By the time that Coby and Eddy got to land in Shells Town, the evening sun had reached it's peak and most individuals who lived there either made their way home or wanted to hawk some last minute sales.
"I still can't believe that you took Alvida out with a single kick…I've seen men as big as you with weapons who couldn't get close to her." Coby mentioned as he walked alongside Eddy who looked like he was keeping an eye out around him. "Can you…Can you actually explain what it is that you did back there?"
Eddy glanced down to Coby; "I already told you, I moved behind her and kicked her, that's pretty much all there is to it." He explained but then his stomach gurgled; "First off, I need some food and a place to rest up…That fight with your old captain tired me out."
Coby looked confused, "This man took Alvida down with minimal effort and practically cleared the ship out of all those monsters…I'd have thought he was one of them too if he wasn't tired out." He thought to himself; "So what will you do now? I'm gonna see if I can try talking with one of the….Wait…I think I know this base." Coby asked curiously but then grew nervous as the two moved between the crowd with Eddy taking surprisingly meticulous care to not touch or bump into anyone on their way to the diner.
"What's wrong with it? You said you wanted to be a Marine, didn'tcha?" Eddy asked curiously as they entered through the door to the owner's welcome. "Maybe they can help you out there."
"I-I guess so but this base holds a dangerous man…Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter." Coby pointed out as he went to grab a chair. "I'd be careful because people are gonna think you're a pirate too and they might call in the Marines or a Bounty Hunter after you."
"I already told you, I'm not a Pirate." Eddy sighed as he reached into his pocket instinctively to grab his wallet but then felt his own depression hit as he realised that he was in a strange place with no money and no clear way home. "Shit…I guess I'm gonna have to be smart around here."
"I don't suppose you have money for food, do you?" Coby asked as he felt the hunger set in too and he could see the dejected look on the sullen man's face along with both of their stomachs grumbling.
"Sadly no….Though, hold on." Eddy said with a faint hint of optimism as he saw a man throwing down some playing cards; "I think I know how we can get some change together." He said as he headed over to the players' table; A scruffy looking man glanced up at Eddy with a look on his face like he had caught someone.
"Hey buddy, you looking to tap in for a game?" The man remarked as he sat opposite of Eddy. "The Marines don't take kindly to gamblers around here so you better make sure you're ready to face jail if oyu get caught playing."
"Heh, it's only gambling if you play for money." Eddy snarked as he tapped the table to signal him joining. "Though I'm happy to play for barter."
"Barter? Alright, pal…I'll play along, what's your offer?" The man asked curiously as he eyed Eddy; All he could tell just from a glance was that he was dressed in shabby clothes though what he could see of Eddy's face made him think that he was a nobleman trying to bs people.
"Okay, how about I do you a favour of your choice if you win?" Eddy offered, confident in his abilities with cards as he kept his eye on the shuffling deck. "Steal something, hit someone…You name it…But if I win, then you hand over the pot and pay for me and my friend's meal."
"M-Mr Eddy! What are you doing?!" Coby yelled as he realised that Eddy had essentially offered himself up as a barter for a free favour and with what he saw on the boat; It scared him if the dealer wanted something malicious. "You don't even know what he'll ask for if he wins…Not to mention that the Marines will definitely arrest you if they catch you gambling."
"Well, then I just have to make sure I don't get caught losing." Eddy chuckled as he watched the cards getting thrown toward him; "Have some faith, Coby…I'm not an idiot."
"I've played the pants off of some very capable locals so you may well be facing jail if you're offering freebies…Then again, most people just iou if they're a bum." The man chuckled as he placed the deck down; "We'll play simple Poker, aces high." He stated as he flipped over the first card. "Kid, move away from the table…Players only."
"Th-This is a bad idea…" Coby thought as he sat at an adjacent table and kept his gaze squarely on Eddy; Fighting and killing monsters was one thing but this could go either way. With his anxiety high from the prospect of losing, Coby felt his chest tighten with every card moved around but he saw that Eddy's face barely looked phased from the man's occasional brag.
The dealer flipped over the cards in his hand to show what looked like a red pair of 10s and a pair of 7s to match. "Two pairs, your show."
Eddy flicked each card down and a small smirk cracked across his face as he had a 6 Spade and a 7 Spade, 8 Hearts, 9 Diamonds and a 10 Club. "Straight…I'll take a Meat and rice plus whatever the kid wants." He said as he showed off the winning hand.
"I-Wh…Fine…?!" The man sputtered but ultimately conceded with a twitch on his brow. "That can't be right…No one's that good on a first game…Beginners luck, maybe upping the ante will break that first time win." He thought as he begrudgingly ordered.
"That was close…You nearly got yourself in trouble!" Coby whispered to Eddy as he felt a little more at ease now that the game was over.
"Hey, it's not my first time at a card table…Besides, you don't have to complain, you've got a free meal out of it." Eddy pointed out as he dealt the cards back into the deck and shuffled them to reorganise them.
"Here…Promise is a promise." The man grumbled as he tersely placed a plate of food down in front of Eddy and did the same for Coby at his table. "Though I have to admit, you've got a pretty good poker face even for someone like me."
"I've dabbled in games before, it's nothing really." Eddy shrugged though he kept his eye on the man warily; He hadn't lied when he said it wasn't his first time at a card table and he knew a card shark when he saw one, a particularly petty one at that.
"How about we raise the ante on another game, but this time we make the stakes interesting."
Eddy shook his head; "I don't have money though so I can't exactly play." He repeated as he started to eat. "The game was fun but I'm not looking to get in over my head, I heard how things get especially on a Marine island."
"Fine, I can grab some friends and we can make a bigger pot…How about it, a talented fellow like you could easily net yourself a few thousand Berris and with more players at the table could double that into say…50,000?"
"M-Mr Eddy, don't! He's definitely trying to reel you in now…I overheard someone at another table saying that he's a scam artist!" Coby warned Eddy as he had overheard whisperings from a table over about a local card shark by the name of Harry.
"Believe me or not but it's your choice…But if you're that hard up to look for gambling to get food, this is good a time as any to try pocketing some money for food, I heard the Marines can get pretty harsh when it comes to vagrants…Or supposed Vagrants." Harry said with a tone of voice that mixed fake concern with a hint of manipulative glee.
"Fine then, I'll play and you guys can split the profits if you win." Eddy mentioned as he played along with Harry's supposed ploy to get him into another game.
"Really? And split the profits for what? From what you've just been talking about, you don't have any money." Harry asked out of curiosity as he leaned in to better understand.
"Eddy, don't!"
"I'll place a wager with this." Eddy then reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a gold chain along with a glimmer of red with it; Dangling the chain between his fingers was a necklace that had a gold coloured metal frame with various smaller colours of other stones, accenting the palm sized red gemstone that looked practically flawless in it's position. "This can cover a very pretty penny if you find the right person to sell it to."
Nearly everyone at that table including Harry were floored at the sight of such a precious looking necklace in his hands; "Where the hell did you find something like that?" He muttered in a nearly speechless manner as he eyed the ruby red centrepiece, noticing the cross shape at it's heart would make it perfect for sitting in a grand monastery or as a bishop's divine symbol.
"I suppose you can call it a souvenir from my homeland…So what do you say, care to include it?" Eddy asked but then felt Coby grab his arm.
"Eddy! Something that valuable will attract more than just crooks and pirates…" Coby pleaded with him; "You're not seriously going to wager it, are you?"
"Deal me in." Eddy said, ignoring Coby's pessimism as he watched one of Harry's friends start to deal out a batch of cards and placed a bundle of chips at his end of the table. "Let's see if I can break a sweat this time."
The fact that more people were at the table and stakes were getting higher was bringing in spectators who were intrigued at the game. "Looks like our new friend's winning streak has started to gather watchers…Time to put the screws on him and get that gem." Harry thought as he glanced to the others.
Each of them started to deal out their own cards and as the game went on, Eddy began to notice something about the hands that they had before they systematically folded, "Odd…They've all been getting bad hands and deliberately staking all their money into the pot…Something's doesn't smell right…"
Harry would watch and continued to play along with his friends dishing out bad hands and folding until the pot was head height, it was just Harry and Eddy facing off at this point with a money pile that dwarfed the original 50,000 wager, making it a tempting reward. "Alright..I think I can say that you've held out pretty well…Though I can think of a way to make this interesting. 3 Card bluff…I'll pitch all of this money plus whatever I have earned in my last games, that alone brings it up to three times what is here."
"That's a very, very dangerous gamble, sir…If you lose your bluff then not only will you be put at risk of fleecing yourself of every cent…But you'll also make yourself a bigger target if these Marines see you hefting a bag full of money." Eddy pointed out as he remembered what Coby said and crossed his arms. "It's your loss if this goes wrong for you so are you sure about this?"
"That's what makes this fun…But just bear in mind that this can go either way…Either you walk away with all of what is here but if it goes the inverse…Then I'll keep the money and you will have a guaranteed life debt to pay me back for everything that I loaned you to play now…Plus what you owe on top of that" Harry smirked as he handed the deck to a nearby spectator. "Deal us, we want to make sure that this is fair for the both of us."
Eddy raised an eyebrow as he didn't trust Harry one bit and if he was anything like playing cards with Darby, he had something up his sleeve. "Alright…I'll see you."
"Hook, line and sucker…" Harry internally gloated before leaning forward in his chair after hearing Eddy accept and decided to iron in that last minute of doubt with a sure win; "Now, if you lose this…Then the money and that stone become mine, I expect you to do anything I say and do everything you can to pay me back."
Eddy raised an eyebrow as he didn't trust Harry one bit, if he was anything like playing cards with Darby, he had something up his sleeve and seemed way too confident. "I probably shouldn't use it for something so frivolous but I can't lose the stone to this weasel…I should probably guess…Those three seconds at maximum to decide it, here goes…" He thought to himself as the spectator dealt three cards to both Harry and to Eddy individually.
Harry to go first as he flipped down one card which was a King of Hearts, then the second was King of Diamonds which gave Harry a pre-emptive smirk. "I win…Time to give this little shit a trip to the cleaners." He thought before flicking down the last card which turned that soaring high to a plunging drop in ice water: A 1 of Clubs.
"A pair." Eddy remarked as he eyed the cards before started to flick his cards down: A Jack of Clubs, a Jack of Hearts and then with the final flick down on the table, nearly everyone who was watching and expecting Harry to have won like usual turned to shock when they saw a Jack of Diamonds.
"That's…That's a-"
"Prial…Three in a row." Eddy mentioned as he brought an arm out towards the pile of money but got stopped when a knife furiously stabbed down shy of his fingers.
"You cheated." Eddy snarled as he looked at the cards and then to his own with a look of contorted anger. "So what's the secret? Hide them up those long sleeves? A mirror on your boot to peek at mine?!"
"You're talking crazy, there is and was no chance for me to cheat even if I wanted to." Eddy pointed out as he opened his sleeves to show nothing there; "You lost, it's unfortunate but it still happened."
"You think I'm just going to let this slide with a "That's unfortunate"?! I am High Table Harry and I do. not. lose a hand!" Harry roared as the others began to back away from the confrontation as he pulled the knife out of the table. "BUT YOU'RE ABOUT TO LOSE Y-huh?" He was all set to swing the knife down again to stab his card playing opponent but so much had gotten caught up in his angry fit, he hadn't realised that the knife was gone from his hand and it's edge was now pointed at his chin.
Eddy's face was now etched with a serious expression that seemed to make him look dangerous from under the shade of his hat. "No…You lost." He said plainly as he kept the knife poised at him; "Now this is how it's going to go; You're going to do the right thing and hand over the money, you'll leave me and my friend alone but if you decide to try taking it all back…I'm not going to be so nice."
Harry felt his body lose all of it's rigor as he slumped back into his chair once the knife dropped and watched the man who had essentially fleeced him grab a nearby satchel and scooped all the money into it. "You bastard…Just you wait…I'll make sure that money and that pretty lil gem come right back to my hand…Whether it's from your pocket or by your dead hands…" He darkly thought before deciding to back off, though he hand't noticed that there were a handful of marines at the door with a shorter man standing in the centre. "Shit…"
"I knew that coming down here into the muck was going to drag up some rats but did you really have to crawl out of whatever hole to get your kicks, little Harry?" The mushroom haired man sneered as he toyed with the collar on his leisure suit; "No wonder I could smell cheap alcohol and dung from a mile away, let me guess…You're trying to turn card tricks to earn favour with my dear father, aren't you?"
"Helmeppo…." Harry growled under his breath; Much like everyone else in Shells Town, the only person that people feared more than the Marines' most fearsome inmate Roronoa Zoro was Helmeppo and his influence surrounding his father. "In case you're wondering, Gambling is still illegal under your father's watch…Then again, that's the fun part of secret Gambling dens, you or your goons here can't find all of them."
Helmeppo kept the grimace on his face like Harry smelled infinitely worse than he actually did before looking to the man's face who sported a worse scowl despite his snapback at the Marines. "So…Judging by your sunny expression, it looks like you had an off day, Mr. High Table…Did you feel sorry for whatever shabby looking bum you targeted or is your talent finally starting to match your place in the world?"
Harry had to contain every urge to throttle Helmeppo since he knew that even a bruise on the man would be more than substantial for the Captain of the Marines to dole out one of his "Corporal Punishments" and threat or not; The formerly well off card shark did not want any part in that. "I don't know who that guy is but my guess is that he's not been around long…"
"Tell you what, Harry…I'll waive your tribute payment if you can point out the person and maybe I'll even talk to my father about rewarding you for…Assisting your community in removing a felon from the streets." Helmeppo offered before grinning more at the sight of Harry carefully pointing his finger at Eddy while he was talking to the returning Coby.
"Y-You actually won!" Coby let out a sigh of relief; While the young boy did have a belief that Eddy could handle himself, there was a small inkling that etched itself into his brain that worried him if this man became some crook's hitman.
"I told you before, it's not my first time that I ended up at a card table but compared to the man I usually play with, this Harry guy is far less of a psycho…" Eddy mentioned as he dropped the bag down but kept it close by his leg; "Besides…Now I at least have my chance to look out for myself in a pinch without needing to steal."
"You are one of the strangest men I have ever met…" Coby said with a sigh but then felt curious as something didn't quite add up. "How were you able to win like you did? I'd have thought for certain that someone like him would cheat."
Eddy nodded in agreement; Though he wasn't about to spill every one of his secrets, he wasn't an idiot to think that Harry would play by the rules to have that much money lying around. "It's called reading the room…" Eddy mentioned as he decided to clue Coby in; "I have a neat little trick for reading faces and when people saw me playing up to Harry, they could drown a fish with how much sweat was on their foreheads."
"Interesting little trick there, buddy." Helmeppo said as he snapped his fingers and had the Marines beside him aim their guns at both him and Coby; "But you've been a little rulebreaker so unfortunately under my authority and enforced by my father, Captain Morgan: You and everyone in this diner are all under arrest for illegal gambling."
"What?!" "That's not fair!"
"We didn't do anything!"
Eddy grimaced as he saw Helmeppo smirk grew bigger while he scanned the crowd. "You all can save your excuses for when you get taken in for questioning…You'll be needing to offer your tributes at this time anyway so consider this doing your part as citizens." The blonde said as he watched the Marine soldiers next to him file in. "The one in the back, go get him and put some cuffs on him."
Coby was surprised to see that Eddy got up and let the Marines put cuffs on him while they muttered something about going quietly with them and no one getting hurt. "I warned him…I told him not to get too greedy and now he's gonna end up in a jail cell." He thought to himself as he tried to justify his desire to back down when they had the chance.
However the sounds of protests turned to confusion as the sound of metal hitting wood rang in the diner; Eddy was standing with a neutral look on his face as he dropped the metal cuffs that were placed on him; "Sorry but I'm not exactly a fan of whatever you've got planned…I'll walk with you but I'm not gon-"
"You be quiet!" One of the Marines yelled as he smacked Eddy in the side of the head with his rifle and knocked him to the ground, earning looks of shock to the crowd since they were worried that they would be next. "Just come quietly and you'll be treated nicely."
"Oh, make sure you take whatever he's got with him, that bag included." Helmeppo added as he watched Eddy getting dragged to his feet and the other Marine grabbed the satchel that had all of his winnings in it. "If I bring this vagrant in to Father then he might even let me get a cut if what that rat Harry said was true…"
"Sir! We found this in his pocket!" The Marine called out as he held up that same jeweled necklace that Eddy had put up for collateral in his card game, only this time the owner's face stiffened into that of a warning look.
"I'm gonna give you five seconds to give that back or I'll make sure that arm of your's gets broken." Eddy warned with a darker tone in his voice as he narrowed his eyes but found his threat ignored when Helmeppo snuck in a swift punch to his stomach.
"Hey, hey now…You're only adding more to your own risk by resisting arrest and threatening upstanding Marine officials and their soldiers." Helmeppo taunted as he then started smacking the side of Eddy's face to rub in his superiority. "This gaudy little trinket looks pretty when it glimmers but I'll bet it's nothing more then cheap metal holding a chunk of glass." He taunted as he held it up to Eddy's face. "What's this thing really worth to you if it can get you this riled up?"
Eddy didn't respond after that, though he focused his glare on Helmeppo without even so much as resisting the two Marines that had a hold on him and simply chose to utter two words in response. "The World…"
Helmeppo raised his eyebrow at this proclamation and then started to get annoyed at such a strange comment. "What the hell are y-" He was about to berate Eddy more but in that split instance, something happened that no one, not even the witnesses around them could explain.
One of Helmeppo's Marine guards collapse to the ground in pain, clutching his arm as it had somehow broke at the wrist, elbow and shoulder, the other had his nose explode in a shower of blood as he got thrown backwards onto a table and Helmeppo himself finally felt his mouth cave in as he was knocked off of his feet and a tooth went flying out as he got sent flying out of the door.
Eddy on the other hand was standing exactly where he had been held like nothing had happened but only with the necklace now in hand as he pocketed it once more and headed toward the now busted down door to where Helmeppo was lying, he then grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up so they were face to face. "Alright, you mushroom haired, greasy little weasel…I'll make you a deal, I can offer to go straight up to the Marines if you promise to leave everyone else here alone, just me that did something wrong so they're no part in any of this."
"I-I'll make sure you get shot for this!" Helmeppo screamed angrily as he struggled against Eddy's grip before he got let go. He then scrambled to his feet and glared at the darkly dressed man; "You want to go and die like Roronoa Zoro, then go ahead! I'll make sure your gloomy looking ass gets fed to the pit!" Helmeppo wailed before he started running for the Marine base with the two guards trying to keep up behind him.
Coby noticed that the commotion had stopped and rushed out to see Eddy adjusting his coat in the evening sun before slowly walking his way up the path towards the base. "H-Hey! Mr. Eddy!" He called out and saw the man turn to face him.
"Coby? What is it now?" Eddy asked as he glanced down at Coby. "If you're looking to tag along, I'd advise against it…After what just happened and what you're trying to accomplish; It'd be a bad idea to be seen with me trying to get into the base."
"But you're walking to your doom!" Coby pointed out as he ran in front of Eddy to try and stop him. "I spoke to the lady in charge of the diner, she says that Morgan is a vicious man and that anyone who fights back against the Marines doesn't come back at all."
"All the more reason to play along to make sure that the egotistical scumbag who ran crying to daddy earlier doesn't try coming back." Eddy mentioned. His expression looking rather odd; He was saying something that should've been seen as what a good person would do, the look on his face however showed that he was uncomfortable with the idea. "So again, I'll stand by what I said, If you're set on this Marines business for yourself then stay put."
"A-Alright, though if you don't end up making it back…I want to ask a question: What you did back on Alvida's ship and at that game…How exactly did you do that?" Coby asked as he finally decided to try asserting himself. "I know you said that you're built differently but barring a Devil Fruit…I want to know what exactly that you did because I want to try and learn it!"
Eddy blinked in surprise as he saw Coby go from a weak willed boy who jumped at his own shadow to practically demanding an answer to what he could do, it was enough to make him grow a smirk and decided to humour him. "Kid, what I can do is something that can't be taught or got from some Fruit…But alright…I'll clue you in; It all happened back during that Card Game…" He said and began to explain.
—Flashback to the Card Game, A few minutes earlier—
Eddy raised an eyebrow as he didn't trust Harry one bit and if he was anything like playing cards with Darby, he had something up his sleeve. "I probably shouldn't use it for something so frivolous but I can't lose the Stone to this weasel…I should probably guess…three seconds at maximum, here goes…The World!" He thought to himself as the power that dwelled within him activated and everything around him; From the waitress pouring water into a glass to the shuffling deck all slowed down until it finally stopped in place like a photograph. "Toki wo tomare!" ("Time stop!")
Eddy got up from his chair and began walking over to the bystander who had finished shuffling and took the deck out of his hands to start checking them. "Now let's see if Mr. Harry has been playing fair…" He thought to himself as he began moving the cards through the deck with almost blinding speed as he counted each one.
Ichi byou keika… (1 Second Has Passed)
As the cards fluttered through the gambler's line of sight, he began to notice that a lot of the patterns didn't match. "So that's his game…He planned to screw me over by keeping a high hand for himself and to give me a dud on purpose, I guess I WAS right to be suspicious…" Eddy said to himself as he reshuffled the cards just as quickly as he examined them. "I could just take all the money and go…But I think this warrants really getting petty…"
Nii byou keika… (2 Seconds have Passed)
Once the cards stopped shuffling, Eddy put the deck back in his hands and walked back over to sit in his chair like nothing had happened. "Now to watch this prick's face warp when I turn his one into a zero…" He then resumed his pose from when this all began.
San byou keika… (3 Seconds have Passed)
As soon as Eddy leaned forward in his chair to reach for the cards, time resumed again and the bystander handed both of them three cards each. "Soshite toki wa ugokidasu…" ("Time Shall Resume…")
—End of Flashback—
"I…Wow…" Coby was at more of a loss than he ever thought he'd be, "That's…A lot to unpack." He said honestly as he was still trying to come to terms that what happened on Alvida's ship was probably the same thing that happened in the diner. "So you can just…Stop Time any time you want?"
"There's more to it than just that…Once I start it, I have to know what I want to do because I can only stop for about three seconds at most." Eddy explained as he tried to keep an eye out for any eavesdroppers. "But between that time, I can manipulate anything that I can touch in that span…but I try not to rely on it too much."
Coby nodded in agreement; Part of him did understand that there were probably a few hurdles to this ability but the small selfish voice in his head said that if he had that power, he'd use it any time he wanted. "So what are you going to do now? That suit wearing guy's expecting you to go after him at the Marine Base."
"Well, that IS where I'm going." Eddy said as he started walking; "I can't just try finding my way home in a rowboat with no map…Besides, if they work for some form of justice system then maybe getting my hand on a weapon might be a good idea."
"You're gonna get yourself shot!" Coby yelped as he ran after Eddy after hearing his plans; "And that's just by trespassing on Marine Grounds…If they see you taking an entire ship or a weapon then they'll definitely find a way to put you down."
"Are you always this pessimistic?" Eddy asked as he was starting to get sick of Coby's negativity. "Besides, I don't have my Stand anymore so at least if I have a gun or a sword will help me protect myself at least make me feel a little safer." He added as he eyed up the gates of the base.
Coby blinked in confusion "A what now?"
"Long story…" Eddy mentioned as he started walking again and headed for the wall next to the gate; "But what I will say is this; My desire to find a way to get home trumps their crooked idea of keeping peace." He pointed out as he vanished over the top of the wall.
When he landed in the courtyard of the base; Eddy saw a large open hole in the middle with a guard rail circling it, though it was the centrepiece that drew his attention. Under the late afternoon sun, posted near the doors was none other than the fabled Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro crucified and awaiting his judgement at the hands of Axe-Hand Morgan.
"You know, I've seen about a dozen people get dragged through those gates kicking and screaming…But never once did I see someone who willingly come here by climbing over the wall." Zoro remarked as he lifted his head up to see the darkly dressed man who landed in front off him. "So…What brings you here? Trying to rescue someone?"
"Actually, I was looking to talk with the head honcho here and try to negotiate something." Eddy said as he sat on the opposite side like he was merely talking to a friend instead of a supposedly dangerous criminal.
"Then you're either off your rocker or you WANT to die if you're gonna screw with the Marines here." Zoro pointed out as he was struggling to get a read on this newcomer. "So, cut the bullshit and tell why are you REALLY here?"
"The better question is why do you care?" Eddy retorted as he got up and dusted himself off; "I'm just here for a map and a ship…Then I'm gone and no one needs to bother with me." He explained as he glanced around, noticing that the afternoon sun was slowly dipping down to the evening. "I'd rather not tempt it by being here too long."
"YOU!" A familiar sounding shrill voice was heard followed by the sound of rifles being loaded. Helmeppo was standing there like he hadn't tried to clean himself up but the person next to him looked far more threatening.
Axe-Hand Morgan was the Captain of the Shells Town Marine Base and he had a rather cruel streak when it came to maintaining his perfect visage of his military might. "So you're the bum who smacked my boy in the face…Any sane person wouldn't show their's so confidently."
"With all due respect, sir…Your son wasn't exactly rolling out the welcome wagon…He tried to steal my stuff so I gave him a warning love tap." Eddy explained as he kept his eyes on Morgan and Helmeppo. "So, I was actually hoping to talk with you, Mister…."
"Captain…And no, you may not. You are charged with potential piracy, assaulting an official of the law and resisting arrest….Not to mention breaking several laws against illegal gambling in my town, vagrancy and being outright disrespectful to my authority." Morgan declared as he kept his eyes on Eddy; "For these crimes and your potential to be a repeat offender, I sentence you to die."
"For not living or having a job here? Seems to me like you have more of a problem keeping gambling dens under control...And for the last time, I am not a Pi-" Eddy snapped but then stopped mid sentence when a rifle shot rang out and the bullet hit the ground near Eddy.
"Warning shot…Make any more comments and your execution will get drawn out." Helmeppo sneered as he toyed with the collar of his shirt, finally satisfied at seeing such an unrepentant lawbreaker put to rights.
"For what? You're already planning to execute me so you can't exactly up the stakes." Eddy pointed out, "Not that you'd be successful doing that anyway…" He muttered the last part under his breath as he looked to Zoro who was next to him. "I can help you get out if you can help me find a ship."
"I can't…I need my swords if I'm gonna fight back." Zoro said and then glanced up to Eddy; "Besides, the minute that they kill you will be when they start prepping me."
"Well, I can at least make sure that you have a shot out of here…I pro-" Eddy said before the left side of his throat burst like an overripe melon, lingering with the scent of gunpowder as he lost reflexive control and fell into the open pit that by him and Zoro.
Helmeppo had grabbed his pistol and aimed a shot to hit Eddy in the head but only succeeded in blasting his throat, though he still seemed proud of himself. "Look at it this way, father…Our permanent inmate will have something live down there with him for a little while~"