Devroux could be found sitting in his usual spot at Teddy's, a bar in the Ninth District that he frequented when there were no other pressing matters taking up his attention. After his discussion with the Marine commodore when he'd turned in R and A for their bounties, this is the location he chose to plot out his next move so that he could enter the navy at his desired rank. With few viable ideas of his own, Teddy's offered a unique atmosphere that helped him clear his mind while idly eavesdropping on conversations at the same time. But even on Baltigo, the world was quiet for the moment.

There were whispers in the wind of kingpins being targeted by pirates, but nothing of value to the mink. There were few pirates he associated with short of business deals and it'd be hard to push his name within the Marines if he was taken after being assisted by a pirate. He'd have to do it alone or in Marine company if he were going to do it right, so it was a patience game until the right time arrived. While he was now constantly on the lookout for the right opportunity, his nature as a struggling blacksmith still very much thrived within him. Although most of the banter at Teddy's these days were trivial, there was one that stuck out to him.

"They say it looks like a giant tortoise," one man spoke, a bright smile lighting his face. The fellow seemed to be getting tipsy, so his loud conversation had been easy to drop in on. With his friends, the man had been gossiping about a recent seaking sighting. "It's aggressive, so no one can get near the beach without being okay with fighting it." After that comment, the table broke apart into false bravado and statements that they'd take on the beast; the conversation became trivial, but the information still might prove useful.

Seakings typically resided in the Calm Belt, but the massive creatures could be seen roaming about anywhere on the Grand Line. Even then, it was rare to see one that came near the shore, as the large populations of people posed a threat to their existence and were just all-around noisy. As the fish wasn't a high-bounty pirate or a kingpin, there was little reason for the mink to have any interest in it at all, except for that the information on it piqued his interest as a blacksmith.

Seakings have many different builds to them, making some of them edible and some of them not so much. The one staple fact among all these beasts is that when they have bones, they're quality materials to craft with. This one, or what Dev had overheard, not only had bones, but an entire shell of materials ripe for the taking. With the creature aggressive, he could be the first to get in their and reap these rewards all for himself.

Devroux finished off his drink, dropped beli on the counter, and left Teddy's in search of his new pray to sate his smithing desire.

WC: 530
Haki Stamina: 10/10

Equipment:

Doriki:

The mink's first stop was back to his home in the Seventh District. Ever since Sam's untimely demise, Dev had been using Sam's Smithery - the upper portion of it - as his current residence. The income from the new business made it not only less expensive, but a net gain financially. Eventually he'd see how far he could take the business, but for now, he was content while working on his other plans. The shop also meant he didn't have to worry about any cleaning ladies hijacking any of his gear if he left it in the room, which was the reason he'd come back before heading to the Nil District.

With the exception of Yoru, most of his gear would be left here so that he could travel around Baltigo unburdened. It was useful when he was prepared to do something combative, but it'd look awkward walking into Teddy's wearing armor made of leather and chain and weapons on every free portion of his body. Leaving all that here meant the mink could more convincingly blend in with the suits and ties at Teddy's or just be less threatening whilst walking the streets of Baltigo.

Dev slid on his bits of armor, tightening the leather straps to make it fit snugly even while moving. Bart's axe was slotted into a hilt on his hip, Primo slotted on the other side of that, Yoru on his back, and his kiridashi tucked into leather straps on his chest. Dressed to the nines for a fight, the mink was ready to track down the seaking and take back the crafting resources he'd set his mind on.

The Seventh District was a large walk from the Nil District, but luckily for him, he'd made himself armor that allowed him to fly freely without restriction, save for the weight of the gear itself. By walking, it was a hike, but in the sky, it would be a mere few minutes before the mink arrived at his desired destination.

WC: 344
Haki Stamina: 10/10

Equipment:

Doriki:

This was the first time Devroux had returned to the Nil District since his unfortunate, albeit temporary, defeat alongside Noctis at the hands of Clovis Adder. Just as he remembered, the district was built shabby and dirty throughout; the divide between the Nil District and the other districts had been built into an economic choke point, making the other districts richer and slowly strangling the Nil District and all those trying to make a life in it. Over time, this economic divide caused the population to flow in and out, until those that were on the right side of the law generally lived in other districts, those on the wrong side of the law now lived happily in the Nil District.

While the shacks and shanties exemplified the run down nature of the Nil District, the beach was still mostly untouched. It was poorly kept, yet appreciated by the district inhabitants nonetheless - save for the giant seaking now roaming its sands. Devroux descended from his flight, floating to a soft landing on the edge of the town in order to give him ample distance from the beast he had come searching for. Which, although he'd come in search of it, was still an impressive sight to see.


The rumors he had heard made the beast out to be a giant turtle, but it was much greater than that. More than a turtle, it resembled an ancient dinosaur donning a shell of stone both on its back and on its face. It couldn't give Island Goldfish a run for their money, but the giant tortoise - dubbed "Gigantoise" - could still dwarf houses, including the smithery that Devroux now ran. It would offer a great deal of resources.

WC: 306
Haki Stamina: 10/10

Equipment:

Doriki:

As Devroux sat at the edge of town, he carefully spectated the seaking, who was currently laying peacefully across the sand. While the creature would offer a great deal of resources, it wasn't nearly what he'd imagined it to be. The stone-looking plates that armed its back would no doubt make for incredible armors and shields, but by the looks of it, it'd take a decent amount of carving to make it usable to begin with, the rest of the crafting process aside. Although the work that it'd bring may seem tedious, it would no doubt be beneficial in the long run.

However, studying the creature from afar was little to no use. Gigantoise, the seaking, had been residing on this beach for some days now, no doubt having fended off any who had tried to force it away. It was no left alone to relax on the beach alone, offering no useful information for when Dev decided to take on the challenge for himself. With that in mind, there was little he could do aside from diving head first into the quarrel and taking any surprises as they were thrown at him.

Before Dev stepped out onto the sand, he made sure to check that all his gear was in top condition and strapped on the way they were supposed to be. Having the chance to prepare, there was no reason for things to go wrong mid-battle. Once everything was all in order, he took his first step onto the sand and began walking towards the sleeping treasure trove.

WC: 265
Haki Stamina: 10/10

Equipment:

Doriki:

The sleeping creature was totally relaxed in spite of taking its nap in a hostile environment. Devroux was able to stroll towards it until he was within dashing distance, but as if the creature could sense that, the beast raised its massive head. It's long neck stretched out, bringing its face within a few meters of Devroux, letting out a deep breath like that of a car exhaust. The heat coming from its nostrils was immense and the size of its head from this close gave an entirely new perspective of the battle that Dev was about to undergo.

Gigantoise Attributes:

A deep, guttural growl began to eccho from the hallway that was Gigantoise's throat. Rearing its massive head backwards, the beast opened its maw and threw its head back forward, trying to bring its beak down around the mink like a vice. For Devroux, there had to be a few instances of testing his power against the seaking's, as well as the durability of its shell, but tanking a bite like that wasn't going to be the method of doing that. Luckily, the creature's attack was impossibly slow by comparison, making it easy for the mink to dive to the side, rolling away from the attack without harm.

The seaking's beak crashed in to the ground, sending a spray of sand up around it. As this happened, Devroux drew Yoru from his back. Gripping the hilt with both his hand, the mink brought the blade of his weapon down from over his head directly onto the slow-moving seaking's beak, forcing its head further into the sand and making the creature cry out.

WC: 278
Haki Stamina: 10/10

Equipment:

Doriki:

Gigantoise Attributes:

The deep cry that came from the seaking vibrated the sand beneath Dev's feet. Its face still in the sand, the seaking stomped each of its feet against the ground, creating more quakes, and slowly bringing its massive body up from the ground. As its body raised, so did its head, bringing the creature to its full height and dwarfing the mink it was now facing.

The blow that Devroux had dealt to the creature's head struck true and the cry from the seaking only confirmed that. However, as the seaking reared its head once more, no damage could be seen. The cry it had released wasn't one of pain, but one of surprise that he had been struck with such power and such speed, nothing that it had seen from its previous opponents since coming to Baltigo.

Gigantoise brought its head down again, this time using the top, protruding shell of its head in order to attack. In a horizontal swiping motion, the creature brushed over the sand, again sending up another spray of it as its attack neared its target. For Devroux, this was a much safer attack to take than being compressed by its mouth, so in order to test the strength of his opponent, he prepared to tank the attack.

Holding the blade of Yoru vertically next to his body, he braced the tip with one hand and held the hilt firmly with another. Gigantoise's head collided into the side of the blade, forcing most of the strength into the blade rather than Devroux's main body. However, while the damage was mostly dealt to the weapon, the strength required to stay standing was too much for the small mink. Against the giant seaking, the 150 pound mink stood no chance, being cast off several meters to the side and landing roughly against the sand.

He was much more durable than his appearance would show. While the attack looked painful and the landing just as much, Dev was able to stand up and brush himself off with little more than light scrapes. But it was the only attack that he had to willingly take, as now he knew just how tough Gigantoise actually was. As long as he could brace himself with this knowledge, there'd be no way for the seaking to win.

The fight for crafting resources was as good as won.

WC: 401
Haki Stamina: 10/10

Equipment:

Doriki: