Climbing Up! | Adventure | [World Seekers]

he pub they visited now was... Definitely not humble. Well, it was to be expected of this magnificent, costly Kingdom. Gil could definitely not afford most of the items on the menu, which made it all the funnier in his mind to order a mug of ale in this place. This ale was probably 10 times fancier than what he was used to, but what the hell, it was still ale and he hoped it somehow tasted better than the normal ale he grew up on and liked so much. You see, the reason Gil liked normal ale so much was because normal ale was what he grew up on. Local, homemade ale tasted the best in his eyes. This place, most probably, held transported, mass-manufactured ale instead of homemade one. A kingdom so fancy and large must have kept provisions of a special factory of some sorts. Anyone who was enjoying a good mug of ale could tell it just by the look of this pub; it didn't even look like a pub. It looked like a fancy resteraunt with a marble, black marble bar stand instead of a normal wooden porch. Many, many chairs were now empty and facing the bartenders who occupied the giant stand; most of them were probably slaves. It was unlikely that nobles would work here, after all, and it was even more unlikely that people from various tribes and cultures would live freely in this city. This was perhaps the only option. However, quite interestingly, everybody who worked there plastered a large, fake smile which called only to question why they were here. Gil picked more than a few fights with the bouncers of such places over the years just by asking the supposed slaves why they seem so sad and desparate even though they held such a large smile. He always thought they seemed so desparate because of their eyes. They were dying. Their eyes gave off a sensation that they were... Dying, dying inside. Like they needed someone to reach out a hand and grab them; a hand to take them out of the misery. Gil always considered them to be prisoners of their own minds. You see, Gil strongly believed in freedom. Freedom of choice, specifically. He believed that every person has the right to live their lives how they see fit and regardless of the situation, they have the freedom to act in any way they want. He neglected to note that sometimes, the situation did call for the people to take certain choices. For example, out of fear of nobles killing their families, they decided to avoid fighting back. And this is only one example out of probably thousands. Gil surely understood it somewhere in his heart; however, he wasn't aware of it, or rather, didn't mark it as significant enough for him to bear this in mind at all times.

"Of course it involves increasing our power, Shen! This city is full of trouble. And knowing me, I'll probably rub someone the wrong way, sooner or later, ya' know, ha-ha!"" he said rather loudly, luckily for them, not loud enough for anyone important enough to hear it. Well, knowing Gil, it really was true. He would definitely rub someone the wrong way, sooner or later. Due to his behavior and the noble, polite nature of this city, it was inevitable. Plus, he was practically aching for a fight lately! He's been dying to increase his bounty from zero, finally. He's gonna kick some ass in this town!

As the blonde waitress arrived at their table, she too plastered a large smile that was more proud than anything else. It surely wasn't fake and she seemed to answer to the physical description of most of the royal women of this Kingdom. She was blonde, slim and of medium-short height. She wore a pretty face, large lips who were colored red and two pearl earrings. Her outfit was a simple buttoned shirt under a black vest and a bow tie that was tied to the shirt. She was a young girl who was hoping to work as a manager in this restaurant/pub and she was required to learn this work; or rather, she was the daughter/family relative of the owner(s). These were two possible scenarios out of dozens, though; as this Kingdom held more surprises than it could ever entail. The waitress was surely impressed by the two men; she thought them to represent royalty deep in her mind. Her proud smile was somewhat a gesture of brotherhood; as she felt as a noble between nobles, sort-of to speak. These two definitely answered the royal features, at least, in her own mind. As Gil saw her, he couldn't help but wonder if he had met her before. She seemed to be around his age, if not slightly older. He remembered approaching a girl who was looking quite like her when he was around 16 years of age and got rejected horribly, which made it all the more amusing if it was indeed that girl. Of course, it was funny in his mind! Rejections weren't something to avoid, they were amusing and they demonstrated just the fact that not all people like the same thing. Diversity and colorfulness were two incredibly unique features of the world that Gil deeply appreciated, and he could see them being applied to pretty much anything; even to a simple rejection, which on the face of the surface, could mean absolutely nothing, really. And that is, of course, only if it is indeed this girl who rejected him a few years back! Shortly after he happily spoke his order, she nodded at Gil and turned around to Shen, ready to write down his order as well. From her previous look at the two, she couldn't help but to blush. In her mind, they were two cute men, and she couldn't help but wonder who is cuter. Gil has barely noticed her blush and pondered if it was indeed the girl who rejected him, in return to the gesture her body was making. In his mind, it could also mean that she considered either him or Shen attractive; a nice thought to his self-esteem, surely! He chuckled quite happily before he spoke his order out.

"Anything for you, sir? she softly asked. Her blue eyes scanning the duo, looking for clues to their true origin. It was relatively tough for a girl who kept seeing the same people all over again, seeing two people whose facial features were different than anything she had ever seen. Yes, they looked noble; but it was mainly due to the choice of clothes. At least, when talking about Gil; as instead of his normal attire, he wore fancy clothes. A white suit with a dark-green tie above a black buttoned shirt. She observed his golden eyes again, eyes which she seemingly has never seen before and couldn't help but to ponder where he was from. Perhaps, the Grand Line? Or rather, one of the other Blues? Due to her being of a noble birth, she didn't hesitate to ask.

"Excuse me, kind gentlemen, but may I ask where are you two from?" she said, maintaining a higher tone than normal; suggesting about her curiosity. Gil hasn't even looked at Shen before he immediately replied, leaving the man no chance to reveal their true origins. "We're from the Kano Country, ya' know!" he said, in a tone that was clearly showing he was not even close to nobility. He, however, realized it only when the waitress raised an eyebrow at him, quite visibly surprised by his choice of words. He chuckled a short laughter and leaned back in his chair, not bothered by the situation even slightly. "E-e-excuse me, sir?" she asked, her eyebrows slightly raised and her tone higher than before. "KANO COUNTRY!" he said again, this time louder. The woman never heard someone speaking to her so casually, neglecting basic manners common amongst nobles. He then turned to Atlas and winked at him and quickly returned a look to the waitress, who was nodding and leaving to get their orders. Well, this was certainly surprising for her, but she figured that this green-haired man was someone very important, hence he allowed himself to speak this way. It was surprising, yes, and she heard nobles talking to each other this way, but never to herself. Well, it had to happen sometime! At least, so she thought.

She quickly served them their orders and noticed two other people entering the restaurant. She quickly smiled at them from afar. The duo was followed by additional three people, all answering the same features and wearing the same clothes. Black clothes with white ties and black fedoras. They looked more like mobsters than anything, really. This group of people was no stranger to this place, and the waitress has known them well. As she found a table for them, she prepared to write down their orders. However, before she got the chance, one of these men asked about the duo who were seated at a table relatively far from them; around 15 meters or so. The others observed them eventually as well. They have never seen them before. Not that it was uncommon for nobles to enter the Kingdom, but rather, these two didn't strike them as the typical nobles. Their facial features were too unique for that. Most nobles answered the same features; blonde and black hair with blue or brown eyes. These two... Well, were definitely not answering this description. The golden eyes of Gil were something that was rare even amongst other races in the world, and red eyes? Man, that was even rarer than that.

The waitress quickly told them that these two are from the Kano country and one of them raised an eyebrow. This was a bit weird, yeah, but they were willing to let it go for now. After all, they were in this place to eat. Gil observed them as well and nodded at them a respective bow. "Search for power, Shen? These people are probably our fastest way for trouble in this city. Yeah, I'm pretty familiar with the folks around here. They are either personal bodyguards of a noble or agents of some sort, ha-ha" he said and chugged some of the ale. He let out a pleased sigh and continued. The ale tasted better than he thought! It seemed that this Kingdom had good ale to offer. Better than he thought, that's for sure. It was not homemade, he could tell, but it was still good. A good ol' factory ale! "These guys are the key to improve our bounties, 'kay? So, you think you can take them on?" he continued and leaned forward towards Shen. "Eh??" he asked again, this time louder, with his eyebrows raised and a large smile plastered on his lips. A gesture that was meant to annoy Shen and to force a reaction from him. He wanted to see this man in a battle again. He was aching to see him fight! He was a good fighter. His swords were capable of cutting a lot of things, with their impressive wind air projectiles. Gil has teased others relatively often. He liked playing with people this way. And he knew that Shen was looking for trouble, too. They were pirates! They wanted to fight. And these nobles of this city? Man, it's not that they cared too much about them, at least Gill didn't, but they were still annoying. Annoying enough to deserve a good beating. And the smug-looking people who eyed them suspiciously? They were practically looking for trouble as well, you know! Well, at least in Gil's mind. Such was the Green-haired man. He liked fighting strong people. And these people? They seemed capable enough to earn his curiosity.

So, what is is the red-eyed man going to do? And how will the future scene unfold? Would it be smarter to keep quiet for a while, or rather, spring right into action? Gil would probably approach them and tease them a little, as this was what he thought the situation called for.

il only giggled as the white haired man left his remark about them having bigger plans than just spending time in places like these. This man was so wrong! In places like these, he could find what he's looking for. And that is, pure action. Sooner or later, people who are looking for trouble would arrive; and such was the case a minute or so after the white haired man spoke his words. He didn't mind him saying it too much, however, he has found it amusing.

Gil was laughing as the white-haired man struggled to remain so gentle and kind to the waitress when she approached to get their orders shortly after Shen spoke his mind about them spending time in this place. It was exceptionally amusing to Gil to see Shen changing from such a free-spirited, calm, laid-back guy who speaks his mind regardless of the context it holds, to a civilized, almost scared gentleman all of a sudden. However it wasn't the first time it happened, and still, somehow, it was funny in the green-haired's mind.

Shortly after he received the punch to the shoulder, Gil burst out laughing yet again. This time, because he managed to tease Shen enough to receive a punch to the shoulder. Whether it was serious or not, Gil didn't care. He only laughed because it was amusing in his mind that the guy is so obsessed with remaining polite to women. He wasn't mocking him for that, he was merely laughing at the idea of a sudden change of behavior. Not from a mean or an evil place - from a curious, acceptive place that allowed him to take everything lightly. Even his own demeanor, at times, was amusing in the man's mind. Gil didn't believe that there were subjects he isn't allowed to take lightly; well, at least he hasn't come upon some. World Nobles, Marines, Pirates, Heroes, Beggars; everyone had their funny quirks. Even Gil's own incompetency to remain out of trouble was funny in the man's mind. With this short laughter, the subject was behind the duo as far as Gil was concerned and he proceeded to chug an additional impressive portion of his ale.

The group of five men was eyeing the duo collectively as the white-haired man replied to Gil and loudly pushed out his own chair. The one who seemed more experienced than the rest was a middle-aged man with a black mustache and thin brown eyebrows. He wore brown eyes and sported a silky hair that was brushed to the side under a black fedora with a white tie. He held a cigar in his mouth and hasn't let go of it for a few long minutes. He kept his gaze focused at the duo ever since he spotted them and occasionally gave off angry looks to the two men. He knew these two weren't nobles. Their behavior and appearance were more than enough to convince the man who spent all of his life around nobles that these two were no more than lowly merchants at best. Or so he thought. He was not aware that these two are pirates. However, it didn't matter to him if they were pirates or not. It was enough that they were not Nobles. It meant that they didn't belong in the city in the man's mind. Ever since they entered, the man thought of a way to get these two out of his favorite pub.

Hence, when the white-haired man stood up loudly, he basically created the best opportunity for him to execute his plan if need be. Two of the five men stood up immediately - both of them, towering men, each one easily surpassing 6'4" and weighing well over 250 lbs. They were both bald and relatively unattractive, to say the least. They were basically the human application of the idea of Trolls. They both stood there, waiting for the men to advance towards them with their hands crossed and their teeth gritted.

Gil hasn't let out a sound except the thin melody of his lips breaking apart as a smile formed from one ear to the other. He hasn't stood up yet - he simply remained seated and kept chugging his ale. Would Shen advance towards them, he'd probably get up; but eh, who knows when it comes to Gil! This man could change his demeanor every second. He is the living proof of the dynamic nature of the world, after all! Or, well, at least in his own mind, he is.

The blonde waitress suddenly opened her eyes widely and covered her large red lips with her small palms as surprise took over her body from seeing the white-haired man getting up so casually. Light blushes along with sprinkles of doubt were most she was occupied by at that moment; as she couldn't decide if the white-haired man's action was attractive or scary. Perhaps, a bit of both? Gil eyed her and chuckled slightly more. 'This guy. He doesn't know a thing about women, ha-ha!' he thought to himself, referencing to Shen's wish to be as polite and kind to women as possible; even though they were usually attractive to him remaining honest to himself and his nature. However, it was a part of his character. And Gil respected it completely. Who knows what made this man respect women so much? Gil found that people vary so much from each other and each person has their own life story that shaped them and made them who they are today, hence you could never know if changing a trait that seems useless on the surface is something that is necessary or even beneficial for them. Gil allowed the woman to gaze at the white-haired man for a few seconds as he waved at her and gestured for her to return to the table, to which she immediately responded with a confused look plastered on her face. She was absolutely sure something was up with that boy by now. It was not the way to signal waitresses to approach a table and it far exceeded the limits of common politeness between nobles. She was on the border between anger and confusion now, really. She was about to confront him about his ill-mannered behavior, however, he got the first word due to his stubbornness and she kept her mouth quiet.

"Hey there, Sunshine. I got two things to ask of you. The first one is - give me another mug of ale, please! the second one, give me your special bowl of Ramen" he almost barked happily, neglecting his own rude tone. At this point, the woman guessed that he is not an ordinary noble. No one of that stature would speak so freely and casually to another noble. He then scratched his chin and clapped his fingers. "Oh, and - please, stand by as my friend is going towards these boys. I assure ya', we're not gonna do anything to this place. It's lovely" he said and leaned back in his seat, returning his look to scout Shen's possible actions. The woman was quick to advance towards the group of men as she suspected something was wrong about this duo by now. Gil sighed and shook his head as she did, thinking to himself that she could have just gone along with it and could have fulfilled his request. It wasn't too hard, you know! Just to keep quiet and trust him, a weird-looking green-haired boy she has never met before and gave off a vibe she has never felt before. But, what the hell. None of this mattered to Gil anymore. This is what he is living for, right? Fighting it is. Or so he guessed.

He still wasn't sure how they would fight or if he would need to use his power that might actually destroy the place. He would come to a decision, sooner or later, though. But this is not for Gil at that moment to decide; he left it for himself in 10 seconds from then to decide. It all depends on how would the future scene unfold and what actions the white-haired man would choose to take, and in response, the actions that the group of men would choose to take as well. However, all he saw now were two massive dudes who seemed ready to crush everything in their way. And, to be honest; it didn't make him flinch or shy away from them. The opposite. He wanted to test out their gritted teeth, to see how formidable and tough they really are in the face of real danger.

he green-haired man was smiling at the blue-haired teenager as she asked whether or not it was okay for her to join the crew. Well, there was no problem! But, she needed to prove herself, of course! So, well, the only thing left to ask her now is to prove herself. And, well, she kind-of proposed it herself - asking if he needed any help. Gil nodded at her and tapped her shoulder, smiling at her warmly as the mountain of a man was lying on the floor next to where he was standing.

"See the group of five men, there? You are taking them on. If you wanna join, you better succeed!" Gil said and motioned towards the group which now entered the bar after the bartender explained the situation to them. Gil winked at her once again as he was still keeping his smile and was traveling towards the group of five men that remained in the bar originally.

He then glanced to his right, where Atlas has previously stood before he had to leave towards the restroom, and saw the second large man being punched by a woman and being dropped right to the floor. Damn, boy! It was a hard hit. Gil would've probably get a concussion from it as well! Who was that lady?! She was relatively tall and was pretty good-looking! Plus, she wasn't a noble. That's for sure. Gil smiled at her warmly and clapped his hands before he moved on towards the group of five men, winking at her during his walk there.

One of the men pulled out a gun and aimed it at the green-haired man. Gil, who was standing 10 meters away from him or so, has seen him drawing out the gun and was quick to flip a table and find cover behind it. The sound of shots fired echoed through the room! Damn, boy! They meant business. The table Gil was hiding behind was full of bullet holes and it was clear to Gil that he needed to find a way to beat them, quick.

Gil reached the conclusion that against them, it would be better if he'd play a little dirty. He picked up the table and used it as a shield shortly after the 'leader' of this group ran out of bullets and motioned to reload his pistol. He bumped into him and dropped him on the floor, knocking him out by ramming the table against his skull powerfully. One of these three pulled out a knife and motioned to stab Gil while the third was quick to grab his unconscious partner's gun and attempt to reload it. Gil managed to see the knife coming and grabbed the man's arm as he bit it and dove right into the floor. The man has let go of the knife and yelled in pain exactly when Gil flipped him over and used him as a human shield to the guy who was reloading the gun. The guy being used as a human shield was suddenly lifted up by Gil and was thrown right at his partner who now finished reloading his gun. The two fell on the floor and Gil used the chance to pull out two of the wooden table's legs and bash them against their heads until they lost consciousness.

He then glanced right towards the group that was entering the bar and saw the blue-haired woman engaging with them. Positioned exactly above one of the five men who now entered the bar, was a chandelier. It was about 1 x 1 meters in length and width and weighed well over 300 lbs. It was positioned about a meter above the tall guy who entered the bar and assuming Gil would choose to drop it, it would more than likely take him out of the fight. He motioned for the gun and shoot the chain that connected the chandelier to the sealing - it was about 7 meters away from him. It took him 4 shots to nail it, but eventually, he somehow managed to drop it down on the man's head. The man dove right into the floor like a swimmer preparing for a contest and Gil sprinted towards the teenager, hoping to make sure she wouldn't get in unnecessary trouble. True, it was her test - however, even if she wouldn't pass it, it doesn't mean she needs to get into trouble with these guys because of him. So he wanted to make sure she survives it, at the very least.

The group of now four men all looked at Gil as two of them pulled out pistols and the remaining two pulled out their swords. They were all around 5'10"-6'0" and weighed somewhere around 200 lbs, roughly. Some of them were chubby while some were a bit more lean and muscular. However, everyone sported a mean look in their eyes - one that was ready to kill. Gil knew that these 'boys' were looking for revenge. Revenge for what he has done to 6 of their friends. Perhaps he even managed to kill the last one who got a chandelier to the head by a mistake? Who knows. Well, he will, shortly. But they'll figure it out soon.

The blue-haired teenager had an opportunity - they were all focused on Gil. They didn't pay attention to her, a slim teenager. This was her golden chance to beat them if she wanted to. If not, well, Gil would take care of it on his own. By one way or another. And man, Atlas is gone exactly when he wanted to see him fight! Hopefully, he hasn't bailed on them. He was a good fighter, the white-haired boy. The reason Gil started this fight with them was primarily him. He wanted to see him fighting again. And, well, because they grabbed him, his friend, by the shoulder and demanded they'd leave the place. Ha-ha! Very amusing. But Gil wouldn't take orders from anyone! Even from these nobles, or rather, these nobles' dogs. That's probably all they were and all they would ever be. Some would be slightly more important, some would be slightly less. But they're all eventually just dogs, dogs of society. Dogs of the noble and royal citizens of this kingdom.

Man, this day just started and it's already too interesting!