lucetilocked | [locked to residents;]

[locked to residents;]

[This transmission is voiced with a written transcript appearing just moments later. Because he's so nice like that.]

Evening, Luceti--your friendly, neighborhood Iron Man here. For anyone who's tried studying the Malnosso droids, I'd like to have a word with you. As most of you know, when those suckers track you down to kidnap you, they're virtually unstoppable. But the Mallies made a point to volunteers for one of their upcoming missions that the droids were not to be studied--makes me wonder if that means they know somebody has. Might have gone and upset them--but that's not the point. I don't want to hear about your paper towel tube projects, but if you really know something about those droids because you've studied them, we need to talk.

[Short 'n' sweet. He's not giving out any of his own information on this subject without getting some first. Better make it worth his time!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I can't say. If he or she wants to talk to you, she'll find a way, but if they don't know his or her involvement, it's sure as hell not my place to endanger it.

[So he'll only discuss his involvement and why he's pretty sure at least some of the malnosso know that their robots got a good look inside.]

Fair enough. [And he can respect that. He's not about to throw out Shikamaru's name.]

So--why do you think the Malnosso got tipped off, then?

One of the other people involved got kidnapped pretty soon after that and they experimented on him until he came back with a high level of... I'm not sure what your world might call it, but ours calls it "haki." It's like channeled ambition or energy or spirit, I guess "chi" is another word for it, that lets you do certain things in my world. Most people who get kidnapped just have something strange done to them, right? Like being turned into a kid or a baby. Things that are like a shift.

I got taken for a month and they didn't do anything except torture to find out my regeneration and haki levels. Something like a thousandfold payback for the droid.

When they first came to get the nakama of my friend, it seemed like it wasn't tuned for dealing with people with my type of power. When they came in a swarm, they nearly shut down my power mid-flight. [Points to the barcode on his neck.] For a while I thought they didn't know it was me. Until I got taken that is. I'm not sure if they know who, but I'm absolutely certain they know that someone at least tried and they probably suspect we got pretty far.

I could be reading too much into it, but even marines in my world wouldn't go that far for a pirate. And marines go out of their way to torture pirates.

I don't think there's 'reading too much into it' when it comes to the Malnosso. They're too careful for something like that to just be a coincidence. But why pick you to kidnap? Why not your friend who actually tore into the thing? Seems like it'd be easy enough for them to kidnap them and wipe their memory if they really knew what happened.

[That, or the Malnosso just don't think the residents having this knowledge is any kind of threat. Which is more disconcerting.]

Because it wasn't a memory wipe, just a punishment. Revenge is sort of a... trademark of my family. It was just that. Speaking my language back to me to make a point.

[Rolls his shoulders.] The person who got a good look goes on a lot of missions, but while we were flying they had to toss the head so I didn't crash when the power draining started happening. So maybe the Malnosso figured the person didn't get anything useful, or they just don't care so long as that person keeps being useful. Since it's likely they'd sign up for the next mission though... [A sigh.]

They didn't ask me any questions about it during all of that though, so it's possible they thought it was just me and the friend from my world. They seemed to have my barcode down, and that's probably how they tracked and targeted me later, but maybe not the other person. When I fly, you wouldn't see me carrying a rider.

Tell your friend to make sure they keep their worth to the Malnosso, then.

[But whoever it is--if they're smart enough to study the droids, they can probable figure that out for themselves.

But there's one detail nagging at him.]

...You fly?

I'm a phoenix.

It's a dual-species thing, long story. [Switches one arm into a fiery blue wing.] Looking up from the ground you'd mostly see blue, flames, and sparkles. [Yes... sparkles. ANYWAY.] Though usually it's hard to spot against clear blue skies anyway, eh? [If he wants to make it that way. The tail is a total giveaway otherwise, since it's bright yellow and ridiculous like a peacock's.]

[...Sigh. He wishes he wasn't as used to seeing this kind of thing as he is. Damn Luceti and its magic.]

...Ah. Well, sure, I can see how that'd be quite the advantage. The Malnosso haven't tried to kidnap you again since, have they?

They only returned me about a month ago.

If anything they'd probably try to take my brother...

[Which he does not look pleased about.]

...Well, damn. If the cat's out the bag, I'm working with less than I even thought. If they think we know something, they aren't going to keep it that way for long.

[He can just see it now. New droids.]

[Marco's eyes just widen. The implications just clicked.]

I want to say that's impossible... [Mumbling to himself. They couldn't... could they?] But...

[A gulp.]

Ahhhh... devil fruits can't be duplicated... that's one of the only laws of physics you can count on in the New World. [Although effects might overlap between two different ones.] If... no. I mean... [Side glance.] They can't create self-repairing robots the way phoenix flames work... [RIGHT?] That's just... [Rubs the back of his neck. Oops. Of course he's also thinking if the Malnosso could do that then the marines in his own world and Vegapunk might try to duplicate it.] Tell me it's impossible.

[Tony just gives him a skeptical, almost sorry look.]

After all the hoo-ha I've run into here? I'm pretty damn close to saying nothing's impossible.

Then... worrying about whether they can be examined might really become moot. If they make the droids able to do what can do what I can... [Shakes his head.]

By the time people dogpiled enough damage on them... it'd revert back. Like there was never anything there.

...Don't let yourself get too carried away with the idea. The Malnosso could have taken you out of revenge--just like you said. Either way, there's no way of knowing anything until we see a new droid show up.

[He thinks it's only a matter of time, though.]

[Nods.]

I guess it was just a matter of time before they caught on to our tendency to fight back...

Mah, but there are people stronger than me here. So if they start giving the droids that... I wonder if that would make them susceptible to the barrier as well though.

Not a bad theory. But I'm sure the Malnosso wouldn't want that, so we can probably count on them finding some kind of work-around if that happens.

[He's just trying to be realistic.]

If they do, then that's a weak point we could use against them. Maybe to bring to the whole barrier down.

Possibly. If that's really the best idea.

[He feels the jury is still out on that one.]

Why wouldn't it be? More freedom.

Potentially. Or rampant chaos and destruction, depending on who you ask.

Meaning if you asked the Malnosso?

Villagers, too. Call me crazy, but there sure is a chance that that magical wall is actually protecting us from something.

What, like the ahhh "Third Party" or whatever? I think without the barrier, we could still take them.

[Pauses, because yeah there are a bunch of kids in Luceti, but he's pretty sure everyone could defend them if they banded together.]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action] 1/2

[Action]

[Action]

[Action] 1/2

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]