that one needed to adapt to survive. In this world, there were only a few slaves who made it. One variety were those who might be deemed as 'lucky';

a fate that Crocodile would sooner associate with death

those who were deemed too 'beautiful' to tarnish with exhaustive labor. Though they lived more privileged lives, their hands were still bound by gold chains and left to the cruelty of their master's whims. Others were those that played into their strengths, made to fulfill their owners cruelty on others at the cost of their own survival. Those who knew how to play the game just as well as the dullards up top who counted themselves their superiors. Those were the survivors.

The life of a slave was not meant for the weak. The soft ones were robbed young and early, made former shells of themselves left to rot in their broken spirits. Only the strong could survive. Only those that understood their place, knew how to make it work, and took every advantage of it they could.

@onepiecc asked - "Just so we're on the same page here, I fully, fully intend to kill you. but first, we're gonna make you suffer." -Raion (Celestial Dragon verse)

Everyone had warned her that the Lower World was dangerous, but no one had every really explained why. Now she understood. She was hated simply for what she was. How ironic when other Celestial Dragons felt the exact same about anyone from the beneath the Red Line. She didn’t think like that, but that hardly mattered. Her reputation back home meant nothing here.

Blue eyes swam with tears and terror, her bonds biting into her skin and tearing at her delicate skin. The bracelet locked around her wrist by her father made it so she was powerless to save herself, not that she’d really know how to go about doing that in the first place. She wasn’t a fighter, but that had been more than evident when she’d been captured.

“I’m sorry,” she said, unsure what exactly she was apologizing for. The crimes of her entire people? Maybe. Probably. 

“I just… I wanted to see the world… It’s… it’s beautiful here…” she sniffled, doing her best not to sob and blubber like a child. She would be screaming later, she knew that, but for the time being she was trying to be strong.

✏️ -Garling and Aquila??

Incorrect Quotes Always Accepting Mary Geoise Shenanigans @onepiecc

Cosima: I'm not doing to well. Stella: What's wrong? Cosima: I have this headache that comes and goes. *Shamrock enters the room* Cosima: There it is again.

Stella: Comparing Shamrock and Cosima is like comparing apples and oranges. Shamrock: We’re both unique in our own ways? Stella: Apples are superior in every way and all oranges should be eliminated. Cosima: Which one of us is the orange?

Stella: Do you guys ever have a civilized conversation that doesn't require insulting each other every time you get a chance? Cosima: No. Shamrock: No. Stella: Didn't think so.

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Aquila: I think I'm falling for you. Garling: Then get up.

Garling: Do you want to explain the text you sent me last night? Aquila: It was autocorrect. Garling: Autocorrect wrote "You're so hot. Please step on me."? Aquila: Yes.

Days spent in his fathers former office were rare. It was his now, inherited when becoming Leader of the Gods Knights after his father had become one of the Gorosei, though with the turmoil ahead of them and quite possibly a war of colossal extent on the verge of breaking out, Shamrocks presence was more required on the field rather than have him simply delegate who would go where in order to maintain peace and order.

There was, however, a rare occasion where he was granted a few moments of respite, the very same one which he now spent sitting in the comfortable chair behind the desk, eyes closed, and simply enjoying the silence. There was one or the other noise, he assumed just slaves doing their work. They knew better than to disturb him, though he also tended to be lenient towards them at times. After all, some tasks couldn't be done in silence. As long as there wasn't too much noise...

Ah, one could only wish.

The clinking of high heels against the marble floor announced the presence of one particular woman he hadn't seen in what seemed forever. Nobody else had such confidence in their walk as Cosima.

Shamrock didn't really make much of a move when the door to the office flung open with the exception of opening an eye to see whether he was right in his assumption. Once confirmed, he resorted back to lounging, the only indication that he was aware of her presence being the slight smirk on his features. Shamrock knew how to push her buttons, and one of them was being him not acting like a proper Celestial Dragon was supposed to. If only she knew what woes he had to go through recently, perhaps she'd allow him this much slack for once.

The redhead was well aware that a visit from Cosima was never unwarranted, and perhaps it was better to address the issue sooner rather than later. Maybe she had come to her senses after he had called off the wedding between the two of him, maybe this was her extending her olive branch about it.

❝ Dearest cousin, ❞ Shamrock finally spoke, adjusting himself in his seat to sit properly and look at her. ❝ I was wondering where you've been hiding recently. Scheming how to take over the world, I assume? ❞ There was no doubt that she was about to jab him with something, whatever that something was. Well, two could easily play the same game. ❝ I haven't seen you at the Gala when father was made one of the Gorosei. Don't tell me you're still sulking about the wedding not going through. ❞

While their union wouldn't be unheard of, as many Celestial Dragons preferred to wed between themselves, to keep things in the family, Shamrock would much rather not have one of the most powerful families become the laughing stock of the whole world by turning out like the one of Saint Charlos, with hideous looks and an IQ lower than those of simple amoeba in the sea.

❝ To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? ❞

@onepiecc asked: [ 𝑺𝑬𝑿𝑼𝑨𝑳 𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 ]

[  ACCIDENTAL BRUSH  ]  *  my muse touches your muse ( somewhere intimate ) on accident. -Sedna & Shachi (28 ft mermaid might do something on accident)

The half-sea king floated on his back, quite content sun bathing near the shore. He was close enough to reach the beach quickly if needed, but far enough that he wasn't touching the sea floor, enough room to swim well under the water. He'd been in a half slumber, eyes closed, arms loose at his sides and long orca tail somewhat submurged. His large form was not one he'd been able to use for months and he finally felt free enough to stretch himself out like this.

Normally, he'd know better than to let his guard down, but with how cramped it was in the Tang, and how stressful things had been as of late, he couldn't be blamed for wanting to just rest.

ㅤIt's not something that he should be complaining about, really. An ecosystem that, only half a year prior, had been near to collapse and now was suddenly thriving? It was great news, no matter how you looked at it... the issue being, Itachi was someone who always needed to understand things. And, as far as he could tell, there was no logical explanation for such a miracle. Coral reefs required such a long period of time to form and recover, yet here this one was, pushing through the damage made by humans like it was nothing.

ㅤIt was almost like magic of some sort... to be said of many things around this group of small islands, as it was. For example, pretty much like that very mysterious creature he'd chanced to see, the previous week. Tail and fins of the kind that did not seem to belong to any known species. And, yes, it could be simply chalked up to an illusion - after all, it'd been way past evening already, and it wasn't like Itachi had the most acute eyesight ever quite on the contrary. It could have been a shark swimming too close to the shore, it could have been an old log covered in seaweed being tossed around by the waves. But then... why was it that he couldn't shake off the feeling he was missing something?

Ah. Whatever.

ㅤThe only thing that truly mattered, at least for the moment, was the blissful smell of coffee emanating from the pot and luring him in like a siren's call - pun more or less intended. Filling up a mug almost up to the brim with that steamy black gold from the gods, Itachi took a careful sip and turned around when hearing footsteps approaching, just in time to offer Raion a smile.