Well, Desert/Cattle Punk is in the title.
I've been bouncing around ideas in my head of what other settings One Piece could work in, especially since the anime sometimes digs into that Fuedal Japan-era setting every once in awhile, and that's well-liked.
But this is with a totally different cast of characters. Expies would be frowned upon.
I'm pretty sure the concept of Law having limits was a translation error. -WanderlustwarriorI'm assuming you meant Four Emperors.
The Marines are represented by the Military. The Seven Warlords of the Sea are just the Seven Warlords of the Land. The Four Emperors are... still the Four Emperors - really strong pioneers that have conquered most of the Lawless Frontiers and even some of the Unionized Frontiers.
However, as of now, the Warlords and Emperors are off limits, for obvious reasons. Military soldiers are up for grabs, but keep their ranking to Captain/Commander/etc. No Admirals/Vice-Admirals/etc.
I'm pretty sure the concept of Law having limits was a translation error. -Wanderlustwarrior- Name: "The Devil" Bluenote Staglett
- Gender: male
- Age: 26
- Race: human
- Alignment: The Government
- Position: Mercenary / Assassin
- Bounty: none
- Appearance/Attire: And he is not the sort of man you would attach the name of "The Devil" to. He has disorderly and rarely cut blue hair, matching blue eyes and he wears a pink hawaiian shirt with a lot of flowers on it, usually buttoned up. He also wears a neon blue jacket with a print on the back in bold black letters "BE WARY". He always looks tired or otherwise exhausted, and despite his habits, he is actually estrogen brigade bait, being rather tall and muscular. He is always leaning forward. He usually has a very goofy smile on his face. He wears blue jeans and boots which are neon blue.
- Personality: He is a mercenary of incredible caliber, selling his terrifying talents to the highest bidder and usually inflicting huge losses on enemies. He works exclusively, now, with the government. He is rather enthusiastic about it when he has to be. Otherwise, he is altogether a lecherous loser, a lazy bastard and someone who often will just completely underestimate his foes. Despite these personality quirks, he subscribes to a particularly nasty type of justice you might remember affiliated with Rob Lucci. Its unusual in that it only applies if he is sent in and told someone is doing something. But if he directly sees a crime happening, he will get himself involved. Despite the goofy exterior of a drunk idiot, there is a hidden badass side to him.
- Skills: Bluenote ate the Force Force Fruit, or F3 as he calls it. It grants him a very powerful - and blue - Battle Aura. This is actually part of a set of powers involved with barriers. He makes insanely powerful Deflector Shields and he can even spring them at foes with an amazing force. His power can deflect attacks based on the amount of force present. It also oddly acts when released a bit more in that the ground itself is torn up in front of him. The Fruit also has some gravity based powers. His Fruit's main weakness is that if he is not paying attention to an area, then he can be hit there.
- Weapons/Fighting Style: He is rather inexperienced fighting hand to hand, as he expects his powers to do most of the work in a fight. Haki Attacks like Luffy's in the latest chapters can easily wreck him. As such, he has learned Soru to try to keep up.
- Background: He described his background as "A mother and father who were usual in most things, average in all ways, just very poor when it comes to the choice of baby names. Bluenote? Seriously?" He became known as "The Devil" after eating the Force Force Fruit, not knowing what it was, and then unleashing the full power of the Fruit on a gang of bandits attacking his home. He became a government agent soon after, and now, 12 years later, he is rather trusted, though commonly viewed as a lazy wastrel just after his next pay check. Most of the Government agents, though, are careful not to say that to his face.
- Goals: "Profit, dude."
- Miscellaneous: When taking it easy, he tends to speak in Totally Radical lingo. "So just relax and go with the flow, dude..."
edited 10th Oct '11 7:46:26 PM by NickTheSwing
Man... why is everyone up and stealing my ideas (Barrier Barrier fruit). It's not as Game breaking as mousa made it out to be, Nick.
- Name: Tex "Droopy" Mikado
- Gender: Male
- Age: 28
- Race: Giant
- Alignment: Solo, ex-Government.
- Position: Rear-Admiral.
- Appearance: Huge (Not Oars size, normal giant size). Wears a browned grass hat . Wears a loose white dress shirt, cuffs and top two buttons undone, and khaki pants. Hair on arms and legs, with a short haircut that shows some growth (Was military cropped, but is starting to grow wild), bushy eyebrows and a stubble. Wears cowboy boots with spurs. When human or half human size, he wears the same, but buttons up the shirt (He finds it's colder away from the sun).
- Personality: Friendly, open. Has a certain admiration for those in positions of power, but will only respect that position if he thinks they have deserved it. Is not afraid to show people he is really a giant as an intimidation if they're really annoying him.
- Skills: Ate the Human Human Fruit, meaning he can become human size, with giant strength, half human giant, or his natural giant size. Knows Flash Step (Soru).
- Weapons: He is a weapon. If forced into human size, anything that is at hand (Planks of wood, board with a nail in it, glass bottle).
- The guitar he plays has eaten the Canine Canine Fruit Model: Hyena (Or whatever family they belong to), but does not grow to giant size along with him. Can turn itself into a Hyena that plays notes, but isn't oriented for combat (Check Miscellaneous for more details).
- Background: Joined the Military. Did his part in several fights, and took down some notable names. He considers himself retired now after realising the Military was not for him, and prefers now to play his guitar, writing songs and pasing them along.
- Goals: To have his songs passed down through history to become folk songs remembered by all. His contribution from his life.
- Miscellaneous: His guitar only becomes a hyena when he feels lonely or needs company. It can bite people, but doesn't do much damage, and that's about it. Hurting, or attacking it, however, will mean he goes into giant size mode and squash you. While playing, the hyena in the guitar is known to laugh randomly, annoying him. He is not a Musical Assassin.
edited 9th Oct '11 7:02:54 AM by BigDaddyP
Inspirational quote against powerful image of nature.Name: Leon Tilne
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Race: Human
Alignment: Solo/Occasionally joins a few bandits if it suits him
Bounty (if any): 5,000
Appearance/Attire: Leon is a thin tallish man. He has long brown hair and golden eyes. He wears a pair of beige pants that are very torn near the bottom. His shirt is a dull reddish brown with two long rips in the back.
Personality: He's very carefree and adventurous. He likes to be on the move and staying in one town for a long period of time makes him antsy.
Skills: Ate the Hawk-Hawk one day and can now become a hawk and half hawk man. He's good thief as well.
Weapons/Fighting Style: Leon doesn't like to fight and will only do so if there's no other option. He'll try to switch to his half hawk form and use his talons but if he's unable to he has a pair of knives he can use.
Background: Some people who know Leon would say he was born under a wandering star and they wouldn't be wrong. From a young age Leon showed that he wouldn't stay in the village forever. He always explored beyond the boundaries of the village, and one day he simply left with nothing but the clothes on his back. The trip was hard but he eventually made it to the next town where he found a strange fruit. After eating it someone told him that it was a Devil fruit and explained what it did. Leon was more than happy to learn of his new forms and flew out of the town soon after.
Goals: To see the world
edited 9th Oct '11 6:16:32 PM by kingbishop
Oh golly, people.
@Nick The Swing: All's good so far, but can you identify some of the weaknesses of his Devil Fruit? So far it seems a bit overpowered in that his offense is equal to his defense, and it can be pretty much abused to make him a walking wall with no resistance. You don't have to go into very specific details, just enough that I know you can't just, you know, trash an entire community.
@Big Daddy P: Accepted, however, I'm a little skeptical of a giant with soru. It's like a Lightning Bruiser on crack. Would it be alright if we limited soru-use to just his human form? Maybe even his hybrid form? That way we don't have a 100 foot monster zipping around like a flea.
@King Bishop: For cleanliness sake, if you could just fix up the list-style so we don't have a long, ugly line of information for the first half, that'd be great. Otherwise accepted.
I'm assuming Bluenote won't join the main Pioneering Company since he's still a registered military assassin. What about Tex and Leon? Would they join if given the chance?
I'm pretty sure the concept of Law having limits was a translation error. -WanderlustwarriorWorldbuilding ideas:
- A tribe of condor-men that raid abandoned caravans and trade the stuff back to humans. They live on top of mesas in the Dry Sea.
- Snake-men (with legs and arms) who are your standard Spaghetti Western indians. Some are all peace and joy, others are constantly on the warpath. Could be organized into tribes based on species of snake.
I want to avoid grouping entire races into one set category. In One Piece, not all the Fishmen are evil or criminals, for example. So, for let's say, the suggested Condormen, they can be stereotyped into being all conniving thieves, and there might be a significant amount of them that do steal, but not all of them are criminals.
I believe we can have Birdmen and Snakemen, though, with hints of your idea. Birdmen don't interact much with humans, since they live in places humans can't even reach, so the few encounters between them usually end up criminal.
Snakemen interact much more, but they see humans as freaks, and vice-versa. They usually wear hoods or masks to conceal themselves and avoid trouble, but in their own societies, they're very peaceful and ritualistic.
We might just expand on "snakemen" and make it broader - Reptilemen perhaps? Snakemen would have no legs but long, snake-like bodies, while reptilemen are more like fishmen in that they walk on legs but have a reptile complexion. If we agree on this, then it'll be official.
I'm pretty sure the concept of Law having limits was a translation error. -WanderlustwarriorThen the races Reptilemen and Birdmen are added. I'll give a quick summary of their skills/abilities down below, and I'll reference this post in the OP.
- Reptilemen.
- A hybrid between humans and reptiles, this race of people bare most resemblance to the fishmen of One Piece. They have dry, scaly skin that allows them to be exposed to hot weathers for long periods of time, as well as giving them a generally easier time moving through sands. This makes them incredible opponents out in the Dry Sea, and Reptilemen Bandits are globally feared.
- To humans, reptilemen are seen as thuggish beasts. Similarly, reptilemen see the humans in the same manner. However, they interact quite a bit in trades, so a begrudged peace is formed between the two. It's not uncommon for people of opposite races to stay to themselves, going in only to do business, fearful that any action they make may incite violence.
- On average, males can reach up to 10 feet tall, and females 9 feet. However, this size can vary incredibly, from just shy of a foot, to 50 feet. A specific sub-race of reptilemen, called snakemen, exist - their bodies are much, much longer on average, but only because of their tail. Usually, by their common posture, they stand around the same heights of a human.
- Reptilemen are incredibly strong. Like the fishmen of One Piece, they're naturally stronger than humans, and amid the sands, they're even stronger. The individual races of reptilemen can offer all sorts of varied abilities, such as invisibility to hole making, but these abilities are typically universal:
- Vision that cuts through sandy airs.
- Fast mobility through sands, including a swim-like dig.
- Super strength in comparison to humans.
- Rough skin.
- Powerful jaws, long tongues, and sharp claws.
- "Reptileman Karate." It is very difficult to learn, but consists of moving the earth or sand around to fight.
- Birdmen
- A hybrid between humans and birds, the birdmen are a rarer race to find across the Dry Sea. Their colonies are built in places where humans and reptilemen cannot reach, such as mesas and high mountain tops. Because of this lack of interaction, the most often seen birdmen is a thief or criminal, swooping in to steal cargo and supplies. This has given the entire race a bad name, but the birdmen have done little to fix this, as their fragile bodies make face-to-face interaction difficult.
- Humans have two stereotypes for birdmen: a race of shady rogues and criminals, or a race of angelic beauty. For generations, the most encounters humans have had with birdmen involve a crime, as explained earlier. The latter stereotype comes from all sorts of myths, usually by drifters who claim to have seen an angel fly across the sky, but usually only when they're about to die of dehydration. Most don't realize that the angels they're seeing are either a vulture-subrace of birdmen circling a downed prey, or the infamous bandit gang, The Harpies, known for being an all-female group of birdwomen.
- Like reptilemen (and the fishmen of One Piece), they have much diversity in their body structure. For example, the race is fairly evenly split between two main forms: a "floater" group, where the wings grow on their backs but give them access to their arms, and a "flyer" group, where they lack arms but have long wings that give them better flyign capabilities. They also have beak-like noses and some have sharp talons for arms/legs. Their size ranges are equal to that of humans: anywhere between 6 and 8 feet for males and 5 to 7 feet for females. Some races can be extremely tiny, such as a couple inches, which are often mislabeled as fairies.
- Birdmen are fragile creatures by nature. Thus, their fighting abilities are lacking, and hence their "hit-and-run" tactics. Their bones are not as strong as humans and can break easily, and if their wings are damaged, this can totally immobilize them. Like the reptilemen, skills can vary from sub-race to sub-race, such as ear-piercing screams or blade-like talons. Various abilities they have to offer include:
- Flight, as well as impressive balancing.
- Extremely sharp vision.
- Heightened hearing.
- Fast reflexes.
- Sharp beak and talons, or if lacking talons, sharp nails.
Hopefully this gives you a decent insight on the races. As of now, both races can join, but birdmen won't post until they leave the current setting. Birdmen are rarer, and I have a subplot we can get into to move things along involving birdmen. Reptilemen can join right from the start.
I'm pretty sure the concept of Law having limits was a translation error. -WanderlustwarriorIt would make sense... Would you mind passing it through me first in PM? The race is going to be important soon, so I think it might be interesting to see if we can maybe give your character some importance.
I'm pretty sure the concept of Law having limits was a translation error. -WanderlustwarriorWelp, Kingbishop and I have developed something pretty cool. Get pumped.
Double posting because I want to ask, since we're not getting a whole lot of sign-ups, and so far nobody has made a character to initially be in the pioneering company, how would you all feel if I included a character that would act as the "captain" of the group? I ask because it's usually frowned upon for the "GM" (and I use this term a bit loosely) to make an important character, while in other cases it's suggested because it can move the plot along in a direction the GM at least intends it to. I'm in no way saying I include a god-character that controls everything, I'm asking if you would be fine with me including a character that's on the same level as everyone else, but has qualities to move the plot towards and not particularly into a direction I'd like?
I also have a fairly good character in mind.
I'm pretty sure the concept of Law having limits was a translation error. -WanderlustwarriorI laughed hard at 'Lightning Bruiser on crack' for the giant. I know, that was my intention to make a guy with One Piece skills that fits in OP world. But, yeah OK, only in human form or hybrid form. XD Funny.
Heavy, in this sort of RP, a GM being the captain is alright IMO. It works. Also, for world building, how about this for a third (or replacement) race? MOLE PEOPLE.
Since it's just earth and desert everywhere, there should be like an entire subterraenean society which can be used by travellers who wish to avoid the sun up high. However, you either need to pay a toll, or live in the city, or respect the laws, etc (Subject to more ideas). It can be either that the reptile race does this, or a third race.
Ideally, this could be the Reptiles equivalent of Fishman island, except it's much bigger. It would also be the likeliest place to get water (Underground lakes and such), allowing us to really logically say 'There is no natural occuring water above ground, excluding Oasis.' Just a thought.
It is also possible that it is actually just another human society beneath the ground, upplying water... for a price.
EDIT: Tex would join the group for the prospect of getting inspiration for his songs, si yeah you could have him join. Although he will not allow hiself to be classified as a pirate, meaning when they fight marines he'll hide.
edited 11th Oct '11 1:22:32 PM by BigDaddyP
Inspirational quote against powerful image of nature.Then, unless there's someone else who disapproves of me being the captain, I'll go ahead and resume it.
Mole people? Pretty interesting. I had the idea of an underground city run by reptilemen when thinking about a "Fishman Island" equivalent, but we wouldn't reach it very soon. I'd also consider it in the further reaches of the Dry Sea anyway.
But... mole people... They sound more like a Joke Character race. I'm not saying no, because I like the idea, but they seem a little too out there to actually make a main character. I'm kind of seeing them as a race of innocent people that don't have good communication skills between the more "advanced" races. Maybe the mole people are the True Neutral race? They live underground, but are willing to be trade their water-finding skills and other abilities for food and such.
Damn. Mole people.
I'm pretty sure the concept of Law having limits was a translation error. -WanderlustwarriorI'm going on ahead and making the captain. If you guys feel there's any problem, let me know. I reiterate that I don't want anyone to think that I'll be pandering things in her favor anymore than any other players, so basically, I'm letting you guys "accept her" into the RP.
- Name: "Pinball" Cocoa Chiller
- Gender: Female
- Age: 20
- Race: Human
- Alignment: Unnamed Pioneering Company
- Position: Captain
- Bounty: 10,000,000
- Appearance/Attire: A slightly tall girl with a proud posture. Her hair is a chocolaty brown and cut to be no longer than above her shoulders. Typically wears yellow-tinted visor glasses that hide her hazel eyes. Wears a tight blue shirt underneath a tan vest. Tight blue jeans with several chains hanging from her pockets, her pants tucked into brown cowboy boots.
- Personality: Happy and energetic. She enjoys talking to people and has a direct thinking pattern, often finding herself struggling to talk in more educated subjects. She tries to feign genius, but her knowledge in most subjects is lacking. Always enjoys surprises and tends to play games, even during serious moments.
- Skills: A mediocre navigator, in the sense that if you gave her a map and a compass, she can get from one town to the other. Considerably powerful and strong, especially with the help of her Devil Fruit, the Spring-Spring Fruit.
This allows her to form parts of her body into springs, allowing her to bounce herself or others around easily.
- Weapons/Fighting Style: Cocoa's main form of combat consists of her use of the Spring-Spring Fruit. By transforming her legs into springs, she can quickly move around the area as the setting permits, and tends to damage whatever she springs off of, such as walls and floors. She can also transforms her arms into springs, allowing to throw multiple punches in one throw, or one powerful punch to keep the enemy away. She also dons brass knuckles, typically when fighting a sword wielder.
- Background: Cocoa was raised on your classic "dust farm," raised by her father and older brother, founded in the middle of no where. They lived substantially, never selling the few crops they made in the dry areas. Upon realizing why they weren't allowed to live in any Frontier, and at the death of her father, Cocoa and her brother went in different directions to find a new life.
- Goals: To find the City of Gold, but more importantly and immediately, gathering a pioneering company that will have the grandest of adventures.
- Miscellaneous: Currently owns a cheap wagon pulled by her horse, Kneecaps. It can "comfortably" fit a driver and three other people, along with essential cargo. Intends on getting a new wagon at Melody Acres.
edited 12th Oct '11 7:51:42 AM by HeavyDDR
I'm pretty sure the concept of Law having limits was a translation error. -Wanderlustwarrior- Wanted to make a character that was in the caravan. If that doesn't work, I'll change it.
Name: Glint “Root” Maltov
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Race: Human
Alignment: Unnamed Caravan Company
Position: Explorer
Bounty (if any): 0
Appearance/Attire: He has the build of a farmer, broad shoulders, calloused hands, and muscular body. He has a black pony tail that runs down the small of his back, blue eyes, and a chiseled jaw. He stands about 5’ 9”, and wears no shirt, but a red and sand colored poncho, tan work pants, and work boots. On his hip he wears a satchel, which holds all of his seeds.
Personality: Very bouncy. Glint loves to be the center of attention, even when it would harm him. He is very inquisitive, and will ask questions about everything, always wanting to know more. Can very easily get on others nerves. Doesn’t know what to think about himself now that he has devil fruit powers, due to prior experiences with devil fruit users.
Skills: Glint has devoured the Plant-Plant Fruit, giving him the ability to make plants grow incredibly fast without food or water or even dirt. This makes him a very valuable person in places where there is very little water (much like this world). This fruit also gives him the ability to sense other plants. His only weakness is that he can currently only make plants grow that he has touched.
Currently he is keeping his powers a secret, saying that the seeds have powers, instead of having a devil fruit power.
Weapons/Fighting Style: Glint uses his fruit’s ability to grow plants in the best of ways. He keeps a variety of seeds in his side satchel, including vine plants and the various trees of the one piece world. Making a redwood shoot out at your opponent is a pretty effective way to win the fight. If he can avoid a direct confrontation, he will, and set traps by planting seeds in the ground, and then growing them when the foe walks over them.
His fighting style hasn’t fully developed yet, as he only got his devil fruit powers recently. As par with those in the One Piece world, he is stronger and more durable than the average person, as he grew up as a farmer and has taken many tumbles during his explorations.
Background: Glint grew up with his grandfather, following in his footsteps. His grandfather was a farmer, and Glint learned his love of plants from him. His grandfather gave him a book of lost plants, and Glint made it his mission to find these plants and reintroduce them into the environment. So he set off at the age of 17, exploring the various locations mentioned in the book, attempting to find the plants within.
His search found him trapped in a cave with a weird fruit. His grandfather’s book helped him to identify it as a devil fruit, and he wanted to avoid eating it if he could. After exhausting his food supply, he went and ate the Devil Fruit gaining its powers and easily leaving the cave. He’s only has his powers for a little while, and spent that time learning what he can do.
As such, he has joined the caravan in order to travel more easily, and find the plants he is looking for.
Goals: To find all the lost plants, some of which are suspected to be in the city of gold, and help create a world where no one has to go hungry.
edited 15th Oct '11 9:53:41 AM by SimpleSAI

So, I finally got around to making this. This is my first RP I'm making here, but definitely not the very first I've created. From what I've seen on the TV Tropes Forum, I don't need to go over all the basic rules. Let's jump right into this, and please read everything. The world of One Piece is a big thing to cover, much less interpret into an entirely different setting, so there are likely flaws in this writing. If anything pops up, please bring it up so I can correct/clarify it.
The Dry Sea. When the sun is high, it's a hell of fire and sand. When the moon appears, a freezing wind washes over it. This land, an infinite stretch of desert, is infamous for destroying thousands of pioneers' dreams. The Dry Sea is what separates the 1500 Unionized Colonies and the 250 Stray or "Lawless" Colonies, between them, miles and miles of dangerous terrain that hide monsters, bandits, and secrets - sometimes, even treasure.
But this hasn't stopped millions around the world to go and venture. Ever since the legendary pioneer Christopher Meriweather returned from his adventures and reported a City of Gold, an era of questing and discovering has begun. Before Meriweather was killed for refusing to lead the Unionized Government to the treasures he found, he left these dying words for all to hear: "Ya' wanna know where the City of Gold is? I'll tell you! It lies at the very end of the Unknown Frontier! But that's all you'll get out of me!"
From every corner of the world, men leave their hometowns to travel past the Dry Sea, in pursuit of a dream greater than they've ever before imagined: The City of Gold!
But the Unionized Government doesn't approve of this sudden surge of unapproved pioneering, afraid that more "lawless" colonies will be found, and with this burst of traveling comes an uprising of bandits and criminals. This fantastic world has become sick with corruption, but this illness has been around a lot longer than even Meriweather's days...
It's the world of One Piece, but replace all that water with sand and dirt. A majority of the world is uninhabitable, and water is even more of a vital resource. Most colonies are founded on Highlands, where the storms don't seem to reach and the climate is bearable, sometimes even magnificent. As said earlier, there are 1500 colonies that are under the command of the Unionized Government, which acts as the higher level of power in the world. There are 250 colonies that are not part of the government, instead opting to be self-run: most of these are outlaw paradises, while others are hiding dark secrets from the government.
All the Devil Fruits you know and love from the series are open to be taken, but they work a little bit different here. Users can keep their ability to swim, but if they become dehydrated, their powers weaken, so, along with the usual effects, they begin to lose the powers that make them so dangerous.
However, there are some rules to follow in terms of the unique things One Piece has to offer...
Now, your character sheet.
To see details on reptilemen and birdmen, address post 18 on this same page.
Our starting location: Unionized Melody Acres, situated in the Orange Frontier. Known for being a safe, often festive town that gets many travelers. A railroad runs through the area, along with a couple smaller railroads that act as a transportation system throughout the colony.
The peace this place flourishes on is about to be disrupted, however, as a small Pioneering Company blows into town, searching for new recruits. People laugh at their unlikeliness to succeed in finding the famed City of Gold, but the government takes it as a serious offense. Soon, a battle will be at hand, and this tiny bunch of odd characters will show to be more powerful than what anyone expected.
Questions, comments, sign ups, interests, and anything else go below. Thank you for reading all of this, and I hope this turns into a really fun role play. We currently need at least three people to be part of the Pioneering Company that will later recruit the others. Your character can be part of this company, be a traveler in the town, have always lived in the town, or be of any other organization, such as a government officer or bounty hunter. Also, keep in mind what kind of characters have joined so far so that we can keep a diverse group.
Let's have some fun, guys.
edited 10th Oct '11 12:17:56 PM by HeavyDDR
I'm pretty sure the concept of Law having limits was a translation error. -Wanderlustwarrior