chapter 1:Log 9
A young boy named Nico, who is about 5'11" with short hair and a brown complexion, sits by the sea with a bag full of unknown items. He is 14 years old, and behind him is a grocery store owned by his father, Johnny. Nico pulls out the 36th volume of a manga titled "Saji Norisuke's School for Gurls," which he claims is one of the best works of fiction ever created. As he begins to read, he becomes completely absorbed in the story, even though it's already 11:42, meaning his break ended 12 minutes ago.
Reluctantly, he returns to the store, which is called "Pacific." "Pops, when are they going to arrive?" Nico asks. Johnny reassures him not to worry; they will be there soon. Nico promises to return to Morgan, the island where they live, with his mother, who has been absent for the past eight years. Nico misses her a lot.
About 30 minutes later, a big green wooden ship with a Jolly Roger that says "LOG 9" approaches. Since "Pacific" is close to the sea, the ship is visible and its presence can be heard. Nico steps outside, knowing exactly why the ship has come, and so does Johnny. Someone jumps down from the ship on a skateboard and goes into the water with the anchor to hold it down. A ramp is set up for the people inside the ship to come down.
Nico sees a clown, which he finds ridiculous, and then he notices the same person who went into the water now sitting cross-legged on a floating skateboard, which he finds even more absurd. A woman then descends from the ship, exclaiming, "JOHNNY!" in a cheerful, joyful manner. Johnny waves at her and replies, "What's up, Iris? It's been years since we last saw each other. Good to see you again after all this time."
Nico watches in confusion, wondering who this woman named Iris could be. He greets her warmly, and Iris waves back enthusiastically before running over to hug him. "So, you're Nico! I'm Iris, the doctor of LOG 9. We came here to pick you up because we've been told you want to join us in the search for your mom. Don't worry; we'll find her," she says to Nico. He nods, preparing to join the crew of LOG 9.
"Nico!" Johnny calls. Nico looks at his dad, wondering why he is being called. He walks over, and Johnny whispers something in his ear before they hug. Johnny tells Nico goodbye, and Nico does the same. He then walks with Iris up to the ship. However, the moment he gets on board, he finds himself being tied up.
Nico is frightened by how quickly he has been tied up. A tall man, dressed like a boxer, approaches and effortlessly lifts Nico with one finger, though it's hard to tell which finger since he's wearing boxing gloves. The man carries Nico as they walk toward the steering wheel.
Suddenly, the person on a floating skateboard descends to meet Nico and Jack. He holds two table tennis paddles in his hands. Nico can tell that the person is male; he has black hair, brown eyes, and wears black and orange goggles on his head. His outfit consists of a black leather jacket over an orange T-shirt, along with black jeans and boots that have orange soles. "You really must love black and orange?" Nico asks with a curious smile. The guy laughs lightly and asks how Nico noticed, introducing himself as Sanjay.
Just then, the deck splits in half, and a volleyball net rises from within. A girl wearing a green coat over a black shirt and a long skirt emerges along with the net. She throws a table tennis egg at Sanjay, who catches it with swift reflexes. The volleyball net now stands on the deck, and Nico begins to question everything happening around him. He wonders what in the hell could possibly happen to him next.
CHAPTER 2:Let the games begin
Sanjay tells Nico that he's the navigator of the Log 9 and explains that the reason he's tied up is for no real reason at all. Ava had informed the guildmates that the moment they let Nico on the ship, they should tie him up just for fun.
Nico looks at himself and realizes he's untied, which doesn't make any sense. "Who untied me?" Nico asks, surprised. "Yours truly," Sanjay replies. "Iris will be coming soon to treat your arms; they must be weak as hell," he adds.
Nico asks Sanjay how he managed to untie him so quickly. Sanjay responds, telling him that he's the fastest member in the guild for a reason, which still doesn't satisfy Nico. Deciding to let it go, Nico shifts his focus. "Now, Nico, let's begin your initiation into the guild," Jack says excitedly.
"You say WAHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Nico exclaims, shocked. "What kind of initiation are these guys talking about? I'm definitely not drinking anyone's blood, nor am I going to cut my palm and mix it with someone else's blood. These MFs are trippin'," Nico thinks.
Sanjay passes a paddle to Jack as they prepare to play table tennis. "But where is the table?" Nico wonders. Jack jumps effortlessly to the opposite side of the net, showcasing impressive agility. It's clear that Jack has been doing calisthenics and working out. Sanjay then flies down to the side of the net, right in front of Nico. "BOOOOOOO!" Nico shouts, claiming that Sanjay's jump was not cool at all. The girl in a coat approaches the staircase to join Nico. "Yo," she greets him, introducing herself as Jojo. She says she's 24 and is pleased to meet Nico, although her expression suggests otherwise. "Nico, pay a lot of attention," Sanjay tells him. He explains that he and Jack are going to perform an initiation test so that Nico will know exactly what to do. Jojo asks if they can do the initiation quickly because she wants to swim. "Who gives a shit?" Sanjay responds as he serves the ball. The egg-shaped ball sails over the net swiftly. Jack returns it with a powerful smash, and the ball bounces off the ground. Sanjay catches it just in time, hits it up once more, and performs a spin as he sends it back over the net. Jack returns the ball again, and Sanjay replicates the move. Then, Jack surprises everyone by executing a smash-spin simultaneously. Nico watches in awe as the match continues, while Jojo remains relaxed about the whole situation. As the smash-spin ball crosses over to Sanjay's side, it bounces off the floor behind him. Sanjay runs quickly, using his other hand to hit it up, then turns around and strikes it over the net just in time. It makes it! Jack rushes in to hit it after it bounces on the floor, but misses. THE WINNER OF THIS ROUND IS SANJAYYY!!!
CHAPTER 3:Initiation
"Lemme play with ya," says Jojo to Nico. Nico agrees, and they both head down from where they were standing. Nico stays at the front, where Sanjay had just played against Jack a few moments earlier.
Sanjay hands Nico a paddle with a smile. Jack approaches Jojo to give her his paddle. Nico is given the egg to serve first. He serves it over the net, and Jojo smashes it. It bounces off the floor, and Nico fails to hit it. It bounces a second time, meaning Nico loses the match.
"Oh yeah, Nico, if you can't beat five of us in a match, you'll lose, and we'll dump you in the sea," Sanjay says with a very serious expression. Nico is baffled; he thinks Sanjay is joking, but no one seems to be laughing.
The clown that Nico spotted earlier comes up from a staircase opposite him. Jojo drops her paddle and takes off her clothes, leaving only her bikini. She jumps into the sea to swim. "See you guys later!" she calls as she begins to swim.
The paddle Jojo dropped is picked up by the clown. "That's Clown, as in that's his name. He doesn't speak at all. He can if he wants, but he chooses not to; and before you ask, no, his breath doesn't stink," Jack says to Nico.
"Losers serve first," Sanjay laughs shortly afterward. In a surprising move, Jack punches Sanjay off the ship and tells Nico to serve. Nico serves the ball; it goes over the net, and Clown returns it. Nico hits it after it bounces in front of him, and the sound of ping-pong fills the air during the match. Clown performs a topspin, and Nico's reaction is akin to a boy witnessing Godzilla destroy his city.
Unexpectedly, Nico executes a reverse pendulum serve. Jack questions where the ball might go and how Clown will hit it, but he never considers where Sanjay might have gone after that punch.
On the deck, a haunting silence envelops everything, broken only by the sound of the ball making contact with the ground. "Pong!" The ball bounces between Clown's legs. Clown performs a backflip, and if you look closely, he resembles a scorpion in midair as he executes one of the best forehand drives ever seen in mankind. It isn't looking good for Nico.
Nico decides to go for a smash, but just like a one-year-old trying to speak, it's bad. The egg smashes on his side of the net, not too far away from him. Nico lost, and Clown won.
"2-nil," Sanjay chuckles, laughing continuously at Nico. "But wait, I haven't been healed by Iris yet," Nico says in a prideful tone. "That means all the matches have to be done again." He repeats this with even more pride.
Sanjay and Jack look at Nico the same way friends do after setting you up with the ugliest girl in school. Realizing his mistake, Nico asks, "But when was I healed?" in a frightened tone. Sanjay explains that Iris only needs to have come into physical contact with Nico before she can heal him anywhere, anytime.
Knowing he's about to fail the initiation test, Nico jumps into the water and starts swimming. Sanjay summons his skateboard and flies to Nico. "Nuh-uh, amigo, you're staying here until you fail. Then I'm dumping you, got that?" Sanjay says, attempting to frighten him. Nico pleads with Sanjay to at least let him dry off, and suddenly, flames conjure up behind Sanjay. Nico feels his body, and to his surprise, he's no longer wet.
"Let's play this match, Nico!!" Sanjay shouts at him. Frightened, Nico thinks for a moment and asks Sanjay where Clown is. Sanjay shrugs, saying Clown isn't important right now, and he doesn't care where he could be.
"NOW SERVE, LOSER! I'M GOING TO BEAT YOUR ASS IN THIS GAME!!!" Sanjay exclaims, wearing the ugliest smirk imaginable. Nico zones out, and for some reason, all he sees is himself—or rather, his reflection—because he's looking into a mirror. His reflection urges him to beat Sanjay, as it's clear he doesn't like him. An aura begins to overflow from Nico's body, though he doesn't realize it—everyone on the ship can, even Jojo, though they all refuse to say anything about it.
Taking his stance, Nico serves.