Squashing Insects [Rei]

[REI SATSUKI]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #111111; width:325px; padding:15px; border-left: 10px solid E6E6E6; vertical-align:top;] Rei pushed into a full run as though the devil himself was behind her, not once glancing back or attempting to see if anyone had followed. It didn't matter if her lungs had started to ache or if the wound in her side continued to cry out at her in agony. She had to keep moving, if the Marines caught up with her now then it was over. The years of hard work and the dreams that hadn't been reach still waited for them in Grand Line. She couldn't die now. Her crew as still waiting for her in the harbor and if something happened to her, then there was a good chance that bastard would go after them as well. As a Captain, Rei simply couldn't allow that to happen. She needed to lead him away, send him on a wild goose chase. If she could get some distance and maintain it long enough for her wounds to recover enough to make it back to the ship, then she could find the ship and leave.Unfortunately, Rei couldn't simply run towards the harbor, not knowing what the Marine was armed with and capable of doing. A ship was most vulnerable when it sailed out of a harbor and into the open. It would only take one shot from that laser cannon to blow them out of the water and probably kill every one of them before they could stop him. No, she needed to draw him away, if only long enough to get word to the crew to leave, with or without her. Staggering a bit, Rei was slowly loosing the battle with her injuries though, as she stumbled into a nearby wall. Using the wall to steady herself, the pirate made her way around a nearby corner, before noting a small fence that blocked the path. Making her way over it, she'd landed on the other side, hoping that they wouldn't be sharp enough to think she would attempt to maneuver over such obstacles. The problem came with the hard landing, which sent Rei to her knees as the impact jarred the wound and the ice sealing the wound pulled at the connected flesh. Choking in agony, it was all Rei could do to get back to feet before breaking the Guan Dao back into sections to store, since it's size would only be a hindrance in the narrow alleyways. Rei only made it down a few more streets, before moving into what appeared to be a dead end. The only escape was a small ladder that led upwards to a fire escape and to the rooftops. With some effort, the Captain managed to make her way onto the platform and scale her way to the roof. She only managed to get in a couple steps onto the flat roof before collapsing in utter exhaustion, her breathing ragged and the instinct to close her eyes unbearable. Dragging herself over to the shadow of small chimney, Rei pulled herself up into a sitting position, allowing her back to lean against the brickwork for support. It wasn't much of a hiding place in comparison to some, but since the Marines would be chasing after her on the ground, it seemed reasonable to assume that they wouldn't think to check the rooftops. Besides, there was cover enough that no one could see her, at least not from the streets and she wasn't certain she could run anymore. More important now, was that she needed to be still and allow her body to do what it had always done - heal. What Rei needed now more than anything was time. All she could do now was wait and pray that the Marines didn't find her before she'd recovered enough strength to make it back to the ship. Resting her against the structure tiredly, Rei finally allowed her eyes to close. This really was a mess. Yet, despite how horrible the situation was, the Captain couldn't help find herself worrying about how the crew was doing. With any luck, they had made it back to the ship by now with the medicine and were well on their way to recovery. Perhaps it wasn't much to hold onto, but knowing that they were waiting, was enough to stir a sense of resolve to make it out of this, by whatever means necessary.

[atrb=style, padding:10px; width:115px; background-color: #000000;][atrb=valign,top] [style=background-color: #111111; background-attachment: scrolling; height:100px; width:100px; padding:5px; border: 1px solid #FF6699;][/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]WORDS[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;]722[/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]TAGGED[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;]Jean & Flint[/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]NOTES[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;] None. [/style]

[long2]

The Marine Captain was not in a good mood. He'd injured the Pirate, sure. In a straight, one-on-one fight, she was nothing to him. But now that she was running like this, having gotten a headstart, she could still end up humiliating him. Right when he had her where he wanted her, she had pulled that trick and ran off. It was a disgrace - if she ended up escaping capture like this, it would be a disgrace not just to him, but to the Marines. His brows furrowed as his scowl deepened, his fists tightening. He'd picked up his Justice coat and put it on without breaking stride, because the Justice coat was his pride. Putting it back on was a sign he was ready to cut loose once he found her.

He could see a wall, where a stain was left against it. She must have leaned against it, no doubt from her injuries. Taking the corner, he could see drops of blood leading to a fence. Waiting no time, he scaled the fence and dropped down on the other side, where he smirked. Some flakes of ice, and more drops of blood. She must have worsened her wound, climbing over that fence. Now the blood trail would be easier to follow. As he ran out of the alleyway and into the open street, he found himself face to face with two patrolling Marines. They both immediately halted as he strode towards them, saluting to the Marine Captain. He didn't bother to respond.

"The Black Witch, Rei Satsuki is on the island. She's injured, but she's managed to escape. I want the two of you to send a message to everyone - Hunt down the Black Witch," he told them, the irritated expression on his face making them quickly comply. They'd seen the Marine Captain angry once or twice before. It was something they hoped not to see anytime soon. Immediately taking out their Ko Den Den Mushi's, the Marines began contacting all nearby officers. At the same time, Captain Chevalier was on the move once more. He wasn't going to wait around and let the trail go cold. All around the island now, Marines would be on the lookout for the Pirate. She wouldn't escape.

"You're in the dragon's jaws, Black Witch. Try as you might to escape, you'll soon be devoured whole, never even standing a chance," Jean thought to himself, continuing to watch closely for more blood. He had considered using his heat sensors, but against someone made of ice it would be useless. She would be too cold to stand out against the rest of the temperatures. No, he'd have to track her by other methods. Turning around a corner, he looked down the street only to find nothing. The drops of blood went halfway down the street, only to stop. He grunted, annoyed at having found nothing as more Marines arrived on either side of him.

"I want you to send a group down to the docks. It's likely she'll try to make her way back to her ship. At the very least, there isn't going to be a single doctor on this island willing to treat her wounds. Understood?" he told his men. Some of them nodded and began to leave, scouring the area for any sign of her whilst one began to contact several others, delivering the orders to inspect the docks. She wouldn't escape, not on his watch. So long as she remained on Micqueot, it was only a matter of time.

[Flint]

As Jean seemed to not have noticed where Rei was hiding, Flint relaxed his muscles and wiped at his brow. He wasn't sure how good the enemy's reflexes were but from behind he could probably do enough damage to hold him down while they escaped. He toyed with the idea of hitting him from here, he was still relatively hidden and it would be a blindside but on the off chance he had a Devil Fruit and was immune then it'd just mean he'd be wiped out along with the Captain. Looking for a suitable angle to change rooftops, Flint managed to slink across to where Rei was and casually leant besides his injured captain
"Let me guess... he started it?" he wasn't smiling but he didn't sound angry in his words. Hunkering down, he took a look at Rei's wound and sucked his teeth at the state of it

"We might need to get someone to look at this. Besides you, though you seem to have frozen the damage well at first glance" Flint wasn't a medical man but even he could tell that she should be bleeding a lot more from this. He bit his thumb as he pondered the best way to get them out of here. He could help carry the captain and scamper across the rooftops, but jumping between houses would be nigh impossible, and it definitely wasn't a clear line. The alternative, of course would be the streets and perhaps most importantly was their position.

The odds of Rei reaching the docks was pretty slim but being on an island meant they could potentially board the ship from a different position. All he'd have to do would be to signal the ship and they'd presumably start to move out. Then all he'd need to do would be to meet the ship halfway, board it, possibly shoot Chevalier in the hope it'd stop him long enough to get aboard and then they sail away. Optionally, giving him the finger.

Standing up, Flint glanced off into the distance. He could see the ship with his terrifyingly good vision but he frowned as he examined his guns. He hadn't brought the rifle in the end, so this would be tricky at best. He kept an eye on the crows nest and with oine eye shut, his tongue sticking out, Flint adjusted his aim following that hated thing 'trajectory' and fired. He didn't have high hopes but the angle of the shot at least managed to reach the crows nest of the ship and lightly ding one of a few paper notes written on it. The one with the most holes in it that said "Start moving the ship, me and the Captain'll join you". There were a few more like "I heard that" with a few holes "Stop sleeping" was another and the final one "Everythings fine" had absolutely no holes in it whatsoever which may explain a lot.

Flint now had to work out how to carry Rei. The options were gently, but he couldn't fire his guns or roughly and he could. After a few seconds he shrugged, remembered pain was temporary and hauled his captain over one shoulder
"We can discuss the punishment for this when we're on the ship" he said, expecting a lot of swearing as he started hustling towards the ship, sticking to the rooftops for as long as he could...

[REI SATSUKI]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #111111; width:325px; padding:15px; border-left: 10px solid E6E6E6; vertical-align:top;] Rei struggled to maintain her sense of the surrounding, all to aware of how dangerous sitting still could be and that it was only a matter of time before the Marines managed to track her down. Logic dictated that she needed to move or if nothing else, to alert the crew to the trouble. Unfortunately, with her current injuries the pirate was going nowhere fast and there was no way to warn the crew about the approaching danger. Now Rei would admit that she'd never been the perfect Captain, but she'd never screw up this badly before. Chevalier was ready to murder her on sight, no one was going to help her... No, what Rei needed now was nothing short of a miracle to get out of this alive. Oddly enough, it was about that time that a familiar voice caused her eyes to peer open tiredly, staring up at what was turned out to be her first mate. "Flint?..." Rei questioned a bit in uncertainty as he stooped down to take a look at the wound. It was bad, there was no doubt about that. The Captain was rather resourceful though and while she probably wouldn't die from the wound, it had been a while since anyone had managed to injure her so badly. Even with her superior healing abilities, there was a high chance that she would be spending at the least the next few days, if not the next week in bed recovering. "I had to do something to stop the bleeding, but it won't hold long..." She explained, though it was clear from her words that Rei wasn't much in the mood for explaining the medical intricacy, not even bothering to chide him about the matter that he was suppose to remain with the ship. Normally, the Captain would have been lecturing him about following orders, but was starting to slip in an out of consciousness, so was barely even aware of the shot that had signaled the crew. No, Rei wasn't aware of anything until Flint attempted to move her and rather roughly hoisted her up onto his shoulder. The flexion on her abdomen was more pain than the Captain could stomach and the protest was not surprisingly almost immediately. "Damn it, can't you at least have the decency to car-" The words caught in her throat as the impact of Flint's landing sent a massive wave of pain through her body. She might have cursed him out, had the excruciating agony not made it impossible to think, let alone breath properly as the ice was far from being the most flexible of materials. Every impact or movement seemed to drive the fractures deeper and recall the unbearable misery that nearly made her black out at times. The only thing she could do was to cling rather tightly to Flint's shirt, though the relief was minimal at best, it seemed better than nothing. "Idiot... Put me down..." Rei snapped breathlessly, attempting to hide the faint sound of pleading in her words. It didn't help matters that Flint was carrying her around in such a demeaning manner. Sure, she had a tendency to get into trouble, but she was the Captain and no one had ever had to carry her anywhere, let alone away from a fight. For starters, it was a massive sting at Rei's pride and more importantly, it hurt like hell. She swore if they made out of this alive, she was going to show him the real meaning of punishment.

[atrb=style, padding:10px; width:115px; background-color: #000000;][atrb=valign,top] [style=background-color: #111111; background-attachment: scrolling; height:100px; width:100px; padding:5px; border: 1px solid #FF6699;][/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]WORDS[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;]585[/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]TAGGED[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;]Jean & Flint[/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]NOTES[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;] None. [/style]

[long2]

A shot was fired. The Marine Captain had heard it perfectly. His body turned back towards where he came from, but this time turned upwards. The shot was not just nearby, but above. But the pink-haired woman hadn't been carrying a gun, has she? She would have used it first if she had. His eyes quickly changed, a barely audible click in his head switching modes of vision. Now, above, there was a vague blur of something with little natural heat and one definite person with his arm outstretched, holding a gun. The person picked up something in his arms. The Marine Captain didn't take long to put two and two together. If there was even the slightest chance this was the Pirate, one of her allies was with her. He couldn't let them leave.

"I'm taking point. Follow me!" he ordered three of his men as he took charge, running back around the building from the way he came. By the time he managed to get around the corner, he spotted a ladder. Of course, he should have realized - even in her state, she could climb a ladder. But now he knew for certain she was sticking to the rooftops, out of sight. "Stay down. If they descend, don't take your eyes off of them," he told his men as he quickly scaled the ladder. His hand grasped the corned of the building as he hoisted himself onto the rooftop, where a blond man and a pink-haired woman stood before him. Or rather, where a blond man could be seen carrying said pink-haired woman. Standing up to full height, the Marine Captain spoke.

" "Desperado" Flint Bronze. Or would you rather be called the Smiling Gunman?" he asked in a tone that was both polite and condescending as he drew his katana, Tetsujin. Without waiting, he gripped the sword tightly and rushed towards the two, swinging from shoulder to hip, aiming for the shoulder where the Black Witch was positioned. He wasn't going to waste any more time. Now that the blond had shown up, he'd been led right to the Black Witch. So long as the kid had some body heat, he'd lead him right to her. Especially now that she was in such a weakened state.

[Flint]

"Sure, sure, you can make me scrub the deck in my underpants just as soon as we're back on the boat" Flint replied laconically as Rei seemed to be less than pleased with his service thus far. Which, given that sound behind them was likely to be a lasting problem.

Flint wasn't that surprised they'd been rumbled. He certainly didn't act it but he was also somewhat renowned for under-reacting to events. He did take a few seconds to really LOOK at Chevalier. He seemed to have a good memory, Flint's poster wasn't in active circulation any more and the 'smiling gunman' epithet was from a few years ago now. Still, a cursory glance at how Chevalier held himself gave him all the information he needed to know. This guy could injure Rei, ergo he was pretty damn strong, ergo Flint couldn't fight him. In his prime, without Rei on his shoulder he'd have trouble defeating him. He paused, remembering what he'd seen around them.

He didn't say anything to Chevalier's taunts, he wasn't normally all that talkative to begin with but if he was going to make his next plan work he'd need to be focused. He saw the marine draw his sword (normally he'd maybe comment on how he was clearly carrying guns but Rei was in danger, no time for observations) and Flint waited as long as he could to ensure he knew the angle. He was an incredible shot, he could hit the wings off a fly but with speed like Chevalier was said to have he'd need to know the exact angle first. He was stronger than Flint, he was tougher, Flint might just about be faster but he certainly wouldn't be able to dodge like this.

In a blur of movement, Flint drew a revolver with his free-hand and fired. The shot was simple, he aimed a bullet to smack and intercept into the sword as it came in. If it was low quality it'd break the sword (doubtful, Chevalier was probably packing a sword that'd normally cut THROUGH bullets, Flint aimed it away from the edge itself just in case it was). Deflecting a sword with a bullet is hard, but managing to draw your remaining pistol using the chain of the Gunchuk and firing a second shot? Not out of Flint's reach. As soon as he'd fired the intercept shot, Flint snapped his arm and the second revolver was yanked free, spinning out it seemed to fire directly at Chevalier. Flint would have gone for the head given Chevalier's rep, but the angle was tough enough shooting the sword, the best he could get would be torso.

Revolver in hand, Flint took a breath and leapt from the roof, Rei still wrapped on his shoulder. Their plummet was stopped by Flint's boots landing painfully on two marines shoulders and managed to stay upright as he landed (couldn't roll with Rei on his back)
"Sorry to ask Cap'n" he grunted "But when Chevalier jumps after us could you let me know so I can shoot his ass" Flint started moving, it wasn't straight to the harbour but in his mind's eye he knew where the ship would be. If they could only get that far...

[REI SATSUKI]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #111111; width:325px; padding:15px; border-left: 10px solid E6E6E6; vertical-align:top;] If she could have seen her first mate, Rei probably would have shot him a dirty look for the underpants comment. Not that it was necessarily a bad idea, but before she could really enjoy the though, something else appeared from the corner of her gaze. Damn, he was a persistent pain in the ass. The Captain had heard of devotion to duty, but this was stretching it a bit. What was wrong with the Marines on this island? The first one attempted to blow herself up and now this... Ugh, this situation could not manage to get any worse. The only good thing about all this was that Flint was far more level-headed than his Captain was. He wasn't as easy to drag into Chevalier's taunts, though when the Marine charged forward, even Rei had to admit she held her breath in anxiety of the strike to come. This was so humiliating. She couldn't even defend herself from this position, but it was either hang on or risk falling and ending up in a worse state than before, though as luck would have it, Flint skill with a gun came in more than handy. He managed to get a few shots off, before making his way over the side of the building. Bracing for impact, they were fortunate enough to have the Marine soldiers waiting for them and Flint was able to square himself to land directly on their shoulders, preventing him from having to roll and risk harming her further in the process. However, before they managed to get very far, Flint seemed to have come up with a way to stop the Marine. If nothing else, to slow him down enough to make a clean break for the ship as he asked for a warning when Chevalier came down. It was also in that moment, that the gunslinger managed to give the Captain a rather twisted idea. "I'll do you one better." Rei spoke allowing her hand to graze the nearby wall. "Winter Thorn." The white crystals that tore from her hand raced down the wall and across the ground, shooting upwards into long spines of hardened ice that now waited in ambush for the Marine that was sure to come. Yeah, maybe that was the answer. Perhaps there was no way to completely defeat Chevalier alone, but together they were a lot stronger than they were alone. "Get ready...." The Captain called back, waiting for the first flicker of shadow to dark over the edge of the roof. It wasn't a matter of if Jean would pursue them, it was almost a guarantee and therein lay the man's weakness. His own persistence to rush into combat to destroy the pirates would be his fatal undoing. The moment Rei spotted the flutter from the Marine's coat it was all over, there was no hesitation. Holding onto her first mate, the Captain quickly barked one single word - "NOW!"

[atrb=style, padding:10px; width:115px; background-color: #000000;][atrb=valign,top] [style=background-color: #111111; background-attachment: scrolling; height:100px; width:100px; padding:5px; border: 1px solid #FF6699;][/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]WORDS[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;]487[/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]TAGGED[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;]Jean & Flint[/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]NOTES[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;] None. [/style]

[long2]

Normal bullets probably weren't the best weapon against meitou. Particularly not an O Wazamono like Tetsujin. But it wasn't the first shot that bothered Jean. Though certainly, it was aggravating that he could deflect the course of his katana's path enough that he could dodge, it was more aggravating that he could manage to shoot Jean in the chest. But even as the Smiling Gunman ran past, Jean didn't collapse. Normally one would when they were shot in the chest, but Jean was hardly normal. Blood dripped to the ground, but it wasn't as much as one would expect from a gunshot wound. A compressed bullet hit the ground, having been crushed against the steel of Jean's cyborg body. Now both members of this crew had injured him.

This made them a slight pain in the hole.

As soon as he recovered from the hit, the cyborg Captain turned on his feet and began to rush. This gunman was quick on his feet. But he couldn't escape forever. His heat signature would give him away, and his legs would eventually tire. Jean's body was mechanical - it didn't become exhausted. He didn't feel the same kind of exhaustion a normal Human would. He didn't feel the pain of his legs giving out or his lungs feeling empty of air. He certainly remembered them, but he no longer felt them. Taking firm grip of his katana with both hands, the Captain gave chase. The gunman had jumped down, so now it was time for the Captain to drop down to lower ground. But it seemed, even with her grievous injury, the pink-haired Captain wasn't done for.

As he dropped, he saw ice racing across the ground from the wall of a building before spiking upwards. Watching as the ice rose, Jean grunted as he realized that, even with his body, he wasn't completely immune to giant spikes of ice. Raising his legs and arms in front of him as a defense, he felt the spikes cut through his arms and legs. The injuries still weren't deep, but he could now see his red blood staining the ice. He grunted not from pain, but annoyance. The smaller injuries were beginning to add up. If they wore down his cybernetic prosthetics, his movements could be hampered. His men arrived just after he'd landed, but he didn't make them wait.

"Give chase and fire on sight. I want both of them dead," Jean told them as he got up and hacked through the spires of ice with his sword to carve a path through. He could still see the Smiling Gunman ahead, along with the Black Witch. His men could also see and now they raised their rifles, just waiting for a moment to aim. He wasn't going to let them get away, even if he had to use his laser cannon a second time.

[Flint]

Flint whistled respectfully at the Captain's Devil Fruit display, though it was a good thing to see it was more distressing that the rumors of Chevalier were true, the guy really was a monster. Still, at least they had distance. Unfortunately, they had to clear a certain amount of distance before they'd be able to find cover from the forming firing line and Flint's options were somewhat limited. If he had both hands and no Rei he could probably hit all of them before they even took a shot, but like this... he had to go more strategic, he couldn't reload easily either so he had to think of a means to deal with the whole line for at least enough time to get into cover.

As the men formed up, ready to pull the trigger, Flint swerved to the left moments before they would fire and quickly fired shots at the three men to the left. His aim was to shoot their hands so they lost their weaponry meaning that the space to their left was free from fire. Worst case scenario he'd take down those three and get clipped by the later ones. Still, he needed to reload... hopefully Rei would be able to add ice to Chevalier's problems as he went, leaving Flint free to pursue his course. Before the Marines could square off a second salvo, Flint darted round a corner and began awkwardly vaulting over obstructions as they made their way towards the seafront.

Squaring up along the side of the water, Flint saw his message had been recieved as the ship was sailing along parrallel to them. Hurrying his pace he began shouting to the ship. A few crew-men manning the rigging were already getting ropes ready to swing in and grab the two of them.

Carefully lowering Rei to the ground so she could stand next to him Flint reloaded his revolvers in a blur of fingers and snapped them shut as he looked for signs of movement, trusting to his reflexes to help them out
"Just a little longer Captain..." they only had to hold out a little longer until they could escape the monster of a marine they'd managed to find.

[REI SATSUKI]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #111111; width:325px; padding:15px; border-left: 10px solid E6E6E6; vertical-align:top;] Rei still had a pretty good view of Chevalier as he dropped down onto the spikes, though somehow still managed to shout orders at his men. What in the name of Gold Roger was that bastard made of? He was getting to be a serious pain, she would give him that. Flint managed to get off a few rounds, but the Captain wasn't about to let them shoot at her first mate. "Ice Wall!" Once more ice poured from her hand, forming a wall several feet thick to block any continued ammunition fire and to obstruct the Marine's path to give chase. They needed to loose them visually, otherwise it didn't matter how quickly they made it back to the ship with that psychopath Marine on their tail. Fortunately, Flint was quick to start moving again, though each landing was absolutely sickening sending a wave of pain that threatened to steal her ability to remain conscious. Rei wasn't certain how long it took Flint to reach his stop, but had to admit she was rather relieved when he lifted her once more and sat her down next to him. Choking in agony, her blue eyes immediately spotted the ship as she leaned lightly against a nearby rock to steady herself. "Flint, we can't... Chevalier's got some kind of laser on his arm... If he fires on the ship before we can get out of range, we'll be blown out of the water. " Rei explained in concern, watching as he reloaded. Damn it. Even with Flint's marksmanship skill, there was no way they could win in a fire fight against the Marines or against Chevalier. If they wanted to make it to the ship in one piece, then they would need to create a distract big enough to fool that persistent pest of a Marine. Thinking back though, something suddenly came to mind. "Hey,... Tell the ship to move in.... I may have an idea." She explained, reaching to pull him behind her and to prevent herself from staggering as she moved in front of him. Dropping her hand to the ground a large dome seemed to emerge, obscuring them from view and concealing most of the horizon behind them from anyone approaching. Once it was finished and Rei was certain it would hold, she moved off to the right side and motioned for Flint to follow. As her fingers grazed across the ice, a hole large enough for them to step through appeared on the back side of the dome. The sound of bullets ricocheting off the front of the dome could already be heard, earning a faint smirk in amusement. "Come on... Have the ship sail west." Rei ordered, motioning with her hand the forty-five degree angle that she wanted as a couple of the crew swung over and landed ready to retrieve them. The point was obvious to anyone who knew the Captain. While Chevalier was focusing on what he assumed was the pirates that had been pinned down under the ice, the ship would be getting out of range. Of course, even if he was fool enough to fire that laser of his, if it wasn't pointed in the right direction, the it was harmless and they would be beyond reach before it could reload. Unfortunately, Rei's ability to hold up with her wounds was up and she stumbled forward, ready to collapse in exhaustion.

[atrb=style, padding:10px; width:115px; background-color: #000000;][atrb=valign,top] [style=background-color: #111111; background-attachment: scrolling; height:100px; width:100px; padding:5px; border: 1px solid #FF6699;][/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]WORDS[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;]565[/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]TAGGED[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;]Jean & Flint[/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]NOTES[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;] None. [/style]

[long2]

Jean didn't halt or hesitate. He needed to keep on their tail. He needed to put pressure on them. If they escaped, nevermind what damage they could continue to cause, it would be a disgrace to the Marines and particularly himself. The very thought of being unable to take down or kill a group of Pirates was a thought that made the bile rise in his throat. It was a disgusting thought that made him want to vomit. He was trained from the very beginning to be a model Marine. He was the Tsubaki Mk. 1. He was a symbol of the World Goverment's Justice. He wouldn't allow this to happen. Even as a barrier of ice deflected his men's bullets, he pressed onwards, gripping his sword with both hands tightly.

With both his immense, cybernetically-enhanced strength and his sharp blade, he slashed through the wall of ice and continued forwards. He could still detect the pirates. As long as the Smiling Gunman was alive, he could detect his heat signature. Letting go of his sword with his left hand, a humming began to fill the air. He was charging another shot. He'd make sure it was a certain kill. But something was going wrong with his sensors. As he pulled around the corner, he saw something begin to blot out the Smiling Gunman. He cursed as he realized what was happening and switched back to normal vision. Before him was a circular hut of ice. So they were hiding inside to buy time? He grit his teeth. He wouldn't allow them that luxury. His arm was now beeping, starting slowly but becoming more and more rapid.

"Another bunch of insects, crawling under rocks," he muttered lowly, his left arm stretched forwards as he braced himself. With his footing secure, he fired. A shining beam of light and heat ripped through the atmosphere, scorching through the ice hut and shooting forth through the air, continuing far beyond where the eye could see before slowly dying out. The ice hut melted down, now a mere circle of melting ice surrounded by water. But with the ice hut now exposed, there wasn't any sign of a body whatsoever. Neither the Black Witch nor the Smiling Gunman. His body trembled with anger, his face contorting into a look that truly could only be described as rage. His visual sensors switched again, now seeing an escaping heat signature further down. They'd put greater distance between them.

"They've tricked us... Have the men down near the docks move up! Halt their escape by any means necessary! I refuse to let them escape!" he yelled out, breaking into a run. He bolted past the melted ice hut, his men following after him. He would not allow this humiliation to continue further!

[Flint]

Flint observed the powerful jet of the laser piercing clean through the ice like a concentrated blast of sunlight and immediately realised the very real danger that such an attack presented. Cursing, Flint also made sure to keep his eyes peeled for more assaulting troops as he scooped Rei up and surreptitiously made his way west in the same direction the ship was now sailing. He could see the ship pulling in close and he found himself idly wondering something as they got close enough for him to pass Rei to one of the crew members
" I don't suppose we have a really big mirror do we? Maybe we could bounce the laser back at him" Flint, like Rei, seemed to be avoiding the elephant in the room which was their cannons. If they started blasting at Micqueot with their cannonade it'd probably wipe out the marines and possibly even Chevalier if they got lucky, but at the same time it wasn't what they were about.

Part of him wondered if Chevalier would have the same doubts if their roles were reversed.

Still, as Flint himself grabbed hold of some rigging he saw, impossibly, that Chevalier was still pursuing them and he might even get a chance to mount the ship at this range. Holding onto the ship with one hand and drawing a gun with the other he started firing at the approaching marine machine. He had to find the perfect placement for each one, the marine's reflexes were too good, even if he couldn't guarantee a hit he could at least co-ordinate a dodge as the ship pulled out. He aimed at Chevalier's foot as it came down from an extended stride, he aimed one for his head so he'd need to move his body off course, he emptied all 6 rounds accurately and doubted even 2 of them would hit as he scrambled up the hull of the ship and dropped down to find cover on the deck.
"We need to move fast guys! He's still coming" Flint said as once again he reloaded the spent revolver and kept the still full one primed... he didn't think anyone would be able to close the distance and get on the ship but then this guy was barely human at this point, he was a damn monster.

Again his mind turned to the cannons... not even a cyborg could survive that, but it'd endanger the civilians of Micqueot...

((OOC: Sorry it's short but esccaaaaape D: ))

[REI SATSUKI]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #111111; width:325px; padding:15px; border-left: 10px solid E6E6E6; vertical-align:top;] A shimmering glow managed to pass not to far from where they were as Rei managed to land on the deck. Looked like the Marines had taken the bait, though Chevalier proved to have an itchier trigger finger than she gave him credit for. In any case, it was only a matter of time before he discovered her trickery. Sure enough, the Captain had a very nasty habit for being right when it came to predicting human behavior. The problem came in that Chevalier was no longer human, but a monster built to destroy anything or anyone who so much as attempted to fly a Jolly Roger. The Captain wasn't one to rely on entirely on violence and normally wished to avoid dragging civilians into her skirmishes with the Marines, but even she seemed to sense the hesitation in Flint's words. It was an option none of them wanted to acknowledge. However, when it came to enemies like Chevalier, Rei was often forced to bare the burden as Captain and make the decisions that sometimes weren't easy to make. Unfortunately, this town and the people in it were not her primary concern. Her crew, on the other hand, they were like her family and with a number of them not yet recovered from their illness, the last thing they needed was that psychotic Marine on the ship. This had to be done and to hell with the consequences. Leaning on one of the crew members for support, she gritted her teeth before quickly glancing over to some of the crew that were awaiting orders. "Aim the cannons at the Marine. The rest of you, I want a full sail - now!" Rei called out, earning a look of concern, since most were keen enough to know it could possibly place civilians in danger. "But, Capt-" The crew member holding her up attempted to question, but the Captain was quick to cut him off. "That's an order.... I will go back and fight him myself before I see a Marine set foot on this ship, am I clear? Now, prepare to fire!" She snapped in warning, attempting to stress the urgency, despite that pain she was in. That was all Rei could do now that her energy was spent and it was only by luck that she was able maintain some ounce of consciousness. Under no circumstances could she leave her crew to face this monster alone. Of course, at such close range it wasn't hard for them to take aim at the Marine giving chase. Once prepared the sharp blasted echoed out throwing several cannon rounds flying towards the Captain, whistling towards him and threatening to tear into anything they managed to strike. All they needed was a few more seconds and they'd be out of range and perhaps they'd be fortunate enough to send the cyborg back to the Marines in pieces. Even so, Rei showed few signs of remorse or hesitation. She'd sworn when setting out to sea to do whatever it took and sometimes there were causalities in war, a fact no one could avoid. No, if anyone bore responsibility for this matter, it was the World Government. They should have never allowed a rabid dog like Chevalier off his leash or trained him better than to believe he could corner her without paying a heavy price for his arrogance.

[atrb=style, padding:10px; width:115px; background-color: #000000;][atrb=valign,top] [style=background-color: #111111; background-attachment: scrolling; height:100px; width:100px; padding:5px; border: 1px solid #FF6699;][/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]WORDS[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;]558[/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]TAGGED[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;]Jean & Flint[/style] [style= border-bottom: 1px solid #FF6699; text-transform: lowercase;]NOTES[/style][style= text-align:right; background-color: #111111; padding-right:2px;] None. [/style]

[long2]

He could see them now, just ahead. Their ship was waiting on them just ahead, within his view. He narrowed his brows, his grip on his sword tightening. His arm was held out again. If he wasn't going to get there before them, then the only other option was to shoot down the ship with his cannon. He'd need only a little time, but he could sink their ship if he was accurate enough. He just needed to get closer. He just needed a few more moments. His arm cannon needed a few moments to recharge and cool down. Letting it heat up to dangerous temperatures meant it needed time to cool down or else he could blow off his own arm. But he didn't have to worry. How long would their ship take to get out of range? He had enough time.

At least, he would have. But as he arrived, ready to hack and slash his way through the pirates, they fired. A cannon blasted, the ring howling in his ears as suddenly a sphere of metal crashed into his stomach. His body suddenly halted completely in his steps, his whole world freezing for a moment. It still felt hot from the cannon it was fired from, his mechanical body made cracking noises. Time restarted and suddenly the cannonball burst apart against his body. Metal shrapnel embedded itself into his metal body. He was thrown back by the force, his whole body crashing to the ground as his sword clanged against the stonework of the docks. He skidded and bounced backwards against the ground, blood dripping from his wounds. He had been wounded from cannonfire, just like that time long ago.

He grit his teeth to keep himself from howling with pain. His body lay on the ground, injured and beaten. Even if his lungs didn't feel like they were being compressed by his own beaten mechanical body, his arms and legs were injured by shrapnel from the cannonball. His left leg lay limp on the ground whilst his right leg pushed against the ground futilely. His left arm's fingers twitched erratically whilst his right arm clutched his chest where he'd been struck. They'd hit him with cannonfire, just like those Pirates from long ago. The ones who'd taken his limbs. He roared, but it didn't sound like pain. No, it resonated with anger and wrath. His men watched, frightened by the appearance of their Captain. Not just frightened for him, but frightened of him. They had never seen the Captain like this.

"C-Captain Chevalier!" they cried, rushing to take him aside. Other Marines began setting up cannons near the docks, ready to begin counterfire against the Pirates. But getting their Captain out of there was their main priority.

Captain Jean Chevalier had never felt so disgusted in his life.