"Your Majesties. These are the...Red Sash Pirates...But you already knew-" He let out a defeated sigh as it seemed that Leroy had already been ahead of the butler in introducing not only himself but the crew was in the door before Geeve had the chance of proper introductions, his small tick took over as he wiped his brow of nonexistent sweat .
"Well- Now that proper introductions are out of the way." Ramze said with a grin to Geeve, putting the butler at ease. "Why don't we get down to exactly...Why Geeve here sought you all out?" He offered his hand out, gesturing to the pillows in front of him One by One, the crewmembers sat before the king.
King Ramze grips the arms of his chair as a bead of sweat trailed down his temple. It seemed he was trying his best to keep his composure as he began to talk "I must admit. I despise pirates..."
Leroy Immediately chimed in as he said that "I don't really like stuck-up Kings." The comment caused Ewu and Mau to give Leroy a stern look, Ewu gripping his staff tighter. And caused Noir and Kirk to give the Captain a chop to the back of the head. Leroy then said "Ow! Sorry- Keep goin'."
He sighed. Seemingly put at ease for a moment "As I was saying-Pirates are the reason that this country is in the Shape that it is now..." He closed his eyes as he thought, thinking to all that had been occurring and unfolding so quickly.
"A few weeks ago. The Royal Marshal Privateer, Known as Hornigold Rackham, deployed a...Hostile take over of the Kingdom." Ramze's head began to hang as he spoke. Sweat beading down as he did so. In response, Kiki's hand softly reassured her father as he continued to speak "He'd been here for...So long. Had his organization ship in supplies to the Kingdom...I was too blind to see..."
He stopped for a moment. He bit the inside of his cheek to concentrate as he continued after a few long moments. "He wasn't just shipping in supplies, but equipment to use during the coup...All of his Officers were in just the right place..."
The King of Arabasta continues to explain that Hornigold Rackham had forcefully taken over the Captial of Arabasta known as Aluba. Forcing Kiki, Geeve, and Himself out of the Palace in Aluba. He sent his agents into the sprawling City of Aluba and began to massacre Citizens. It was all done so quickly that people just ran. They had no other place to go but to flee. Ramze led his people on a migration through the desert of Arabasta to Serket. By the time they arrived. Preparations had been made to house the Refugees. They tried their best to fight back in the following days. But Mau and Ewu had been injured by the Top agents of The Chyros Trading Company, Hornigolds Organization, during the Coup.
"I tried everything...I tried to Ship people out of the Country. But there wasn't enough ships. And with the Possibility that Hornigold would cause even more bloodshed-" He grit his teeth as he spoke. Frustration painted across his face "And it's all my Fault..."
"The World Government never responded to any of our distress calls. And it seems only now, with the Marines' Arrival, that they actually are doing something...Those Damned-" He bit his tongue to stop from saying anything bad about the power that be.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Leroy had a surprisingly serious look on his face. He was fully focused on the King as he Spoke. And when he was given the opportunity he spoke. Clearly there was more that the King wasn't telling them "But why Should we Help you? I wanna take down Hornigold too, for what he did to me. But what's in it for us?" It was such a harsh response from someone like Leroy. So stern and cold. It was almost as if it was an entirely different person talking.
Such a statement caused the King to wince as he closed his eyes. The Princess put a hand up to her mouth as she had a small gasp. Geeve, Mau and Ewu all gave reactions that ranged from utterly shocked to disgusted.
Kále sat at the side of Leroy, initially, he was still eating that kebab that he picked up when Geeve came and got them. After he finished said Kebab, he threw it to the side, straight onto the ground. Clearly not grasping just how serious of a situation this was. Like Leroy, Kále was somewhat skeptical about helping the king. The Red Sash were good people, but they were also pirates.
Real pirates, not just knights under the King's rule, if the king wanted help for a mess that he let happen then he certainly needed to pay up if he really wanted the help. He didn't speak, however, he just looked ahead at the King, the Princess, and their two guards. Kále did want to know how strong those guards really were, especially since they were the King's guards. But that would certainly have to wait...
As for the Chef and Navigator, Noir stayed silent with his head tilted down, having a serious look on his face. Right now, he was on Leroy’s side. Why help them? Even if they have a common enemy, they were pirates. This could be a trap… and even if Noir felt bad about the situation for the people of this country, there was no reason to waste time here for people they don’t know or care about. Kirk’s eyes narrowed before he crossed his arms, scowling to himself. A coup? Really? This was all too familiar.
The Navigator could instantly feel the pain of this kingdom. Just before they got to the Grand Line, they had dealt with Barnum. Someone who too took over an island and began to deprive its people. With a cross of his arms, he looked up at the king. He wanted to help. He already left too many people back home suffering for too long, so why would he let these people continue to hurt? Though... ultimately, it was Leroy’s decision. Kirk gave his captain a look from the corner of his eye. Even if Leroy didn't want to kick this guy's ass for the kingdom and just for himself, it would still be taking care of the problem... Right? Kirk relaxed and looked back up at Ramze, feeling reassured. It didn't matter what his captain chose to do, he would still follow it, knowing it would help these people.
Jeanne was in a similar situation to the other three. She was shocked at Leroy's cold response. But she understood it. She'd been with Leroy long enough to understand that he always said something for a reason. Even if it was blunt and straight to the point. Even if he was wrong in an argument. It was said because he wanted to understand, or it was what he believe. She would follow him, just as the others.
The King finally let up from his grimace after observing the Captain's crew before him. He could practically tell what was going on. This Captain was much more than some ordinary pirate that he was attempting to coax into helping them on a whim after Geeve had brought them before him. Instead, he was faced with a man who was directly questioning his motives and authority.
With a sigh, Ramze released his grip on the Arms of his throne "I apologize. I see now that you've seen through me. I'll admit." He paused momentarily "I haven't been totally honest with you all. Only giving you the barest of information in the hope of getting your help. Geeve here went out of his way to find you, and I've kept the truth away."