"Food! Bring me more food! Hahaha!"
A large man with an X-shaped scar on his forehead bellowed. His long, dirty green hair cascaded past his shoulders, and a thick beard, which seemed to connect to ten empty beer bottles, hung from his chin. He was built like a giant, easily standing at nearly eight feet tall, his presence towering over those around him. The man wore a tattered beast fur and a crude amulet around his neck, a symbol of his dominance.
He sat at the center of a long table in a village, where frightened women hurried to bring him food. Meanwhile, his underlings terrorized the villagers, further cementing the fear that surrounded him.
This man was Booze Beard Jack, the pirate who had taken over Freshstar Island three months ago.
"Looks like the captain has a bigger appetite than usual… He's barely giving the women from the village any time to breathe," a pirate with a burn scar on the left side of his face remarked, standing next to the table and watching the terrified women as they hurried to serve Jack.
His comrade beside him sighed before speaking in a nervous tone:
"Well, when you're this big, you need a lot of energy to keep that body going…"
Jack continued to eat, piling food onto his plate without pause. Suddenly, a man with one remaining eye—his other socket empty—rushed through the village. He bowed in front of Jack and said breathlessly,
"I ran all night, Captain! Something serious has happened at the bar, just outside the village… multiple kilometers away!"
Jack stopped eating, his green eyes narrowing in annoyance as he glared at the man.
"It better be serious enough to make me stop eating… or else you know what'll happen to you. So, what is it?"
The man trembled with fear, his voice quivering as he replied,
"T-The forty crew members you sent to track down the villagers who escaped… and to bring back the alcohol… t-they're all dead! I'm the only survivor!"
Jack's eyes widened, his expression darkening with rage. His voice boomed, laced with anger:
"What?! And who could have possibly killed over forty of my men that easily? Don't tell me it's…!"
The man nodded quickly, his voice trembling as he said:
"Y-Yes… It was the leader of the Freshstar Island rebels… Anne Bonny! She ambushed us, Captain! She freed all the villagers we had captured!"
Jack clenched the handle of his giant wooden chair, his grip tightening as his anger boiled over. The chair creaked under the pressure, a testament to his immense strength.
The terrified pirate, still bowing, continued in a trembling voice:
"T-The only reason I'm alive is because she wanted me to deliver a message… She said that from now on, it's full-on war!"
The frightened woman who had been bringing Jack food froze, her face beginning to fill with hope. Around her, the pirates of Booze Beard Jack murmured among themselves, their voices low but laden with disbelief:
"Is she crazy? The last time she tried to confront him, she got sent flying!"
"She killed over forty of us in one night?"
"That's probably our biggest loss since this war started!"
"How did this happen?"
The whispers died down abruptly as all eyes turned to Jack, who suddenly began to laugh. His voice was thunderous, reverberating through the village square. The sheer volume caused some of his crew and the terrified hostages to clasp their hands over their ears in pain.
As the laughter faded, Jack fixed his gaze on the bowing man, his green eyes cold and a wicked smile curling across his face. Malice dripped from his words as he sneered:
"And the only reason you're still alive right now is because I was kind enough to let you finish talking… weakling!"
"Mythikos Attribute: The Malevolent One-Eyed Cyclops."
Jack's face twisted as his singular eye began to burn with a blazing light. The man who had been bowing suddenly shot to his feet, screaming in sheer terror.
"Please, Captain… don't do this! I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I'm weak… Please, don't!"
Before he could say another word, a searing beam of fire erupted from Jack's glowing eye. The man's head disintegrated into ash in an instant, and his body collapsed lifelessly to the ground. The beam vanished as Jack blinked, his face returning to normal.
He rose to his feet, taking a deep breath before bellowing, his voice shaking the air:
"I have no use for weaklings in my crew! A full-on war, she says? Very well! I will turn this island into blood and ash just to find her! I will reduce her to cinders while she begs me for mercy!"
As Jack took a single step toward the long table, it collapsed under the sheer weight of his movement. The terrified woman let out a piercing scream, while his crewmates grinned with sick delight, their twisted expressions filled with bloodlust.
Jack reached for the giant axe strapped to his belt, pulling it free with a heavy swing. He pointed it toward the heavens, his voice roaring like a thunderclap:
"It's time to end this pathetic group of rebels once and for all! We won't rest until every last one of them is dead! Search every inch of this island—leave no stone unturned! Kill as many of her underlings as you like, but hear me well: Anne Bonny's head is mine and mine alone to take!"
All of Booze Beard Jack's crew raised their cutlasses high into the air, roaring with unrestrained bloodlust. The terrified hostages shrank back, their faces pale with horror as the pirates reveled in the promise of violence.
Without hesitation, the crew dispersed, scattering in every direction as they left the village in search of the Freshstar Island rebels. Their mission was clear—they would end the war today.
The island would soon be drenched in blood, littered with the corpses of both pirates and rebels alike.
***
"Don't touch that flower! It may smell good, but it's extremely poisonous!" Anne warned sharply as she led the rebels toward the village for their final confrontation with Booze Beard Jack.
Satō's eyes gleamed with curiosity as he looked at the delicate bloom. "Really? How poisonous exactly?" he asked.
One of the rebels, a young man with blond hair, spoke up, his voice grim:
"Just brushing the flower against your skin for a moment can kill you within an hour. The longer it stays in contact, the faster you'll die. That's why it's called the Singular Breath Flower—because you'll only have time for one last breath before the end. And you don't even want to imagine what happens if you eat any part of it."
He continued, his tone heavy with caution:
"The flower works by making your heart beat faster and faster until it gives out. Every villager and retired pirate who's lived here long enough knows to avoid it at all costs."
Satō's eyes widened with a spark of intrigue. "Really? Then… does Booze Beard Jack or his crew know about the dangers of this flower?"
The group fell silent, exchanging glances before one of the rebels spoke up cautiously:
"Well, he only showed up three months ago. I doubt he knows anything about the animals or plants in the forest."
Another rebel chimed in, crossing his arms. "Yeah, he doesn't seem like the type to care about things like that. All he does is terrorize our people and devour an inhuman amount of food."
Anne turned to Satō, her grin widening, revealing a hint of wicked amusement. Her crimson eyes glinted with a bloodthirsty edge as she said, "Wait, Satō… don't tell me you're actually thinking of poisoning him with the flower!"
The rebels collectively gasped, their eyes widening as murmurs broke out among them.
"Could the monster that is Booze Beard Jack even be poisoned?"
"Would it even work on someone like him?"
"This might be the only way to take him down…"
Anne's grin remained, a dangerous glint in her eyes as she awaited Satō's response.
Satō raised his hand, as if demanding silence, his thoughts racing with a growing sense of excitement. A wide grin spread across his face as he mentally plotted.
Yes… yes! This might be the only way! I might not be strong enough to take him head-on, but if this flower really is as dangerous as they say, all I have to do is have Anne distract him long enough for me to make contact. Even better, if I can somehow get him to eat it… the trial will surely consider that I killed him, and I'll complete my first quest!
He turned to the others, speaking with newfound hope and excitement in his voice.
"I mean, it might actually work. Yes, the bastard is ridiculously strong and all, but strength doesn't mean you're resistant to poison. Even an elephant can die from poisoning!"
The rebels exchanged expressions filled with both hope and confusion. One of the younger rebels raised his hand, tilting his head in curiosity.
"What's an… elephant?"
Satō sighed, a hint of exasperation in his tone, but his excitement remained.
"It's basically a huge animal," he explained. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is my plan: Anne will fight Jack long enough to give me a chance to get close. I'll find an opening to either press the flower against his skin or, even better, force it into his mouth, causing him to have a heart attack."
He looked around at the others, his eyes gleaming with determination.
"Can the flower be safely picked with gloves?"
The rebels exchanged hopeful glances, whispering excitedly among themselves.
"The Specter's plan might actually work… I mean, he's strong, sure, but this flower is one of the deadliest in the First Great Sea. There's no way he survives that."
"If the leader distracts him long enough, all Specter has to do is poison him with the flower, and this war will finally be over… Plus, it's not like specter can die. He's walked off a bullet wound to the head, after all."
As Satō stood there, arms crossed, his face filled with determination, a moment of doubt crept into his mind. Wait, no… I don't think I'll just get up and walk away if Booze Beard Jack kills me.
One of the rebels broke the silence, nodding as he spoke.
"Yeah, the flower can be safely picked with gloves. As long as it doesn't touch your skin, you'll be fine. That plan might actually work—assuming the hostage didn't tell him about the flower already."
He handed Satō a pair of gloves, the tension and hope in the air palpable.
Anne screamed with excitement, her voice carrying over the rebels.
"Alright, bastards! We're following Specter's plan! Anyone with gloves, pick as many of those flowers as you can! Bag them up and give the bags to Specter! We'll slaughter every one of Booze Beard Jack's crew, and I'll fight him for as long as I can. When Specter sees his chance, he'll put the flower on the bastard's skin or in his mouth, and we'll watch him die from a heart attack! We end this today!"
At her words, the rebels erupted in cheers, their excitement palpable. They raised their cutlasses high in the air, the sound of their collective roar echoing through the forest. With Satō's flawless plan in mind, they could already taste victory.
***
As Booze Beard Jack stomped through the forest, one of his crew members, voice filled with nervous tension, spoke up.
"Captain, the rebels are right in front of us!"
A wicked smile curled across Jack's face as he continued walking.
"I know…"
Finally, both sides met, coming to a sudden halt. The tension in the air was thick, but only their respective leaders took a step forward, the others standing still as the standoff began.
"You have a lot of nerve, killing over forty of my men and letting only one survive, all while claiming you want a full-on war. Don't you remember the last time you faced me head-on? You barely survived! The weak should die at the hands of those with true strength!"
Booze Beard Jack pointed his giant axe violently toward her. The wind howled in the same direction, a testament to his immense power.
Anne Bonny's face curled into a wicked grin. Her crimson eyes blazed with bloodlust and hatred as she took a step forward, her hand reaching for the cutlass at her belt.
"The weak should die against the strong, you say? How hypocritical… You're the loser who couldn't even survive and make it past the First Great Sea!"
Her voice dripped with contempt as she continued, her every word aimed at his weakness.
"The reality is, you realized how weak and incompetent you were on your journey. You turned back, seeking refuge on an island with people who weren't as strong as you, terrorizing them because you couldn't bear the truth—you weren't strong enough to fight for your own dream!"
Anne's eyes turned cold as she pointed her cutlass directly at him.
"You're not a pirate. You're a coward who realized your own weakness, and now you make others pay for your incompetence. That scar on your face is proof of your failure. I will slice your throat open for having the nerve to call yourself a pirate!"
Jack's face flushed crimson, fury twisting his features as he gripped his scar, rage consuming him.
"What do you know about the dangers of the sea? You've never left your pathetic island!"
Anne's grin widened as she dashed forward, her cutlass raised near her face.
"I'll never be like you. I know that for sure, because I'm the one who WILL find the edge of the world and have my name written in history!"
With a roar, Booze Beard Jack charged as well, his crewmates and the rebels watching in shock. The force of the collision was so great that the trees around them were nearly flattened, the ground shaking beneath their feet.
As they clashed, both leaders screamed in a surge of rage.
"Mythikos Attribute: Jörmungandr, the World-Ender!"
"Mythikos Attribute: The Malevolent One-Eyed Cyclops!"
The ground beneath them trembled as their powers collided. The wind howled with raw force, trees shuddering and cracking from the sheer intensity of the battle.
Satō watched intently from the shadows, multiple bags strapped around his body. His hands, encased in two layers of gloves, twitched with nervous anticipation.
Alright, Anne, you better do your part so I can poison this monster... The trial might be unfair, but I'm unfair too. As soon as you let your guard down, I'll strike. Your heart won't stand a chance against that flower!