Chapter 2: The Girl with the Marine Coat
The fires on Westshell Island had been put out, but the air still carried the scent of smoke and seawater.
Ayman Arif stood at the edge of the dock, arms folded, watching the sunset stain the sky orange. Rock Lee stood beside him, practicing kicks with his usual endless energy. Elizabeth, his newest summon, was gently healing an injured shopkeeper nearby, her hands glowing with warm, golden light.
[Quest Chain Unlocked: Guardian of the Forgotten Islands – Part 1 Complete]
[Reputation: +50 with Local Civilians]
[Warning: Marine Patrol en route to investigate disturbance.]
Ayman frowned slightly. He'd known the system wouldn't let him stay in the shadows forever. Three pirate ships defeated in minutes? Someone was bound to notice.
"Lee," he said without looking. "Return to standby."
Lee stopped mid-spin. "What?! But we were just getting started!"
"I need to stay low. Marines are coming."
Rock Lee sighed but nodded. "Very well. I'll meditate in the void of youth!"
[Summon Slot 1: Rock Lee – Deactivated (Stored)]
[Current Active Summons: 1/3]
Elizabeth looked up. "Should I stay as well?"
"No," Ayman said. "A gentle healer won't raise questions."
She smiled sweetly and returned to her patient. Just as Ayman turned to head back toward the tavern, a cannon blast echoed from the north side of the island.
BOOM!
The villagers screamed. A white-sailed Marine ship had docked, bearing the emblem of the World Government. Footsteps thudded as uniformed soldiers marched toward town square, rifles raised.
Leading them was a girl.
She couldn't have been older than twenty. Her Marine coat hung from her shoulders like a cape, and her short black hair fluttered in the sea breeze. A cutlass was strapped to her hip, and her sharp brown eyes scanned the village with practiced caution.
She raised a hand, and the Marines stopped.
"My name is Lieutenant Rika," she announced. "We received a distress signal. Who here leads this village?"
The mayor stepped forward, nervously adjusting his spectacles. "Ah, yes, ma'am. I'm Mayor Gelt. You're a bit late, though… the pirates were repelled earlier this afternoon."
Rika's eyes narrowed. "Repelled? By whom?"
"Uh… by him."
All eyes turned to Ayman, who stood calmly with one hand resting on the hilt of his saber.
Rika walked up to him, boots crunching against dirt.
"You? You're the bounty hunter they've been talking about?"
"I don't go by any title," Ayman said evenly. "Just a wanderer with a blade."
She studied him. "Three pirate ships. Red Hammer Crew. And you're telling me you took them down alone?"
"I had some help," he admitted. "A friend."
Rika's gaze flicked to Elizabeth, who bowed politely. "I'm a traveling cleric," she said softly. "Just tending wounds."
Ayman kept his posture relaxed, but his thoughts were calculating. If Rika demanded a report or tried to investigate further, things could get complicated fast.
"Where are the pirates now?" she asked.
"Tied up by the shore. You're welcome to collect them. Their bounties should be enough to cover your ship's food bill."
Rika stared at him in silence. Then she laughed—dry, short.
"You're bold. That's rare in East Blue."
[Notice: NPC Interest Triggered – Lieutenant Rika is now Suspicious]
[Charm Check: Passed (Hidden Stat Activated)]
[Status Update: Rika's attitude shifted to Curious]
She turned to her soldiers. "Collect the prisoners. And see if any of them are still alive."
As the Marines scattered, Rika turned back to Ayman.
"You don't seem like the usual muscle-headed bounty hunter. Where are you from?"
Ayman smiled slightly. "A small village. You wouldn't know it."
"That so?" Her tone was light, but her eyes were probing. "Let me guess—nowhere famous, but trained by a mysterious master, right?"
He didn't answer.
"Whatever," she muttered. "We'll be here till morning. Don't vanish."
She walked away, barking orders at her subordinates. Ayman exhaled slowly and turned back toward the tavern.
[System Notice: Temporary Marine Presence Detected – Limitations Imposed]
[Summons will auto-return if witnessed by a Marine of Lieutenant Rank or Higher.]
"Figures," Ayman muttered under his breath. "Thanks for the warning… late as usual."
Inside the tavern, Elizabeth brought him tea.
"Do you think they'll discover your secret?" she asked softly.
"I'll make sure they don't."
Ayman sipped the tea and opened his system screen mentally.
[Summon Points Available: 110]
[Tickets: 1 (Support)]
[Inventory: Empty]
[Skill Tree: Locked]
He considered his options. Summon Points were precious. He needed more frontline fighters, or maybe a stealth specialist.
"Alright," he whispered.
"Let's roll again."
[Pulling from Support Banner…]
[Congratulations! You have summoned: Shikamaru Nara (Naruto) – Rare Tier – Role: Strategist / Shadow Control]
A swirl of shadows darkened the room. A teenager with a ponytail appeared, hands in pockets.
"…Tch. What a drag."
Ayman grinned. "Welcome to the crew."
[Shikamaru has been bound permanently – Active Summon Slot 2/3]
[New Skill Unlocked: Shadow Hold (Cooldown: 3 minutes)]
[System Notice: Strategic Support Type acquired – Quest Difficulty Scaling decreased slightly]
Suddenly, a knock on the tavern door interrupted his thoughts.
It was Rika again.
"Come with me," she said.
"To where?"
"We found something. You'll want to see it."
---
The beach was darker now, the sky purple and stars blinking into view.
Rika led him to the wreck of one of the pirate ships. A wooden crate had broken open—inside were strange weapons, not marine-issued, not pirate-made.
"These rifles… aren't from any shipyard I've seen," she said. "And this symbol here—"
She pointed to a familiar mark.
Ayman stiffened. It was a symbol from Earth—one he'd seen on a military anime. A red eagle in a triangle.
[Warning: Dimensional Artifact Detected]
[Quest Triggered: The Interference – Track Down the Source of Dimensional Leaks]
[Difficulty: Unknown]
Ayman kept his expression neutral, but his heart was racing.
Someone—or something—else was leaking things from other worlds into One Piece. And that meant… he wasn't the only one.
Rika turned to him again. "Ever seen something like this?"
He shook his head. "No idea."
She nodded, clearly unconvinced. "If you find anything… let me know."
Then she walked off into the night, Marine coat fluttering behind her.
Ayman stared at the crate, at the familiar logo, and felt the wind shift.
The game had changed.
And he wasn't playing alone anymore.