8,707A/N: Big RIP. Some FFN users are still seeing duplicate chapters/reviewing that there are missing chapters. Big sad. I wish this site would get its life together.
Chapter 47
Hmm. Decisions decisions.
Been a moment since I earned a mystery box.
The Reject Dial is cool. A supposed 10x multiplier on a traditional Impact. With me already having the Rokuōgan in my toolbelt though, it does seem a minor bit superfluous. I just don't think I'd get as much use out of it as I once could have. Plus, I'd probably just end up breaking the thing like I did with its more common cousin.
Moving my eyes to 'Option B', my contemplative expression continues to furrow. The 'Hero Water' of Alabasta. Also known as 'Fatal Fuel' in one of the goofy English dubs. An item that was mentioned only once in canon. Introduced just so four Alabastan Royal Guards could act as jobbers against the Logia I just slew.
Funny that they would have had more success by splashing it at Crocodile rather than drinking it themselves. I normally enjoy the story trope of elite warriors showing up just to die five minutes later but that pack of buffoons were extra dumb.
Big muscles against a man made of sand. Who could have possibly foreseen that wouldn't work?
…temporarily multiplying the user's STR threefold! However, as a cost, the drinker's VIT will steadily decrease by 500 over the course of five minutes. Affected stats will return to normal after approximately one hour.
So, what is that? 5,000 HP to survive it under normal conditions? Well jeez. No wonder those brain dead schmucks kicked the bucket. Your stats can't exactly return to normal if your HP is in the negatives.
Maybe I'm being a little too harsh on those boys. They were staunch and loyal allies of Vivi who died for their country after all. Their heart was in the right place, even if that shouldn't have been the organ they were thinking with.
Well whatever. I think I'll pass on this too. I may have the raw VIT to actually withstand it, but it's generally better to go with permanent gains over one-time consumables. Stay the course. 'Option C'.
Besides, on top of the usual very small bonus to INT and WIS that it grants, there's some text here referencing some kind of 'Set Bonus' for completion.
Gotta find out what that's about.
Ding!
You have unlocked all remaining letters for the lost language!
Congratulations! Your understanding of the Ancient Language is now complete!
An additional [Reward] has been granted!
User will now receive an alert whenever he is within 10 square miles of an unread Poneglyph!
INT (500) → (504)
WIS: (272) → (276)
I let my eyes skim over the words a second time. Huh. Well…I'm not sure how relevant that new ability is ever going to be, but I suppose it's kind of neat. Reminds me of those games where the playable character has a little treasure detector that pops up when he's close to something.
I certainly won't say 'no' to a notification like that. I'll happily hunt down Void Century secrets all day.
Obviously once I have some spare time that is.
"Your healing ability is better than your file describes." A scratchy voice pierces the eventide air, getting me to tilt my head down with a soft chuckle.
"...my file?" I turn a lip up in good humor. "Have you been reading up on me, Vice-Admiral?"
"Not by choice." An Ensign gently places the direct line to Tsuru in front of me. A pink Den-Den-Mushi whose skin has almost as many wrinkles as the woman speaking through it. "Between Crocodile's activities in Alabasta, Teach's betrayal, and the other problems we've had in maintaining a stable roster in recent months, it's been determined that each Warlord should have a Vice-Admiral assigned to act as a sort of case officer. A subject-matter expert to be familiar with each Shichibukai's personal history."
"...my sympathies to whatever poor soul has to deal with the others." I spoke lightly, trying for a small joke. "Kong mentioned that CP4 had built a file on me. Egg on my face I suppose for not realizing it was so thorough. Tell me," My tone turns a touch inquisitive. "What does it say on the subject?"
"Not much." The woman chuffs. "You spent an afternoon in a Marine infirmary in the South Blue Kingdom of Caeba. Some incident involving a corrupt Lieutenant. The Medical staff on duty noted that you had fully recovered within a few hours." I can almost picture the woman sitting in front of me as she speaks. A desk far too big for her small frame. Her hands folded under her chin as she thinks. "Obviously you've either somehow found a way to improve that gift or those physicians should be shot for not paying attention. Seeing as how I answered one of yours, perhaps you'd indulge one of mine. Are you perhaps 'storing' the injuries for later? Planning on healing properly in private when no one's around?"
"Heh. That'd be a neat trick." I snort in humor at her reasoning. What is it with all these sharp women I keep meeting lately? "Let's just call it a little tinkering with 'Biofeedback' and leave it at that. I've heard rumor that some of those CP9 boogeymen the Government has on payroll can do something similar. Maybe you can go ask them about it?"
Off in the distance I can see the body of Vice-Admiral Lonz slowly being carted towards the shore. It took hundreds of men and a dozen of those big 'horned bullfrogs' to get his body onto the oversized wooden sled and start dragging it along.
Still no idea where they got the sled.
"How many?" I eventually ask.
The Vice-Admiral hums. A thin feigning of ignorance. "How many what?"
"You know what I mean." I sigh out. "I didn't personally spot any civilians during the fight, but that was a significant amount of property damage. From all parties involved. I'm sure there had to be someone. A person hiding in their closet or maybe sheltering inside a basement when the foundations turned to sand. There has to be at least one unintended casualty. So I'm asking how many."
There's a pause from Tsuru on the other end. "...it's still early. These things always take some time to get a full accounting. Do you really want to know the number?"
A laugh devoid of humor escapes me. "No…I guess not really." Another chuckle, this one more self-deprecating. "Y'know I must be turning into a real 'son-of-a-bitch' if my first thought was 'it couldn't be helped.' Not when fighting a man like Crocodile in the confines of a city." I tilt my head towards the snail. "Can I ask why you never just executed him? Surely he and many other prisoners in Impel Down deserved the guillotine?"
"A Devil Fruit in prison is a Devil Fruit we can track." She replies plainly. "Zoan's are relatively manageable, but Logia Fruits - and to a lesser extent Paramecias - spread vast amounts of chaos wherever they reemerge unchecked into the world. The Sand-Sand Fruit is out there again and while we will do our best to be the ones who locate it, in all likelihood it will find its way into someone else's hands first."
I hum. "I don't know if I agree with that position." I stand up, stretching my arms out. "But I suppose I can understand it."
"Congratulations, by the way." The woman's voice says as a final note. "I've been instructed to inform you that with this, you can consider your probationary period to be over. You are now a fully recognized member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"Ooo, how fancy." I remark dully. "Does that actually change anything?"
This time it's the grandmother's turn to let out a quiet dusty chuckle. "No, not really."
Across the way, a bandaged Hototogisu emerges from a lower stairwell. Although one arm now resides in a sling and there's a slight hitch in the movement of her left side, it seems overall she'll manage to be fine with a little time.
Even without a bonkers healing factor like mine, One Piece biology still do be crazy.
"Well, I think that's off for me then. I'm sure you'll want a proper debriefing now that your subordinate is up again." I offer a small two-finger salute, even though I know logically the woman can't actually see me. "Until next time, Vice-Admiral."
"We'll be in touch…Mr. Sparrow."
Not long later, Somewhere over the Grand Line
~Do de do~
~Do de do~
~Points to spend~
~Do de do~
First things first. Let's get that WIS score aaaalll the way up to its 500 [Perk]. Then we're gonna bring DEX to 1,000 just in case I was totally wrong about my musings the other day. 'Trust but verify' and all that. After that it's gotta be…hmm…a little cleaning up of INT to a nice pleasing number again and then we'll say…100 points into VIT.
Yeah. That looks good. As for the rest, we'll just save it for later.
Always good to have just a little stockpiled for emergencies. A rainy day fund, y'know?
Points to spend (545) → (80)
VIT (750) → (850)
DEX (905) → (1,000)
INT (504) → (550)
WIS (276) → (500)
Max Health (15,000) → (17,000)
Congratulations! You have reached 500 in WIS!
[Path of Discovery: Self, Part II]
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Luckily for you, your first step was quite some time ago. At the first tier of this [Perk] you gained an intrinsic mastery over your own body, putting its frenetic and maladroit energies into harmony. Now it is time to turn that power outward. Let the world and its turbulent peoples gasp in speechless awe. For a man has journeyed far in his sovereignty of self and now wields two authorities within his hands. One of a comforting protector and the other of terrible destruction.
Wait for it…
The first time I got a WIS [Perk] it was weird and cryptic too.
Just gotta wait for it…
A few more seconds…
Ding!
Additional abilities have been unlocked!
-You may now invigorate allies by placing your hand upon them and replenishing their stamina at the cost of your own. Note: While this fills them with energy, it does not actually heal wounds.
-You may now supercharge attacks by temporarily sacrificing portions of your physical stats to empower them. Penalties to STR, VIT, and DEX will not last longer than one half hour.
-You have discovered Martial Art: Hasshoken.
-The strength of your [Rokuōgan] has increased. Damage from technique is now equal to 2.5x [STR + VIT + DEX + INT + WIS]
Well the first thing I have to say is-
Ding!
Martial Art: Hasshoken has been combined with Martial Art: Tekkai Kenpo!
[Skill] Unarmed Combat has been updated!
Skill: Unarmed Combat (Hassho-Tekken) Lv. (27/50)
-A mixture of instinctive fighting knowledge using your bare hands, the Rokushiki technique: [Tekkai, and the Hasshoken martial style.
Note: At current [Skill] level, the strength of your [Tekkai] while in motion is reduced to 54% effectiveness.
Note 2: At current [Skill] level, your DEX will be reduced by 46% while attempting to move with [Tekkai] sustained.
Note 3: At current [Skill] level, basic attacks have the option to deal an additional 81% as 'vibrational damage'. This bonus damage bypasses conventional protections and cannot be reduced by traditional resistances.
Okay, scratch the first thought, let's focus on this for a second.
I remember Hasshoken. It was the exclusive Martial Art used by Don Chinjao and his two grandsons during the Dressrosa arc. If I'm recalling its details correctly, the fighting style was all about shockwaves. Unblockable, invisible shockwaves that come from having full control over the 'vibrations' of the body.
And while I have many exciting avenues I'd want to explore off of that…the first thing I really would like answered is this.
'How the fuck does "that" combine with Tekkai Kenpo?'
The two Martial-styles are on completely opposite principles.
One is about rigidity. The other fluidity. One is about focusing strength on your own internals, while the other is about wreaking havoc on your opponents.
There's no way it should work. It doesn't make sense.
And yet…I can already imagine how it does.
Through the power of 'anime horseshit'...it just does.
A small bubbling laughter begins to build in my throat that soon builds into a full-blown guffaw.
It just fucking works!
Holy shit, no wonder my Rokuōgan gets an upgrade from this! It's like every punch, jab, and kick is now miniature Impact Dial all on its own!
Screw it. I was considering using those two Lv. 3 [Skill Disk's] I just earned from killing the Croc on something like [Bullet Time, but I want to see this improved instead.
Stand the fuck aside 'Fishman Karate'. Get one step further back in line 'Okama Kenpo' and other inferior fighting styles.
There's a new contender in play for the Martial Arts crown.
Skill Lv Up! Unarmed Combat (Hassho-Tekken) Lv (27/50) → (33/50)
-A mixture of instinctive fighting knowledge using your bare hands, the Rokushiki technique: [Tekkai, and the Hasshoken martial style.
Note: At current [Skill] level, the strength of your [Tekkai] while in motion is reduced to 66% effectiveness.
Note 2: At current [Skill] level, your DEX will be reduced by 34% while attempting to move with [Tekkai] sustained.
Note 3: At current [Skill] level, basic attacks have the option to deal an additional 99% as 'vibrational damage'. This bonus damage bypasses conventional protections and cannot be reduced by traditional resistances.
Aw man.
Today was a good day.
Shame about that 1,000 in DEX not working out, but still. A good day.
I wonder what insights this will provide into emission-style Haki?
A Certain Marine Base, The Grand Line
The worst part of Mori's new job was without a doubt…updating the 'board'.
Yes, the physical training each day was grueling. But on some level he enjoyed that. He may have been getting his ass kicked six ways to Sunday by those 'wild card commandos', but none of it came from a place of maliciousness. Every time they'd knock him teeth first into the dirt there'd be equal parts laughing at his expense and congratulations on him getting a little better.
Things like this though…this was his actual job.
Unlike many of the men and women he saw each day, Mori was not a true member of SWORD. The Navy did not have his resignation pre-prepared on file. His rank was not theoretically capped at Rear Admiral for plausible deniability purposes. He did not go on undercover or secret hyper-dangerous missions in service of the Marines.
He was a secretary. A liaison between headquarters and here. Someone to help handle the paperwork that would otherwise bog down a normal SWORD member's time. Someone to keep HQ abreast of what SWORD was doing. Who they were targeting. Who was being sent where.
Not that Marineford could actually do anything about it if they disagreed but…Mori supposed that was just the nature of the unit.
SWORD had complete operational independence. Free to start or end conflicts with whomever they deemed necessary. All they were asked in exchange was to - at least most of the time - inform the higher ups of what they were doing.
A professional courtesy type of thing.
The letters he didn't mind. Preparing briefing packets he didn't mind.
But the 'board'...always managed to put a hopeless feeling in his gut.
The first thing to understand is that the name was a complete misnomer. It wasn't some rectangle of cork hanging on the wall in an office room. The 'board' was a room. It stretched from one wall to the next to the one after that. Its edges touched the floor. A stool was needed to reach the parts that tickled the ceiling.
A massive drawing of Paradise and the New World as they understood it.
In other words, a vast mural of The Grand Line.
The remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates were hemorrhaging territory every day. Another island here or there scooped up by Big Mom or someone else. Scores of independent pirate crews were now flocking to the banner of Marshall D. Teach. It was all here. Hundreds of brown wanted posters and notices of Marine fleet movements. All updated every day by the latest intelligence sent by Marineford or from unclassified Cipher Pol reports.
Back when he was a simple Chief at the 4-0-1 in South Blue, he'd never had such a…'zoomed out' view to look at before. All he had to worry about was his own little corner of his home ocean.
He'd never known just how badly the Marines were outgunned in this part of the world.
How were they possibly supposed to fight all this? What path could there even be to winning?
His feet stop in front of a certain picture and he rechecks his report to make sure it's the right one.
'Dark humorist' Delacuaji. Bounty: 206,730,000. One of the 43 allied pirate captains who fought on Whitebeard's side in the Paramount War.
Normally it'd be considered good news around here to take down a poster like this one. To announce that - this small threat at least - was finally taken care of.
Only, going by the report in his hand, he needs to put a photo of a new player right in the same spot.
A grainy photograph of a hulking figure wielding a naginata. A man who, by himself, took on Delacuaji and his 86 man crew and routed them to their last.
Edward Weevil. A supposed 'true son' of Whitebeard if the paper before his eyes was to be believed.
Where had he come from? How did he just pop up from nowhere? How was he strong enough to take on an entire crew of New World pirates alone?
Mori didn't know. He imagined the boys at Marineford didn't know either. Hence the complete lack of a bounty or even clear picture on the man.
Another sheet is flipped over. An update on the 47th Battle Group, led by none other than Rear Admiral Yukimura, the man who recruited him for this very post. His eyes scan the words…and a bone-weary sigh looses from his gut.
Fleet run afoul by forces belonging to Red-Haired Shanks. Thirteen ships lost. Remaining seven limping to G-12 to dock and recover. 'Slayer of a Thousand Men' Yukimura…lost at sea.
With tired eyes that were low on sleep he went to the next sheet in his stack…and a tiny smile did manage to crack over his lips.
Slow steps back to the other side of the room. Outside the New World, past the Redline, back in Paradise where things were a little less hopeless.
With gentle hands, he stepped up on his stool and delicately unpinned the poster of Sir Crocodile for later disposal. At the ex-Shichibukai's location, a little figure of a Sparrow hung on the wall. Probably placed there earlier by one of the other five secretaries whom Mori shared his workload with.
Yes…Mori didn't much like updating the 'board'.
But he supposed it did have its moments.
Two Days Later, The edge of Paradise
'Well that's annoying.'
Both the Vivre Card and my Compass confirm it. The correct direction of Giberson's kidnapped grandson from this point forward…is down.
Which means whatever ship he's being held on is currently passing underneath the Red Line. Possibly traversing through the territory of Fishman Isle at this very minute.
Assuming they survive, then my best recourse is probably flying over the continental wall and then ambushing them when they come up on the other side.
And I do believe that they'll make it. As a once upon a time reader of the One Piece series, I have always stood by the belief that the unseen NPC's of this world do not experience nearly as much insanity in their journeying from place to place as the Straw Hats do.
If every ship that passes under had to go through the same level of trials as The Thousand Sunny then this land simply wouldn't function.
My feet touch down on the stone battlements of Red Port, the last Governmental base on this half of The Grand Line, and the nearest two officers scramble to greet me in a panic.
Our visit here is, after all, unscheduled.
The first, a man in dark sunglasses and a Marine cap that has flaps covering his ears, snaps to attention. "Mr- that is- um- Lord Sparrow sir! We weren't notified of your visit! How can we assist you?"
"Do you require an escort to Vice-Admiral Momonga sir?" The second, a portly man with sallow skin asks, his posture unsure if he's supposed to salute or not. "He is currently the ranking officer here at Red Port sir!"
'Ah. I'd forgotten about this.' High ranking Marines obviously don't care. They're more likely to curse a Warlord out then offer any deference or respect. But for those on the opposite end of the political totem pole...well, let's put it this way. In the scene where Kuma and Doflamingo were introduced in the anime, the "-sama" suffix was used when referring to them and that's probably enough to give you the gist of how the 'Royal Shichibukai' can be regarded.
The fact that I'm not actually a pirate also probably helps.
"Stand down boys." I try to hold back the amused smile as I pack my glider away. "Or wait, what's the phrase? 'At-ease'? Whatever. You can honestly just call me Jack." A brief glance at their titles tells me their name and rank, but it's always polite to actually ask. "How about you just introduce yourselves?"
"Lieutenant Zotto sir! Requisitions and supplies specialist!" The first stamps out, nervous bullets of sweat gathering on his skin.
"Lieutenant Junior Grade Stalker!" The shorter one jumps in right after. "I work in gunnery and weapons maintenance sir!"
"Stalker?" I ask with some amusement, looking at his sickly complexion and the dark rings around the eyes. "That's an unfortunate name for a man to have." I try to break the ice with a quick quip but it only seems to make the junior officer slump in depression. Whoops. Guess I totally failed at building rapport there. Best to just push past it. "As for you, Lt. Zotto," I switch to the taller man. "I think you might just be the man I need. Please take me…to your pantry."
"P-pantry, sir?"
"I'm running low on supplies." I speak matter-of-factly, taking off my coat and folding it over an arm. "Need to stock up again. Barrels of water. Dried meats. You got any oranges? I like a nice orange in the morning sometimes." My feet begin to carry me inland and the two men rush in a half-panic to flank me on either side, forced into the role of chaperones until we come across someone more important. "I figure as I'm officially affiliated with the World Government now, you wouldn't object too much if I used your base to resupply a little. No big deal right? Just enough to last one man a few weeks? I'm sure you all can spare it."
Zotto begins to stammer. Little half-statements of 'it should be fine', 'of course sir', and other things typical for a middle-management type who's suddenly way out of his depth.
Meanwhile, I use this opportunity to take a long in-depth look at this 'Red Port' place. Somewhere we only saw a birds-eye view of in the manga.
Similar to the Sabaody Archipelago, its ground is not that of a true natural island but rather the extended plant growth of 'Yarukiman Mangroves'. Herculean sea-floating trees whose secretions cause large bubbles to waft off from its greenery.
The major difference being that while Sabaody consisted of 79 of those colossal village-sized groves, Red Port is in fact only two. Making it quite literally only about one-fortieth the size.
Could probably do laps around the thing as part of a morning run if you wanted to.
At the back of the seaport stands the impenetrable edifice that is One Piece's Red Line. A ringlike continent 10,000 meters high that wraps around the whole of the world, helping split the oceans into their respective Blue's. To the normal non-glider equipped persons of the world there exist only two ways of getting past it. Either by going down into the dark abyss where there exists a gap along the seafloor…or by riding one of the 'bubble gondolas' up to the top and going over.
In other words…by passing through Mariejois.
Being so close to the Capital of the World for a moment, I can't help but pause and…consider things.
Lindbergh's words to me on the events of 'God Valley' have still left me confused on how to think of the Five Elders. I know the story I heard likely had biases inserted into it, but could they really be as cartoonishly depraved as the oversized children whom they oversee? For so long I've been thinking of them as better than that.
Then, going outside Lindbergh's story for a moment, how does the Imu character factor into all of this? He's a figure that I know almost nothing about. All I ever saw was a few panels of his silhouette before my untimely entrance to this world.
Damn it. I wish I had seen whatever transition chapters occurred after Wano's final page. Those little mini-arcs were always when Oda did his best lore drops. I don't like being this much in the dark of what's really going on at the top…
...
...
But there's nothing we can do about it for now though. We can consider options of pulling a second - and far more thorough - 'Fisher Tiger' when we've got another hundred levels under our belt.
For now, we have to focus on today. Resupply, fly over the wall, and rescue one wayward grandson.
'Probably best to travel a few dozen miles down alongside the wall before we go over too.' Warlord status or not, I don't need the hassle of someone potentially having a fit about me flying over the Center of the World.
"Um..Mr. Lord Sparrow sir?" Zotto mumbles from behind, his nervousness ratcheting up another degree.
"Onward, Lt. Zotto." I begin marching again. "Those stores aren't going to raid themselves."
The New World
According to a Post-Timeskip Vice-Admiral Smoker, there are three islands a Log Pose can indicate towards after one emerges from Fishman Isle.
Raijin island, Mystoria island, and Risky Red island.
The latter two, we never got to see. Or at least we never got a confirmed sighting. Personally, I've always felt that the land with the flying pigs that Scratchmen Apoo stumbled upon was likely one of them.
The first in the list however, we actually got to glimpse twice in the series. Once, when 'Mad Monk' Urouge and his Fallen Monk Pirates sailed into the New World. And secondly, when the aforementioned Smoker attempted to lay a trap there for the Straw Hats.
A trap that our main characters unknowingly circumvented by choosing none of the three options and simply going to Punk Hazard instead.
Now, it was never really explained why Punk Hazard doesn't register on a Log Pose. Not even Nami questions it and she's usually the one who's on-point when it comes to that type of thing.
Was its magnetic field somehow masked or neutralized by the World Government? Perhaps it was the work of the mysterious Vegapunk character whom I still know stunningly little about. Both would have an interest in hiding the secret research being done there I imagine.
Could it be that the island never had a magnetic signature in the first place?
Or maybe we can go full crackpot theory and say the giant lake at Punk Hazard's center is actually the origin of Onigashima. We could say that the land that was there - alongside the source of the island's magnetism - was stolen by Kaido when he was brought here three decades ago. The day he recruited the Lunarian 'Alber', later to be renamed 'King'.
Then again…
When one considers the argument of Occam's Razor…
Maybe it was just this shit.
Plumes of raging sulphuric magma stalemate against glacial hellscapes pulled straight from a frozen underworld. Two interpretations of hell clashing and gnashing at each other for even the barest scrap of advantage.
Even from this far a distance, literally miles away out at sea, I can feel whiffs of the two Willpowers ripping the landscape apart. The local weather on the island is - to put a word on it - fucked.
Hot and cold winds are wreaking havoc as they mix, intertangle, and smash against each other. It's raining and thundering and…tornado-ing…okay I don't know the meteorological term for that last one but it's fucking scary man.
'If Caesar Clown is still on the island, he's probably in a bunker shitting his pants right now.'
I'm not sure how deep into their famous '10-day battle' the two Admirals are right now. It could be Day 1 or Day 6, I wouldn't know. Sengoku announced his retirement in the papers over a week ago so your guess is honestly as good as mine.
What I do know…is that I should be somewhere else right now. There ain't no canon involvement I want with that.
I pull out my Compass and focus on my desire for an island that's close but not too too close. Nothing fancy. Just somewhere I can rest up for the night. Hopefully get some shut eye before dealing with the kidnappers tomorrow or the day after. Whenever it is they show up.
We don't need any more complications right now.
The Next Morning, The island of Foodvalten
"Puru-puru-puru-puru. Puru-puru-puru-puru."
"Puru-puru-puru-puru. Puru-puru-puru-puru."
Time zones are weird in the One Piece world. At a guess, she's probably at least two hours behind us.
"Puru-puru-puru-puru. Puru-puru-puru-puru."
"Puru-puru-puru-puru. Puru-puru-puru-puru."
Possibly three hours.
This is the downside of calling someone directly rather than just phoning the Marineford switchboard room and going from there. The woman has to sleep at some point. It's just I don't want this handled by anyone lower.
"Puru-puru-puru-puru. Puru-puru-puru-puru."
"Tsuru." The Vice-Admiral's voice cuts in, her tone crisp and snapping to attention. Pretty impressive for a dame of her advanced years.
Must be all those decades of military training.
"Vice-Admiral, it's me again." I pause for a moment to let her recognize my voice. "My apologies for disturbing you at such an uncommon hour. But I find myself in an…unexpected situation. As a Warlord - a fresh one at that - I'm not sure what the protocol is and am requesting guidance."
There's a faint grunt as the woman fully wakes up. "Describe the problem."
"About twelve minutes ago, I landed on the ship of a wanted pirate. A lucky find, mind you. This was not an individual I was currently tracking. Only I've encountered a sort of…wrinkle. Before my boots even touched the wooden deck, the crew was already surrendering. Down on their knees, white flag raised, the whole deal. There was not even a token amount of resistance." I take a moment to cast a stink-eye at the captain. The only one besides myself who is sitting down. "Evidently they knew I was coming and their illustrious leader didn't much like their chances."
"Impel Down remains the standard punishment for those captured alive under the flag of piracy. The fact that they peacefully yielded can be taken into consideration during sentencing. This is not a dilemma, Mr. Sparrow."
I sigh. "Y'see, that's the thing." My voice shifts a little higher, letting the 'mental head scratching' tone mix into my words. "He's offering to operate under my own banner if it means survival and an avoidance of prison time. He claims a cessation of piracy at this juncture in his life is his best chance for still seeing the sun each day. Plus the whole, you know, being allowed to keep breathing thing. I'm paraphrasing."
"You are the first Warlord we've ever had who wasn't a pirate first. Do you even 'have' a banner?"
"I could design one…" I speak offhandedly. "...but that's cart before the horse. I've listened to his side of the story. How he alleges his bounty came about. Frankly, the fact that his wanted poster makes no mentioning of civilian deaths is the only reason his head is still attached to his shoulders…" More than one of the pirate's subordinates shudder at that. There's some shaking and audible gulping among the kneeling crowd. "That all being said."
I lean in. Fixing the pirate with the best glare I have. "I don't trust him." The blond man stares back. His expression blank and eyes half-lidded. It's like he hardly cares at all that we're discussing his fate. "Not for one fucking second."
I lean back, my voice returning to a bit more of its carefree norm. "So before I decide anything…I want the Marines' half of the story. Every crime. Every raid. Every harmed civilian or rival pirate crew they've allegedly sunk. I want to consider all factors if this discussion is going to move forward."
"I grow tired of this ambiguity. You may like a certain dramatic flair Sparrow, but I don't. Who are we discussing? If his crimes are egregious enough, I expect you to do your charged duty as a Warlord, regardless of any potential assets this individual brings to the table."
A slight rueful chuckle escapes me. She's not wrong about that. "Give me everything the Marines have…"
I cast my eyes once more at the 249,000,000 Beri bounty and watch him emotionlessly bring out his cards again.
"...on Basil Hawkins."
A/N: [Natural Growth] and [Oftentimes Better] each triggered again while Jack was in transit to Red Port. STR stat up (580) → (590) and [Skill] [Cybernetics] up (10/100) → (13/100)
A/N 2: Although Jack, as a Warlord, is entitled to a portion of bounties he brings in that are worth over 300 million, the circumstances of which he took down Crocodile do not apply. The capture/killing of Croc was a Government mission with Jack acting on Government orders. He did not bring in the target all on his own. Also surprise surprise, the WG can be stingy. Who could have imagined?
A/N 3: For any whom it didn't click for on why Jack didn't get multiple options on the WIS [Perk: To allow potential backtracking on something titled [Path of Discovery: Self] would have been - in my opinion - a substantive narrative failure.