- Spoiler:
Title: Man's Best Friend
Type: Task
Rank: T1
Details: Still lingering in the East Blue after having turned in Katta Katta, Satoru heads into town -Loguetown- for a small bit of relaxation. There he enters a tavern to converse, shoot the crap, etc and as he leaves he comes across a stray dog getting picked on by a few kids. Satoru takes it upon himself to scare the kids away and nurse the pup back up to health.
Satoru smiled with cheesy glee pockets so fat he childishly and purposely walked with a limp. "Boy oh boy oh boy oh boy, I lucked out with that Katta Katta cash cow!" Whistling a catchy jazz tune in joy, he walked down the streets glowing with energy. Snapping the fingers of one hand to the rhythm which he whistled, the other hand shuffled about in his kimono to withdraw his pipe. "Mmmm, mmm, mmm Blueberry Deeeeeelight, come to papa!" It was his favorite blend of shish . . . well probably not his favorite, but high up there on the list. With that same smile, Satoru lit the pipe and took a deep drag of the harsh smoke. His lungs burned a bit, but the first drag was always a bit scratchy, a few more puffs and it'd burn down to a smooth smoke with an alluring aroma. "Badap badap, Kaaatta Kaaata, badap badap, moneymoneymooooney. Hehe, time for some good 'ol fashion fun." Satoru continued down the road snapping, humming, and scatting, to his own rhythm with his eyes closed and his other hand resting in the "v" of his kimono on the hilt of one of his blades. Walking down the street a bit of banter and loud ruckus caught his ear by the lobe and forced him to open his eyes and evaluate where it was coming from. It was evident it was coming from inside a building due to its muffled nature, but which one?
Eyeing the lit buildings in the deep blue sky as night was falling, Satoru found the source of the noise and boy did it look like a party. Silhouettes could be seen from outside the windows of men reeled back in laughter, waitresses in cute dresses bussing tables and serving guest and a bit of fist banging on tables. It was probably a pirate crew that had docked in the town that was celebrating something having a good time, something Rooster was looking for. Entering the establishment with charisma, Satoru was grinning wide as the entire ocean's span. "DRINKS ON ME BITCHES!!!!!!! All the pirates and employees turned their attention to the one who basked in the spotlight -Satoru- and when they saw the enormous pouch of Beli he held above him in the air, the pirates let out a merry cheer. "Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaah!" The whole tavern seemed to shake from their voices shouting in unison.
No better way to make friends with pirates or people in general than buying food and alcohol for them, Satoru was quickly beckoned over to a table eagerly by a lightly drunk man and his circle of other buzzed friends. The atmosphere was very lively much to Satoru's satisfaction, people laughing, joking, trying to hit on waitresses to get smacked in the face, gambling, songs of adventure, it was what being a pirate was all about. Ironic, because Satoru's profession involved turning in pirates, but that was only when it was needed. For now his pockets were set and he wouldn't need to turn anyone in for quite awhile. "Ayyye, a large Barracuda Pirate shout for our newest ally Satoru!!! One, Two, Three!!!" Again the establishment shook from the booming drunken voices of the pirates shouting in unison and with Satoru joining them for the hell of it. "YAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!" He shouted much to the amusement of the man whom had his arm hung around the Bounty Hunter's shoulder. Looking at Satoru, Satoru looked back at him before they both bursted out in joyous laughter.
"What brings you out to these parts young hatchling?" Satoru chuckled at the title he was given, his real age being more than most thought, possibly in the fifties on his own accord by now. "I'm just a man enjoying and making the best of his looks while he's got em." Popping a cheesy model pose with his hand in an "L" it fit perfectly under his chin to much of the pirates amusement. "Ahhhh we got a pretty boy here do we? Ahhh hahahaha, I remember back in the days when this head held grand hair all the women loved." "Aye Largo, don't flood the boy's head with lies, you've been bald as an egg from birth to now!" Satoru's face lit up at the joke before he bursted out in livid laughter with majority of the crew. Nearly choking on his pipes fumes he removed the pipe from his both to laugh safely. "Hahaha, that is a pretty bald dome ya got there. Bald as a - as a, bald as a mattress hahahahaaaaaa." Satoru laughed at his own nonsensical and illogical joke while everyone paying attention just went silent. The rest of the tavern was still minding their business, gambling, talking, drinking, but this small circle just went dead while Satoru continued to laugh and slap his knee. "Ge-get it, cause mattresses don't have hair??!!" The Rooster continued to chuckle as the pirates looked amongst each other in drunken confusion at Satoru's joke, before he stopped laughing and wiped a single tear from his eye. "Wheeew . . ." He looked around at the quiet pirates in confusion with them.
"You . . . you guys don't get it? Good cause I don't either bwahahahaaaa!!!" The pirates shook their heads with smirks, some just shrugged and shared a laugh with Satoru's lively spirit. "Ahh that was a good one." Satoru ended his laugh with a few sputtering chuckles, before he put his pipe back in his mouth and relaxed back into his seat. Continuing to talk with the pirates for about another hour, Satoru felt it was time to turn in and head to the inn he was staying at. Saying his goodbyes and paying off the fees he owed for everyone's consumption, he surprisingly had money to spare. Stepping out into the cool night air of Loguetown, he embraced the breeze as it refreshed his hot frame from the stuffy tavern. "Ahhh, they were a nice bunch of people maybe I'll *yawn* mmm, meet them again one day." He began to walk towards his Inn, while packing his pipe with another set of the Blueberry Delight Shisha, before he lit it and smoked it on his way. His off hand passively moving ingot he "v" of his kimono to rest its hand on the hilt of his katana, the lone Bounty Hunter walked through the desolate streets, for a while before he heard an odd noise.
It was yelping . . . yelping with bits of giggling in between. Satoru wasn't big in getting in other's business, but he did like to see them still and just watch from his audience view point. That was on a normal occasion however, perfectly sober since he wasn't much of a drinker and didn't feel like consuming alcohol only eating tonight, he went into a fit of rage at what he saw. Three young boys, probably no older than ten, huddled around a small puppy kicking it and pressing their weight on it. "HEY!!!!" This snatched the boy's attention as their heads quickly snapped over to Rooster's location in reflexive fear. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU MISTREATING AN ANIMAL LIKE THAT!!!???" Satoru hated showing emotion outside of happiness or anything positive, but this animal cruelty was something he just couldn't stomach and not show the disgust it made him feel. The boy's running off, Satoru utilized Soru to quickly appear in front of them stopping their fleeing. "You little shits, you wanna abuse something, then try those puny kicks on me." His six foot frame towering over their prepubescent bodies as they shuddered in fear form his grim demeanor. Blowing smoke out his nostrils in one quick puff, the hand that rested on his katana went to work. Sliding the metal blade out the sheath, the kids could only watch frozen in fear as they eyed the blade. It was beautiful how its edge reflected the moonlight, but Satoru couldn't care less about such a thing right now. Of course he couldn't kill these kids and he wouldn't harm them either, but he sure as hell would scare them. After a long metal cry that lived for about four seconds, the blade was fully revealed and held in Satoru's hands. "Go on . . . kick the dog now. You think abusing animals will make you tough and make you seem like you're not a coward, then in the face of death go and prove it." The kids legs were trembling like walls of the tavern Satoru was previously in. "No?" They each shook their head no and Satoru inhaled, then exhaled smoke from the corner of his mouth into their faces. "Take your asses home then." Hesitantly in fear, they eyed Satoru with each step before they were about 5m away and they bolted.
Sighing and shaking his head in disappointment in the youth, Satoru sheathed his blade in mild anger that was simmering down as he approached the pup. Primarily blue, it had white patterns on its feet to it's chin and the under part of its tail. It was bleeding a bit, but the injuries didn't look too bad. "Come on little fella, your Uncle Rooster gotcha." Moving his hands to scoop the canine up, the dog bit his hand and rather than yank the limb away Satoru simply stared as the dog growled. Blood drawn from the tiny fangs the pup had, Satoru smiled and used the other hand to pet the dog though the oral grip remained. Satoru chuckled with a grin, before scooping the dog up and letting it keep its grip on his hand. Arriving at the inn, he spoke to the inn keeper and retrieved a bit of medical supplies and bandages. Still with his hand in the dog's maw, Satoru with the inn keeper's help treated the dog and fed it some leftovers after finally easing the dog's nerves to release it's grip on Rooster's hand. "Ha, he's eating!"
Satoru was glad to see it, though the dog eyed both of the humans the whole time. "I'm glad someone finally put an end to those brat's antics, the poor fella might have been dead in a week knowing them." The inn keeper shook his head and left Satoru and the dog in the privacy of Rooster's room. Sitting on his bed, Satoru took a final drag from his pipe before putting it out and exhaling the fumes into the air. Looking up at the ceiling, he looked back down at the dog who sat at the door, staring back at Satoru. "I know what it's like little fella, to be treated in such a way because your weak . . . don't worry though . . ." Satoru removed his kimono to reveal a bare chest with bandage wrap around the abdomen. "You should be safe now."
With that Satoru plopped backwards onto his bed and almost immediately knocked out like he always did. Awaking in the middle of the night from an odd dream, he would look for where the dog was and find it still at the foot of the door, but curled up and sleep. Smiling at the sight, Satoru went back to sleep, to not wake until the morning. Dressing himself, gathering his things, and preparing to depart, the Pirate Hunter's next destination was Yotsuba Island. There, he would begin tracking his next mark, tapping the pup on the head, it awoke and Satoru slid the small fry to the side with his foot to move him out of the door's path. Sleepily the puppy yawned and watch Satoru walk out the room, before following from a moderate distance for safety.
"Thank you for the room and helping me with the dog, I appreciate it." Satoru bowed to the inn keeper, who seemed happy to help Rooster and then Satoru headed for the door of the Inn, but the inn keeper stopped him. "Hey . . . Looks like someone wants to say goodbye." Satoru turned to face the Inn Keeper, then saw the dog at the top of the stairs eyeing him from a distance before quickly going down them and running to Satoru's feet. In a formal seated position the dog waited for Satoru to move, who intern squatted down and patted the canine on the head. "Hehe, see you round lil fella." Opening the door to the inn, Satoru basked in the sunlight and was already planning his first meal upon arriving in Yotsuba. Stepping to walk, he noticed the dog was beside him and following wherever he went. He ran, the dog ran, he stopped, the dog stopped, he commanded the dog to go, the dog did not. "You wanna stay with me lil guy?" Satoru's voice was gleeful and the dog seemed to feed off such energy, that being reflected through a high pitched bark, the first bark Satoru heard the canine make.
A look of astonishment on his face, he smiled nodded then continued to walk along side the pooch. "hmmmm, you need a name huh?" Rooster looked down at the dog who looked at him, the poor fella wasn't even higher than his calf muscle. "How about Poochy?" The pup simply stared at him and Satoru made a dissatisfied face. "Naaaah, you need a good name . . . a warrior name . . . Ah, how about Roshi. He was a childhood friend of mine, one of the toughest people I know . . ." Satoru was getting mildly sentimental, but he shook it and looked at the pup with a smile and the dog barked back at him. Stopping in his tracks, Satoru crouched down low to the dog's level and spoke once more. "Alright then, if you want this name, you have to be brave, strong, and most of all cool okay? The real Roshi was a dear friend of mine and I'm trusting you with his name . . you can't let us down understand?" Satoru put a hand on the dog's head and smiled, shaking his hand off the dog barked again, which Satoru took as a yes. "Alright then Roshi, welcome aboard the Rooster Express. Your duties for now will simply involve looking cute and helping me get women kay? I don't expect yah to get your paws dirty in a fight, maybe when your bigger." Satoru chuckled at his joke and Roshi barked twice back to back with high energy. The joke being Rooster wasn't much into any gender at all, falling in the basket of an Asexual.
With his new companion by his side, the skies were looking bluer and he felt as if his old friend Roshi whose soul had long ago passed away was back with him or at least closer to him. Just looking at the dog brought Satoru tremendous joy and it showed on his smiling face. Headed to the docks to head to Yotsuba, Satoru was in high spirits.