Ryoko flapped her wings as she began to circle the capital, high up in the night sky she could survey the city without interruptions. Her eyes flicked over the many houses, all seemingly abandoned at the moment, there were some soldiers currently moving barricades around the city. "It's a smart strategy if only to control where people can go." She says quietly to herself as she moves her circle closer to the palace.
Silver blue eyes widened as she saw a courtyard covered in red with blood. At least that is what she could assume at this distance, she tracked a few large piles of bodies that had been hastily moved off to the side. Her eyes darted around the scene once more before shifting her body around and flying back towards a large clock tower which she quickly perched on top of.
Ryoko shifted back to her human form, hand pressing against the roof of the clock tower as she leaned forward with her eyes shut tight while gagging. Her stomach gurgled unpleasantly as she fought the urge to empty what little contents there were in her stomach. She reached back into her pack and pulled out her waterskin, unscrewing the cap before bringing it to her lips and drinking a few small gulps.
Once her stomach settled slightly she opened her eyes again, looking around as she drank some more of her water. She could hear the sound of faint, muffled, clinking noises along with the turning of large gears. However, a sound that wasn't muffled came from below her, which had her looking over the side and immediately choking on water. Below her, tied together at the waist on a makeshift corded rope, were two people hanging out of the clock.
Ryoko turned around on her narrow perch and screwed the cap back onto her waterskin, "Okay. Well... I know that Ryoto did what I asked... Hope he didn't hurt anyone innocent though..." She mutters tucking the waterskin back into her bag before hopping off the tower and spreading her wings once more.
She beat her wings a few times as she came to a level with a window, she then attempted to get inside. However, it was very much an awkward scene as she latched one taloned foot into the window sill and transformed her wings back into arms. She managed to catch one arm on the window sill as well and pulled the other up to grab on too. Her taloned foot turned back to her boot as she pulled herself up slid her leg over the sill and tumbled inside. She landed on the ground inside the building and sighed, "Never again... How does Ryoto make it look so easy?" She pouts and sits up rolling her shoulder.
After a moment, she stood up and dusted herself off before walking up the stairs leading to the clock room. As she got to the top floor, and into the room, she gagged once again seeing the crimson pool that was spread out from a mat in the corner. She looked around the room and saw a much smaller puddle of blood next to a big canon.
She walked further into the room, crossing her arms over her chest and swallowing anxiously, eyes flicking around until they landed on what had been making the clinking noise. Hanging from one of the gear shafts was a long chain and two sheathed sickles, which Ryoko moved over too quickly. She grabbed one handle and unclasped it from the chain before grasping the second weapon and beginning to pull the chain around the shaft and back to the floor of the room.
Her heart sank in her chest as she noticed a piece of paper tucked inside of the sheath. She carefully pulled it out and unfolded it. On the paper was a short scrawled message addressed to her, "Ryoko. Dealt with millions and billions in Alubarna. Deal done. You're on your own now, you better not die." Ryoko's complexion paled as she swallowed thickly and flipped the page over. However, whatever she was looking to find was not there, it was simply a blank scrap of paper with one message.
The air began to feel thicker, and harder to breathe as she fell onto her butt, both weapons hitting the ground on either side of her. Ryoko gripped her chest trying to take a deep breath, as she shut her eyes tightly. "Why couldn't you just tell me what to do?" She whimpers softly, head tilting forward and coughing softly before taking shaky breaths.
Ryoko could almost hear her brother, 'You wanted to help, it's your problem.' She pulled her knees to her chest, "I wanna help... but I don't know... what do I do?!" She wheezes out as she pulls her pack from her back and opens her eyes, she pulls it open and fumbles through her bag. She pulled out a tattered and fixed, well-loved blanket and pulled it over her shoulders tightly, before shutting her eyes.
~~~
"Deep breaths, you can't think straight when you're like this Ryoko." The voice of a man caught her attention.
Ryoko clutched the blanket over her shoulders her breathing erratic as she opened her eyes, looking up at the man, his face was a blur but his voice was unforgettable. He was rather tall, being a bit over six feet tall and with a slightly lankier build, but he currently was crouched in front of the girl. She began to copy his breathing, as he demonstrated deep breathing. "Markus..."
"This is one of the reasons children really shouldn't be marines." He mutters as he reaches over and ruffles the girl's hair with one hand.
"I'm not a child." Ryoko sniffled puffing out her cheeks and rubbing her face in the blanket, wetting the fabric as she reached up and tried to fix her hair.
The man laughed, "Says the one acting like a kid." he explained before he became more serious. "Children don't have the experience to make choices in a fight. Just cause you are capable doesn't mean they should have asked you to make such a bad choice. Even if it was simply just a practice question, under similar pressure." He sighed.
Ryoko looked at him, seeming to be getting a bit offended at the notion of being treated as a child. However, she said nothing as she had just been crying like a child anyway.
"You're great at following orders and even doing things, but you get frozen up and panic when you have to make a choice quickly. Time is your enemy, at least that's how it seems to feel for you." Markus says pulling the girl to his side as she continues to calm down. "Take things one thing at a time for now."
~~~
Ryoko took a shaky breath and slowly got up, tying the blanket around her neck like a scarf as she moved over to the clock. "One thing at a time." She mutters shoving the clock out of place and reaching down to the cloth that was tied around one of the clasps. She wrapped the cord around her right hand and pulled both bodies back inside, gagging from the blood that idly dripped from the throat wound of the woman. She set the bodies onto the mat and moved back to the clock to survey the area.
She looked towards the south, over the rolling dunes that lay between Alubarna and Katorea. Off in the distance, she could make out a small sand cloud of something moving quickly towards the capital from the south. It was likely the rebels, riding toward Alubarna. Ryoko frowned behind her white mask as it meant that there were millions and billions among them. "I need to deal with that when they get here..." Her brow furrowed as she looked up and smelt the air. "Storm?" She mutters focusing on it for a moment before turning her head.
Looking to the west she could see a closer plume of sand, although it was also quite a ways off. She could barely make out the forms of people riding on the backs of ducks, "Come on Vivi. Everyone. You need to get here soon, to stop this before it starts." Ryoko mutters to the wind as she takes a deep breath to calm her fluttering stomach.
She looked back into the room and her eyes widened, set down next to the cannon was a large bomb, with all the parts removed from the shell. Ryoko moved over to the bomb and noticed that, shoved where the timer had once sat, was a wad of soaked black fabric. "That's one way to keep any sparks getting in." She mutters pulling the fabric away slightly before scowling as the smell of gunpowder hits her nose. She quickly stuffed the fabric back in place, to avoid anything else getting in which could potentially cause the bomb to go off.
Ryoko went back to her pack and pulled out her rifle case and went to sit on the edge, with her legs out of the clock face. She swallowed audibly as she opened up the case and began to systematically dry each piece and put them together. Her neck began to itch as she worked, very aware of how far the rebels were from the city.
Her thoughts drifted to why she was even here in the first place, and why she was so set on even attempting to help.
~~~
It was after the beautiful cherry blossom departure from drum island, that she had approached the princess. The bluenette was leaning on the railing of the going merry, looking back toward the still-falling pink glowing petals. A look of admiration sat on her face as she watched the beautiful display.
Ryoko approached quietly, leaning her back on the railing to face the princess, "Hey princess, Luffy told me that we are headed to your home and that he is going to kick Crocodile's ass. But he told me if I want details, to talk to you." She had said lifting herself to sit on the railing now.
The once content look fell from the princess' face, as she looked towards the crimson-haired woman. "Yes, we are going to Alabasta to stop what Crocodile is doing to my country. He has been taking advantage of the people, and stopping the rain from falling." She explained slowly, while she had taken in the odd guise that the woman wore.
Ryoko had felt her neutral expression turn to a scowl only a couple of moments after anger coursed through her, "isn't he supposed to be a government lapdog? Or sorry, a warlord?" she asked a sneer on her face at the idea.
Vivi nodded in affirmation, "He has been using his company called Baroque Works to cause people problems without ruining his image as a warlord. It's one of the reasons the government hasn't done anything yet." She speculated.
~~~
Ryoko snapped out of the memory, "Damn him for taking advantage of these poor people." She mutters angrily as she slings her now assembled rifle onto her back. The sound of thunder met her ears, but it sounded muffled. She looked at the seemingly clear sky as she got up and walked over to her pack, tucking away the case. She then carried her pack into the furthest corner for safekeeping.
She wandered over to the clock face and pulled it shut once more before going down the stairs and leaping out the window. Her arms shift into wings as she flies toward the south gate, her eyes scanning over to the west. Her entire form shifted to be in the form of an eagle as she shifted her trajectory, "I will be helpful." She hisses as her neck begins to sting. "I'm not helpless... Not anymore." Her rhythm stuttered momentarily as momentarily her mind drifted back further than before.
~~~
Ryoko crouched under the nearby shrubbery covering her mouth as she looked out towards the crimson-haired boy who lay on the ground in the park. A group of boys were hitting and kicking the boy, had they done something wrong? No. A woman, likely in her early twenties, with pink hair ran towards the scene while a black-haired girl stood by impatiently.
~~~
The stinging around her throat began to burn with the rage that began to swell in her chest, "Never again." She hissed as another boom of thunder rang through the air. She began to fly through the air, going upward to appear as a bird, hopefully to anyone below. Her eyes narrowed as she saw a group between the southwest and south gates.
Continuing for a little while, however, she then swooped down as she passed over the plumes that headed toward the capital from the west. She then turned, flying to catch up with the speedy ducks.
"Yo! You guys have a plan for stopping the rebels I hope." Ryoko calls over to Vivi as she flies over to her and Karoo, "And stopping those weird guys that seem to be waiting for all of you."
Zoro perked up slightly, "It makes sense there would be baroque agents waiting to stop us." he mentions. "Good thing we have a plan for distracting them."
"That's why Eyelash is on the back of a duck," Ryoko says grinning brightly despite her beak, "The cloth is to hide everyone's faces I assume." She speculated to the princes who nodded.
"While the others distract the agents, I'll be hiding, then I will get between the rebels and Alubarna to get their attention," Vivi explained as she began to veer a little bit off course from the capital to get to a hiding spot.
"I'll go with you Vivi," Ryoko says flying low and staying beside the princess. She landed behind a rock nearby with the princess and Karoo. "You're doing great Karoo." She crooned to the bird as she peeked around the rock and watched the small group from before split up and run off. "Okay, we should get moving now if you wanna intercept." She says.
Vivi patted Karoo on the side of the neck, and he began to run toward the southern gate. The zoan quickly followed behind as they got into position to intercept the rebel army.
Ryoko landed behind the younger woman and the duck, the ground was beginning to shake, her eyes shut tight as she shifted back to her human form. She tilted her head up to the sky, focusing her breathing as she blocked out the sounds that surrounded her. "Come on, I know you're up there... come to me." She mutters lowly as thunder rumbles from the clear sky.