Setting Sail [Damn that Jack Sparrow C rank Mission]

It didn't take long for the pair of Kirigakure Kunoichi to make their way to Ota. Their mission was to defend the fisheries from pirates, but it seemed that Ann had had some thoughts on how best to accomplish that. See, defending the fisheries by letting the pirates get there first wasn't really the best option, as that gave them a chance to get what they wanted and leave. However, if they were proactive, and took the initiative, moving the fight to the pirates before they reached the fisheries, then they could effectively eliminate that potential danger of failure.

That led to their current course of action. In order to take a fight to pirates, they would need a ship to get them out on the water.

It was a shame they couldn't get a war vessel from Kirigakure's navy, if they still had a standing one. The entire reason they were doing this mission was because the fleet was stretched thin and couldn't protect the entire island that their village existed on. A war vessel would make short work of some measly pirates, for sure.

That said, almost any ship would work. Kunoichi and Shinobi from the Major Villages were worth more bang than any vessel. Some were so great they could fell a nation single handedly. Even the worst of them was still a military asset that could be better used than a ship.

Indeed the small town of Ota was very close to the village and the pair got there relatively fast. On their way there Ann had managed to convince Arisu that the best was to defend the fisheries was to...well, attack. In a way this was motivated by her wish to sail the seas once again, but it also made at least some strategical sense. Kirigakure no Sato's navy had been stretched thin which meant that these pirates had been roaming around the sea freely and unchecked for a few months now. This most likely meant that the unprofessional sailors had gone lax and probably wouldn't expect an attack. Especially an attack coming from a small village and with a small fishing ship spear heading it.

"That one should do it, don't you think?" Ann asked, pointing towards one of the ships docked on the bay. It wasn't exactly an imposing ship, as it only had a single sail and absolutely no artillery of any kind at all. But it was small and discreet, and those qualities were exactly what the two of them should be looking for in a ship.

Arisu looked to the ship in question and nodded her head. "I believe that will do fine. Pirates aren't super dangerous to a Jounin, especially one with... your specific abilities." She recalled Ann taking a shot from Kyoji without so much as flinching due to the metal she could make. He was the Mizukage now, so being able to tank a shot from a Kage level person was nothing to laugh at.

The ship wasn't anything to look at, but it would function well enough. As long as they could get close, then they could do their jobs. She climbed aboard the 'ship' without too much of a care about who owned it. They could commandeer it as members of the Kirigakure Military. It would be returned, or reimbursed if not.

"How many do you think are likely to be roaming the sea? I'm afraid I don't know much about pirates other than that they are sea bandits." Her time on the sea was basically nothing. She'd been in Kirigakure basically the entire time she had been on this plane. Ota was actually the farthest she'd been from the village, although nobody really knew that about her. "I'm assuming you have more information on the mission than I do. They don't tend to tell genin too much."

Ann nodded at her comment. "Pirates shouldn't be much of a threat to anyone, really. I believe they're basically armed thugs." She made a pause to consider just how many there could be. "Had there been a naval battle recently we could be dealing with hardened soldiers or veterans who deserted their army. Those are really dangerous because they're either extremely experient in naval combat or have great equipment usually stolen from the army they deserted. But since these seas haven't seen a battle recently, we should be fine."

Ann then proceeded towards the ship, waving at a fisherman who was cleaning another ship nearby. She hoped Arisu was following her. "The usual pirate tactic is to scare their prey into giving up without a battle. They usually loot the victims of everything of value and let them go. It's very effective for two reasons: First because if the crew they're boarding know they'll be spared upon surrender, they'll be more open to surrendering. And second because this spares them valuable equipment such as canon shots and weapons which are hard to resupply a pirate ship." Well at least this was true a couple of centuries ago. Ann didn't really know how much had changed, but then again considering Arisu had never left the island, she wouldn't probably contest her assertions. Truth to be told, the two of them made for an adorable clueless duo.

"I suppose then that I am glad that there wasn't a naval battle recently. I don't particularly relish the idea of fighting Kirigakure ex military. At least not quite yet. I've still got plenty of work to do." Arisu shrugged. Pirates weren't dangerous to ninja all that much, but she wouldn't go so far as to say they aren't dangerous to anyone. Thugs and bandits were dangerous enough to people who couldn't defend themselves.

Still, the fact that they avoided violence when possible was nice enough. Scare tactics were probably best, and it was better that people didn't die. Ann seemed to know quite a bit about pirates, which Arisu was plenty okay with. Having an expert on the subject in charge of the mission worked out quite well.

Having entered the ship, Arisu looked out over the open waters and she couldn't help but feel a wave of something inside her. It wasn't quite nostalgia, but it was a close enough feeling. This was a big step for her. Travelling this far from the village, closer and closer to the main lands, and perhaps from there, one day, completing the journey she'd come here for.

ann had to smile as she stepped onto the ship. The vessel was small and light and while that made for a very fast ship it also meant that they would be feeling the waves beneath them at all times. She remembered the first time she entered a ship to patrol the frozen seas of the the Land of Iton- she got so sea sick they had to let her go to shore. With time, things eventually got better and she really did learn to enjoy sailing.

"Alright, are you ready? Here we go!" Ann would say, as she quickly used her steel covered hand to cut through the rope that kept the ship bound to the docks. Then she released the sail and watched in joy as the small white sheet of tissue responded to the wind. Afterwards she began adjusting it. "Arisu will you please take the helm?" she'd ask. For now they'd be sailing away from the port, and then they could decide what to do. The advantage of sailing such a small vessel was that the two of them could probably sail them with no extra help, even if Arisu was inexperienced in such ventures. Or was she? "Have you ever sailed the seas before, Arisu?" Ann would ask casually.

Arisu wasn't quite sure what the phrase "Take the helm" meant. She stared blankly at Ann through her visible eye, not quite following the direction. "Perhaps, to answer your question, I'll ask one of my own. What is the helm?" she asked the Jounin, a small smile appearing on her lips. "No, I can't say I have sailed before. I've been land locked."

Still, the girl was teachable. She wouldn't just stand around doing nothing after she was shown what to do. Some people were like that, but Arisu's lack of experience was simply due to her unfamiliarity. It wasn't that she didn't want to be doing anything. New experiences could be entertaining enough.

"You seem to have some experience in the matter though. Do you enjoy the sea and sailing?" Ann was a bit of a curiosity to Arisu. Her steel and the ice chakra mixture. There were precious few people in the world that had more than 1 kekkai genkai, and Ann seemed to be one of them. She was a special oddity.

Arisu's gaze turned upwards towards the sail, which Ann had unfurled. Ah. So that's how the ship moved. Wind. Interesting.

Ann blinked twice when Arisu asked her what the helm was. Had the term changed since the last time Ann had sailed? It was quite possible, after all it did take her a while to adjust to the changes in language. She'd point at the back of the ship. "See that wooden thing right there? Stand by its left side. If you pull it towards yourself, we turn right. If you push it, we turn left. The harder you push and pull, the harder we turn. If you hold it at the center, we'll go on an absolute straight line. It can be a bit physical, but if I'll switch with you once I've adjusted the sails. Well, sail. I certainly hope this will be a good experience for you, sometimes people get sea si-Whoop!" As she ended her phrase the ship was moved by a wave which hit its right side, and she lost her footing for a second.

"Oops, I forgot. That happens when a wave passes under either of our sides. To leave port, we should sail directly against the waves so the ship's shape will naturally cut into them."

Ann would then focus on finishing up the sail setting by tying a few last knots while listening to Arisu's question. Her words made her feel nostalgic. "Oh yes, I used to often go on sailing patrols back when I lived in the Land of Iron. Although this is my first time sailing such a small ship. Back then we mostly patrolled the seas did whale hunting." The samurai were quick to figure out that having someone who can produce harpoons was quite useful on whale hunts. And a single whale could feed the clan for an entire winter when the land was covered by snow, the crops didn't grow and most animals hibernated.

"Were you born here, Arisu?" Ann would ask, thinking that it was strange that someone who was born on the Land of Water had never sailed before.

"Thank you. I'm afraid I know very little about boats." Arisu said, offering a half smile as she moved to the area she was directed to. Grabbing onto the post, she stood still, getting used to the feeling of the boat moving underneath her. It was just as disorienting as the Water Walking Method could be, if not even more so. At least that way, her body moved along, shifting her feet and was usually more stable in the pools she practiced in. This moved the boat, which moved her, but it just felt off.

The wave hit the side of the boat and had she not been holding onto the Helm, she would have fallen over. She shifted the shaft, pushing it and pulling it as a sort of test to see what sort of effort was required. Less than she'd have thought, but still very difficult on her muscles. Arisu wasn't a particularly strong person, and she'd only recently been getting stronger.

"Whale." Arisu muttered under her breathe. She wasn't quite sure what that was, but if it was being hunted in the depths of the sea, then it probably was some fierce creature. Judging by the name, she would imagine it had some sort of powerful scream that could shatter fleets. A Wail.

Ann asked her whether she was from Kirigakure, and she decided to make a snap judgement. Under Takeo, she had been more or less keeping her identity as an Otsutsuki a secret, but it didn't wholly seem necessary anymore. Living a lie and in hiding wasn't proper for a lady of her station. "No, I am not from here. I've only been in Kirigakure for a few months. The Kaguya are distant relatives of the Otsutsuki, but perhaps the closest I have here, so I've been forming relations with them while I adjust."

Ann took a moment to think. If Arisu wasn't from Kirigakure and had never sailed before, how could she have gotten to the island? It was an intresting question, but she felt she was prying too much already. She repeated Arisu's clan name. "Otsu-tsuki..." and took another moment to think. Truth to be told, she had never heard of them before. Then again Ann had never heard of most modern clans. "It's a pretty name, I like the word 'Tsuki'. But I don't think I've ever heard of it before."

The fact that they were associated with the Kaguya raised a few flags. While they were quite respected around the village, Ann had never actually interacted with one before and she had heard quite a few rumours about the way Kaguya seemed to believe they were above the other clans like a superior race. Arisu seemed nice enough tho, so perhaps the distant relatives of the Kaguya clan weren't as bad as the Kirigakure no Sato nazis.

The ship's sail was blown by a sudden breeze and the ship gained a bit of speed. Slow but steadily they began to move away from the shoreline. Ann was now done tying up the knots. "Would you like me to take the helm?" she'd ask, taking into account that Arisu didn't seem to have a lot of physical strength. Looks could be deceiving however, as Ann herself seemed rather small and fragile at first glance.

"Well, and did your relatives here take you in nicely? I've personally never dealt with the Kaguya before, but people around Kirigakure treat them like royalty."

"The Otsutsuki aren't really from here. We're from.... elsewhere. Different... planet, but not quite the right word?" She pointed up towards the sky. "Some of them are I mean. Like the moon, for instance, is where some are from, but even still, that's not where we come from originally. We travel, although most of us only see our home world and the place we are sent to next."

She stepped away from the Helm, as Ann offered to take it from her. She figured she could tell Ann a little bit more about the Otsutsuki, they weren't really a common knowledge clan. "The Kaguya are descendants of one of the Otsutsuki who settled here. From the stories, that was ages ago, and she brought chakra to this world. That's why the Kaguya are seen so highly. Old ties that have been forgotten, or misremembered, but still highly revered."

Arisu thought of the world, and how it could have been without any Otsutsuki. The thought was foreign to her. What had it been like for the one to first arrive? A world without chakra... "A world without chakra. Could you imagine?" The people here had taken to it well, some even reaching levels of power that rivaled an Otsutsuki's. However, without them bringing it here, that would have been impossible. These people used the power of gods and didn't even realize it. It had become natural to them. Enhanced them. Made them something more than they had once been. Now, the thought of humans without chakra was a strange one, but it hadn't always been that way.

Ann raised an eyebrow, wondering if Arisu was mocking her. She would not have been the first to mock the Yuki for her lack of knowledge, but... Arisu didn't seem like the type, and why would she lie? She also spoke with so naturally that if she was a liar, she had to be masterful one. In the end, Ann chose to believe her. "Are you serious? From another planet? That's amazing." Ann was utterly impressed. It was no wonder Kirigakure no Sato's population treated the Kaguya like royalty...they were royalty.

The thought of thanking Arisu's grandma for her ability to mold chakra made her chuckle a little. "So your family is responsible for bringing chakra into the world... frankly speaking I am not entirely sure that was the best move. But then again, I've seen a world almost without chakra." It was the truth. While the samurai did use chakra, their use of it was very limited, and only a few could actually master its use and apply it to some very simple-but deadly, techniques. "Perhaps one in every ten samurai I grew up with was capable of molding chakra properly. And they all did a fine job murdering each other relentlessly without it. I guess it's human nature." Ann shrugged. It was a dark thought, but by the age of 17 she had already been through countless battles and skirmishes of the samurai clans in the Land of Iron. Looking back, it was difficult to admit that all of that effort and battling had been for nothing.

"Do you think the world would be better of without chakra?"

"You knew people without chakra? That's intriguing." Ann was quite the surprising individual herself, and this came from Arisu who had just revealed she wasn't even from this dimension.

"Perhaps." Arisu said, put in thought by the line of questioning. Humans waged war upon war, formed alliances, and broke them as soon as a new weapon was acquired. She'd heard of conquest after conquest even in just the short time she'd been on the planet. Chakra aided in their ability to move around, to fight, to kill, and wage war. "But Chakra isn't necessarily a tool for destruction. It's capable of many great things. And originally, it was meant to connect people as one, a gift to help humanity share in the glories and wonderment that one-ness and peace could instill."

Perhaps if people used it as intended, and not as a weapon, then peace could truly be had, as intended. One day, she would seek to bring about that peace, but until then, she had to partake in the use of her tools as a weapon. Maybe if it didn't improve, she would seek out a way to take away the chakra that had been misused.

"So. What are the Samurai like, then? You said that many of them can't, or at least don't, use chakra? I'm surprised. Maybe they never decided to weaponize their gift like so many did."

"Well, to be fair I can't say for sure whether they had chakra or not." Ann pondered for a bit. She knew chakra was present in all living things, from plants to animals. It wasn't just shinobi who possessed chakra, even civilians did it. She guessed the difference between shinobi and civillian was close to the difference between shinobi and samurai. "It's more like...they weren't very talented at molding it. That isn't to say they weren't talented in the art of warfare." Ann said the last sentence quite bluntly.

Despite having seen the military of Kirigakure no Sato and even having traveled a bit, she quickly concluded that while shinobi were able to have flashy moves and play with elements, they lacked certain important traits. "Ninjas are quite capable, but I noticed that at least Kirigakure no Sato's army lacks the resolve and steel discipline of the samurai army. Their formations would stand until the very last one of them fell dead. Retreat was very rarely an option and if it did happen it was followed by a swift counter attack. I supposed the lack of chakra related abilities called for a stronger sense of tactics..." Ann was just guessing. While she had plenty of battles alongside her clan she was never much a tactical mind, preferring to always be straightforward and direct. Usually that worked, considering the nature of her abilities.

"Do people wage war with chakra where you come from?" She'd ask.

"Ah. I see." It made perfect sense. People adapted to using chakra as a weapon, so their methods of fighting had become different. The military worked more in small squads of 2 or 3, rather than massive groups or armies. Samurai probably adapted to their lack of chakra control to fight more effectively.

"Ninja seem to have a more hit and run style from what I've seen. Our individual fighting abilities are quite high, able to take large groups alone, although retreat seems to be pretty standard in our tool kits." Arisu shrugged. It would be interesting to see how the Samurai actually fought, but it wasn't super important. Maybe in the future she could try and deal with them, to see how they might be useful if ever she was able to remove chakra from the shinobi. It may be useful to her to have a trained force of fighters who knew how to fight without chakra. Every goddess needed an army.

"We don't often wage war among ourselves. Perhaps the closest we get to it would be with the chosen few sent to a single world. Our full power is restricted, split among several different Otsutsuki, and by taking the powers of another, we can grow closer to a more complete form of our power. I'm sure we could work together, but by nature, nobody wants to willingly give up their own power to assist another in reaching their full potential. Only one can, and that's the highest honor."

She offered a little insight into the Otsutsuki's rinnegan 'curse'. Arisu herself was completely willing to work with other Otsutsuki, but she also knew that taking their abilities was the only real way to establish herself as a full divine being here, and unless someone was willing to give her their abilities, infighting was almost a given. However, she hadn't come across any other Otsutsuki yet, as she was one of the only ones present so far.

"Yes, there are fundamental differences between ninja and samurai. Samurai do not retreat. And yet..." Ann made a pause, narrowing her eyes towards the horizon. There seemed to be something interrupting its line. "...I believe the shinobi way has its worth. It is certainly effective, that is for sure. No samurai army could face some of the things I've seen." While in training Ann wasn't allowed to use neither of her Kekkei Genkai to gain an edge over her opponents so that she could learn to not depend on it. But she was well aware that no samurai armor or sword was a match for her steel and that she would have been easily able to trash several of her training partners with power alone at a very young age.

She then paid close attention to more details about the Otsutsuki family. A Clan which managed to not often wage war was something admirable but... There was a certain melancholy to Arisu's story. A feeling of sadness. "So ultimately, you're destined to fight your brothers and sisters to until only one of you remains alive? That's a bit sad... Is there no other way? What you hope to accomplish with this power, is it worth it?"

A wave rocked the boat slightly, and Arisu found herself working more on keeping her footing than doing anything else. Ann had seen the superiority of Chakra wielders. Arisu knew that chakra was a powerful thing. It was obvious, considering it made people like gods as opposed to just normal people. Most people, even if they couldn't wield chakra, used it subconsciously now. Feats of impossible strength or speed, or endurance, those were all due to the chakra in a person. It amplified.

"We don't necessarily have to kill, no. I'd rather attempt to not kill if possible. My siblings might think it's worth it to kill, but I don't. However, I wouldn't let someone steal my abilities without a fight. Imagine. Someone stealing your abilities. Would you let someone do that to you? To be normal?"

Arisu shrugged slightly. "It's a bit of a curse really. Unification is the goal of most of us, so it naturally puts us at odds."

"Stealing my abilities? Huh, over my dead body. I've worked too hard to be able to make a difference in the world to let that happen." When she placed herself in Arisu's position, Ann could certainly understand how it was inevitable that the Otsutsuki fought each other. She didn't really have a family since she had lost both her parents at an early agr, and so the concept was a bit strange to her but the Yuki was certain she would not hesitate in killing anyone who tried to steal her powers. Ann was the product of two proud clans' Kekkei Genkai come together, and her parents had sacrificed a lot to allow her to go on using those powers.

After they were further away from the shore and the waves calmed down a bit, Ann left the rudder and took a bucket from the ship's small tool shelf. She then leaned towards the water and filled it with water, bringing it back towards the rudder afterwards. She would hold the wood bar in place and then pour the water over it, immediately freezing it. This made it so that neither Ann nor Arisu needed to be holding it for the ship to go straight because the ice was actually holding it in place. "There are important things I need to do, and for that I need my chakra." Ann's goal was clear, but she still needed to perfect her abilities before she could complete it, and that was going to take time.

"Are you afraid your siblings will take your powers? The thought of becoming helpless without chakra surely scares me." And there weren't many things that scared Ann.

Watching what she was doing, Arisu found the process of her freezing the rudder in place to be interesting. Ann knew a lot about sailing. At least, more than she did. The thought to stick the rudder in place never would have occurred to her. Important things she needed to do though? Questions were raised, but Arisu wasn't a particularly pushy person. She could wait a bit to ask about that, and if Ann didn't want to talk about it, she woulnd't push.

Arisu smiled in response to the question. "I suppose they'd have to find me first. There's only 7 of us at most. The odds aren't in their favor. Nor mine. At least until I'm ready and able to publicize myself. Then they'll come on my terms. I've got safe guards in place until then."

"No, I'm not particularly worried. Luckily, I wouldn't lose my chakra, so even if my abilities were stolen, I could get them back so long as I live, assuming I could overpower the one who holds them, stealing them back. That's why killing is suggested. But enough about that. Your goals, what are they?"

"That's a rather smart strategy...oop!" Ahh began climbing the small mast, and being the ninja that she was she reached the top in no time, where she initially struggled to keep balance but was quick to find it. The fact that the ship was so small only made it balance more and more from one side to the other. But for Ann it was like a game, where she pretended she was about to fall and waved her arms around a little, but really was perfectly balanced with both feet on top of the mast.

"Hmm? My goals? Oh, that's simple. I'm bringing peace to my homeland." Ann pointed towards the north. "In that direction, beyond the Land of Lightning and the Land of Frost, lies the Land of Iron. There, clans of samurai have waged war against one another for over half a millennium. But not for much longer. I'm going to conquer the land, and bring peace to its inhabitants. Some have tried before, but none were capable of molding chakra like shinobi do. Yep, that's my goal! But for that I need to get much, much stronger." Ann pondered for a bit, and then chuckled. "I guess I'm not much better than those who use chakra for war hum? What do you think? Well, it is what it is. I have power, and that means I have a responsibility to use it properly." Ann looked determined as she faced the horizon.

Soon the duo would find the pirates they were looking for.

Arisu watched as Ann started to climb the mast so that she could get a better view over the sea, presumably so that she could see any pirates on the horizon. The sea was vast, and mostly flat. It led to reason that they'd be able to see for quite some distance, and more than likely also be seen as well. Ann seemed to be pretty comfortable up there, making a little bit of a game out of balancing on top of the mast.

She explained that her goal was rather similar to Arisu's own, although it seemed to be more or less centered on her own homeland rather than a world view. The Land of Iron, home of the samurai, had been warring for quite some time, and she wanted to bring peace to it, ending the cycle of war. Using her own shinobi training, she had an advantage. Arisu smiled at the thought, and nodded. "No, your truth is different. You want to bring peace, and know that your chakra is the advantage you need. You're not doing it for personal power or gain. Peace is the ultimate goal, and that makes all the difference."

"If you'd like, one day when I'm stronger, I would like to help you achieve your peace. I want to bring the whole world to peace, and end all the violence. Understandably, violence is sometimes the only way to achieve that, so let's do our best to mitigate the amount that it will be required."

"My truth?" Ann pondered for a bit, contemplating the fact that each person could have their own truth. It was a rather entertaining thought if not a scary one even. But Arisu was neither imposing nor intimidating. She was friendly and sensible which made the wordscoming out of their lips much less scary.

"I will gladly take your help, the Land of Iron is large and many times hostile. It would be nice to have company!" She smiled at the thought. The idea of going back home alone scared her a bit, to be honest. She had left there in a hurry, and didn't know what she was going to find once she finally made it back. Things had changed a lot in five centuries, that was clear enough in Kirigakure no Sato. But how much would the samurai nation have changed? Their costumes and traditions? Would Ann's values be outdated and mocked? Thse thoughts haunted her dreams...the thought of being accompanied by Arisu made all the difference.

Still balancing herself on the mast, Ann's eyes searched the horizon, where the sky met the sea. "Hey, I think I see something. Can you see it?" she would point towards a specific direction, where the outline of a medium sized ship could be seen. Could this be what they were searching for?

Ah, good. Ann was willing to let Arisu help her in the conquest of the land. Ann would be an invaluable ally in the future, perhaps one Arisu could rely on time and time again. Besides that, Arisu was a genin, and needed a Jounin mentor, so perhaps Ann would be that for her. She was soon to be up for promotion more than likely, as it was. Not a Jounin of course, but a Chuunin. Still, enough to do things on her own occasionally. With Tsubaki gone, Arisu wasn't quite sure of her allies in Kiri, not able to rely on the Kaguya clan as she would have prior. She would need to work on her politics within the clan some more. A shame, but not too much of a setback. She had time.

As she thought about her future, and her plans to one day ascend towards her true divine providence, Ann pointed off into the distance, spotting something. Arisu turned her gaze off towards the distance and strained to see what Ann was pointing towards. Lifting her headband so that she could use both of her eyes, Arisu managed to spot what she was pointing out. "Perhaps so. Maybe that's our pirate ship." the Otsutsuki would say. They were on a direct course towards the thing. And if it was pirates, there was no doubt they would try to intercept the two Kiri-nin's ship.

Lowering her headband back over her red tinted eye, Arisu smiled. She was looking forward to their mission, if truth was told. She hadn't gone on one that was actually combat oriented, choosing to mainly spend her time teaching in the Academy. This would be a nice test of her skills currently, without too much danger to herself. And out on the water, there weren't a lot of people around to spread information about her fighting style either. This was perfect.

"I think they're definitely pirates." Ann's eye sight wasn't sharp enough to see the ship's flag from such a distance, but she could see they were altering their course in order to intercept the two kunoichi. It's a bit odd that they would stray this far away from the coastline tho, don't you think?" Truth to be told Ann half expected to find the pirate ships much closer to the shore where they could disembark, strike, embark again and repeat a few miles down. But perhaps these pirates were getting smarter? If so they had something to be concerned about.

Regardless, ship battles were generally a slow thing that got faster as time passed. Even tho they could see each other, it would still take some time for the large ship to intercept them. And while Ann was also itching for a fight, it would be unwise to turn their ship directly towards the interception route. They were luring these pirates into a trap- if they got spooked and ran, Ann and Arisu would need to give chase and that could potentially take days depending on the larger ship's speed.

"Would you prefer to come up with a plan or just wing it? We have time." Ann would ask, from the top of the small mast.

"You think... they are definitely? You might as well be sure that they might be." Arisu said wryly, cracking a small jest at Ann's choice of words. However, Ann was correct that they probably were the pirates. "I don't really know the shipping routes that pirates usually use. Or where they usually dock. I'd say they probably don't usually dock their pirate ships too much. I don't know. Pirates aren't my area of expertise."

"I'm also not really good at planning things. I'll follow your lead on this." Arisu said, stretching her arms a little bit, getting ready for whatever they were going to do. She wasn't an incredibly experienced individual just yet. Arisu was by no means dumb, but she also hadn't experienced a lot of things here.

Readjusting her headband, as she hadn't quite got it to where she liked it to usually be, Arisu turned towards Ann. "Are we killing them, or just subduing, by the way?" She was fine with either situation, but needed to know what they were going for.