Ben arrived at the dining hall to see all his girls except Vivi sitting and standing around the table. He thought he may need a bigger table. He saw Kaya, Nojiko and Saphir chatting and eating. Marianne and Robin were sipping on tea. Mikita and Alvida were standing up. Mikita stood up a bit funny. Honey, Rubis and Emeraude were eating a piece of cake. Honey, BM and Zala were serving the rest of the crew.
"Morning All," Ben greeted. The girls looked up and greeted back.
Ben sat down next to Saphir. "I apologise for missing dinner yesterday with you girls," Ben apologised.
"You were attending a crew member my love so that is important as well," Alvida replied. She gave a cheeky smile.
"Pervert," Kaya remarked. She rolled her eyes.
"She is just jealous, it's not her turn," Nojiko commented in a playful tone.
"Hey," Kaya responded. The girls giggled.
"Ben," Emeraude called out.
"Yes Emeraude," Ben responded.
Emeraude paused for a second. She looked at Ben and smiled. "Sis, come one," Rubis encouraged.
Emeraude snapped out of it. She cleared her throat. "The remote has been built. Rubis, I, BM and HQ with the help of Sumi, Emma, Isla, Amelia and Zara have worked together and built it," Emeraude explained.
"Fantastic work," Ben praised.
"Exceptional," Mikita commended.
"We've made significant progress," Kaya remarked.
"This is truly impressive," Zala expressed.
Robin grinned. "Well done," she acknowledged.
"Incredible effort," Marianne complimented, with a nod of agreement from Honey.
"I wonder what it looks like?" Saphir asked.
"Here it is," Emeraude replied, taking the remote out from a bag. Emeraude presented the remote. The remote control had a sleek and compact design, featuring a rectangular shape with rounded edges. It was a matte black remote. There was a single button in the middle. There was a wire at the top.
"Looks cool," Marianne said.
"So how does it work?" Zala asked.
"There is a receiver designed to capture signals transmitted wirelessly. This will allow the remote to communicate Shushibaruba. The antenna will be used to enhance the signal. Most of it is commanded by your voice," Emeraude explained.
"Interesting," Zala replied.
"So this remote can control all Shushibaruba?" Ben asked.
"We think so," Rubis replied.
"That does seem like a security issue, if someone get access to these blueprints then they can hijack our Shushibaruba and make it attack us," Ben explained.
"That is an issue Master, for this," HQ replied.
"Is there a way to prevent that?" Kaya asked.
"Not that we are aware of," BM replied.
"We will take control of it and transport it back on the Miss Love Geese back to the Clockwork Island Lab," Ben stated.
"That sounds like a good suggestion my lord. I can take charge of it once I have dropped Rubis and Emeraude off at the Partia Lab," BM offered.
Emeraude and Rubis both nodded. "Make sure you get your smoke smoke devil fruit," Ben said.
"I shall do as you command, my lord," BM affirmed with a respectful tone.
"I'll miss all three of you," Marianne expressed with a hint of sentiment.
"We can still talk through the Radio Room," Rubis suggested. Marianne responded with a warm smile and a nod, signalling her agreement.
"Now we need to get to the centre," Ben said.
"We are already in the centre," Nojiko replied. She added, "Last night once I got back, BM told me the remote will be ready by the morning, so I had set a course to get to the centre of the islands." She was a bit nervous now as she did not get permission from her captain. The smile on her face disappeared.
"My love, Nojiko informed me, and I gave my approval," Alvida explained. "I'll bear the responsibility," she added with a sense of commitment.
"Captain might administer some form of punishment," Robin mentioned.
"Punishment?" Marianne inquired, her thoughts drifting to the notion of a red bottom after being spanked.
"I wouldn't mind that," Honey chimed in, she thought of Ben spanking her bare ass.
"We'll face it together," Mikita declared.
Ben smiled. "No one is facing any punishment. Great job, Nojiko and Alvida. If I'm not around, both of you are more than capable of making decisions. In fact, all you girls should be more independent when the time comes. I'll handle the major decisions, but feel free to provide input," Ben explained, mindful of striking a balance between freedom and responsibility.
"Thank you, my love," Alvida expressed her gratitude.
"Did that even make sense?" Kaya questioned.
"No, but it felt nice to hear," Nojiko added.
"Emeraude, Rubis, BM, HQ, you all deserve special rewards. This includes Sumi, Isla, Emma, Zara and Amelia," Ben stated.
"Thank you my lord," BM replied..
Rubis and Emeraude smiling, they both were thinking of a special reward.
"So, let go and see the rock and to find the right one," Ben said.
"There was only one large rock in this area. It has a structure on it," Nojiko added.
"Structure?" Zala asked.
"I am not sure, it looks like a temple," Nojiko replied.
"Okay, good job," Ben stated. Nojiko smiled widely.
"Let's go and explore the island and this temple," Ben said enthusiastically.
The girls nodded.
"Should someone stay on the Miss Love Duck my love?" Alvida asked.
"Well," Ben said.
"Master, I can guard the Miss Love Duck," HQ offered.
"Are you sure?" Ben asked.
"Yes, I am," HQ replied.
"Okay, does anyone else want to stay back?" Ben asked.
The girls shook their heads. "We would like to come," Marianne volunteered.
"Yes, I want to see the big bad Shushibaruba," Zala chimed in.
"I heard its had a mouth and it goes after cute girls first," Robin said looking at Marianne and Honey. They both looked a bit scared.
"It does not," Ben sighed. Robin smiled.
"My love will protect all," Alvida said.
"We all will," Mikita added.
They all nodded and headed outside. They saw a large rock in front of the Miss Love Duck. The bridge was lowered already connecting to the rock. "Are you all ready?" Ben asked.
"Vivi is not here," Kaya said.
"I should get the Yellow Gun," Marianne said
"I will get the Veridian Enigma," Kaya added.
"We should also have the orbs," Robin chimed in.
"You are right," Ben said. The girls scrambled to get everything. After 10 minutes, they were all ready. Kaya grabbed Vivi who was in her room getting ready. Honey, Robin, Zala, Saphir, Marianne and Rubis each held an orb in their hands. They were now ready to go.
They walked off the ship. They saw a small temple in front of them. The structure was now weathered and broken. It had a small passageway. The building was a small temple made out of stone. There were vines woven into every corner of the building. It meandered through the edges and climbed walls and columns. The building had not been used in centuries from what it looked like.
"Let's go," Ben said as they walked inside the temple. Inside the temples, they saw more vines. One of the walls had completely collapsed and there was derby on the floor. There was no roof for the building. In front of them were six pedestals arranged in a circle.
They saw the back of the temple. There was something written on the wall. Robin approached the wall with Zala and said," It' the ancient language."
Ben heard this. "What does it say?" Ben asked. He thought why would the ancient language be here of all places.
"It reads, Bringing all six orb together will bring destruction," Robin read.
"That does sound ominous," Vivi remarked, her tone laced with a hint of concern.
"Quite scary, isn't it?" Marianne added, emphasising the unsettling nature of the situation.
"It might be a sign," Saphir suggested.
"Or perhaps it's just people trying to scare us off," Mikita offered, injecting a touch of scepticism.
"We are here together and I trust all your strength. We can take it on," Ben declared with unwavering confidence, and the girls nodded in solidarity.
Each of the girls, entrusted with an orb, placed it carefully on the pedestal. As they stepped back, a collective anticipation hung in the air. They waited patiently. They waited. After a few minutes, Kaya broke the silence. "Did we do it right?" she asked.
Marianne looked up in the air and saw a large brown object coming towards them. "Look there," Marianne pointed out.
All eyes turned upward, mouths agape in astonishment.