Time passes. Alex, bored out of his mind, watches the pirates make a mess of themselves—until he catches a pair of waitresses whispering nearby.
"Let's put in the stuff we just got delivered," one whispers. "These bastards deserve the worst. They're so drunk they won't notice the poison."
Alex stands up and quickly approaches them. The pair flinch when they notice him, only to relax slightly once they recognize who it is.
"Mr. 6," one whispers nervously.
Alex lowers his voice and whispers. "Go ahead and poison them, but avoid the captain—he looks somewhat capable—he's probably smart and sharp enough to realize something this obvious. There is a risk that he will detect the poison, and not all of his men are incapable of fighting yet. Target the small fries first. Once they're out, dump everything you've got into his drinks. Even if he notices, it will be too late by then, and I'll deal with this buffoon before he can strike at you. I'll show him what a real claw looks like."
"U-understood, Mr. 6," the first replies quickly.
"Thank you, Mr. 6," the second adds, looking visibly relieved.
Satisfied, Alex returns to his seat. He watches the pirates drink themselves closer to oblivion, the waitresses now genuinely laughing as they ingest poisoned drinks and food. He then quietly conjures Mustrano's Malice Mauler lvl 5, ready to strike at any time.
This ability slightly drains Aura... but my recovery rate is far above the cost. As long as I start full, there's no reason not to keep it conjured
A sinister voice slithers into his mind: "Human... I can feel it. You want me to sssstab ssssomeone."
Alex smirks, flexing his left clawed hand as he mutters under his breath, "These clowns call themselves the Blood-claw Pirates. Ready to show them what a real bloody claw looks like?"
"I can't wait to tasssste their blood," Mustrano hisses eagerly.
Alex patiently waits, carefully supervising the situation as the hours drag on. Slowly but surely, the bar fills up with more and more people. The sun keeps lowering in the sky, and by the time it begins setting, the atmosphere has already grown noticeably more rowdy.
He can feel a number of the pirates staring at him. He stands out like a sore thumb here, neither belonging among the pirates nor behaving like the bounty hunters who are practically kissing their asses.
Wanting to avoid unnecessary conflict, Alex slips behind the counter and quietly retreats into one of the backrooms.
From time to time, he makes use of En to check on the situation.
All of a sudden, Alex hears several explosions in the distance. The sound is faint, and even though he concentrates hard, straining his hearing, he can only barely pick it up.
I think the others might have engaged in battle. Let's just hope the situation doesn't devolve into complete chaos now. The sound was far off, so it should be okay. Jewel, Benezia, and Tereza should be fine on their own. I need to trust in them.
"Mr. 6!" One of the waitresses hurries in, staring at Alex with a look that carries a hint of desperation. "Our supplies are actually running low. We didn't expect those pirates to be so formidable. They can endure for much longer than we thought. Normally, what we had would have been enough to knock out hundreds of pirates. We'll have to use our prepared poison for their Captain now—there's no other choice. Mr. 8 and Miss Monday will arrive as well."
Not like those two will be much help... maybe against ordinary pirates, but not against those three.
As the waitress said, Mr. 8 and Miss Monday soon appear in the backroom. Both of them look worried as their eyes fall on Alex.
"Mr. 6... I want you to Ma—ma—ma, please support us if things go wrong," Mr. 8 stammers, his voice unsteady, clearly being nervous.
"I already told you I'd help out," Alex replies, sounding irritated. "I've been here for half the day now. Even you should realize that I'm not here just to enjoy a drink."
"Ma—ma—ma, of course," Mr. 8 mutters. "We're going ahead now."
Alex walks out alongside Mr. 8 but chooses to stay slightly behind, keeping himself just past the doorway that leads back into the bar. From that spot, he glances at the scene unfolding, watching as a few of the waitresses finally begin serving another round of alcohol to the impatient, scowling pirates.
"Hurry up already!"
"Do you want us to burn this palace down?!"
"If we have to wait any longer, we'll find something else to kill time with!"
The pirates shout in anger while the bounty hunters in disguise scramble to appease them, their desperation obvious in every move.
I truly loathe these pathetic tactics. How can they keep up this charade for every damn small fry they run into? This is the very last time I'll be part of something like this. Even I can see it clearly now—these so-called bounty hunters are utterly pathetic!
Alex, now visibly enraged after waiting for such a long time, activates Zetsu and moves toward the spot where the boss is still drinking.
He watches as the pirates start gulping down their drinks, unknowingly swallowing the poison mixed in with the alcohol.
Even the Captain tilts back a huge mug of beer, finishing it all in a single gulp.
Good... now we can finally be done with this charade. The Captain was never really a problem to begin with. The only reason we've been forced to play along with this game is to avoid letting things erupt into open war. Most of these pirates are already drunk and poisoned, and now their boss just swallowed a dose that should be strong enough to deal with even him.
Alex slowly positions himself behind the Captain, but he suddenly stiffens as the man abruptly rises to his feet, sending countless empty mugs and plates clattering noisily to the floor.
"Poison! These betraying schemers have poisoned me! Men, draw your weapons—we are killing them a—"
Alex doesn't hesitate. He switches to Ren and then gathers all of his aura into Mustrano with Ko, and lashes out.
He activates Toxic Breakthrough lvl 5, his claw aiming straight for the man's throat as he closes in from behind. His attack is slightly off-course, as his target jerks upwards. Mustrano rips through the fabric of his shirt and pierces into the flesh, blood spraying out, yet Alex feels a shocking amount of resistance.
You have dealt 38 x 3 = 114 damage to Ruslo
You have poisoned Ruslo
You have caused bleeding to Ruslo
To his surprise, despite the ruthless attack, Mustrano doesn't penetrate as deeply as he should—the strike is blocked by something.
Alex barely has time to process this when the Captain whirls around, his sabre flashing free as he slashes straight at him.
Surprised by the sudden counter, Alex quickly jumps back.
He must be wearing some kind of special metal shirt. Damn it, how is that even possible?! I should have aimed for the head!
The pirates who are still conscious try to stand, but most groan in pain, some even stumbling forward, clearly not just drunk but poisoned as well.
"Tzzz, this would have been a little too easy," Alex mutters. "I guess I should use you as a test subject… but first…!"
He draws his [Executioner's Blade R2], uses Ko once more, and activates Flying Blizzara Sword. A massive wave of blade energy, shimmering with frost, surges forward toward the pirates.
Captain Ruslo reacts in time, leaping backward and yanking one of his unconscious crewmates into his grasp, holding him up as a makeshift shield.
Alex's wave of frozen death crashes into them.
You have dealt 131 damage to Blood-claw Pirate
You have killed Blood-claw Pirate
…
You have dealt 111 damage to Blood-claw Pirate
You have killed Blood-claw Pirate
You have dealt 21 damage to Ruslo
Every pirate standing near Ruslo collapses, instantly dying, helpless against Alex's lethal strike.
Ruslo, however, thanks to his quick reflexes, takes only a glancing blow, as the wave of frost cuts through his comrade, slicing into his stomach. Still, the sheer impact throws his colossal body outside, and when he steadies himself, a visible cut marks his stomach. Blood also continues to drip down his neck from the earlier wound where Mustrano pierced him.
The bar, now partially destroyed, with debris scattered across the floor, and one wall destroyed, is now completely silent. Alex steps out as well, closing the distance until he stands face-to-face with the furious Captain.
"YOU BASTARD!" Ruslo roars. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to gather these loyal crewmates?! I'll kill you! I'll tear you apart with my claw!"
He charges forward, his massive left arm ending in a deadly steel claw, gleaming as it slices through the air, fueled by his anger.
Since this guy actually seems somewhat capable, I might as well experiment before I finish him off. Let's start with something simple.
With his blade still in his right hand, Alex extends Mustrano with his left and uses Throw, releasing a surge of biotic energy that slams into Ruslo.
The Captain is violently hurled backward, crashing onto the ground.
You have dealt 6 damage to Ruslo
So it causes damage too… that's not mentioned in the ability itself, and it's different from how it worked in the game. But it makes sense. The impact alone is enough to throw him around, and he ran straight into it. Of course it hurts, it's almost like a punch. I should take note of that.
Seeing Ruslo still on the ground, dazed and shocked, Alex activates his [Destiny Watch (Orbment) R2]. Colorful energy—mostly red—surges around him as he channels briefly for two full seconds, then unleashes a massive water bullet that materializes from his hand.
Water Bleed!
The bullet tears forward, striking Ruslo just as he struggles to rise.
It slams into his stomach and pierces deep.
You have dealt 61 damage to Ruslo
You have caused bleeding to Ruslo
"DAMN YOU! You're a Devil Fruit user!" Ruslo screams in agony, forcing himself up and rushing forward once more.
This is quite effective. Different from my Black Magic, but certainly effective enough.
Now… time to finish this.
Alex charges, biotic energy building around his body. Just before colliding with Ruslo, he releases Stasis, locking his opponent in place.
The Captain is suddenly encased in glowing biotic energy, frozen mid-motion, unable to move a muscle.
The default duration is 7.5 seconds at lvl 5, but thanks to [Savant M] and my body surgery, it's boosted by a terrifying 70%. Still… I doubt it will hold that long.
Alex walks forward at an unhurried pace. He channels his aura back into Mustrano and raises the claw to Ruslo's throat, this time from the front.
He's already rushing forward, so I don't even need to move. His own momentum will be enough. This is only a test. I need to focus on the signs of the ability breaking. If I can learn to recognize the exact moment, it'll be the key in truly important fights.
He watches carefully as the biotic energy thins. Exactly nine seconds after the cast, Ruslo starts to break free—just as Mustrano pierces deep into his throat, ending him in a single devastating strike.
You have dealt 91 x 3 = 293 damage to Ruslo
You have killed Ruslo
Satisfied with the results, Alex notices a blue chest materialize on top of the fallen Captain's body.
Since I can't claim the bounty for myself, I'll take this as a consolation prize. Truth be told, I prefer systems chests over chests full of almost worthless Belly anyway.
He quickly seizes it, then rushes toward the direction of the explosion he had faintly heard earlier.
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