Bounty
Jack Hangman's location is unknown
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Post by Jack Hangman on Apr 26, 2014 0:13:20 GMT -6
Jack felt his hands slid into his pockets and his back hunch a little as he stepped off the small Cutter that brought him to the island. It was a terribly rude habit, but he couldn't help himself. Whenever he didn't want to be somewhere his body tightened up, as if trying to make itself as inconspicuous as possible. Maybe it thought that if nobody noticed his presence, then he wouldn't really be there after all. If only. At the end of the dock stood a rather portly man, one hand holding a thick cigar to his mouth while the other held an opened pocket watch. The man took a deep drag before letting out an equally deep sigh, letting the dark haze spill past his lips as he settled his gaze on the green-haired troublemaker standing before him. Jack. I had hoped that once you left here the first time that I would never have to see you again..." The CP9 Agent let his shoulders sag a little, looking almost apologetic before a light grin crossed his features, offering an exaggerated shrug in response, "Special Instructor Jeltross... always a pleasure."
The man grunted and turned to the side, gesturing for Jack to walk alongside him. So why are you here? You said it was urgent." Instead of answering right away, Jack simply brushed the side of his chin with his thumb, glancing over at the trees on either side of the path, I shouldn't be telling you this, but you're supposed to be getting an inspection from an Admiral today. Which one? Haven't the foggiest." Jeltross let out another deep sigh and shook his head, rubbing his forehead with one hand, Jack... what have you done this time?" The Agent looked up at his old teacher and smiled innocently, What ever gave you that idea?" The only time we ever get an inspection is when the brass wants to make absolutely sure that we're not going to give them any more screwups to deal with. Specifically, like you." Jack let his body list to the side as he clutched at his heart with both hands, Ouch! That hurts, Jeltross. And here I thought we were friends." The elder man just glared down at Jack, who simply shrugged in response, Okay, okay. You got me. But I can explain! I know you; you'll get a real kick out of this story, and later we'll laugh..." Somehow Jeltross's glare became even more intense as the cigar drooped from his mouth, the man leaning forward a little to tower over Jack by a good four feet while letting out a deep growl.
Thankfully, another officer happened to show up just in time to save Jack from a gristly end and informed them both that they had just received word that an Admiral was about to arrive on the island for some unknown reason. Jeltross muttered under his breath that Jack should stay out of the way until the inspector left if he knew what was good for him before taking his own leave. Of course, what kind of 'troublemaker' would he be if he did what was good for himself? With a snerk, Jack spun on his heel and started walking back towards the dock, hoping to get there before Jeltross managed to gather his little entourage.
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Marine
Admiral Kokuro
Bounty
Faust Eisenritter's location is unknown
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Post by Faust Eisenritter on May 9, 2014 12:35:00 GMT -6
Faust was, to put it bluntly, not the biggest fan of the Cipher Pol agencies. He understood their purpose - he was an Admiral, after all - but the existence of Cipher Pol unnerved him. Particularly Cipher Pol 9 and Cipher Pol 0. Two of the shadiest groups the World Government had a hand in and certainly the most secretive. They practically represented the darkness of the Marines - that sly dagger that was occasionally stuck into an unwanted person's back when the Marines were too conspicuous.
Faust didn't know how many people were frequently removed or deleted off of the face of the earth by Cipher Pol. To a certain extent, he didn't want to know. But despite his distaste of the shady business Cipher Pol ran, it didn't change the fact that the World Government saw it best that he, of all people, performed an inspection of a particular island where Cipher Pol could have been said to originate.
The dark haired man sighed as he stared out over the edge of the ship, watching as the docks came closer and closer. The Dark Justice practiced by some of Cipher Pol was too close to the doctrine of Absolute Justice that he so thoroughly despised. Coming to this island just sent a bad chill down the Admiral's spine. Unfortunately, even an Admiral found himself overruled by the Fleet Admiral. Until he was in a position to say otherwise, Faust was stuck with the distasteful jobs.
As the boat came into the docks, the ship's anchor dropped into the sea with a plop. The Marines aboard the ship quickly lowered the gangplank, creating a walkway onto the dock. Faust wasted little time as he stepped onto the gangplank and walked down onto the docks, his arms crossed in front of himself. He stepped onto the wooden docks, hearing a creaking from some of the wood. Turning towards the island, Faust let out a sigh.
"Alright, alright... Who is it I need to talk to here?"
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Bounty
Jack Hangman's location is unknown
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Post by Jack Hangman on May 9, 2014 14:34:52 GMT -6
The Cipher Pol Agent chuckled darkly as he popped his hat off with a simple gesture, catching the side of the edge on the tip of his finger and spun the hat as if it were a ball. The reason that he was currently under suspicion for wrongdoing was because of the last mission he went out on. It seemed as though a Noble had been lightly injured by a slave before they escaped, so the former slave was marked for death. According to Jack's official report, the mission was a failure before it even started. When he arrived on the island, it seemed as though the slaves had revolted and killed the Noble in revenge for enslaving them- his demise was especially messy. But since the Noble was dead, it meant that there was no longer a reason to execute the former slave.
For whatever reason, they found it suspicious that government officials tended to end up dead whenever Jack was involved. As such, he was suspended pending investigation into the matter. Not that they would find anything, of course. As a member of CP9, Jack's assigned task was to execute the individuals who opposed the World Government- a job that he took very seriously. After all, if you break the laws set forth by the World Government, that makes you a criminal- and his one job was to ensure that all criminals had to be brought to justice, no matter what kind of 'justice' that may be. He felt his smile widen slightly at the very thought. Man, he loved his job.
When Jack realized that he was approaching the dock, he flicked the underside of his hat with his thumb, making it flip up into the air before landing on top of his head. He gave it a light pat to make sure that it rested evenly, letting his hand fall a little to cover his face. When he pulled his hand away, his expression had fallen and become much more somber. It wouldn't do to goof off in the presence of an Admiral. Especially not if he was going to try and play a prank on them.
He approached just as the Admiral stepped onto the dock, letting his head list to the side slightly as if he were sizing the other man up. After a short time, he reached into his coat to pull out a box of cigarettes, taking one for himself before holding it towards the Admiral in the event he wanted one, "Welcome to our Totally Average Island, Admiral. I am Instructor Bleeze, and will be your tour guide for this evening." The very corner of his mouth curled up into a light smirk, but otherwise gave nothing away.
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Marine
Admiral Kokuro
Bounty
Faust Eisenritter's location is unknown
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Post by Faust Eisenritter on May 16, 2014 8:14:55 GMT -6
Faust raised a brow as he looked at the young man. Faust was probably overthinking things, although he had expected the instructor to be a somewhat older man. Something about teachers always made you imagine them as being at least ten years older than you were. Faust dismissed his own concerns, however - it wasn't unreasonable for an instructor to be so young.
"No thanks - I don't smoke," he told the green-haired man, holding out a hand as he shook his head. Faust wasn't without his vices - alcohol was not an unusual sight aboard his ship - but he had never really liked smoking. The stench of smoke on people's clothes always bothered him. He didn't like the idea that he would end up getting the same smell all over his own clothes if he started smoking.
He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the name of the island. Totally Average Island. It was like the World Government wasn't even trying when they named the place. Even Faust found it unbearably cheesy - a difficult thing to accomplish. Regardless, he was here to perform a duty, and he couldn't really sit around and discuss the terribleness of the island's name. That could easily be saved for a later time.
"Alright, I don't think I need to really explain why I'm here, but..." he began, looking the young man in the eyes. "From what I hear, you've got a problem with a certain recruit. Is that correct?"
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Bounty
Jack Hangman's location is unknown
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Post by Jack Hangman on May 16, 2014 11:41:38 GMT -6
Jack simply rolled his shoulders back when the Admiral turned down his offer, placing the carton of cigarettes back from whence they came. His smile widened slightly as he pulled the single stick out of his mouth and flicked it off to the side, stamping on it despite the cigarette not having been lit, "As it happens, neither do I." Not often, anyway. His eyes drifted down from the other man's head, finally settling on his shoes. The Admiral was dressed rather formally, but those shoes... there was something about them...
The man spun in a tight circle and started walking towards a small path off to the right of the thoroughfare, gesturing for the Admiral to follow him. He wanted to be long gone by the time Jeltross showed up... otherwise there would be hell to pay. And Jack had left his wallet at home. "Yes, yes. I know exactly who you're talking about. A shame really, he showed so much promise... and to think, it's our fault that he turned out so poorly~" His voice had a strange tone to it, as if he were lost in a favorable memory.
After a short time, Jack turned to face the Admiral while walking backwards, "If you take an impressionable child and force two edicts into their fragile little minds... specifically, that all criminals must receive justice... but there are those who are above justice, regardless of their crimes... what do you think that might do to them?" He closed his eyes and offered an odd grin, "Most of our trainees understand both concepts and see no contradiction. But what if one did, and thus decided to ignore one of the two edicts? I wonder how someone like that might turn out..."
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Marine
Admiral Kokuro
Bounty
Faust Eisenritter's location is unknown
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Post by Faust Eisenritter on May 16, 2014 14:15:18 GMT -6
Faust got the distinct impression he was being messed with. From the moment the green-haired man began speaking, there was a sly sort of snarkiness to his tone that reeked of sarcasm. It made Faust begin to wonder if his previous doubts really had been correct - if this man really was an instructor. If he was, then he was clearly not a man who took much pride in his job.
And yet, considering the subjects the young man brought up, the older man couldn't help but feel he had a damn good point. He remembered when he had been young and inducted into the Marines. He'd been taught a lot about the importance of Justice and how criminals needed to be brought to Justice. But in practice, as he rose through the ranks, he found that some of the most depraved criminals were practically untouchable. None moreso than the World Nobles themselves.
He regretted not doing more to fight against that kind of corruption when he was younger. Back then, he told himself that the greater good was more important. 100 lives suffering so that 1000 lives could prosper seemed like an easy trade. As he grew older, he began to realize just how naive and wrong such a view was. In that light, he couldn't help but agree with the young man - even if he was somewhat disrespectful and rude.
"Well, if that's the case, then the real problem is clear then," he remarked as he continued to walk along with the young man. "These 'un-touchables' shouldn't be allowed to get away with heinous crimes in the first place. Rules can be bent depending on the circumstances, but they shouldn't be broken".
It did occur to Faust that this rebel student's idea of Justice was a grisly and dark one, but that didn't change the fact that certain people had their crimes overlooked far too often. It was supposed to be the job of the Marines to take them to Justice - not to enable them to continue doing it. That, in Faust's mind, was not Just.
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Bounty
Jack Hangman's location is unknown
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Post by Jack Hangman on May 19, 2014 12:25:39 GMT -6
It seemed as though the Admiral had misunderstood his statement and said a little bit too much. Jack's smile faded away as he wagged his finger in the other man's direction, "With all due respect, Admiral, you'd better watch that tongue of yours before it runs off and leaves you saying something that you might come to regret." His expression became a little harder as he glared daggers at Faust, "After all... for a moment there, it almost sounded like you agreed with our little troublemaker. I don't think the ones who hold your leash, in Mariejois, would appreciate talk like that~" In fact... a World Noble would probably simply shoot Faust in the gut without a second's hesitation. After all, that was the way of the world...
The green haired man's expression changed to a jovial one just as quickly, smiling brightly, "Well! At least, that's what he's accused of. Nothing has been proven yet, so maybe I'm being too hard on the boy by assigning guilt so easily." Jack turned towards a large building located a good hundred feet away and raised his arms out to either side, "The mess hall! Where the instructors dine on the finest delicacies! Of course, the trainees don't get anything like that. They learn how to sustain themselves on the bare essentials! Maggots, rats, that sort of thing. Only the toughest of food to build the strongest of character."
He made a little spin before snapping to a standing position, pointing away from the building with both hands, "And over there is the Pit, where we stick problem children. If they fail in their training, we stick them down there without food or water, right by the mess hall so that instructors can go eat in plain view of the little troublemakers; even though sometimes instructors don't take proper precautions and drop a few crumbs down there. Usually only for up to three days~! But I've heard a rumor that our biggest thorn in the side spent a month down there. They say he came out... weird." Jack threw his head back and laughed like a jackal, starting to walk forward again.
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Marine
Admiral Kokuro
Bounty
Faust Eisenritter's location is unknown
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Post by Faust Eisenritter on May 20, 2014 1:43:40 GMT -6
Faust wasn't intimidated when the young man glared daggers at him. Faust had practically spent his entire career getting on the bad side of powerful people, whether they were Marines or Pirates. He'd fought several Yonkou in his time. Compared to that, a young man - even if he was an agent for a powerful organization - wasn't very intimidating.
Nevertheless, Faust remained silent, preferring to listen as the young man continued to speak, leading the Admiral around the base. He was still doubtful of the young man's claims of being the instructor - he seemed too... eccentric. There certainly seemed to be a serious side to him, but it was lost behind a childish humour.
"So what you're saying is that the facility doesn't take proper care of its recruits," Faust remarked, voicing his own thoughts upon the young man's descriptions of the facilities. "I can understand not wanting to go soft on the recruits, but if this facility isn't feeding its recruits properly, it's a big health and safety hazard. If this was happening out in North Blue, whoever's in charge would have been sacked. Unless you're not being serious, that is".
Faust decided that he definitely did not like this place one bit. It was rare for anything to take the smile off of his face, but ever since he'd arrived Faust hadn't felt even a smirk come over him. He simply continued to frown, finding himself feeling uneasy on the remote island.
The young man certainly didn't help matters with his maddened cackles. Faust was almost certain the young man wasn't the instructor. If anything, he seemed more than likely to be the very agent he'd been sent to investigate. It would certainly help explain why he seemed to talk about the various parts of the facility as though he had been subjected to its vices first hand.
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