Task Name: Exploration: Gather Info
Tier: 1
NPC or PC: PC
Location: Baterllia Island
Crew, Team, or Personal: Personal
Description: After arriving at the island named Baterilla, Malik must search for certain intelligence on gaining information, or at least rumors, about a Devil Fruit laying about in a certain area. He must be weary, marines are in charge of this land mass and, if this information were to become rampant, then he would most certainly be arrested.
Enemy Details: No Enemies
Boss: No Boss

Out at the ever-changing tides of the vast seas sailed a small vessel of a boat, which served more than enough room for it's passenger. Within the appropriate-sized boat was Malik, who was waiting patiently to arrive at the next wondrous Island he quietly anticipated so well up to this current point. Malik had completely regained all of his strength from he previous adventure after he had single-handedly brought down an entire organization, before it could tyrannically rule the South Blue, which served to be his home of origin as well as where he loving family lived. Inwardly, he honestly admitted that he had faced a few obstacles at multiple points in his goal to crush Tri-Shadow, but that didn't stop him from protecting the innocent or diminished his noble dream in the slightest. In fact, it only served to strength his ideals further. After he defeated all the members of the dangerous cult, the king and queen allowed for him to stay within their castle in the Briss Kingdom as a form of gratitude for thanking him on all that he has done for them. The king himself still could not believe how powerful Malik was, despite only being an adolescent boy to begin with. It just goes to show one the many mysterious in a world they still have much to discover about. The possibilities were endless, in his own opinion, so to speak.

While staying in the palace of the country he risked himself to save out of both the kindness and heroics from the depths of his soul, the young warrior found himself treated with great respect as the savior of the kingdom. Though he didn't mind the praise, he had done what he did to begin with as he believed it was the right thing to do. If a hero runs away, who will be left to protect what is good and righteous. The recent ordeal he had experienced has greatly helped him mature more into a strong, noble hero of a person. As a child, he learned that a hero represented what is best in humanity. The fact that such people exist today is proof of the greatness man is capable of. Though, one should not let such pride dwell within one's spirit as pride gave birth to the Devil. His very name irritates the adolescent pirate to no end. During his time staying at the king and queen's palace, his desire to search for a Devil Fruit appeared in the far reaches of his vast mind. As time went on, he found info and heard rumors about an object by the name of the Sand-Sand Fruit being present on the island named Baterilla. It was then, that the boy decided to pay his respects and bid both their majesties farewell onto another adventure. They were present along with various of the Briss Kingdom's inhabitants to see him off on his next journey.

"Hah, such good people, they can rest more easily, since that despicable cult, Tri-Shadow is done away with. He sincerely wish the king and queen and glorious life of happiness together as they should, being that they are married is all. For me, I am too young to be thinking about marriage. Right now, I will just enjoy my life to the fullest. Even after I have kids, I would still be a pirate to my last breath here in the world." He thought to himself, remembering the people he had save in the country he was previously staying at as well as blessing the future of the king and queen as a married couple for all their time they are alive. Said topic had Malik himself wandering about the ways of marriage, which he quickly tossed aside for some other time when he is much older. He has no interest in getting together with a woman. Still, their is no telling what the future had in store for someone. Right now, he decided to concentrate his focus on the moving waters at sea and the prevalent winds in the calm atmosphere, which serve to guide his small boat to his designated location. At the moment, his current adventure involved searching for a Devil Fruit he caught knowledge of.

As he sat quietly in the soaring breeze flowing through the currently gentle sea, his expression slowly shifted to a small smile as he could see he was now approaching the island he wanting to travel to, Baterilla. When great patience and diligence, he has finally arrived to this landmass to start his next goal; find and eat the mentioned Devil Fruit and acquire extraordinary powers. When each passing minute, the island grew in size more-so as his vessel steadily sailed in the desired direction of his choosing. As he become much closer, he could see a docks where he can appropriate station his boat for further travels in the near future. When he was at an acceptable distance between himself and the island, he lifted both of his hands toward a roped hanging to the adolescent's left. He grabbed it and gave a firm tug. With this action, he was able to slightly modify the original course his vessel on set on. In this moment, it was now headed for the docks. Malik cannot wait to set foot on a new island and begin more adventure. His face may wear an expression of calmness coupled with a gentle smile, but inwardly, he was very excited, to say the least.

Steadily approaching the area suitable for stationing his small boat, the intelligent novice fighter review within the mysterious confines of his mind as what to do first after he comes in contact with the soil of Baterilla. He was to go and accurately search for anyone who may possibly have additional knowledge on the whereabouts of a Devil Fruit he came here to look for. When he had arrived at the docks so casually, he steadied his suitable vessel towards the transitive area on which he can enter the island from. At a close enough distance, he turned to an anchor that had been laying close to him. He reached outward with his right hand and grabbed hold of the circular link which the rope had been tied to. The king and queen, luckily fitted his boat with such an item for more stable stops when arriving on new land masses, which he could explore. He lifted up the anchor with little to no effort using one hand, a noticeable sign on how physically string he was. He then, turned to his left and threw the large, complexly-shaped mass of metal over the boat. As it hit the water, he quickly sank to the bottom of the waters he was currently remaining stationed at. When he felt it hit the bottom, which vibrated from the rope all the way to his boat, he was not ready to see what the island was like.

"Alright then, it is time to begin my next adventure. This should be pretty interesting. I can just feel the mysterious flowing through the atmosphere." He thought, now ready to start his search for the Devil Fruit he had heard only rumors about, feeling the adventure permeate the very air he breathed as excitement flowed through his veins. He quickly stood from where he was sitting in his boat, he blue backpack he had been carrying with him for sometime held neatly over both of his shoulder. He smoothly turned to his right to see a suitable board for those who dock at the island on small vessels such as his. Not wanting to waste more time, he stepped onto the platform and moved his gaze  around and spotted a set of stairs that lead up to a more narrow variation of the thick wooden surface he stood upon. He soon started to walk up to them. When he was close enough, he ascending up the assortment of steps. From the length of the staircase, the walk up wouldn't be very long, so to speak. When he had made it to the top, he momentarily stopped and shifted his sight towards the sight of Baterilla.

From Malik's point-of-view, he had made it to the island's village, which consisted of multiple buildings that are big and small alike. He had to be careful as this island was under the control of the World Government. If he started a raucous, he it will end up in much trouble than he was at the Briss Kingdom. Marines were not present on the country to observe the young fighter, which was beneficial at the time as they were unable to stop his motives for save the people of the kingdom, including the rulers themselves. Now, he was at an island where he must be careful of his actions as well as to not let the marines recognize him casually. He was sure his actions in bringing down the organization known as Tri-Shadow had managed to spread to this town, so he will have to keep himself from being exposed while he searched for the Sand-Sand Fruit. He decided to raise his right hand over to the hood on his cyan blue hoodie. When he managed to grab it, he simply pulled it over his head gently as he did so. Afterwards, he put both of his hands into the pockets present on the same clothing.

When he was sure that he could walk around without being noticed by any marine, he began to traverse towards the town before him. He simply kept his gaze focused forward as he kept himself from further observe the prosperous place by switching the angle of his eyesight. If he did, it would make him more recognizable to the marines and blow his cover, as a result. Of course, he didn't direct oppose the World Government by attacking any of it's soldier yet, so he was still in the clear. However, he still wants to keep cautious about his whereabouts. He slowly looked up from where he was focusing his gaze and kept a constant lookout to make sure he did not bump into anyone. He looked around without being notice to see who might know of the mysteries of a Devil Fruit. As he continued to alter his gaze, he saw a blacksmith current on break from his work. He decided to turn on his feet and walk up to him. The man noticed the adolescent approaching him with each step he took and began to compose himself. When Malik was close enough, he stopped in front of the man. He chose to speak first and made sure he picked his words carefully.

"Excuse me sir, I am on a journey to find a Devil Fruit. I have heard there was one present here on your island, so I would like to know, if you have any knowledge on where I can look. I am sure that the marines do not approve of motives such as this, so I would like to not draw attention to myself for as long as possible." The young warrior said in a quiet tone, which only allowed both him and the blacksmith to hear. The man he was speaking to had an expression of pondering as he was surprised anyone would ask him on such information, let alone a child. He held his right hand up and cupped his chin to help himself think on where he has heard such stories about the Devil Fruit to begin with.

After having asked the muscular blacksmith of a man on any intelligence he has about the Devil Fruit and where he could find one probably looming around on the island, Baterilla, the said adult took some time to ponder on whether or not he has heard anything regarding this subject. The young pirate gave the blacksmith all the time he needed as there was no rush, so to speak. While he waited, the teenage warrior simply slipped both of his hands into his hoodie's pockets, an expression of anticipation etched onto his visage. As he did, multiple question quickly appeared in the confines of his mind. These were related to the very subject at hand, which he had come in search of, the Devil Fruit. His father had told him many stories about this, in his opinion, supernatural types of fruit. About what happens to those who eats one. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of Devil Fruit existing out in the world. Each one contained an incredibly power. When someone eats these objects, they gain the same power. It can be any ability the person imagines. However, due to the limited knowledge on each Devil Fruit, the powers one gains is left up to chance, as a result. Additionally, once the user gains their powers, they lose their ability to swim, making the sea a hazardous area for them. When the blacksmith was finished thinking, he decided to speak up.

"Hmm, no, I'm afraid not, m'boy. I have heard mention of that stuff, but I have no clue about what ya lookin for. Sorry, but maybe you can find somebody else to help ya in ya search. I suggest the pretty lady who sells fruit two block on my right just on the other side. You can talk ta her. Maybe she can give ya any info, but I should warn ya, kid. Not many people know of the Devil Fruit here, so it may take a while." The man said with a saddened tone at first due to not knowing much about the Devil Fruit, but his mood brightened when he told Malik to talk to a woman who sells fresh fruit from a stand at the same distance mentioned by the blacksmith himself. From how he talks, his accent must be southern, country, or a mix between the two. The adolescent notes the adult to be a nice person, considering how he spoke, including his tone, so to speak. With a gentle nod of his head accompanied by a smile, Malik turned on his feet and headed to where the blacksmith told him he would find the proclaimed beautiful woman. Hopefully, he will have better luck with talking to her.

With each step he took on the solid pavement of the road ahead of him, the boy kept his head low as to not draw any attention to himself, knowing full-well on the influence this island has on the marine. From how he sees pirates and their enemies from his point-of-views, he consider both sides simply factions, which include what you can do and what you can't. Just because one was a pirate or a marine, does not mean they are evil or good. That is left up to the individual to decide, no one else. Unfortunately for pirates, many infamous face throughout history gave them a bad reputation in multiple areas around the world. It was fortunate that many people like pirates as, like Malik himself, considered them bringers of freedom and adventures. That is the kind of person he chose to be since he was a child. As a pirate, he had more freedom and had the choice of doing what was right to begin with. Not through the law, but with his heart. As he continued to carefully walk through the street he was stepping over, he kept a focused gaze on his surrounding to avoid any obstacles and not cause any problems such as bumping into other by accidents. Some individuals were rude and jerks, so running into such beings would result in a fight.

While traversing through the hard-felt stone ground, behind Malik loomed a marine soldier who was observing his area of patrol to both arrest criminals and keep order among the populous. Little did this man know he will soon play a large part in what even will eventually unfold before him and the young fighter of a pirate, who was easily walking passed him without stirring up any commotion, leaving the environment panic-free. With a short period of time going by, he soon spotted a stand selling fruit along with a pretty young lady attending the counter. This must be the woman the blacksmith spoke, fortunately for Malik. Having found the next person to ask information on where he can find the Devil Fruit he was looking for, he turn he direction towards her. If she didn't have any information herself, he will just have to keep looking, holding onto hope, but not of the false kind. Rather empowering faith that he will find the Sand-Sand Fruit. He already believe strong that he can discover it, all he needs now to  know where to look first to begin with and with the pretty lady he was approaching, he was certain he was a step closer to his goal.

[Word Count: 2815 Words]