A Large shipyard that lines a large side of the isle. Ships, of course, go here. Safe place to Dock, let's hope. This thread is also known as TheDocks - for people who don't wanna quite get on the ships yet

***
Tag arrived at the docks as the pirate ship arrived. The boy pushed past various merchants and officials to get a better view of where it was coming in. A part of Tag began to wonder of Johnny was really coming on that ship, but he pushed it aside.

The ship took the grandest of time while it docked.. Which was fine for someone who just so happened to be standing there on the dock watching it. Grinning towards the flag of the ship and that the crew seemed very active and happy still.

Once teh Zanfar was completely safe in the yard and the crew began to get off it and tie it down. This was when Tag rammed through the crowd into others and stopping right after he pushed Zako back. The KrimsonKizu? Well, he just stepped back, grinned, and tilted hat back down so he didnt' loose it. Looking down to see who was infront of him looking all excitedly at the ship and recognizing who it was.. "You're happy to see her too, eh?" Zako started.. Since he was towering over Tag and all. And they were both watching hte same ship.

The elder pirates words completely took the wind out of Tag's sails as he realized the implications.

"She's yer ship, isn't she?" he asked dully.

Then it won't be Johnny coming in. It's just Zako's crew come back to pick him up.

"Nice ship. Very pretty."

"Yup. The Zanfar..." Pause.. Followed by a broad smile.. "thanks... GIL!!" The sudden yell in his voice could've knocked those around him over in surprise if they weren't expecting it. Zako breifly picked up tag by pressing his hands against Tag's upper arms, and promply lifting. Walked through the opening that Tag previously blocked to the deck. And when free of the crowds put the boy down. Before running past him to where Zako's crew was. Once at his first mate, Gil, Zako looked to him and asked, "well?" before Gil pulled back a fist and hit him.

Tag had torned to leave when he suddenly felt himself being lifted and carried.

"Hey! Hey, put me down!" He shouted over the noise. Suddenly he was lowered onto the pirate ship and abandoned as Zako went to greet his crew.

Steaming the boy stormed up behind the pirate, ready to tap him on the sholder and deck him when he turned to look. Instead, Gil quite literally beat him to the punch.

"Hey, ya can't do that! I was gonna do that! Teach him to carry me around like a baby."

Zako stumbled a halfstep back - only cause he knew someone was behind him and didn't want to fall on htem. What with accidental blade shooting and all. Catching his jaw and looking at Gil with a 'what's wrong?' look.

At first Zako was lost for words.. til Tag spoke up. both Gil and Zako looked to Tag.. Gil pointing and going, "Who's the kid?"

Til Zako grinned, turned back to Gil, and asked, "So? What was that for?"

Gil had this vein pump along the side of his forehead. followed by a few other smaller ones.. "YOU'VE THE NERVE TO ASK!"

"Kid?! I'll show you kid!!"

Tag started charging toward the man who'd called him that when two large pirates behind him grabbed him by the sholders, holding him in place and grinning.

"Why you.." the rest of tags mutters wre too low to be heard.

"But I" WHAM! Zako was hit again, this time onto his ass - hat floating down where he once stood and plopping harmlessly on the ground infront of a now hyperventilatingly angry Gil. Gil, of course, fills in the holes of the conversation now, "Sending us in that crap of a hunt with those shitty directions! Do you even know how to draw up a map!? And what about the traps in that underground tome? You never wrote down ANYTHING about those!!"

"But you got it... right?" Zako asked..

Gil responded by stomping onto Zako a few times. Til he, of course, felt better.. This followed by, "Of course I got it. We're the best pirate crew out there." Pulling a small box out of his pocket and throwing it to Zako. Before walking off and yelling at the crew to get ready to party tonight. Followed by a cheer.. the guys who were holding tag back let him go and went to join the celebration in future partying.

Tag walked over to Zako as the rest of the pirates wandered off to continue getting drunk and what not. This was evidently a pretty common ritual. Almost worth joining the crew just to see Zako get beat up on a regular basis.

"Nice box. Whats in it?" He asked, looking down at the pirate, grinning.

Hah, try an' carry me now.

Zako got up without much problem. Picking up his hat and retreiving the box from where it was dropped - which was on him. So he probably picked it up before getting the hat, to avoid complications or the box breaking open. Plopping now dirty black hat on head, he straightens his eyepatch temporarily before looking it over.

On this box was his pirate logo. A dragon skull with scar over eye and swords crossed underneath. The box was made of hard used leather, and bound with a heavy lock on it.

The question asked, Zako grinned classically.. "Oh, this? It's a key.." he laughed to himself, limpingly in stride now towards the exit of the boat.. Saying on his way - more to himself, "even grotto isle has secrets hard to know..."

Before stepping the wrong way on the ramp, twisting his ankle, and giving a hugeeyed AHHH as he proceeded to fall off towards the water.

Not again.

Tag lunged toward Zako and grabbed his arm as he fell over. Sadly, Tag was a bit too small to hold his weight and went tumbling down into the water with a splash.

"Agh! You stupid glub glub idiotic glub bah!" The boy shouted splashing the water with his arms..

The elder pirates head resurfised infront of the boy. Tag held it with both hands and pushed it under water again.

"Diiiiie! Die Die Die Die Die Die!"

A pirate. One of the crew.. Oh, let's call him Fulke for now. Well, Fulke was humming the tune that was sung when they came to shore finally. All this while hefting a large box down the ramp with him. Step step step, whisp, step. He stopped his humming temporarily, looked, down, and saw Zako's hat. Putting down the box, he picked it up and checked it out. Now why would zako be without his almighty hat?

Meanwhile Zako went limp under the water. Why? Fruits have a tendancy to do this. Specially the devil variety. So it was cool that Tag brought him up in the water and all. And was about to thank him til, well, Tag decided it was better to try and kill him instead.

Zako began to sink like a rock.

Meanwhile another pirate stopped to find what the first was doing. This one's name was Kartel. He asked Fulke what he was doing, "Hey, what ya doing?" making an obvious statemetn, "Ain't that Zako's hat?" and following up with a repeated question.."what's he doing without.." however pausing when he looked over the edge at a young voice yelling, "DIE DIE DIE!!!" maniacally with additional water splashes.

"Aw shit, not again" Fulke said as he gave his friend the hat, took off his vest, and jumped into the water.

Moments later both Tag and Zako were rescued. Well. just Zako.. Tag wont be rescued if he complains too much.

"Hehehe" Tag grinned evilly, prepairing to let Zako resurface. Instead, the pirate began sinking.

He's dying..Even though he can't swim, he should atleast be able to tread water for a little bit. But he's sinking.

Tag floated there, unsure of what to do, when another pirate jumped in after Zako.

Alittle bit later they were both back on ship. Tag had more than a couple of nasty glares pointed at him.

"Oops..?"

Some of the glares began to change into.. something else. Tag couldn't figure out why at first until suddenly..

Oh no! My Scarf!

"My scarf!" Tag shouted, looking around in a panic.

Zako was sitting on a chair in his ship. Soaked and drippingly upset over something or another. He was by now with hat far over both eyes. Coughing water.

The crew didn't know what to do. And were pretty frazzled up about this kid trying to kill their captain and all. Gil was now attendant of the situation. Pacing back and forth infront of Tag. "You nearly killed the captain. I was a FOOL for letting him stay around you.." Suddenly he stopped, unsheathed sword, and pointed it at Tag begrudingly. "We don't take lightly to stuff like that.. and.. and.." but stopped. lowering sword nad furrowing brows. "bloody shit.."

Of course, the rest of the crew began to caught on. Zako, meanwhile, muttered something to the carefree effect of, "Was just an accident. He tried to help me out. He's not the current problem. He's not.."

Gil walked over to Zako while resheathing sword, whacked him in the back of the head, and pointed to Tag, "Um.. Captain.."

Zako turned to see what this urgent problem was to take him away from his thoughts on a different urgent problem. And dropped all thoughts thereon in. Blinking for a moment and lifting hat rim from eyes. By now it's obvious Zako didn't have his trademark patch on. instead it bore view of a rather degrading, ugly scar jutting down over his eye - which was closed of course. The ends of the scar that the eyepatch previously couldn't hold were nothing compaired to the actual scar itself.

Quietly he paced up to Tag, stating between confused lips.. "Why did you hide it?"

Tag's eyes darted back and forth at the people now staring at her like a dear caught in headlights. Looking for an escape.

"Just.. just leave me alone 'k? All of you, just.. I'm still Tag alright? I'M STILL TAG, ALRIGHT?"

She felt a tear trying to form, but she willed it away. Just like that everything she was building up was falling apart around her.

Why won't they leave me alone? I'm still the same person I was before. Why won't they stop staring?

"Kizu.. get her off the ship, women are bad luck.." One of the crew said to him in ear reach - though obviously easy to hear from others. it looked like a few others agreed by expression and hard eyes alone.. Zako lowered hat over eyes, obviously hard in thought. Before standing more fully - seeming alot more dangerious and captain-material. "You and you. And you three as well" he gestured towards the guy who spoke up, and a few others who gave the ugly looks - whom were probably also friends of the first guy. "Go get some food and ale from the harbor." he paused with long thought before pointing two fingers at some other guys, "you two. Go to the partchment shoppe and get me a big map of the isle. It's gunna be a long night...

"And Gil.."

"Yeah, I'm on it.." Gil got up and started to walk off...

"Well.. actually I wanted you to go back into the water nad get the box..." Zako grinned as Gil paused and glowered at him.. There was a glaring moment of silence between the two... "Less of course Tag wants to do it.."

The Krimson Kizu was now pointing at Tag.. With an added.. "You get me the small box from the floor of the shipyard. And that'll make everyone alright with teh fact that you tried to kill me.. Alright?"

Tag's expression darkened slightly. Her eves nolonger held that scared look. Instead, she spoke with a cold determination, all traces of fear gone.

"I see. Bad luck, huh? "

"And you," she said, focusing on Zako. "You pretend to think otherwise, but the moment you discover I'm female you try to control me. Send me off to fetch the box you dropped when you fell overboard, huh? Show the poor little woman who's boss on the bigman's ship? You can get the box yourself. And when you do, you can shove it up your ass."

Fists clenched, Tag turned and pushed past the other pirates until she made it to the dock.

Zako put his hand over the rim of his hat. Sporting a rather healthy smile. All this while Tag... or.. shall we call em Taggette not? Nah, Tag sounded alot better. stomped off angrilly..

Gil watched her go by the ramp and back onto the dock of the harbor. Shrugging off with an irritated, "women" before diving into the water to fetch 'The Box'.

"Seems Kel has competition now.." Zako stated briefly while those of his crew laughed briefly and went back to work on, well, cleaning up the ship and getting ready to party. He looked back towards Grotto isle and a rather pissed Tag walking off to who knows where. Before looking around. "Hey.. does anyone know where my other patch is?"

"That was your other patch you lost, captain" a pirate replied

Zako gave an, "oh.." before suddenly spazzing.. "WHAT?! I can't go out looking like this!!! I'll scare the kids away!"

Tag stood on the dock, momentarily disoriented. Nothing had happened the way it was supposed to.Nothing. No longer able to contain it, she started to cry.

They all know now, everyone knows and its too late to hide it anymore. If they wouldn't take a boy seriously they definately wont take me seriously now. This is what I'll have to deal with for the rest of my life. Oh Johnny, why couldn't that have been you coming in on that ship, coming to take me away from here where we could go on adventures like we promised when we were young. Just you and me and onepiece and the whole world having to look up to us and respect us and respect me as an equal and not some stupid girl that tagged along with. But now thats too late, now they'll always see you and your woman instead of two equals, even that's ruinned now, but I won't even care anymore as long as you come and take me away from this place.

Erian sat on the dock cradled her face in her hands, choking back the sobs until her thoughts became even more confused and were finally replaced with nothing but dispair, dispair and a aching lonelyness that wouldn't be silenced.

After a little bit, she regained her composure. Standing stiffly, the girl stretched her arms and gave a dull smile. She'd cry again later, but not in public. Tag wouldnt give these men the satisfaction.

Well, it only took a minute for Zako to get over his crisis and go out looking for Tag. His crew - the ones still on board - told him that if he made her cry they'd disown him. Which didn't add to his rabid hostilty for being outside the ship without his eyepatch on.

Hat tightly over eyes, Zako slowly made his way to the harbor. Just saying in the harbor ~ is what he kept telling himself. Close enough to the ship to just find Tag, apologise for hurting her feelings, and go back to the ship and send someone off to get him a new patch. Even a temporary one.

Coming around a building he stopped when he heard Tag. Or more strong said - Tag crying. He stopped and pressed himself up against the wall, so as not to alert her to his presence. Biting lip harshly. Crap! He really did make her cry! Zako's future as a pirate captain is DOOMED! Completely and utterly DOOOOMED!

His heart jumped an extra beat as he heard Tag get up, get over it, and stretch out. He waited a second... before taking a deep silent breath and turning the corner. "Ah! Here you are! Crap, I thought you were going to go hurt yourself or something. It's happened many times in the past with the other newbies in my crew. You're alright now, eh?" He gave a smile. Which seemed odd and offsetted when, well, his hat completely covered his eyes.

"I'm fine.." She said quietly.

"It's just been a crappy day."

Tag shifted uncomfortably in the presence of her new company. The girl sighed.

"I suppose now you want to know what happened?" she asked slowly.

Zako now leaned against the wall around the corner from where he previously leaned, now in full view of course. Stretching out arms and placing them behind his head. The hat still over eyes. Though a smile could be seen from behind the gotee. "Of course, there's nothing better to do as a pirate but to steal treasure, sail the seas, and pry into the past lives of others." stifling a laugh for a second there. Before giving her a thumbs up by freeing one of his arms. "Only tell me what happened when you're ready to."

"Lets just say I left home young. It was quickly aparent that a woman as a pirate, especially when I was 13, wouldn't be taken seriously. So I dressed as a boy. At least a boy's expected to grow up. No one expects you to grow out of your gender."

"I'm 18 now, but you still see how your crew reacted to me. Before, if Johnny and I got the One Piece, I could be King of Pirates, respected by all, and I could reveal myself as I am. Now if we succeed, It'll be Johnny's victory. Sure, I'll be there, but noone will really think that I had a hand in it. "

She looked at him.

"So that's it. Nothing hopelessly tragic. Just the stupid ambitions of a young girl."

Zako thought about this til she finished her story. The last line made him smirk. Then stuffle.. Then bawl out laughing.. After a moment - feel free to insert a reaction to this - he calmed and finally spoke his mind, "You got spunk, I'll give you that. And don't mind the idiots that said that stuff on my boat. They're new and weren't around when Kel snuck on board for a few months. Even Gil has a share in his respect of women, though ya can't see it without looking Really hard."

"And hey, the OnePiece is only won by those who get it first. So ya don't have to worry if you or Johnny gets to it first. Cause I'll be the one holding it when you get there.." Insert a huge face-splitting grin - which seems just the more silly by the fact that his hat still covered his eyes..

Ends this whole speech with, "in the end don't worry about who you were born as. Just do what you set your heart on doing.. And, um.. Don't worry about what I think, couldn't honestly give a lesser damn if you had no balls, a pair of pointy ears, or even scaley skin like a merman.

Tag smiled. "You're really bad at this, ya know that?"

After a moment she grinned too. "Bah, I don't need yer sympathy either. I'm still the same Tag I was before. An' if you think that sad band you call you crew can get ya to One Piece before me, there's another thing comin to ya."

She chuckled. "Sides, what good is a pirate that can't swim? Befoe, I figured ya simply never learned, but now I know you're so incompitent ya ate a devil's fruit."

he shrugs and gives a, "Yup" to her when Tag states the first bit of true commonsense this day brought them. That he was really bad at saying that sorta stuff. Was worth a shot anyways.

The grin remained through her talk of going to get the OnePiece. Til, well, she brought up his swimming disability. Then egged him with the DevilFruit comment. Zako for a moment lost his smile. It broke. Though not for long, he recovered a false smile to make up for it. "Yeah.. I am.." Before he pushed himself from the wall, turned, and started to leave without another word.

Tag watched him in surprise. Out of all the egging she did to the man, she'd never seen him lose composure. Tag didnt realize he could be hurt.

Tag brought herself beside him and resumed talking.

"So.. it seems we both have a talent for hurting people. Sorry."

One hand on belt, the other holding hat over eyes while he walked. Zako's destination was back towards the ship, though he took his time getting there. After a moment of silence.. he muttered out.. "everyone will hurt someone else in their life. It's nothing to apologise for.." before falling back into silence.

Right now the formally nice and always cheerful Zako was distant, quiet, hidden away from underneath his hat with emotions unseen.

"You need to choose now.. Are you going to go back to being a guy.. or stay female and let people down you for who you really are - like you think they will.." He finaly stated - stopping before reaching the main street that lead out to the rest of town. His ship on his left side. the road on the right. Where he goes now from here is all up to what Tag says next.

"You say that as if I have a choice in the matter," She said with slightly bitter laugh. "Everyone here already knows about me, and where ships travel so does news. I'm just egotistical enough to believe that half the world knows now."

Tag's smile now held a little more warmth to it.

"It's your own fault. Now when I beat all of you, you'll have to accept that it was done by a woman."

The response brought Zako's smile back. "My Crew is too crazy to believe. You should know that by now by watching me." even through the smile still showed a bit of unrecovered hurt from before. "Sides, I don't think most of my crew would give a damn.. Sides, well, the surprise of you being a woman and all.." Note how he said woman instead of girl.

"Hey! I have an idea!" He stated suddenly to further break the fact that just previously he was shot down in the conversation. "Let's go celebrate my future title as Pirate King by going to get something to drink!" Followed by a forced maniacal laugh and a walk to the nearest tavern - down teh road opposed to on his ship

"Why not?" Tag asked with a grin.

"After all, noone else'll ever celibrate it. You probably even want me to pay for your milk this time too, huh?"

*they entered the tavern*

A medium sized ship enters the shipyard. A single man seems to be on this ship. He docks the ship and makes sure it is secure than looks around, tring to figure out what he needs to do and most importantly where he is.

A smart looking merchant ship glided into harbor, her deck filled with the bustle of shipsmen tugging and heaving and hoisting and swabbing and all manner of things that shipsmen do to prepare a craft to make its berth. She was a four mast schooner, and gave the apperence of speed even as she was tied at dock.

Her captain smiled as he walked through his crew and to the shore. At last, the Cragworn Tyke has landed, and with it, her captain Johnathan Tyke.

I'm here Erian, and I've brought it. I've brought the Grandline map.

Tag came running across the dock and onto the boarding platform where the Tyke'sship had berthed. She lept into the entirely surprised arms of Johnathan Tyke, gleefully yelling "Johnny!".

"Ya come! Haha, ya finally come! Before the letter, I was beginin ta think ya'd changed yer mind."

"Well, of course, I came, " Tyke said, gently puttling a little more space between himself and Tag. "And I brought the map. My company's been working on it for some time now, but it was worth it. I'd stake my entire fleet that there's no better map to be found."

Tyke smiled broadly. It had been years sence he'd seen Tag. Insanely enough it looked like she hadn't ever grown out of her dream to become a pirate. He hoped she wouldn't mind that he had. The two friends had alot of catching up to do.

The door below deck opened, and Johnny smiled brighter as someone stepped out.

"Erian, I would like you to meet my fiance Sarah."

Sarah looked warily between the two of them, no doubt having seen the spectical Tag had made moments before. Johnathan held out his hand to Sarah, to show her everything was alright.

Tag was about to continue gushing, about how they could finally do what they had promised years ago, how she could be pirate and he her only crew, how they could capture Onepiece together and she could be King of pirates, and how she wouldn't even mind it all that much if he did get credit for it because they'd be together, everyone else be damned.

All of that kind of stuck in her throat upon seeing Sarah.

"The letter didn't mention ...It's a pleasure to meet you, m'lady," she said quietly, giving a slightly clumsy curtsy."

*Kai ran up to the dock, the chicken now gone. He'd come in time to hear the part about the map.*

Wait... yer the one who had this map? An' it's real?! *He was just amazed. Never had he expected someone to just GIVE Tag a map of the Grandline.*

Tyke smiled again.

"She's the daughter of Flint Maxwell, of Maxwell Merchant co. They've been a great help in getting my business operational. Not to mention, she's wonderful company besides."

Someone else was talkng now, from his dress probably one of Tag's friends. "Oh it's real alright. Well, I suppose I should give it to Tag now, " he said, shifting his attention back to the girl. "And then, I'm sorry to say it, I'll need to be going. I have a bit of business that needs to be finished before we can depart again tomarrow."

He reached into his satchel and pulled out the map. "Here it is. You've been waiting for it for so long."

She had been waiting for a long time. For alot of things really. And all she had to show for it was a map. Gingerly she took it from his hands and smiled, but inwardly she was begining to rage.

What the 'ell was I thinkin anyway. 'Corse he won't keep full his promise, course he found some frilly rich girl ta fritter his life on. He's an idiot male, an I don't need him anymore than I need any of the idiot's on this goddamnable island.

"I should go as well, I have to prepare for my trip." She smiled again, and walked toward Kai. "Lets go, we leave with tomarrow's sun." As soon as her back was turned on Johnathan however, her face grew dark.

*Kai followed Tag while taking a quick look at the man and his fiance. He then leaned over and whispered to Tag.* So what d' ye mean WE leave t'morrow?


An' who was that guy? *He noticed the look on her face. She didn't seem happy about something. Though shouldn't she be happy? She finally got this map she'd always been yacking about.*