As Alex and the others enter the Wild Cherry, he hears a wave of loud cheering erupt across the room.
In one corner, at a large table, Bellamy is in the middle of a card game with an opponent.
A crowd has gathered around them.
Alex immediately spots Sarquiss—Bellamy's second-in-command—lounging nearby, his blonde girlfriend Lily wrapped around him.
On the table, Alex notices a large pile of bills, most of them stacked on Bellamy's opponent's side.
That's easily a few million.
He stares at the man playing against Bellamy but doesn't recognize him. Behind the man stands a group of muscular, rowdy-looking thugs, all armed with sabers and pistols.
Despite his opponent's strong-looking escort and clear advantage at the game, Bellamy looks calm—maybe even amused—as he smiles across the table.
Let's wait for the showdown... once Bellamy loses, and all eyes are on his opponent, that's when we strike.
Jewel! Relay it to the others.
Soulmate is saying that he wants to strike when Bellamy loses and is about to attack his opponent.
Tereza shakes her head and steps closer to Alex and Benezia, whispering quietly, "You take care of that blue-haired idiot. Benezia, you deliver the finishing blow to Bellamy. Jewel, just do your thing. You should rest. Use ranged attacks if needed, but stay near Alex. I'll handle the rest."
"It's rare for you to make such a bold declaration. I'm intrigued by your plan," Benezia says, a faint hint of amusement touching her voice. "Go ahead then—we'll support you."
"Fine..." Alex mutters.
I guess I'd better act naturally.
Alex strolls forward, ignoring the card table entirely, and makes his way to the bar. A few people glance his way but don't give him more than a passing look.
He walks up to the barkeeper and slaps a 10,000 Belly bill onto the counter.
"Give me five of your best cherry-related drinks. I haven't had anything like that in a while," he says with a casual smile.
"Cherry-related drink? I got some liquor, that's all..." the barkeeper replies, looking confused. "If you want, I can give you a cherry pie—Terry from next door supplies me with those."
"Not even cherry juice? Or a fruit wine made with cherries?" Alex asks, looking confused and disappointed. "That's kinda disappointing... whatever, just give me the liquor and the pie then. Maybe throw in a few of your other specialties. Give me 10,000 Belly worth of drinks."
"Fine," the man grumbles, vanishing briefly into the back before returning with a cherry pie and several drinks, which he places in front of Alex.
"Not bad," Alex mutters as he eyes the spread. He takes a bite of the pie, followed by a sip of the liquor.
"This cherry pie tastes extremely... mid," Alex comments dryly. "Nothing special at all. What a disappointment. I expected it to either be delicious or taste awful. The liquor's also nothing special...."
"Well, what do you expect?" the barkeeper asks. "This is a pirate town."
"Well, if the name of this damn pub is Wild Cherry, I expected something nice. At least when it comes to cherries," Alex says with a sigh. "Whatever... just let me drink in peace."
With a large piece of cherry pie in one hand and a drink in the other, Alex stands up and slowly positions himself behind Sarquiss, so that he is ready to strike—just waiting for Tereza to start.
He quietly conjures Mustrano's Malice Mauler and activates In, keeping the weapon completely hidden from sight.
Instantly, he feels Mustrano's Bloodlust awaken—the snake-claw writhing with hunger, eager for blood.
Calm down... stupid snake...
Bellamy, still pretending to stay calm as he keeps losing, is clearly getting more and more irritated. Alex watches his face carefully, noting that he's right on the edge of exploding.
So what exactly is Tereza's plan? She's just doing what I initially suggested—waiting for him to blow up, confront the guy and his crew... then strike while his attention is directed at his opponent.
Alex notices the rest of Bellamy's crew growing tense, clearly anticipating what's about to happen—everyone except Sarquiss, who remains completely at ease, preparing themselves for a fight.
They probably know what Bellamy is planning to do...
"Looks like the goddess of luck isn't on your side today, big guy," a charming voice echoes behind Bellamy.
Alex turns, and of course, immediately recognizes Tereza.
Hovering behind him, she casually peers at Bellamy's cards, then leans in close, pointing to one of them and whispering in his ear.
"How about you keep that one?" She suggests cheerfully.
"Oy! Bellamy. I like that one." Sarquiss yells from the back. "Woman, leave our boss alone—he needs to focus. How about you come over to me instead?" He grins, staring at Tereza with a greedy expression.
"Shut up!" Bellamy barks. "You already got Lily! Don't hog them all for yourself."
"How dare you?" Lily snaps, slapping Sarquiss across the face.
"I'm gonna trust you this one time," Bellamy mutters, glancing back at Tereza.
Alex watches as the next hand is played. And, whether by luck or by Tereza's whispered advice, Bellamy actually wins the round, recouping some of his earlier losses.
"Hehehehe, not bad!" he laughs, greedily pulling a small mountain of bills over to his side, while his opponent looks visibly annoyed.
The next round begins, and Bellamy takes a look at his new cards.
"This will be difficult... but how about a little lucky charm? I'm sure that will bring you luck," Tereza teases him, bending down until her head is right next to his left side.
What is she doing now?!
Suddenly, Alex notices Bellamy's face go pale. His hand begins to tremble—then he drops his cards altogether, revealing them.
"Oy, Bellamy, did you freeze up because this chick kissed you? You're not usually like that," Sarquiss mutters, clearly confused.
He stands up to look over—only to see Bellamy shaking. Without warning, Bellamy's legs transform into springs, and his body launches straight up into the ceiling, desperately escaping Tereza.
A trail of blood follows him through the air.
Now fully visible, Tereza stands motionless—her eyes cold, blood dripping from her mouth.
"Vampire!"
"Monster!"
"She sucked his blood!"
Screams erupt across the room as everyone stares at her in horror.
Without hesitating, Alex drops his pie and glass, immediately activating Ko, focusing all of his Aura into Mustrano, and strikes viciously toward Sarquiss's neck from behind.
Sarquiss, either by raw instinct or sheer dumb luck, reacts just in time and dodges, his neck waiving to the side.
Alex, unfazed, adjusts the angle mid-strike, redirecting his claw to Sarquiss's back instead—a much broader and easier target.
Mustrano pierces deep into his body. Alex feels a revolting resistance as the claw tears through skin, muscle, and bone—ripping straight into his organs.
You have dealt 101 x 3 = 303 damage to Sarquiss
You have caused bleeding (back)
You have caused bleeding (Internal)
You have crippled Sarquiss (left lung)
"Y—You... do you know who I am?" Sarquiss stammers, his voice shaking as his body spasms, unable to muster up any real resistance.
Lily instantly pulls her hand off his shoulder, staring at the gaping wound in horror—then, without hesitation, turns around and runs away in fear, abandoning her lover, captain, and crew without a second glance.
"I only care about your bounty!" Alex yells, his voice cold and ruthless. "Die!"
Many pirates from Bellamy's crew panic and flee. But a few—either too drunk, reckless, or simply emboldened by the alcohol still running through their systems—decide to fight back, drawing or grabbing any weapons or objects, like knives or nearby bottles, and charging at Alex.
Alex, unable to turn his attention to Bellamy, trusts that Tereza and Benezia will be enough handle him. Instead, he focuses on Sarquiss and the pirates now charging at him.
Soulmate! Leave the peasants to Princess Jewel.
With his claw still buried deep inside Sarquiss, Alex strikes with his free hand, slamming his fist into the man's face.
You have dealt 34 damage to Sarquiss
You have stunned Sarquiss
Then, in one quick motion, he rips the claw free. Sarquiss collapses to the ground, barely conscious.
Meanwhile, Jewel unleashes Namtaru Web Shoot and Namtaru Poison Spit, coating the surrounding pirates in sticky webbing and bursts of corrosive venom, both enhanced by her newly gained Dark energy.
Screams erupt as bodies hit the floor, the pirates flailing wildly while their skin burns and their limbs get entangled in Jewel's dark web.
Damage numbers flood Alex's vision, but he ignores them, his attention solely on Sarquiss. He draws his [Executioner's Blade R2] from his back and raises it high, bringing it down on the stunned, broken man.
"No...!" Sarquiss cries, feebly trying to shield himself—but Alex's strike cuts clean through him.
You have dealt 130 damage to Sarquiss
You have killed Sarquiss
"It's the butcher!" one of the pirates screams in terror, his eyes focused on Alex's famous blade.
"We need to run!" another yells.
Within seconds, the bar begins to empty out—everyone scrambling for the exits. Everyone except those still caught in Jewel's web, thrashing helplessly as they try to somehow escape.
As the chaos clears, Alex finally spots Bellamy. The pirate captain is barely standing, blood pouring from his side—one of his arms severed completely, courtesy of Benezia's Asari blade, now dyed in fresh blood.
"You... bitch! How dare you?!" He yells angrily.
Tereza stands nearby, wand in hand, her confidence radiating.
"Stupefy!" she shouts, unleashing a strong red projectile that slams into Bellamy's face.
"I'll kill you..." he growls, somehow managing to stay upright—a testament to his sheer strength and determination, but Benezia immediately follows up, attacking with Warp, hurling a high-speed biotic orb that blasts into his skull, tearing through flesh and bone.
"I'LL KILL YOU BITCHES!!!" Bellamy roars, his head now bloody, one eye closed and bleeding, transforming his legs into springs again—but just as he tries to leap forward, his legs buckle beneath him, sending him crashing into the bodies of his own crew.
With no immediate enemy to engage, Alex uses a Warp of his own and fires it at Bellamy's exposed side, landing it cleanly on his shoulder.
You have dealt 81 damage to Bellamy
He's still alive?! How?!
Bellamy, still sprawled on the ground, shrieks with pure, unfiltered rage. "I WILL HAVE YOU ALL DEAD! YOU DON'T KNOW WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH! YOU'LL ALL DIE!"
"No, you!" Alex counters, irritated by his opponent's endless ranting, and immediately casts Blizzara.
Bellamy, furious and desperate, grabs one of his crewmates and throws the poor man straight into the path of the spell. He clutches another and holds him in front like a shield.
Alex's spell quickly creates a crimson-azure explosion of ice, freezing one of the pirates' bodies, turning it into a frozen corpse.
You have dealt 99 damage to Pirate
You have killed Pirate
I should've used the AoE version... damn! You're not getting away.
Just as Bellamy tries once again to launch himself forward, aiming toward the window, Tereza suddenly transforms mid-leap, intercepting him with her massive, razor-sharp bat claws that pierce deep into his shoulders, making him scream in pain.
"Aaaahhhh, you fucking whore!! I am working for Donquixote Doflamingo! He will kill you all!" He yells, now desperate, fighting for his life, more blood dripping onto the ground, using all of his focus to remain standing.
Benezia reacts instantly. She blinks forward and, with a fluid motion, slashes her Asari sword across Bellamy's neck—cleanly severing it, causing his head to drop onto the floor.
Meanwhile, Jewel keeps up her barrage, firing more dark, venom orbs created by Namtaru Poison Spit, picking off the remaining pirates one by one as they slowly suffer on the ground, helpless to defend against her attacks.
Alex, as his comrades keep fighting, carefully looks through the now destroyed room. A few uninvolved patrons are hiding behind tables and overturned chairs, but aside from them, no one is left.
"Game over, that's one pirate crew less in this world," he says coldly, as Tereza transforms into her hybrid form and walks up to him, her eyes shining red.
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