The Battle Atlas glided into Shells Town harbor like a living fortress, its bronze hull glinting in the sun. Villagers froze mid-step. Some whispered in awe, others in fear.
"Food! Meat! Let's go, Coby!" Luffy shouted, springing from the deck.
"L-luffy, wait! We should—ah, he's gone again!" Coby cried, scrambling after him.
Tessal stayed behind. On the deck, his hands worked in precise motions, adjusting the arm of the Blade Mantis. "Almost done," he murmured, then released a bronze dragonfly. Its crystal eyes glowed as it zipped off toward the Marine compound.
Through its gaze, Tessal saw him: a green-haired man bound to a post, unbroken despite hunger. Roronoa Zoro. Near him, a blond brat strutted in arrogance. Helmeppo.
In the Marine yard, Luffy and Coby stood before Zoro.
"Strong," Luffy said with a grin. "Be my crewmate."
Zoro glared back. "Not interested."
Before more could be said, Helmeppo appeared, sneering. "More pests? I'll crush you!" He lunged at Coby.
"Ahhh!" Coby yelped, fumbling for the case Tessal had given him.
SHHHK-KLANG!
The Scarab Shield Beetle unfolded into a bronze dome. Helmeppo's strike bounced harmlessly away.
"What the hell?!"
Coby peeked from behind it, trembling. "It worked…"
Luffy laughed, eyes shining. "That's awesome, Coby!"
From the shadows, Tessal stepped forward, insect eyes glinting. "Guardians don't falter."
Helmeppo paled. "F-Father will kill you all!"
Captain Morgan stormed into the yard, axe-hand gleaming. His presence chilled the air.
"Who dares disrupt my base?" he thundered.
"I'll beat you down," Luffy said, fists clenched.
The fight erupted. Morgan's axe swung like a guillotine. Luffy stretched, fists and feet cracking against steel. Tessal's Blade Mantis clashed with sparks, locking against Morgan's blows.
But more Marines poured in. Tessal flicked a control node. Shield Beetles scuttled out, locking together into a wall. Scouts zipped off, searching.
Overhead, the first Dragon Fighters rose from the Battle Atlas, wings buzzing in unison. Metallic dragonflies dove into formation, stingers crackling.
"Dragonflies?!" a villager gasped.
"No — machines!" cried a Marine.
ZZZKKT! One Dragon Fighter struck, dropping a Marine twitching. Another zipped past Morgan, sparks dancing off his axe-arm.
Luffy's grin stretched wide. "Oi, Tessal! You've got an air army!"
"Guardians," Tessal corrected. "And the skies are theirs."
The fight intensified. Morgan roared, scattering beetles with his axe. Tessal stepped back, eyes calm.
"Cluster. Shields. Mantis. Combine."
The yard filled with metallic skittering. Beetles crawled up his body, locking into plates. Shield Beetles latched onto his forearms, unfolding into bronze gauntlets. Slots clicked as Bullet Hoppers loaded inside, twitching like primed arrows. The Blade Mantis fused onto his right arm, its scythe extending in a shriek of steel.
The Marines recoiled. "It's alive!"
"No… it's armor!"
Tessal raised both arms. Half-invention, half-nightmare, wholly unstoppable.
Morgan charged. His axe slammed down. CLANG! Tessal caught it on his left gauntlet, the Shield Beetle glowing with absorbed force. With his right, the Mantis Blade slashed across Morgan's chest, tearing his coat.
The gauntlet clicked. THWIP-THWIP-THWIP! Bullet Hoppers launched, slamming into Morgan's legs. The tyrant stumbled, bellowing.
Above, the Dragon Fighters swept, their Tasersquito stingers raining sparks. Marines fell convulsing.
Zoro's swords dropped at his feet, carried back by Tessal's scouts. He ripped free of his ropes, blades flashing.
"I owe you one, bugsmith," Zoro said, swords gleaming in his hands.
"Then repay it," Tessal said flatly.
Zoro smirked. "Gladly."
Together, they struck.
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
"Santoryu — Onigiri!"
The Mantis Blade screamed in harmony.
Morgan's axe-arm shattered, his body flung into the wall. He lay broken, unconscious.
The courtyard fell silent. Marines stared in shock. Villagers erupted in cheers.
Overhead, Dragon Fighters circled in victory.
Tessal's armor hissed apart. Beetles scuttled back to dormancy. Coby stared, trembling. Fear mixed with awe. If that's the power I stand beside… I'll need to grow so much stronger.
Zoro sheathed his blades. "Strangest crew I've ever seen. But damn effective. Fine. I'll join."
Luffy beamed. "Great! I'll be Pirate King, you'll be my swordsman, and Tessal'll change the world!"
Tessal gave a faint smile. "And Coby will be the Marine who guards it."
At the dock, Coby stood tall in a Marine coat. Tessal strapped a metallic harness to him.
"Resistance armor. It adjusts its weight to yours. Train until you no longer need the shield to stand tall."
Coby's eyes burned with determination. "I'll earn it. Thank you."
Luffy clapped him on the back. "Become a Marine strong enough to fight us someday!"
As the Battle Atlas sailed away with Zoro now aboard, Shells Town stood free. Scarab patrols clicked through the alleys, Dragon Fighters hovered in the skies.
And in the chaos, no one noticed the orange-haired thief slipping from a stolen dinghy into the open sea. She glanced once at the departing Battle Atlas, lips curling in a sly smile.
"Perfect distraction. With the Grand Line chart in Orange Town, I'll be one step closer…"
The sails caught wind. She was gone.