"Ben, do we know what the place would be like?" Vivi asked.
Ben thought for a second. He tried to think back to the game which we vaguely remembered. "From what I can remember, this tournament will be taking place in an archipelago called Cream Mist," he began. "There are five main islands we need to worry about, and each one has its own set of traps and challenges," he added.
The girls leaned in.
"This will be like previous places we went to," Honey said.
"Similar," Ben responded. "The first is Malti Island," Ben said. He paused and looked into the ceiling. "It's the main hub and the location of the Marine base . They use a massive drawbridge at the center to control ship traffic," he explained.
"Marines at the starting point?" Kalifa as she pushed up her glasses. Her cleavage bounced slightly. "They have locked the entire place and you need to travel through it first," she added.
"There are going to be a lot of pirates going through it right now," Mikita remarked.
"Which means they are distracted or overworked," Raki said.
"It gives us an opportunity to go through," Maya added as she put everything together.
"Exactly," Ben nodded. "Then there's Sorbi Island. It's a desert under a scorching sun. It's famous for sandstorms, quicksand that forces you into traps, and for some reason, the place is littered with Buggy Cannons," he explained.
Vivi thought of her home. "A desert island with sandstorms? Like Alabasta?" she asked.
"It will be like home for you," Nojiko remarked as she smiled at Vivi.
"I feel like we will end up in a cave somewhere," Kaya commented.
"There are going to be people-snakes to eat you up," Robin said.
"Snakes?" Marianne asked.
"There are no snakes like that," Ben responded.
"What are Buggy Cannons?" Perona asked as she looked around.
"There are creations created by Buggy, a pirate in the West Blue, who is somewhere here," Ben responded.
"We fought him and beat him," Alvida remarked.
"They must have gotten a hold of them somehow," Nojiko commented. "We just need to be careful," she added. They all nodded.
"Then there is Oligo Island, things get weird. It's full of ruins and has a 'Weight Bridge' system. If two people are on them at once, the lower one drops into the sea. If you're both on the same bridge, you both fall. To make it worse, the island itself rises and falls below sea level," Ben explained.
"A floating ruin with death-trap bridges?" Robin laughed softly, "It sounds like a lovely place for a stroll," Robin remarked.
"Can we just not fly over the Bridge?" Kaya asked.
"That is an option," Ben replied.
"Most of us know Moonwalk now as well, so it should be okay," Kalifa responded.
"That and between flying we all should be okay," Zala agreed. "
They all nodded.
"And the fourth?" Nojiko asked.
"Xyli Island," Ben replied. "It's the opposite of Sorbi. It is a frozen island covered in snow, and prone to massive avalanches . Also, it's the territory of the Lapahns," he added.
"Lapahns?" Marianne asked.
"Man eating giant bunnies which eats everyone," Robin said.
"Eats everyone?" Marianne and Honey looked shocked.
"Those giant rabbits aren't friendly but I will not let any of them touch you all," Ben responded. "I will destroy them before they close," he added.
The girls all smiled. "He does sound very handsome like that," Ashivra replied.
"My love always does," Alvida remarked. All the girls nodded. Perona thought he was just handsome. She had a slight blush.
"He has his way of words," Kaya remarked.
"There will be avalanches," Nojiko remarked.
"Yes, and they could be dangerous, it could end badly," Ben remarked.
"We have fought danger all the way," Raki remarked.
"We are not dolls," Nojiko responded.
"She is right, my love," Alvida stated.
Ben nodded. "Finally, there's Granu Island," Ben concluded. "That's the heart of the archipelago. It's where King Cello's mansion is located," he added.
"That was the person who made the radio?" Saphir asked.
"Yes," Ben responded.
Alvida smirked. "So we have to survive a drawbridge, a desert, a sinking ruin, and a frozen mountain and then a mansion," she said.
"Sounds like a normal week for us," Mikita remarked.
The girls giggled and nodded. "Yes, it does," Vivi agreed.
"Which one do we hit first, Ben?" Saphir asked. "If the gems are scattered, we need a plan," she added.
"The Cream Mist Archipelago is too spread out for us to stay together if we want to beat the other crews," Alvida suggested. "We should split into three groups and hit the first three islands simultaneously. We'll collect the gems faster," she added.
"We can split into 6 groups," Perona suggested. "It will be faster," she remarked.
"No, we will be too far spread and thin," Raki responded. "Three groups sounds sensible," Raki added.
Ben crossed over his chest. "I still don't know, Like you said, splitting up makes our forces weaker. If a Marine Admiral or a top-tier pirate crew corners one of you, I won't be there to help," he remarked. He thought that was unlikely since Marineford is happening very soon and they should all be gathering.
"Ben," Vivi said. "You've trained us, and we've survived the Grand Line this far. We aren't dolls," Vivi added.
Marianne nodded. "We can handle ourselves," she remarked.
"She's right, my love," Alvida added as she winked at him. "Trust in the women you chose," she added.
Ben looked around the room. He could see the fierce determination in their eyes. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright. But if things get too dangerous, you retreat immediately. No gem is worth your lives," he stated.
"Understood!" the girls shouted in unison.
Ben thought about the groups. "HQ, BM, and Dorothy, can you three defend the ship while we are gone?" Ben remarked.
"Yes my Master," HQ said. "We will protect the Miss Love Duck," HQ added.
"As you wish my lord," BM remarked. Dorothy nodded.
"Group 1 will be Ben, Mikita, Saphir, Raki, and Perona. You're with me on Lexie," Ben said. "We will be going to Malti Island," Ben added.
"Okay," Mikita responded as she leaned back on her chair.
"I will be with Ben," Saphir remarked as she smiled.
Perona looked at Ben and smiled. "Do you trust me to have your back?" Perona asked.
Ben nodded. "I do," he stated.
"We are going near a Marine Base," Raki said.
"We are not going to attack it, I don't think the Life Gem will be there," Ben said.
They all nodded.
"Group 2 will be Kaya, Honey, Vivi, Zala, Conis, and Ashivra. You'll take the Super Tortoise," Ben said. "You will be going to Sorbi Island," he added.
"The desert," Vivi whispered. "I know how the sand plays tricks on the mind," she added.
"It will be like home for you," Kaya replied. Vivi nodded.
"Yes Captain," Conis replied as her flames burnt brighter.
Ashivra just cracked her knuckles. "This will be my first time in a desert place," Ashivra remarked.
"You might have gone in the past and not remembered it," Zala remarked.
"This is also a possibility," Ashivra said.
"Group 3: Alvida, Nojiko, Marianne, Robin, Maya, and Kalifa. You have the Glimstorm," Ben concluded. "You will be going to Oligo Island," he added.
"A ruins-heavy island with shifting elevations?" Robin's eyes sparked with genuine joy. "It sounds like a giant deathtrap," she winked at Ben.
Nojiko smiled. "Glimstorm should help us over the mountains," Nojiko remarked.
Maya thought she had a devil fruit. The Flying Roc, she thought.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses. "Captain, while I think we should have gone after all six islands at once, we will follow your lead," Kalifa said.
"My love has taken his decision," Alvida remarked.
"Like I said before, I care for all of you. Stretching into 6 teams while spread us far too thin, even if we bring Emeraude and Rubis, it is too risk for 6 teams, it is best to be cautious and even if someone does get one Life Gem, we will have the majority and we will beat them to get it," Ben said. "I love you all and I care for you all," Ben stated. "And remember, if things get too dangerous or something is not right, do not take a risk, retreat back, " he added.
The girls all nodded.
"Let go," Ben ordered. They all left the dining room and headed towards the Fourth Floor where the bay was. In the bay they saw Lexie, Pau Ra Pa, Rose General, Pounder Mark IV, Dixie, Super Tortoise Mark II, Glimstorm, Desire Mark I,
"Is there any reason why we can't use Rose General or Pau Ra Pa?" Zala asked.
"No reason, if you want you can take anything you like here," Ben responded.
"We will take Rose General with us," Vivi said.
"Sure," Ben replied.
"I think anything else will just slow us down," Mikita remarked.
The other girls nodded. They thought this will be a quick mission.
Kaya, Honey, Vivi, Zala, Conis, Ashivra approached Super Tortoise.
"I still can't believe how big this thing is," Ashivra remarked.
Vivi climbed up. "You had been on it before," Vivi said.
"I sure have and she is strong," Ashivra replied.
"Well, let's get going," Zala remarked.
On the platform, the Glimstorm helicopter stood there.
Ben approached it. "We have an upgrade for it," he remarked.
"Oh let's do it," Nojiko added.
"She will be stronger," Maya said with a smile on her face.
(Sweetie Redeem Glimstorm Mark II please)
[Redeeming Glimstorm Mark II]
At that moment there was a bright light. The girls looked away.
As the light went they saw a sleek aerodynamic, bubble-gum pink fuselage with bold heart decals. It had dual heavy-duty rotary cannons mounted under the nose and reinforced wing pylons carrying a full payload of six color-coordinated missiles.
"It looks so pretty," Marianne said.
Robin walked up and petted the Glimstorm. "Cute," she said with a smile on her face.
"It seems like it will be faster and stronger," Alvida remarked.
"It will be indeed," Ben said as he walked away.
Ben then approached Lexie. "Let's go in," Ben said.
Saphir got in the driver seat.
Mikita and Raki took back seats.
"You can sit next to Ben," Mikita said.
Perona looked at the seat. She then looked at Ben and nodded.
"Okay, let go," Ben said. He looked at Perona and smiled. "I will not bite you," he said.
"Not yet," Mikita remarked.
Raki sighed. "Altought his bites are good," she said.
Ben sighed. "Let's go," he said once more.