Upgrades Please!

It had been a more than overwhelming string of events that had brought the rather small crew together. In fact, it was only the two of them, so it was hard to even say whether they were a crew or not. Still, they had been through a rather rough set of events in the last day or so. When she closed her eyes, Emma could still see the faces in the crowd cursing her name and everything she didn't stand for. How would they have known? The organization that claimed justice and protection had told the people what the government wanted them to hear. False lies.

In the moments that Ika had been awake, he spoke about a town nearby that Emma hadn't quite heard of being trapped in a slave ring for her short eternity. There were said to be great inventors there capable of accomplishing great feats! Robots, weapons, and flying boats were a few of the items that had been rumored, but Emma wasn't so sure that they were true. She may have been more impressed if there were some medical tools involved. It was hard enough to find bandages and a needle to hold the makeshift Captain together.

Emma would stir from her thoughts at the sight of something ahead. As a smile grew on her face, she would race to where her savior slept taking a kneeling position next to him. Then, she could slowly begin to poke his cheek, "Captaaain~" she would whisper softly "Caaaptaaain, it's time to wake up. Land ahead." Emma would continue to watch and wait for him to awaken.

Ika had been drifting in and out of consciousness but his pain had largely been alleviated by the wonderful healing of the good doctor currently sitting over him. He felt her poke his cheek and raised an eyebrow. He took a minute to register what she was saying, and the implications of same but once it fully registered he quickly jumped to his feet and dashed towards the front of the boat for a good view of it. "Wow.. Cogtown. Never been here before honestly but I've heard lots of great things about it and, well.. Of course a lot of not so good things but I guess that goes with the territory."

Ika began to prepare the ship for land as he turned to the girl beside him and smiled a bit. "By the way, did you hear anything about our little ordeal on the transponder snail? If not I'll wanna check the papers, I hope those bastards were embarrassed aha."

Ika smirked, looking around. "I wouldn't worry too much about a navy or navy sympathetic presence here by the way, this places economy is too dependent on pirates to entertain that facade.."

Ika would stir as she attempted to wake him from his slumber, but would quickly be greeted with the man jumping straight up. As he ran to the front of the boat, she would quickly follow after him to hear what he had to say about their next landing point. She was aware that there were a lot of good things about Cogtown, but she wasn't sure what he meant about the bad things. They would probably just have to hope that they didn't run into anything unfavorable while they were there. As she looked out toward the island, she would frown seeing that it looked like any other island in the blue seas.

However, she couldn't wait long as she did whatever she was told and attempted to help prepare the ship as best she could. Still, she wasn't a pirate and had never sailed freely on a ship. She didn't know much about how they worked or what all the bells and whistles did. "Hmm... I don't think we'll hear the whole story unless we grab the paper. There were mentions of us, but only that we were both branded pirates. They were mostly concerned with your connection to one of the yonko." Emma would attempt to remember what all they said, but in reality that was all they had wanted to mention.

Emma would nod hearing that there wouldn't be any marines to speak of on the island. She couldn't help but worry about what things would look like moving forward. "Hey, Cap. What does it mean to be a pirate? They said we were criminals... Does that mean I'll never be free?" Honestly, this whole ordeal had her head spinning trying to figure out where she was placed in this world now. Sure, she wasn't bound by chains, but the weight still felt just as real.

Ika listened to the details as he did pirate things that I'm too stupid to mention or recite effectively. He took mental notes on what she heard about their little escape, but frowned loudly as his efforts were yet again drowned out by his connection to Sano. "God dammit.."

Ika would grunt loudly, punching his ship hard enough to make himself bleed, but not so hard as to actually destroy the wood beneath his fist. "All of my life.. I've spent all of my life as the brother of a Yonko. The brother of Sano Mazi, a pirate bent on power and little else.. For so long I've wanted to cut that tie, to sever that connection to that man as I find him to be detestable and yet.. All of my deeds are going to trace back to him until.."

Ika would trail off for a minute, a light smirk gracing his face. "Well, I suppose until I make a mark large enough that I can stand on my own right?.. Yeah."

Ika smiled softly, cracking his neck for a moment as he let Emma ask her questions. He pondered for a minute, letting the question dance around in his head for a brief moment before he would speak. "I believe being a pirate is the freedom to carve your own path. Many pirates carve that path at the expense of others, but not all of them do. There have been great pirates historically who take care of their own, who protect those who can't pay into the world government or garner protection from the celestial dragons.. Being a pirate to me, is the ultimate freedom. There are no chains on you. You can go wherever you please."

Ika smiled, letting the breeze carry them towards the harbor. "So long as you're a pirate you'll never wear chains again. You can come and go as you wish, and we can change the world to whatever extent our abilities allow. That's why I wanted to be a pirate.."

Emma would watch the display of anger as she flinched unintentionally at the violence. She had seen her fair share of outbursts and was unlucky enough to have scars of her own in places that her current, shabby dress covered. Eventually, she planned on acquiring more refined clothing, but she would be fine sticking to her old rags for now. Emma would listen to Ika express his hatred for his own flesh, but she couldn't find it to be wrongful. Her own parents had sold her into slavery, so they could live a lush life on the countryside. It had been a long while since then. She didn't find that hate inside her anymore.

Honestly, Emma wasn't sure what it would take to free the captain from the shadow of his brother, but she believed he could do it. A yonko. One of the few individuals that could command the seas to move mountains and run ships into the deepest trenches the oceans held. She had heard stories about their power growing up as new kids came and went from the trade. To be fair, she was sure some of those stories were just crazy talk. How could anyone cause a tsunami with a single flick of their wrist? That couldn't be possible. Could it?

However, Emma's thoughts would be disturbed by the next words to come out of Ika's mouth. A deep breath and wide eyes would meet the very existence she had been reaching for. That was all she had ever wanted. To be free. To carve her own path. He would continue to express to her in great detail that she was no longer bound by the chains of slavery. She could live her life the way she wanted now. Emma would smile the biggest smile she had ever been able to muster before. "You knew didn't you?" The woman would continue to smile before she would laugh softly at the idea. "You knew the government was lying all along. I couldn't do what they asked me to, so they framed me. Branded me a criminal."

Of course, Emma wasn't looking for an answer, especially as they grew closer to port. They would sail right up to the dock and begin preparations for disembarking from the ship. She had never been able to wander any town before. She had never been allowed to see the world and she would never have been able to see the expanse of the ocean above deck. She had been heavily watched and always blindfolded. Her dreams had never been based of reality because she had never seen it before. So, as the boat was most stationary, Emma would race down the ramp and take her first few steps of freedom down the dock.

It was amazing! She could smell the salt in the air and she could see the wide expanse of buildings. The people were laughing and happily chatting amongst themselves. She could hear the rowdy bars filled with people. She hadn't noticed it before, but the ship was much larger than she had remembered it. Was the whole world like this? Were children really allowed to buy toys and ask their parents for things? She may not have had any belongings, but she was ecstatic to see what the world had to offer. It's beautiful... I've never seen things so.. bright and.. full of life. Honestly, I've never been outside very much before," Emma would speak sheepishly as she noticed a few people whispering and pointing at her. The woman would look down to notice that she didn't look anything like these others. She was dressed in tattered garments and didn't even have shoes to cover her feet. In some way, it made her want to shy away, but she had always been looked down on for being a dirty slave. It didn't hurt so much anymore.

The girl asked if Ika knew, barely illiciting a smirk from his face as he turned towards her. "Of course I knew. The Government doesn't have any problem housing monsters, they promote them in their ranks and hide them from the public. The only crime to them is disobedience. You have a special power, Room is one of the most powerful devil fruit powers in the world. The only reason they would ever seek to remove it from their own control is if it blatantly refused their whims and wants."

Ika smirked, turning away to look at the gathering of people in front of him. "Besides, you don't have the look in your eyes of someone who could kill. It's just.. different, and you don't have it."

As Ika finished his statement, he would reach into his coat pocket and retrieve some money. "Now that you're a proper pirate, you should go and buy yourself a new wardrobe. It looks like there's a shop to upgrade our ship by a clothing store, you can work on that while I find someone to fulfill my needs. Sound good?"

Assuming an affirmative response, Ika and Emma would approach the bustling shops of cogtown somewhat sheepishly. One shop in particular appeared to have a woman selling ship upgrades, and she was currently in the midst of being harassed. "Emma.. follow me."

As he finished his sentence, he would begin to pick up his pace approaching the girl and whoever seemed to be accosting her. "Hey, if you guys don't have anything better to do than harass street vendors go the fuck away. I've got business to attend to."

Hanako had been busily working over the various orders she had been getting throughout the day, their shop had been doing better recently, seemingly and uptick in repairs and general upgrades. The seas were getting to be a dangerous place, so it only made sense. Unfortunately, this success only brought about the parasites that had been plaguing their island for some time now. Some band of pirates, perhaps a large one, had taken to ‘protecting’ the Island. At first this had seemed like a good thing, at least until the demands started coming. Ever since, most of the establishments were under mountains of debt for this protection money, her grandfathers Workshop included.

The larger of the pair that had come to get their money slammed his fist on the weathered table. “Oi, you better listen.” He was calmed with a single gesture from the other man. “Look kid, you’re gonna have to find that money, or we’re gonna find other arrangements.” She shot them both a look, stubbornly refusing the reply until she had been dragged forward nearly effortlessly by the brutish man. This assault was stopped only by the interloper, and apparent prospective client. The big one let the girl go, where she scrambled back and away, before the two determined the scene wouldn’t be worth the cash. “We’ll be back later, better get those coins sweetheart.” The apparent leader of the two simply walked away, leaving Hanako to gather herself.

Despite looking a little shaken, she managed to keep her tone calm “Sorry you had to see that.” She took a short moment before continuing. “Did you actually have business?” She straightened up the storefront, particularly the catalogue of their wares. Really, it could have just been a ploy on this strangers behalf but there was always a hope. After all, they needed the money.

Emma would listen to Ika express that she didn't seem to have a hint of killing intent in her eyes. He was the first to actually say something like that to her without a sneer or backlash. Usually, they wanted her to do their bidding. They wanted her to listen to every demand and be a cog in their machine. However, she never had the backbone to actually do it, but Emma had the ability to stick up for her beliefs. She was a doctor now and she wouldn't see a life lost at her hand, at least not yet.

Her thoughts had been pricked into flight like a balloon letting out air as Ika told her to buy a new wardrobe. She didn't have any money and he had to have known that. Emma would perk up seeing him reach into one of his pockets and pulling out some money. As quickly as she looked excited, the woman would turn her head wondering if she could do something like that. It wasn't hers. She didn't earn it. What would she even buy? She had only ever been given a new cloth dress the more she grew. She knew nothing about fashion.

However, she knew the sound of things becoming violent and her eyes would meet the same ruckus that Ika's would. As he beckoned her to follow, she would run after him keeping close by. He was the only face she knew in her very small world and therefore, she had to trust that he wouldn't steer her wrong. They would come close to the shop before Ika would step in to a bit of harrassment. Emma would glare at the duo as they threatened the woman behind the counter. How could they? They knew these poor people couldn't pay and yet they treated them so crudely.

As the two scrambled away, Emma would listen to the woman speak after being obviously shaken up by the ordeal. What would have happened if they didn't stop by? Was the whole world so cruel? Was there only slavery and desperate people all around? It hurt her heart, but she was able to give the girl a kind smile from behind her new captain. "Are you sure you're okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?" Emma would ask softly awaiting an answer. Either way, she was only interested in doing her job and sticking close to Ika. She would hate to end up in chains again.

Ika wasn't exactly one to let things lie, and the last comment they made seemed to bring things to a head. "I do have business, but we'll get to that in a moment.. Hey ya big oaf!"

Ika would yell, waiting for the one to turn directly into a straight punch that had been aimed at his head. "Fire Fist!"

In an instant, the man was flatlined and contorting in agony as his now singed face was hid by his own hands. "I don't know who you guys think you are, but if you ever come back here you'll regret it!"

Ika, undeterred, pretty well ignored the other jobber and assumed that he was probably dragging his buddies half-charred body away from the scene. Ika would smile, turning his attention back towards Hanako before speaking. "I apologize for the interruption and hope they didn't make too much of a mess.. Anyway, we're hoping to traverse the grand line and need our ship outfitted in a way that makes that possible and practical. I can tell you're a shipwright.. How about you tell me what you'd recommend and give me a price point eh?"

Ika would smile softly, placing a large bag of berries on the table as he waited for the shipwrights response.

The two men were already moving away by the time Ika decided to strike out. As righteous as his actions might have been, Hanako seemed more worried now than she had moments before. Thankfully, as the man pulled his hands away to reveal an altered appearance. Though not the charred mess that Ika might have hoped, it looked as though the mans skin had petrified into a substance resembling stone. Jagged and cracked but a face either way. "Let it go" The smaller of the two shook his head, getting a good look at the attacker while the more brutish of the pair seemed to shed the outer rocky crust to reveal an uninjured visage. A devil fruit user of some kind, that was certain, but the nature wasn't clear. Though it didn't matter, they were gone.

Hanako ran a hand through her hair, flustered still but coping. "I'm fine.. thanks." she was inspecting her shirt that had been torn at the collar, it was her last good one. "Ugh, I appreciate the help but maybe cool it a little? It's not just those two you know." She looked from one stranger to the other, noting that they were outsiders right away but their nature wasn't yet clear. They had one hot head at least, that was certain.

"Well, technically, I'm not a shipwright... yet. I just run the shopfront for Grandad." The girl inspects the bag, taking a guess at how much was in there by the weight. "You're heading for the Grand Line?" It seemed to pique her interest at least, and the upgrades needed would likely go up in price... Though she wasn't able to provide the answer he needed "You'll need to bring your ship in to the workshop, I can take you there now though so we can figure out all the details." She had shaken off her worries rather quickly in this case, apparently just needing a customer to take back to the shop. A job like this was going to go quite a way toward paying off all those debts.

And... there he went again starting a fuss over the injustice in the world, but Emma found that all the more admirable. That very characteristic was what had saved her life and defined her future. However, she was sure that a punch like that would have melted the man's skin clean off. So, why was he.. cracking? Did he have a fruit power? Who exactly was he working for anyway? Nothing made sense in this town or in this world. Emma was here to enjoy her freedom and find something worth living for. She wasn't sure what that was yet, but she would find it.

The mystery would have to be solved at a later date, since it seemed the attention had been focused back on Hanako. Again, she would be drawn into the bigger picture as the woman explained that there were more than just those two. Who else was there? Was there a lot of them or were they just some groupies? Emma found the situation to be intriguing, but not so much that it acquired her immediate attention. From the moment Hanako answered her question, Emma didn't seem to have a care in the world for what her and Ika were talking about.

Emma decided her eyes would wander elsewhere, although her ears would perk up at the mention of the grand line. That was a place she had only ever been able to dream of. It was said to be the most dangerous, but also the most amazing place in existence. There were tons of islands and people. Things that she would have never seen before existed over there, but now she was simply playing with some sort of metal ball she had found. Her fingers would roll it back and forth across the counter as she bent down to look directly at it. She would watch it move as the duo conversed about what they would need to do with the ship.

Ika rolled his eyes as the pirates crawled away to whatever hole they were meant to inhabit, a petty scowl found itself fixed upon his face for a moment until their disappearance became apparent. "I don't care how many of them there are, they fall all the same. If they commit to making the lives of the citizens here harder while I'm around, I'm gonna make sure to correct it. If they wanna bring their boss to talk personally? That's fine by me, I'll beat him too."

Ika smiled slightly, listening to the girl speak as Emma seemed to drift in and out of the conversation mentally. Ika tossed her the bag of berries and motioned her forward. "Well, if you think we need to take the ship into the shop how about you come aboard with us and take it in? Names Ika, and the girl zoning out over there is named Emma. Pleasure to meet you.."

Ika scrunched his face, seemingly trying to conjure memories that weren't present. "Erm.. your name.. oh right you didn't give us your name, what should we call you eh?"

Hanako wasn't sure what to make of this really, he certainly was sure of himself at least, but how could he possibly know he had a chance of taking these guys on. Sure he seemed strong, those flames were impressive, but how he'd go about clearing a whole island of its less pleasant citizenry. She just hoped he'd do it away from their workshop and the stall out in the market. It would be much harder to get things done if they ended up in the crossfire. Literally in this case.

"Sure, I can do that. I was about to head back soon anyway." She didn't often get to sail, preferring the land but figuring the novelty of it might help her get her mind off things. "I'm Hanako." She had been in such a state she had forgotten her pleasantries. "It'll be good to get away for a little bit I think." She nodded, collecting what she needed before throwing her bag over her shoulder and ready to go. "I can show you both around if you'd like, it's pretty easy to get lost around here."

The woman seemed to be a bit apprehensive about Ika's steadfast demeanor but he knew that he could handle himself well enough. He had no time for pirates such as the ones he had run off, and if he needed to dispatch them through force of will he would be happy to do so.

In the meantime, the girl accepted his offer and gave Ika her name. "Hanako, pleasure to meet you." Ika would nod approval at her following statement, watching her collect her things before speaking to him. "A tour around town wouldn't be too awful, I was actually hoping to get Emma to a clothing shop around here since her garbs are a bit.. dated. Her story is a long one to say the least." Ika would smile a bit, looking over at Emma while crossing his arms over his head before continuing. "Well Hanako, if the plan is for you to give us a tour and steer the ship you can lead the way!"

Emma had, in fact, been zoning out and was slightly surprised to hear her name was called. As the ball rolled across the counter, the woman would smile and wave shyly toward the newcomer. "Oh, yes. Nice to meet you," she would say softly as she heard the metal orb thud against the ground. Whatever she had been playing with certainly was durable as it continued to roll away from the culprit. A blush would cross her face as she leaned against the countertop to see where it had run off to. A puff of air from her mouth would prove that she was slightly disappointed, but also annoyed by the inanimate object giving her away.

"Oh! Right!" Emma would call out as she leaned backwards from the counter to look at the two. "Uhm," the woman would look down at her rather ragged looking dress and shoeless feet, "I hope I can ask for your help. This is all I've ever had." Even speaking such a sad thing, Emma still seemed to be rather soft and content, though she was still also very excited. The woman would put her arms behind her back and wait for Hanako to guide them forward.

Hanako Hanako looked to Ika’s acquaintance, she had been a little too distracted to notice before. “Well, that should be easy. I've got a friend who helps out at a tailor, I’m sure we can find something for you.” Seemed easy enough, and she could see how much this torn collar was going to set her back. “Lets do that first, it’s on the way.” With everything settled at the store-front, Hanako pulled the shutters down and took a moment to think of the best way across, hopefully avoiding any more goons on their way. With her route set, she led the duo off down the main road.

Before long they were in the trade district proper, a sprawling marketplace and workshop combined. Uncountable gears and pistons worked away, providing power to the gadgets and machinations. Despite the heavy industry, the air was relatively clean and free of the soot and smog that devices like this. Predictably loud, with hundreds of voices clashing as they were guided through the crowd. Though they were granted a reprieve as she leads them into a shop just off to the side.

A mechanism played a little jingle in stead of a more traditional bell as they wandered on in where it was quieter. While there was a lot of clothing around, it didn’t seem to only house a tailor, in fact the building was much larger than expected, with a dividing wall separating the machinery to have some modicum of safety. Though these devices were seemingly mass producing garments, which seemed to differ from the bespoke creations on display out front. “Huh, that’s weird. Where is she. Ayaka? You here?!” She walked past the display pieces and peered around, calling out for presumably the owner of this establishment.

This call was answered with the sound of tearing metal and a startled yell from within the mess of machine. Before Hanako could freak out though, a younger girl pulled herself free. Seemingly missing an arm. Their guide wasn’t as distressed as she probably should have been, but it made much more sense when the girl dragged out what looked to be an artificial replacement. “What! I just fixed that one up. Why'd you have to distract me!” The younger of the two pointed with the mangled iron remains of her arm at Hanako as if it was her fault.

“Maybe that'll teach you to turn everything off first huh, where’s your Mum?” Hanako seemed to brush aside the accusation, with the girl pouting. Only to shrug in response “Said she’d be back soon, dunno where though. Hey, you look after the shop until she gets back. I gotta fix this.” Before Hanako could say anything her one-armed friend had sprinted off and out. “It’s just not my day today, is it? Guess we can use the time to look around.” Hanako just shrugged, moving away from the back to the much safer area between the display racks of some of the clothing available.

It seemed that their new friend was kind enough to take them to a tailor, although Emma wasn’t exactly sure what it was that a tailor did. She would shrug understanding that the world was large and she had only been a small speck of dust until now. The woman would wait around attempting to touch everything in sight that didn’t necessarily make sense to her, although she wouldn’t wander too far away. As the shutters came to a close, Emma would turn to wait for her companions to start walking almost as if she were a lost puppy, which was exceedingly obvious. It was a wonder that they people around here hadn’t questioned her yet, but she was still paired up with the hothead that tried to melt someone’s face off. Yeah, that was probably the reason.

As they moved from one district to the next, things would expand and develop quicker than she had ever imagined. There were machines galore and voices roared out between the metallic machines. Emma was astounded and also increasingly anxious. She would make a conscious note to stay by Ika as her attention was caught by every little movement around her. Thankfully, the blonde had been small enough to squeeze through people as she fought to stay with her companions. At some point, she had managed to grab hold of Ika and was simply letting him drag her through the crowds, until they were able to escape into a store.

The store was much more quiet and there weren’t nearly as many people around, but the sound of gears turning was emanating throughout the shop. Emma would watch as the machine continuously produced clothing that she had never seen before. Was this whole city built on a machine? Honestly, this was something she expected of the grand line, but it was right here in the blue sea. If this was the blue sea, then she could hardly understand how the grand line would function. The islands there were said to be far more unpredictable than anything sea dwellers could possibly ponder. Emma would find herself disappearing into racks of clothing as she placed a hand on every item. The texture, the color, and the graphics were all substantially different from what she had been accustomed to wearing. She never knew clothing could be so soft.

At one point, there would be a loud crashing and the sight of a girl without an arm would have Emma reaching to make a room. However, it seemed that she had already lost it long before they had set foot on the island. An artificial limb? She had only ever heard about those through texts and from stories other children told. However, they were nothing like the one that this girl, Ayaka, was holding in her hands. As Hanako expressed that they could look around, Emma would pout knowing the younger female had run away. ”Do you think she’ll come back? I want to know more about that arm of hers,” the blonde would ask Hanako before turning to look at the clothing some more. She would find herself picking up a jacket that was incredibly heavy for no discernible reason. ”Who would want to have something this heavy around them? It’s easier to work in lighter fabric, isn’t it? Oh, but we’ll be on a ship… what do people wear on the ocean? Do I need something like this?” Emma would ask her question showing Hanako a bikini style swimsuit that would certainly be appealing to the eye. ”I used to swim when I was a kid, but it was mostly to catch fish. I can’t really do that now and I never actually caught anything.”

Hanako shrugged "Probably, but you'll want to be careful. She'll talk your ear off. Real proud of those things." It was exceptional work, Hanako had never been quite as drawn in by such complicated devices. Ayaka was sure to end up a success in a town like this though, artificial limbs like that weren't exactly easy to come by. She leans up on the counter and watches Emma browse, picking through what was on offer. "Probably just so it'll last, most people tend to go for more rugged clothing around here." She preferred something a little lighter herself, though still functional and more than sturdy enough for her work.

"Uhh..." The swimwear reveal certainly caught her off guard "Well it's not an 'every day' sort of outfit. Might want to get something else." She decided that would be the most helpful thing she could add. The door chime went off again as an older woman walked back through the door. Well dressed, with her own prosthetic but this one was limited to a hand. A much more delicate looking piece of work though. "Hanako dear, it's been too long! Oh no no no, what have you done." She spoke with a strange accent, even for this place, 'regal' was how Hanako described it. "It got snagged, think you could fix it up?" The tailor just tutted as she hurried along, taking the collar in her real hand as the fingertips of the other seemed to sprout a miniscule needle and thread that rapidly wove the torn edges together.

Hanako was mostly just in shock at how quickly the woman had gone to work. "Oh and maybe help out my friend, she's a little lost." Before she knew it, Hanako found her shirt as good as new, and the tailor had turned to her new customer. "So, what were you after dear. I won't let you leave in these." She motioned to the current 'ensemble'. At least she was enthusiastic.

Well, it seemed that the swimwear wasn't appropriate attire for a ship based off of the way Hanako reacted to seeing it. Emma would shrug her shoulders and place the garment back on the rack of clothes. There were so many options and she wasn't sure they were even organized in a particular way. What was she supposed to do now? She had no sense of popular fashion, because she never had the opportunity to learn much about the outside world. She had seen it through imagination, vivid story telling, and glimpses through barred windows. This was finally her chance to experience the world first-hand. She had to make a good impression.

As the door's bell rang once more, an excited Emma would look over to see that it was just some woman and not the young girl. Although, she did seem to have a prosthetic hand that was also very impressive to her medical eye. From the hand, a needle would sprout and Hanako's collar was practically good as new. Emma's eyes would sparkle brilliantly at the realization that the hand was custom made for the woman. How were they customized? What could they do with this knowledge? However, it seemed the woman was keen on getting Emma something to wear.

The woman would step back slightly as she was looked up and down by the shop owner. "Oh, uhm, something.. light?" Emma would say almost too softly as she wondered what she should say. "I.. I need comfortable clothes to travel in, but also something good for sailing, I suppose.. Uhm, also, do you have any lab coats?" It was an odd request, but Emma was a doctor after all. She had heard stories of doctors in fancy lab coats that were white as snow. They had large pockets for carrying all the medial supplies they needed at a moment's notice. The thought of her seeing herself in one would have her gazing past the woman in front of her. Her head was in the clouds.

The tailor listened carefully, though she had a feeling that Emma wasn't so sure on what she wanted. Beyond that coat. "Hmm, I think we can arrange that for you dear. Stand here please." She shuffled Emma to a clear space and got her to stand up straight before she went to work. Her prosthetic seemed to be full of gadgets, with a tape measure appearing to allow the woman to effortlessly gather the information she needed. Looping the tape around as she noted her measurements before finally stepping away, walking through her the hanging clothing to select a decent pair of shorts, a blouse and a plain white coat before moving over to her work station.

"Thanks for this Tsukiko, it's a big help." Hanako watched on at the almost chaotic working style. If the tailor's hand was filled with gadgets then her desk was something else. She adjusted each piece with startling speed, focused entirely on the task before returning with the finished product. "It was no problem at all, you try these out for me dear. The changing room is just through there." Tsukiko handed over the neatly folded pile of clothing.

"Just the one set won't do, are your friends going to be here for a while? And what about this handsome young man, nothing catch your eye?" Tsukiko addressed the Captain, though he was sufficiently dressed, she was clearly in the creative zone. "I'm not sure, they're asking for a lot of work on their ship, might be." Hanako just shrugged, looking to the duo for their answer.

The tailor would grab Emma by the shoulders shuffling her toward a certain section of the shop. "Uhm, w-wai-" before she could get a word out the woman would place her beckoning her to stand up straight. Tape measures would whip and wrap around her in various motions before the woman would make her way to the racks. Emma would stand as still as possible with obvious, red cheeks as she wasn't sure what to be doing in the moment. She had never been to a shop before and the swift movement was enough to make her feel rather nervous.

However, Emma was soon given a pile of clothes and she would be directed to a dressing area where Emma would follow the tailor's instructions quickly. "Y-yes, ma'am. Thank you!" The blonde would say before running off into the concealed space to change. The fabric was soft and the colors were definitely flattering. The green blouse was certainly unexpected, since Emma had only ever worn neutral colors, although it did bring out the softer blue tones in her eyes. The shorts were certainly a light fabric and were comfortable to move in. To top it all off, the white lab coat would be tested with a little twirl. Emma seemed rather content with her new outfit and excited to show it off as she grabbed her old garment to head out into the shop once more.

Emma would make her way to the group with a big smile, "I love it. Thank you so much." Although, the question of how long they would be in brought up a few other concerns that hadn't crossed the woman's mind. "Oh, well, what do you think, Cap? I don't think we've discussed plans." She was sure he had brought up heading to the grandline, but that was all she could conjure on the subject.

Ika was seemingly in a bewildered stupor, unable to bring himself to enagge with the topic of clothing beyond his happiness that Emma was now dressed in a way that suited her new-found freedom. The slave garbs had worn out their welcome, and he was happy to see that she had found a new source of happiness in her new clothing.

The question struck him as odd, and would be first answered with a lightly raised eyebrow and then a scratched chin. "Well.. I don't really have much keeping me here beyond the ship upgrades, but that is my current priority and as Hanako has said it's likely that will take a while so.. I mean she's the expert, if she says we'll be here a while I guess we'll be here a while eh?"

As Ika said this, he would smirk and gently raise a fist in front of himself. "Plus.. I'd still like to give those fucking bozos from earlier what's coming to them. I don't like how they treated my friend here so.. Might tend to that while we wait."

"You look wonderful dear." THe seamstress nodded, content with her work and happy to see the smile it had brought to the poor girl's face. "You come back before you leave, I'll have some more outfits for you. You can't just wear the one after all." Tsukiko bade them all farewell and disappeared off into the back of the shop. Exclaiming something to do with the mess her daughter had made to hurry away to get ready to fix everything up.

Hanako waved the older woman off and listened to the ongoing conversation, frowning at the topic of the pirates that ran a racketeering ring on the island. "How about we go and get your ship to port first? You'll want to be ready to leave." She still seemed unconvinced of Ika's ability to handle this mob. As strong as he seemed, just him against an entire crew seemed like it'd be out of his league. Who knew, maybe she'd surprise him. "I appreciate the concern, I really do. I can handle myself." From the brief interaction they happened across before, that wasn't so clear. She did seem to be the stubborn type though, and Hanako had never really seen herself as much of a damsel in distress.

"Where is your ship?" Deciding that it would be best to just try and steer the conversation to business instead. "Might as well get that under way as soon as we can." Hanako took the lead on the way out of the shop once they had a direction to head in. Really, she was getting worried that those thugs had decided to skip her and go right to the owner of the place. Though the last few times they'd tried that they had ended up running home with a few fewer teeth.

Emma would grin from ear to ear as the tailor said that she would make the blonde some more clothes before she left. She would wave keeping the smile on her face until the tailor escaped from sight. Immediately after, Emma would be seen grimacing as teh woman yelled from the back, where her daughter had been heard causing a ruckus earlier. Then, the doctor would make her way to the group as they spoke about the next steps. With Emma's newfound style and growing personality, she wasn't sure what would come their way, but she had decided these were the people she wanted to stick by.

Emma would watch all of Hanako's expressions. She knew that this lady was nice and she was sure that they could become friends in time. However, she seemed to have an issue with asking for assistance. She would frown at the idea of the bad men being brought up and she would tell Ika that she didn't need his help. Although, Emma was sure that wouldn't dissuade him any from his vengeance tour any more than a marine Captain trying to stop their escape from execution. Honestly, the topic of asking for help wasn't her forte either. She was lucky that the help had decided to come to her or her head would be rolling through the Loguetown streets.

As the trio made their way out of the shop, Emma was on the prowl again to see all of the exciting things Cogtown had to offer. She was amazed and astounded by all of the technology. It was a beauty to behold and she was blessed to be able to see it. There was one thing that was weighing on Emma's mind as she peaked at Hanako from the side of her eye. She would take a breath before quietly speaking to her, "I'm not sure why you're afraid, but it's okay to ask for help, you know? Ika saved me from certain death, so I believe in him. Just a thought." After she said her piece, the blonde would smile and return to enjoying the sights.

Ika frowned as the girl seemed to reject his assistance but opted not to push the issue at her expense. He took a gander at the town around him and frowned before pointing towards the docks. “I’ll lead you to it, but don’t forget you’ll
Be the one steering.”

Ika smirked, giving the girl a bit of a wink as they neared the boat. “This here is the jewel of the Revolutionary Army, the crim de la crim of ships on the high seas.”

He stood at the front of the ship, hands at his sides as he took in the salty sea air. “Emma here is my first crew mate, she’s our medical expert and my most trusted confidant. We haven’t known each other long, but I know she’s capable of great things. When I grew up, I watched my brother become a Yonko and leave our town to tatters and I swore I’d never be the type of pirate to leave those in need in peril..”

Ika felt the ship begin to leave and turned towards Hanako. “So, what about you Hanako? Is this how you wish to spend your life? Working on ships in cog town?”