The day had dragged on, the salty breeze from Chōkoku Port carrying the hum of bustling merchants and sailors. The patrol boat was docked near the harbor, swaying gently with the rhythm of the waves. Ray spent most of the day loitering on deck, doing his best to avoid both his captain's sharp eyes and the curious gazes of the marines who had started whispering about the jellyfish man.
The evening sky deepened into shades of violet and orange as Ray retreated below deck to the cramped quarters he shared with the other chore boy, Tim. The air was musty, filled with the faint scent of saltwater and damp wood. He flopped down on his bunk bed with a sigh, letting the thin mattress creak beneath him.
It was then, as he stared at the low ceiling, that a familiar screen blinked into existence before his eyes.
[Connection Established]
Ray bolted upright, his pulse quickening as the game interface expanded before him. This wasn't the usual barebones display he was used to seeing.The screen now teemed with detailed information about his newly created jellyfish man, more than he'd ever seen before.
"Well...this is new."
His eyes widened in fascination as he scrolled through the interface, taking in every detail.
---
Name: Ray
Gender: Male
Occupation: {Marine} Chore Boy
Berries: 0
Abilities:
- Mopping (Professional)
- Cooking (Intermediate)
- Running (Basic)
- Physical Tasks (Basic)
- Maritime (Rookie)
- First Aid (Basic)
- Simple Communication (Basic)
- Survival (Professional)
Functions:
- Create Character (Random)
- Create Character (Berries)
- (New) Character Bio
Characters: 1/3
___
Ray blinked at the screen hovering before him. His gaze drifted to the bottom of the interface, where a new option glowed faintly.
Character Bio:Jellyfish Man
With trembling fingers, he selected it.
A new panel opened, filled with even more details than he expected.
---
Name: Jelly (N011)
Species: Phylum Cnidarian / Human (Mixed)
Occupation: None
Abilities:
- Venom Mastery (Professional)
- Regeneration (Basic)
- Electric Mastery (Professional)
Traits:
- Inquisitive (High curiosity but limited understanding)
- Docile (Unlikely to act aggressively unless provoked)
- Slow Learner (Struggles to grasp complex concepts)
Weaknesses:
- Vulnerable to intense heat
- Low stamina in dry environments
Status: Currently aboard the patrol boat, bored.
---
Ray's eyebrows furrowed as he took it all in. "Slow learner and vulnerable to heat..." he muttered under his breath.
He sighed, leaning back against the wooden wall of the cabin. His fingers hovered over the screen, his thoughts racing.
Ray sat on his bunk, staring at the glowing interface, "What should I even do next? Should I create another character? No, I don't even have any berries..."
Before he could finish his thought, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hall.
"Senior Ray!" Tim's voice rang out, breathless and panicked, as he skidded to a stop at the doorway.
Ray snapped his head up, startled. "What's going on?"
Tim rushed closer, hands gripping the doorframe as he tried to catch his breath. "Captain ordered all available marines to come up on deck now! Pirates are attacking the island!"
Ray's mind blanked for a second, his body frozen in place. "Pirates? Here?"
"Yes! It's a big group too!" Tim panted, his face pale and filled with panic.
Ray shook himself out of his daze, forcing his thoughts back into focus.
"Alright, Tim," Ray said quickly, standing up. "Let's move, but stay close to me. Understand?"
"Yes, Senior Ray!" Tim replied, nodding rapidly.
Ray glanced once more at the faint screen hovering in the corner of his vision before dismissing it with a wave.
The muffled sound of cannon fire rumbled above them, mixing with distant shouts. The salty air now carried the sharp tang of smoke and chaos. As they climbed toward the deck, Ray felt the weight of what was coming settle on his shoulders.
As Ray made his way up the narrow steps to the deck, the air grew hotter — smoke slipping through cracks in the wood, mingling with the scent of burning salt and oil. Tim was just behind him when a sudden, thunderous *boom* rocked the entire ship.
A violent tremor threw both of them off their feet. Ray slammed shoulder-first into the wall, while Tim sprawled across the floorboards with a grunt. Splinters rained down as part of the starboard hull exploded inward — a jagged, smoking hole now gaped where solid wood once was, exposing the chaos beyond.
Ray's eyes widened.
Through the breach, the full scale of the assault unfolded before him. The harbor was ablaze with conflict — marines clashing with pirates in brutal hand-to-hand combat. Crates were overturned, flames licked at nearby buildings, and smoke curled up into the evening sky.
But Ray's gaze was drawn to a particular figure standing further down the docks — elevated slightly behind a line of armed pirates, who shielded him with practiced discipline. The figure wasn't charging in, but orchestrating the assault with precision. A sniper.
Anta
One of Captain Nikola's officers.
Ray recognized him instantly from the wanted posters — the cold-eyed sharpshooter with a bounty nearly touching the eight-figure mark.
His devil fruit ability allowed him to manipulate stone — forming sudden walls, spires, and barriers to both protect himself and control the battlefield. It was the perfect ability for a long-range combatant. A wall rose beside him even now, serving as cover as he took careful aim at another target.
Ray gritted his teeth. Just their luck. One of Nikola's elites was here — and clearly, he wasn't alone.
---
Cut to the harbor—chaos unfolding in bursts of smoke and shouting. Anta crouched behind a jagged wall of stone he'd summoned, his custom long-rifle snug against his shoulder. His men held the line in front of him, shouting commands and pushing back advancing marines.
He peered through the cracked scope, eyes scanning for his next target.
Then a commanding voice boomed across the battlefield. It wasn't one of the foot soldiers.
From between the crates and scattered debris, a figure emerged—coat billowing, saber drawn, face cold and unflinching beneath his Marine cap
Captain Vons
Anta's breath caught.
"No… no no no—damn it, he came himself?" he muttered, pulling back behind the stone cover.
His men stiffened at the name, exchanging nervous glances. Even throughout the battle, the weight of Vons' presence bore down like an anchor.
Stone and smoke tangled with screams. Marines clashed against pirates in a flurry of blades, gunfire, and chaos. But amid the madness, a growing silence fell over one corner of the battlefield.
Captain Vons walked through it—his presence like a blade slicing through noise. His long coat snapped behind him, boots grinding across rubble and dust. His saber gleamed under the setting sun, still unsheathed, but resting casually against his shoulder.
Across from him, Anta's soldiers parted nervously, some stepping back instinctively. The sharpshooter cursed under his breath, rising from behind his cover of jagged stone.
"Captain Vons," Anta said, feigning confidence, but sweat dripped down his brow. "Didn't think they'd send the old dog himself."
Vons didn't speak. His gaze cold.
Anta snapped his fingers, and stone pillars surged from the ground in a defensive arc around him. His rifle twisted and clicked as he loaded a round, the air trembling from the compressed force of his shot.
"You know this rifle has pierced iron plating," Anta said, steadying it on his shoulder. "And this fruit… the Stone stone no Mi… it gives me the high ground. You should've stayed on your little ship."
Vons calmly planted his foot forward. In an instant, he vanished in a blur.
CRACK!
A massive boom shattered the air as Anta fired—but he hit nothing.
CLANG!
Sparks exploded beside Anta as Vons appeared mid-flank, sword flashing in a sharp arc that bit into the stone wall protecting him. The stone cracked like brittle glass.
"Too slow," Vons muttered.
Anta leaped backward, summoning a wave of jagged spikes from the ground to block the Marine Captain's path. But Vons didn't hesitate—he slashed downward, his saber glowing faintly with a peculiar blue energy. The spikes split clean in half, crumbling into harmless rubble.
"Wha—?!"
"You rely too much on your Devil Fruit," Vons said, voice even, "You think distance makes you untouchable."
Anta gritted his teeth and launched another round. This time, stone bullets formed mid-air and fired with his shot, a barrage of deadly precision. Vons weaved through them, moving like smoke, his coat fluttering as he slid beneath the final blast.
With a single dash, he closed the distance.
WHAM!
A powerful kick slammed into Anta's gut, sending him flying into a crate with a crash. His rifle spun from his hands. The pirates gasped, unsure whether to run or fight.
Anta groaned, blood trickling from his lip. "You… bastard…"
Vons approached slowly, dragging his saber behind him, the tip carving a shallow line through the wood.
"You chose the wrong harbor," Vons said coldly. "And you picked the wrong target."
Anta raised his hand to summon a final wave of stone—but Vons was already there.
Captain Vons stood ready to finish Anta, his saber poised for the final blow. Anta, bruised and bloodied, crawled back, his body trembling with the effort. The broken remains of his rifle lay nearby, useless.
"You… really don't hold back," Anta wheezed, coughing up dust and blood.
Just as Vons stepped forward—
BOOM!
A deafening thud shook the battlefield as a massive figure dropped from the sky, landing between them in a crouch. The force cracked the ground beneath, sending a gust of debris outward.
Vons leapt back instinctively, saber raised.
Anta looked up, blinking through the haze—then grinned despite the pain.
"Finally. Couldn't have been just a bit earlier though?" he chuckled, spitting blood, "I almost lost my other lung."
The dust settled.
Standing tall in front of Vons was a towering figure, nearly 3 meters (10 feet) of muscle and menace. Furred limbs, powerful legs, and sharp golden eyes. Short round ears twitched at the sound of chaos in the distance.
Yani, the right-hand man of Captain Nikolai, user of the Neko Neko no Mi: Model Cheetah.
Captain Vons narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening on his saber. His mind processed every detail in a flash—reflexes, stance, body mass. One thought rang clear:
Dangerous.
Yani cracked his neck, sharp claws glinting at the ends of his half-transformed fingers. "You must be Captain Vons," he rumbled, voice low and guttural. "Didn't think we'd meet so soon."
Vons didn't reply, only circled slowly, keeping his distance.
Yani grinned, his lips curling to reveal sharp feline teeth. He shifted—his upper body now fully beast-like. His tail whipped behind him. He lowered his stance, muscles coiling like springs.
"You ants… are weak."
WHOOSH!
In an instant, Yani surged forward with a burst of speed that rivaled Soru, claws swiping toward Vons with a speed that blurred the air. Vons barely deflected with his saber, the force of the strike sliding him back across the stone.
Anta, recovering behind a crate, loaded a stone bullet into a makeshift launcher he carried. "Guess I'm not out of the fight yet," he muttered, aiming carefully.
Yani cackled mid-strike, flipping backward with feline grace, landing beside Anta. "Get your shot in, marksman. I'll rip the rest."
The street quaked as the battle reignited, Vons now facing two of Nikolai's most feared officers.
Vons' saber clashed again and again against Yani's claws, sparks flying with every brutal collision. The captain's movements were sharp, precise—years of battle distilled into perfect form. But even he was starting to strain.
Yani's cheetah-infused body darted and weaved like a phantom, blurring around Vons with impossible speed. His attacks were relentless—slashing from the left, flipping overhead, striking from behind. Every movement was a blur of muscle and instinct.
"Too slow, old man!" Yani barked with a predatory laugh, as his claws raked across Vons' coat, tearing fabric and drawing blood.
CRACK!
Another stone bullet shattered against the wall behind Vons, barely missing his head. Anta had taken up position on a rooftop, raining down precise shots. Every time Vons tried to focus on Yani, another stone forced him to dodge or shield.
"Tch... Damned sharpshooter," Vons muttered, swinging upward to deflect another pouncing strike from Yani.
Sweat trickled down his face. His breathing had grown heavier. He could feel it now—his footwork beginning to falter, his swings slightly slower, his parries tighter than before.
Yani sensed it too.
"You're strong, Captain," Yani growled, circling him. "But strength means nothing if you can't catch your enemy."
Another stone bullet struck the ground beside Vons, sending shards of stone up into his legs. He staggered slightly, and Yani capitalized, dashing in with a vicious grin—
Vons was being pushed into the disadvantage.
Even with all his skill, even with his unshakable resolve—he was facing a monster too fast and a sniper too persistent.
And both were just getting started.
Then, from the rooftop, Anta spoke coldly, voice cutting through the chaos like a dagger:
"We don't need to kill him. Just stall him."
Yani glanced back, grinning wickedly. "Right. The mission."
For their mission given by Captain Nikolai… it must be successful.
Failure wasn't an option.
Not with what they were sent to retrieve.
Not with who they were doing it for.