Two hours into his unwilling voyage with the Briggs Pirates, Marcus had learned several important facts about his new life:
First, his new body got seasick. Violently seasick.
Second, pirates apparently found seasickness hilarious.
Third, the Devil Fruit Harvest System had absolutely no chill when it came to offering murder suggestions.
"Come on, landlubber!" laughed the thin pirate—who'd introduced himself as "Skinny Pete" with all the creativity of a cafeteria menu. "Haven't you ever been on a boat before?"
Marcus gripped the side of the small vessel, trying not to add to the ocean's salt content. "Not... not really," he managed between waves of nausea. The irony wasn't lost on him that he'd been reincarnated into a world of pirates and maritime adventure, only to discover he had the sea legs of a newborn giraffe.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Skill Discovered: Seasickness Resistance (Level 0)
Current Progress: 1/100
Note: Maybe try not dying first before worrying about skill progression
Even my system is roasting me, Marcus thought miserably.
Captain Briggs, meanwhile, was in high spirits. His rubber arm stretched across the boat to pat Marcus on the back with enough force to nearly launch him overboard. "Don't worry, boy! You'll get your sea legs soon enough. Can't raid a Marine base if you're too busy feeding the fish!"
The red-haired woman—who went by "Scarlett" and seemed to be the group's navigator—looked up from her charts. "Speaking of which," she said, fixing Marcus with a sharp look, "you still haven't told us exactly where this base is. Or what kind of defenses they have besides your metal-man commander."
Marcus's stomach lurched, and not just from the boat's motion. He'd bought himself time with his lie, but now came the hard part: making it believable enough to keep him alive while figuring out an actual plan.
"It's called Shellback Outpost," Marcus said, pulling the name out of thin air. "Small installation, maybe fifty Marines. The commander—Captain Ironside—he's got the Tetsu Tetsu no Mi. Turns his whole body into steel."
Please let that be a believable Devil Fruit name, Marcus prayed silently. His knowledge of One Piece was decent, but he couldn't remember every single fruit that existed.
Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "Tetsu Tetsu no Mi? Never heard of it."
"It's not well-known," Marcus said quickly. "The World Government likes to keep some of their officers' abilities secret. Makes them more effective in surprise attacks."
It was complete bullshit, but it sounded like the kind of thing the World Government would do. Briggs seemed to buy it, nodding sagely as if this confirmed his extensive knowledge of Marine operations.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Skill Discovered: Deception (Level 1)
Current Progress: 15/100
Note: Congratulations, you're officially a lying bastard
Thanks for the moral support, Marcus thought dryly.
"So what's this weakness you mentioned?" Skinny Pete asked, leaning forward with interest. "How do we take down a steel man?"
This was the moment Marcus had been dreading. He needed to come up with a weakness that sounded plausible but would also give him an opportunity to... well, he wasn't sure what he was going to do when they reached this fictional Marine base. Cross that bridge when he came to it.
"Salt water," Marcus said, remembering the universal weakness of Devil Fruit users. "All Devil Fruit users are weakened by sea water, but Ironside's particularly vulnerable. His steel body gets brittle when exposed to it. A good splash of sea water and he becomes as fragile as glass."
Technically true for all Devil Fruit users, which made it a perfect lie. The pirates exchanged knowing looks.
"Makes sense," Briggs said. "Devil Fruit users and the sea don't mix. That's why we're perfect for this job!" He flexed his rubber arm for emphasis. "Course, I gotta be careful around water myself, but that's what crew's for!"
Marcus nodded, filing away that information. Briggs had a Devil Fruit, which made him valuable to the system but also vulnerable to the ocean. That might be useful later.
[TACTICAL ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
Target: Captain "Rubber Arms" Briggs
Weaknesses: Sea water, sharp objects, extreme temperatures
Recommended Strategy: Environmental elimination
Moral Complexity: High (would you really kill someone for a rubber power?)
The system's getting philosophical, Marcus noted. That's either a good sign or a very bad one.
The boat suddenly lurched to one side, and Marcus barely managed to keep his breakfast down. Scarlett was adjusting their course, her face grim.
"What's wrong?" Briggs asked.
"Marine patrol," she said, pointing toward the horizon. "Three ships, flying the seagull flag. They're moving in a search pattern."
Marcus squinted against the sun and could just make out the distant shapes. His heart sank. Real Marines meant real danger, and he was trapped on a boat with pirates who would probably throw him overboard at the first sign of trouble.
"Can we outrun them?" Skinny Pete asked nervously.
Scarlett shook her head. "Not in this tub. They've got bigger ships and more sail. We need to find somewhere to hide."
Briggs's face darkened. "I'm not running from no Marines. My rubber powers can handle whatever they throw at us!"
"Your rubber powers won't stop a cannonball from sinking our ship," Scarlett snapped. "We need to be smart about this."
Marcus watched the argument develop with growing dread. These pirates were about to make a stupid decision that would get them all killed, and by extension, get him killed too. He needed to do something.
"There," he said, pointing to a small outcropping of rocks about half a mile away. "We can hide behind those rocks. Wait for the patrol to pass."
"Or," Briggs said with a nasty grin, "we could take one of their ships. I bet they've got treasure on board."
[WARNING: HOSTILE FORCES DETECTED]
Multiple Marine Vessels Approaching
Estimated Strength: 150+ Personnel
Recommended Action: STRATEGIC RETREAT
Alternative Action: HARVEST OPPORTUNITIES
The system's suggestion made Marcus's blood run cold. It was treating this potential battle like an all-you-can-eat buffet of Devil Fruit abilities. The problem was, Marcus had no idea if any of the Marines actually had Devil Fruits, and he definitely didn't want to find out in the middle of a sea battle.
"Captain," Scarlett said urgently, "those ships are getting closer. We need to decide now."
Briggs stood up, his rubber body stretching taller as he puffed out his chest. "Alright, crew! We're gonna show these Marines what the Briggs Pirates are made of!"
Oh no, Marcus thought. He's actually going to do it. He's going to fight three Marine ships with a crew of four people and delusions of grandeur.
"Wait!" Marcus said desperately. "Captain, think about this strategically. Those Marines aren't just random patrol boats. They're searching for something specific. What if they're looking for the same treasure you are?"
Briggs paused, his rubber neck stretching as he turned to look at Marcus. "What are you getting at, boy?"
Marcus's mind raced. He needed to plant an idea that would keep them alive while also giving him options. "What if we follow them? Let them do the work of finding the treasure, then swoop in when they're distracted? Much safer than a direct confrontation."
It was another lie, of course, but it played to the pirates' greed while keeping them out of immediate danger. Scarlett looked thoughtful, and even Skinny Pete seemed to consider it.
"That's... actually not a terrible idea," Scarlett admitted.
Briggs's expression shifted from bloodthirsty to calculating. "Follow them to the treasure, then take it for ourselves... I like it! But what if they spot us?"
"That's where the hiding comes in," Marcus said, pointing again to the rocks. "We wait until they pass, then follow at a distance. Stay far enough back that they don't notice us, close enough that we don't lose them."
[SKILL INCREASE]
Deception: Level 1 → Level 2
New Ability Unlocked: Persuasive Argument
Note: You're getting scary good at this
The system's observation was uncomfortably accurate. Marcus was getting better at manipulation, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. But if it kept him alive long enough to figure out a real plan, he'd deal with the moral implications later.
"Alright," Briggs decided. "We'll try it your way, boy. But if this goes wrong, you're the first one overboard. Understood?"
Marcus nodded, trying to look confident while internally screaming. He'd just bought himself more time, but he was also digging himself deeper into a situation he had no idea how to escape from.
As Scarlett steered them toward the rocky outcropping, Marcus watched the Marine ships draw closer. They were impressive vessels, clean and well-maintained, with crews that moved with military precision. Everything about them screamed "professional" in a way that made the ragtag pirate crew look like children playing dress-up.
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
Marine Patrol Composition: - 1
Captain-class vessel (potential Devil Fruit user) - 2
Standard patrol boats - Estimated 50-60 Marines per ship
Threat Level: Extreme for current party
Thanks for the encouraging assessment, Marcus thought as they slipped behind the rocks. The largest Marine ship was close enough now that he could see figures moving on the deck. One of them, standing near the bow, caught his attention.
The man was tall and lean, wearing the distinctive white coat of a Marine Captain. But what made Marcus's heart skip a beat was the way the man moved—there was something unnatural about it, a fluidity that reminded him of...
[DEVIL FRUIT USER DETECTED]
Target: Marine Captain [Identity Unknown]
Fruit Type: Unknown
Threat Level: High
Recommended Action: OBSERVE AND ASSESS
Of course there's a Devil Fruit user on the Marine ship, Marcus thought grimly. Because my day wasn't complicated enough already.
The Marine ships passed by their hiding spot without slowing, their crews focused on whatever they were searching for. As the last ship disappeared around a bend in the island chain, Briggs turned to his crew with a predatory grin.
"Alright, crew! Time to see what treasure the Marines are after. And if we're lucky," he added, cracking his rubber knuckles, "maybe we'll get to test our skills against some real opponents."
Marcus felt his stomach drop again, and this time it had nothing to do with seasickness. He was about to be caught between pirates and Marines, with a system that wanted him to kill Devil Fruit users and absolutely no idea how to fight.
Well, he thought as Scarlett started the boat moving again, at least things can't get any worse.
That's when he heard the roar.
It came from somewhere ahead of them, where the Marine ships had gone. It was deep and primal, the kind of sound that made every instinct Marcus had ever possessed scream "run away." The water around their boat actually rippled from the vibration.
"What the hell was that?" Skinny Pete whispered.
Scarlett was already checking her charts, her face pale. "We're near the Crimson Straits," she said quietly. "The old legends say there's something sleeping in these waters. Something big."
[LEGENDARY CREATURE DETECTED]
Species: Unknown
Threat Level: CATASTROPHIC
Recommended Action: PRAY TO WHATEVER DEITY YOU FAVOR
Marcus stared at the system message, then at the worried faces of his companions, then at the churning water ahead where something massive was apparently stirring to life.
Okay, he thought desperately. Now things literally cannot get any worse.
The roar came again, closer this time, and Marcus decided that optimism was clearly not his strong suit.