[DING! NEW QUEST AVAILABLE]
[CHOOSE YOUR PATH, PLAYER!]
[OPTION 1: SNEAK OUT OF MIRROR BALL ISLAND]
• OBJECTIVE: Use stealth and cunning to escape the Marine blockade unnoticed.
• REWARD: Survival.
• PENALTY: Loss of Ace as a potential crew member.
• DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM.
• CHANCE OF SUCCESS: HIGH.
• CHANCE OF INJURY: LOW.
[OPTION 2: FIGHT THE MARINE BLOCKADE HEAD-ON]
• OBJECTIVE: Face the Marines in a direct assault to break the blockade.
• REWARD: Gain Ace and Alice as crew members.
• PENALTY: High risk of injury or death.
• DIFFICULTY: EXTREME.
• CHANCE OF SUCCESS: LOW.
• CHANCE OF INJURY: VERY HIGH.
[CHOOSE WISELY, PLAYER. YOUR FUTURE CREW DEPENDS ON IT!]
[ACCEPT QUEST? YES / NO]
Zephyr D. Stormborn stood at the docks of Mirror Ball Island, facing down the Marine blockade. His brow furrowed as he assessed the fleet before him: towering warships bristling with cannons, smaller attack vessels circling like sharks. And somewhere, among all that firepower, was his next big problem.
Next to him, Ace stretched lazily, flicking small flames between his fingers. "We're just standing here staring at them for dramatic effect, right?" He shot a sideways glance at Zephyr, who looked anything but amused.
Zephyr rubbed his temple. "No, Ace. I'm thinking. You should try it sometime."
Ace snorted. "I prefer punching first, thinking later."
Alice, standing silently a few paces behind them, had her arms crossed. She stared at the Marines with her usual eerie calm, a faint glint in her eyes as she sized them up. Zephyr had no idea what she was thinking. Then again, no one ever did.
Just as Zephyr was about to answer Ace with a snarky retort, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.
[QUEST OPTIONS HAVE BEEN PRESENTED: ESCAPE FROM MIRROR BALL ISLAND WITHOUT ACE, ENSURING HIGHER CHANCE OF SURVIVAL. OR, FIGHT THROUGH THE MARINE BLOCKADE, RISKING INJURY OR DEATH BUT GAINING BOTH ACE AND ALICE AS CREW MATES.]
Zephyr barely hesitated. The easier path wasn't an option. He wasn't losing these two—no way. "We're taking the fight to them," he said, clenching his fists. "I'm not sneaking out like some coward."
Ace's face lit up, clearly excited. "Now that's the kind of plan I can get behind!"
Alice tilted her head, her voice low and calm as always. "Are we…sure?"
Zephyr sighed. "Look, Alice, I know you like the quiet, creepy routine, but today we're making noise. I'll handle the bigger ships. Ace, you burn down anything fast and maneuverable. Alice…" He hesitated. "You do what you do best."
Ace's grin widened. "You mean eat people?"
Alice's expression didn't change, but the silence that followed spoke volumes.
Zephyr sighed. "I meant sneak onto one of the larger ships and sabotage their cannons. Though… if you have to eat someone, just… do it quietly."
Ace burst out laughing. "Man, this crew is going to be interesting."
The battle began with a roar. Zephyr stood firm as the Marine cannons thundered, black cannonballs streaking toward them. "Too easy," he muttered, lifting his hand. The projectiles slowed, then halted in mid-air, caught in his magnetic grip.
With a casual flick of his wrist, Zephyr sent them hurtling back toward the Marine ships. The first one hit its mark, smashing into the hull of a warship and sending wood splinters flying. Marines scrambled on deck, shouting orders as the ship rocked violently.
Ace leaped into action, flames dancing around him as he launched himself toward a smaller vessel. "You guys really should've brought fireproof ships!" he yelled, unleashing a torrent of fireballs. The ship's sails ignited in an instant, and Marines rushed to put out the flames as Ace hopped from ship to ship, laughing all the while.
"Didn't your parents ever teach you to stop, drop, and roll?" he called out, cackling as a group of Marines frantically patted out the flames on their uniforms.
Zephyr smirked at Ace's antics, but his attention was quickly drawn back to the incoming barrage. More cannon fire. He raised his hand again to send it flying back
Ace was faring better, but even he wasn't invincible. He was in the middle of torching another ship when a sniper's bullet whizzed by, grazing his ear. He yelped, more in surprise than pain, and immediately turned toward the crow's nest. "Okay, buddy. That was uncalled for!"
He launched a fireball straight at the sniper, who barely managed to dive for cover as the mast caught fire. "Bet that stings, huh?" Ace grinned, but his celebration was cut short when the ship's cannons fired directly at him.
The explosion sent him flying off the deck. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he yelled, spinning through the air before crash-landing onto a neighboring ship. He groaned as he rolled onto his back, his body aching. "Okay, that one hurt."
Ace pulled himself to his feet, wincing. "I swear, if I end up like Luffy, crashing into everything…"
Meanwhile, Alice was slipping through the shadows aboard one of the larger ships. Marines didn't even realize she was there until it was too late. One by one, the officers fell as Alice moved swiftly, her ghoul powers giving her a terrifying edge.
She moved like a ghost, blending into the dark corners of the ship, her expression as calm as ever. But the Marines weren't completely unprepared. As she worked on disabling one of the cannons, a sharp pain tore through her side. She looked down to see the tip of a Marine's cutlass sticking out of her abdomen.
The Marine grinned, thinking he had the upper hand—until Alice turned to face him, unblinking, and gripped the blade with her bare hand.
"You… shouldn't have done that," she whispered, her voice unnervingly steady.
Before the Marine could react, Alice yanked the sword out and slashed him across the throat in one swift motion. Blood spattered across the deck as the Marine collapsed, and Alice wiped her hand on her coat, unfazed.
But even Alice wasn't immune to pain. She clutched her side, feeling the warm blood seep through her fingers. "I… underestimated them," she muttered.
Back on the beach, Zephyr was reaching his limit. His magnetic power hummed through him, but the strain was starting to take its toll. He deflected cannonballs left and right, but more and more were slipping through his defenses. A second hit grazed his leg, sending him to one knee.
"Not good," he muttered, sweat dripping down his face. His body ached, and he could feel his strength waning.
Just as he was about to make another move, a loud explosion rocked the dock. Zephyr's eyes widened as he saw a Marine ship's cannon fire directly at the beach, where Alice and Ace had regrouped. The cannonball exploded, sending debris flying.
"Ace! Alice!" Zephyr yelled, his heart pounding in his chest. He strained to redirect the metal, but he was too slow this time.
Ace staggered to his feet, coughing up dust. "That… that was way too close," he muttered, looking around for Alice.
He found her lying among the rubble, blood pooling around her from the earlier wound. "Alice!" Ace limped over, panic in his voice. "Alice, wake up!"
Alice's eyes flickered open, her breath shallow. "I'm… fine," she whispered, though she clearly wasn't. Her ghoul powers were keeping her alive, but she was barely hanging on.
Ace gritted his teeth. "Zeph! We need to end this now!"
Zephyr was already moving, his body screaming in protest. With a final surge of magnetic power, he sent a wave of iron and steel crashing toward the remaining Marine ships. Cannons ripped from their mounts, masts splintered, and hulls were crushed under the weight of his attack. The blockade crumbled.
When the dust settled, Zephyr stood hunched over, panting heavily. His body was battered, and his clothes were torn, but they had won. Ace limped over to him, still supporting Alice, who looked pale but determined.
"You did it, Zeph," Ace said, though his grin was weaker than usual.
Zephyr chuckled, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Yeah, but next time, maybe you don't piss off an entire Marine fleet?"
Ace grinned, despite the chaos. "No promises, buddy. Besides, we survived, didn't we?"
Alice, her voice soft, added, "Barely."
Zephyr looked at the wreckage, then at his new crew. "Yeah, barely. But we're alive."
Ace laughed, shaking his head. "And here I thought we'd get through without a scratch. And you! You are a logia! How did you get scratched?"
"I dunno I wasn't paying attention" said Ace innocently. Not a single care was given to the fact that he got hurt dispite being made of literal fire!
Zephyr groaned. "You two are impossible."
Alice, for the first time, cracked a small, almost imperceptible smile. "We are."
The battle had been won, but it was clear—this crew was going to be anything but easy. Did those ass hats have seastone bullets? I can understand me getting hurt due to stamina issues but Ace?
"Let's rest for a bit and then we loot."
"Why are you always about the loot?"
"Cuz I like da booty…. Get it? It's a play on wor-"
"Shut up! I'ma take a nap"
"You get it right Alice?" I look pleadingly towards Alice.
"Ha… Ha"
.
.
.
.
.
Yeah I'm take a nap and then Loot the heck out of all these navy ships.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As our 3 heroes dropped dead on the beach, sleeping smoother than a baby after suckling its mama's milk, the resents of mirror ball island watchin a silent vigil over their guardians. Unbeknownst to them they had protect the island from from a criminal underlord and the long hand of the world government… For now.
=====================
Zephyr stared at his overflowing inventory, a frown deepening on his face. The loot from the destroyed Marine ships lay scattered around him—treasure chests, weapons, armor, and random supplies. He needed space, but his inventory was maxed out.
"We're going to have to leave some of this behind," Zephyr muttered.
Ace, now sprawled out in the sand, looked up with a lazy grin. "Hey, it's not like we can carry a whole fleet's worth of loot, Zeph. Maybe we should've built a bigger ship, huh?"
Zephyr shot him an irritated glance. "That would've been easier if you hadn't, oh I don't know, burned them all to ashes."
Ace shrugged. "You said burn 'em."
Alice, as usual, was the calm in the storm. She stood a little away from the pile of loot, inspecting the few unscathed crates. "We don't need everything," she said in her typical deadpan voice. "Just the important stuff."
Zephyr groaned. "I don't know what's worse: you being right or the fact that we're stuck with a literal mountain of treasure and no way to carry it."
Ace sat up, stretching. "We could always come back later for the rest. The Marines aren't coming back anytime soon."
Zephyr considered the idea, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face. "Or… we could trade some of it with the locals for help. Maybe we can even get a new ship out of this."
Ace's eyes lit up. "Now you're talking!"
Alice remained expressionless, but Zephyr caught a faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes. "Bakas," she muttered again, though it almost sounded affectionate this time.
Zephyr turned to face the quiet island that they had unintentionally protected. The villagers peeking out from their homes had been cautious but curious. Maybe they could strike a deal and come out of this with more than just loot.
As the sun began to set, the three of them sat on the beach, surrounded by the remnants of their battle and an impressive pile of treasure. They had won the day, but Zephyr knew this was just the beginning. There were more adventures ahead, more challenges, more treasure... and more chaos.
"Tomorrow," Zephyr said, leaning back against the soft sand, "we rest. But after that… we get back to business."
Ace grinned. "Aye, Captain. Tomorrow, we celebrate. And the day after… we take the seas by storm."
Alice's eyes, ever calculating, seemed to agree. For once, she didn't have a sharp comment ready.
Zephyr closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the fading sun on his face, his crew around him, and the sound of the waves lapping at the shore. This was only the start of something greater.
"Yeah," he said softly, almost to himself. "This is just the beginning."
[QUEST COMPLETE: FIGHT THE MARINE BLOCKADE]
[NEW OBJECTIVES UNLOCKED;
• Recruit more crew members. • Find a bigger ship. • Collect more loot. (Because why not?)]
Zephyr chuckled under his breath. "Yeah, why not?"
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Title: Gambit of Fire and Steel.