Gold Rush! [Mission]

[Faust Eisenritter]

Faust stepped out onto the deck of the ship, his Justice coat billowing behind him in the wind as he looked out, across the sea. Hanging from his shoulder upon his back was a large rucksack containing his Klaue, ready to be taken out at a moment's notice. It was only natural, after all - this ship was carrying gold, and not a small amount of it. Their destination was an island in the Alchemist Archipelago, where the alchemists believed gold was the secret to creating the "philosopher's stone". Faust wasn't exactly convinced that a "philosopher's stone" even existed, but nevertheless a job was a job. It was up to the Marines to defend this ship from Pirate attacks, and that was exactly what they'd do.

He rested against the railing of the ship as he looked out, smiling to himself. So far, everything had been quite good. He was rather hoping that no one would actually show up - that everything would go according to plan. He highly doubted it, of course. Chances were there really was going to be some sort of Pirate attack. Still, nothing appeared to be quite on the horizon just yet. Taking a flask out from his pocket, the Admiral unscrewed the cap with his mechanical right arm and took a swig of his drink - the smoky beer he so loved. Once done he lowered the flask and screwed the cap back on before putting it away. He wouldn't drink too much on the job. Not one where danger was almost completely assured.

"Doesn't seem to be anything yet..." he mused aloud to himself, his knuckles now rapping against the railing. He began to hum a tune to himself in an attempt to pass the time, knowing that there wasn't really much else to do. Their job as escorts was to watch and wait. Himself and his crewmate, Captain Cheria. She was the chef aboard their ship, but she was also a capable and competent Marine. He trusted her to keep up with him on this mission. Knowing she was on the deck as well, he spoke up. "You see anything yet on the starboard side, Cherry?"

[Cheria]

Only a few, lone clouds, innocent in color, roamed the azure canopy above, allowing the sun to gently embrace the world below with its comfortable rays. Cheria's amethyst orbs slowly moved inside ther opaque, fibrous layers as the young Marine leaned against the railing, scanning the horizon for signs of possible attackers. Embraced by a gentle sea breeze her ashen colored mane playfully swayed back and forth as the wind caressed ran its invisible fingers through it. The Seventh Division was assigned to guard and escort an enormous gold delivery, something that was sure to attract pirates longing to increase both, their fame and fortune.

Even though there had been no sign indicating an incoming attack, the female Marine nevertheless tried to remain focused, a task that wasn't as easy as it sounded, since her mind kept fighting the boredom that had befallen her. Running her slender fingers back and forth along the railing, the ivory haired girl suddenly startled heavily as a familiar voice pierced through the monotone sound of waves clashing against the bow as the ship kept cutting through them. Turning around in order to gaze at her superior, a confident smile spread across her face. She knew that his presence was the sole reason for the safety of the ship, as his name alone was capable of scaring even the most sanguinary pirates.

Quickly stretching her limbs the ivory topped female then started to walk over to her superior, her boots emitting a cliking noise each time their heels hit the wooden planks. Arriving in front of Faust Eisenritter, who was commonly referred to as Adrmiral Black Wolf. Gazing at him she then saluted before raising her voice. "Nothing sir. It seems like the pirates are scared knowing that the famous Admiral Black Puppy himself is taking part in this mission." Saying this with a cheerful tone her face was decorated by a bright and somewhat childish grin. Admiral Eisenritter was a remarkable man, who despite being strong and feared by criminals was known to have a gentle and just nature.

Fortunately for her the raven haired male had a sense of humor and didn't mind dealing with weird nicknames and pert comments, which otherwise would gotten Cherry punished due to lack of respect. Crossing her arms in front of her chest she then directed her gaze back at the calm sea that surrounded them, her usually cheerful face carrying a concerned expression. "I hope things will stay peaceful." Watching the azure liquid her mind kept circling about the load and possible attackers, since those daring to mess with a Marine Admiral were everything, but opponents that could be taken lightly.

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[Faust Eisenritter]

The Admiral chuckled at the nickname, more bemused than anything else. At the very least, it helped to keep a positive attitude. The title 'Admiral Kokuro' just made him sound more fierce than he was anyway, really. He didn't think himself particular fearsome, regardless of the fact that he was one of the highest-ranked Marines there was. Of course, he supposed to a Pirate, any Marine with a relatively high rank was something to watch out for. He rolled his left shoulder in its socket, stretching it a little to limber up. He then turned back, facing his far younger subordinate with a smile across his face as he folded his arms in front of himself.

"I can't disagree. Let's hope we're completely unnecessary, right?" he spoke with a grin. He knew it was incredibly unlikely, of course, that the whole journey would go along without a single problem. But it was always nice to hope it would, just this once. Still, he didn't feel too worried - So long as they kept their guard up, he was sure nothing too bad would happen. "Of course, we should still keep on our toes. I know a couple pirates crazy enough to attack a ship protected by an Admiral, whether out of bravery or desperation. We can't just depend on my reputation to keep people away, can we?"

Leaning back against the railing, he turned his head and looked out at the sea again. The winds were strong, it seemed - hopefully, they'd get to their destination fairly soon. Conditions were favorable, at any rate. He stared out at the waters behind the ship, watching as the waves pushed them forwards towards their destination. Of course, even as he continued to smile, he couldn't help but notice a speck on the horizon. It was tiny and difficult to see, almost enough to convince him that he might have just been seeing things. Still, he had a gut feeling about it. It was too far away to tell if it was a Pirate Ship, and he wasn't exactly willing to start firing on the ship on the off chance it was just another Merchant vessel using the same route. He'd keep an eye on it, just in case.

[Cheria]

Listening to the words of her superior Cheria couldn't help but smile. Having served under the man going by the nickname of Kokuro for several years now, the snow topped girl knew the old man's strength all too well. Everytime she had faced him during training sessions, his presence alone had caused her legs to turn jelly. Facing the raven haired male in a serious battle with all his wrath directed at her, was something she didn't want to experience. With her gaze focused on the vast sea in front of them, Cherry suddenly startled lightly as the sole thought caused shivers to run down her spine. Even though ranking amongst the strongest of the world, the Admiral nevertheless had preserved his kind heart that made him one of the most popular members of the Marine, since many, including the ashen haired female considered him a father figure.

Impatiently tapping her feet, her spheres kept scanning the horizon. She hated waiting for things to happen and the uncertainty if something was happen at all, gnawed on her mind, causing her body to react with agitation. "Don't worry Kurocchi. You should know that my kitchen knives are amongst the sharpest." Obviously the young cook would never ever abuse her beloved tools for something as babaric as combat, but she was convinced that the old man would understand the metaphor. Intending to to throw a comforting and optimistic smile at the inky haired man, Cheria once again averted her gaze from the sea.

Doing so she noticed the Admiral's gaze, which rested upon a small spot at the horizon: a ship. Putting her arms akimbo a deep sigh escaped the ashen topped girl's peachy lips. There they finally were. Even though having no idea if this approaching vessel was steered by pirates, merchants or bounty hunters, Cheria's stomach told her that trouble was going to arrive one way or the other. "What do you think, oyaji? Should the crew prepare for battle or are we supposed to wait and see?" Letting her gaze rest upon the ship, whose silhouette quickly grew larger as it approached, Cherry waited for the judgement of Admiral Kokuro as well as his command.

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[Faust Eisenritter]

The Admiral continued to listen as his subordinate spoke, nodding as she made a remark about the sharpness of her knives. But even so, his focus remained mainly on the ship far out in the sea that was coming ever closer to their own. He had a bad feeling in his gut that it was a pirate ship, but he hoped sincerely that it was just that - a bad feeling. He continued to watch the ship, trying to see if he could make out anything about the ship. It became clear that Cheria had begun to notice, apparently taking note of his own attention to the sea. She questioned if they should act now, but the Admiral shook his head. Faust turned back to face his subordinate, his expression a little more serious.

"No. We'll watch and wait. If they want to attack the ship, they'll have to come closer. By the time they're close enough, we'll know if they're pirates or just merchants," the Admiral remarked, looking down to his shorter crewmate. It would be far too risky to start firing on someone who they hadn't confirmed was an enemy yet. And of course, he didn't want to take the chance - after all, that would be the route of an almost worse kind of evil - Absolute Justice. A thought occurred to him then as he looked back to the ship on the horizon for a moment. "Keep your eyes on the ship. I'll be back in a minute".

Faust quickly strode across the deck, pulling open the wooden door leading inside the ship and passing through it. Leaving his chef on the deck to handle the job of being a lookout, he walked down a corridor, arriving at a room where several of the crew were sitting around a table playing cards. They all immediately looked towards the Admiral, who gave a small smile as he leaned against the doorframe.

"'Scuse me, but none of you would happen to have a spyglass, would you?" he asked, raising a brow. The men looked between themselves before searching the room. Eventually, one of them pulled out a cylindrical object - the spyglass he was looking for. Smiling, Faust extended his hand as the man offered it to him, taking it. "Thanks very much, men. I'll be sure to return it in a moment".

Faust then turned back, making his way back to the deck with the spyglass in hand. Hopefully it would confirm that his suspicions were just that - suspicions. Though at the same time, he knew that they were in all likelihood not.

[Cheria]

His answer was as expected as the sun that rose after the night had departed, yet Cheria had to make sure if she was to inform the other people on board their vessel or not. Despite being told to watch the approaching ship, her gentle orbs couldn't help but slowly trace the Admiral's motions as he made his way under deck. Seeing him making his way inside she knew that the elderly male most likely was searching for a way to safely identify the incoming ship's allignment. Fortunately the Admiral didn't belong to the strong faction that pursued absolute justice with each and every breath they took. Being human meant making mistakes and Cherry was convinced that each and every single individual roaming this world had made a mistake in their life.

Punishing all those whose mistakes led to the path of darkness without considering their reasoning as well as other influencing factors was an act that in her eyes hardly differed from other criminals. To them it didn't matter if one was caught up in a sequence of misunderstandings or had simply been framed by others; the followers of the absolute justice group would simply judge and punish them guilty or not. The mere suspicion sometimes was reason enough for them to act, reasonable or not. Quickly redirecting her gaze at the distant ship, the young cook suddenly startled as a familiar noise echoed across the water surface. Even though having heard the sound of a canon being fired over a thousand times, it still made her feel awkward.

This sound and the canonball fired by the incoming vessel had proven that her hunch had come true. Remaining motionless the snow haired girl watched the pitch-black item soar through the sky only to disappear within the depths of the peerless azure without even getting close to their location. A deep sigh escaped her peachy lips as she started scratching the back of her head as the approaching enemy continued to fire one canon after the other without even being in range. Were they trying to awe them by demonstrating their fire power? Was there the possibility that these people actually had no clue who they were attacking? Not quite sure what she was supposed to think of this waste of ammunition, the female Marine kept gazing at the strangers, waiting for Kokuro to return from the ship's womb.

[Faust Eisenritter]

The Admiral walked slowly back down the corridor, clutching the spyglass in his hand. It would be alright, he told himself - just take a quick peek and then sort things out. Of course, he hadn't quite anticipated the other ship's... Eager behavior. By the time he reached the end of the corridor he could hear a powerful splashing sound. His brow raised in curiosity as he pushed open the door, rushing up onto the deck where his Chef stood by herself. He stared at her for a minute, confused, but then heard a loud splashing sound again. He turned to look towards the water, where a cannonball had hit the ocean. Was the ship trying to shoot them? But why start firing while out of range? Were they just insane?

"Well, I suppose that answers a few questions - yet it raises so many more..." Faust remarked, placing the spyglass in his pocket. Sighing, he shook his head. What were these guys even planning? Surely they were aware they couldn't hit at this range, weren't they? He could see that the shots were getting closer - a sign that the Pirates were getting closer too. But the closer they got, the bigger target their ship was. Striding towards the edge of the ship, Faust raised his mechanical right arm, holding it up over the railing. He opened his palm, pointing it in the direction of the Pirate ship as he used his left arm to support his outstretched right arm. He positioned his legs in a stronger, wider stance - as if to bolt himself down to the spot.

"If a cannonball comes too close for comfort, Cheria, just do what you can to take it down. I'll only take a few seconds to warm up," he told his subordinate, taking aim. A light began to build in the palm of his hand, growing steadily brighter - and indeed, giving off a warmer heat. At this range, they were a good target for the weapon the Marines had installed in his arm - Heulen.