The night air hummed with the grinding of gears and the clicking of steel legs. Tessal rode atop Crawler, its segmented body shifting with mechanical precision. Bulwark trailed close behind, heavy as a moving fortress, while Rend stalked at Tessal's side, blades catching faint moonlight. Ace perched atop Bulwark, his fists clenched, while Sabo rode behind Tessal on Crawler, his staff gripped tight.
The three boys spoke in low tones, voices tense but steady.
"We rush in, we'll draw the whole crew," Sabo said, his eyes darting ahead.
Ace cracked his knuckles. "Good. Saves us time."
Tessal's gaze stayed forward, calm and calculating. "No. We'll control the battlefield. Luffy's our priority—Bluejam's men are just obstacles."
Meanwhile, deep inside Bluejam's hideout, the pirate captain loomed over his prisoner. Luffy hung bound, bruised but defiant, his straw hat tipped forward, shadowing his eyes.
"Tell us where they are," Bluejam snarled, slamming his fist into the table. "Where's the money?"
Luffy only glared back, lips sealed tight.
Bluejam's patience cracked. "Fine. If you won't talk—" He raised his sword, ready to finish it.
"Captain," a crewmember interrupted, rushing in. "Someone's here… says he wants to speak with you."
Bluejam scowled but lowered his blade. Moments later, he stood before a man cloaked in fine fabrics, the kind found only in the Noble District. The stranger's expression twisted in disgust as he looked around the filthy hideout.
"Well, well," Bluejam said with a grin. "What's a man like you doing here?"
The noble's lip curled. "Spare me your pleasantries. I came with a proposal." His voice dripped with disdain. "Burn down the Grey Terminal. Reduce it to ash. Do this, and you will be rewarded… handsomely."
Bluejam's eyes gleamed at the promise, but beneath the noble's mask, the offer carried only deceit.
Not far from the hideout, Tessal, Ace, and Sabo arrived at the edge of the woods. Shadows of guards flickered in the torchlight beyond. Tessal climbed down from Crawler and began issuing orders.
"Crawler—deploy the Legion."
At once, compartments opened along the machine's sides, releasing swarms of mechanical spiders and beetles. Trapper Spiders scattered into the trees, spinning metallic webs in silence. Iron Shield Beetles and Ironclad Clusters clanked to life, their armor gleaming.
"Combine," Tessal commanded. The beetles shifted and locked together, their armor plating folding over Tessal like living steel until he stood encased in a hulking exosuit of iron.
The battlefield was set.
Tessal's voice rang clear, calm as ever. "Control the field. Cut down their escape. Luffy's ours to take back."
His armored fist clenched, gears whirring.
"Let's begin."