First Assignment [Solo] [Complete]

[Jeth Rownan]

“Alright Marines! The assignment is simple, but the slower we act, the more lives remain at stake!” Captain Banner roared to his men. The soldiers of North Blue Division 18 stood at attention in one of the empty courtyards. Jeth Rownan stood among them, focused on the Captain’s words. He was grateful he didn’t pass out of boredom during the wait. A uniform inspection had been in progress, but Banner’s assistance was needed immediately, thus it was postponed. Jeth, honestly, didn’t mind in the least.

“Word from one of the patrol ships indicates that the Quarter Draw Pirates, led by Captain Equino, have landed on the island and escaped. The force is estimated to be able to capture and hold either the town or construction site with relative ease, where they would be much more difficult to dislodge. Therefore, the division will be divided by battalion. 1st Battalion ‘Victory’, is with me at the construction site. 3rd Battalion ‘Spirit’, will be in town, patrolling under command of Lieutenant Warp. 2nd Battalion ‘Castle’, led by Ensign Tullace, will be out in the desert, hunting for the Quarter Draw Pirates,” The Captain explained.

He finished with one last order, “Officers; to me for debriefing! Division 18, you are dismissed to prepare. Return by 1200 hours. May justice prevail!” Captain Banner stepped back and marched off, the Lieutenant and Ensign following him. The three battalions broke apart, heading their separate ways, though primarily to the quartermaster. Jeth stood still for a moment, his thoughts whirling.

This is...odd. If the pirates are strong enough to take a town, then why is Banner only sending a single battalion after them, let alone one led by a single Ensign. Does he expect them to attack the town or construction site? Jeth frowned. He was in the 2nd Battalion, and thus would be out in the desert. With only one battalion searching, Jeth was certain that they’d escape. If Jeth was in charge, he probably would have reversed it: one battalion, split into two, would guard the civilians, while the other battalions would also split, to cover more ground. Jeth shook his head; no way they’d listen to him. He figured he should just do as ordered.

Jeth would he'd be a Captain one day, then he'd be able to do as he pleased.

“Hey bud. Inspection’s over. Were you sleeping or something?” Jeth didn’t answer. “Hey, guy, come on. Wake up. Hey. Bro. Dude. Wake up.”

Jeth finally heard him, and snapped his head to the red haired Marine. “Huh?” Jeth said, a little to aggressively. The Marine recoiled a bit, surprised at his suddenness.

“Oh, uh. Did you hear the orders? What battalion are you?” the Marine asked.

“Yes, I heard,” Jeth grunted, annoyed, as he walked off, leaving the Marine to shrug and go off to do his own thing.

And hour later, the three battalions had been assembled. Every soldier was outfitted with a brown cloak, meant to protect from the sun’s rays and the harsh wind. The 2nd Battalion, Jeth included, each had a small pack containing supplies, most notably water. Some of the battalion were grumbling about how the others got to relax in civilzed areas, but Jeth really didn’t care. He just hoped he be of some use to the whole assignment.

[Jeth Rownan]

Hat abandoned for a cloak pulled over his face, Jeth trudged on, doing his best to push against the wind that had begun to kick up. Dust threatened to blind him and the battalion, but Ensign Tullace kept them going. “They’ve gotta be somewhere! Don’t give up hope!” The young Marine yelled, trying to keep morale up.

Jeth but his side to the wind and covered his eyes, gazing out into the horizon. All he could see were the Golden Hills in the distance. Golden Hills...wait a minute. That gave him a thought. Jeth tried to spot the Ensign through the winds and the other soldiers surrounding him. He began to work a path through, when another Marine yelled out, “Hey, new guy, watch it!” Jeth didn’t hear him. However, he felt a prick on his leg, which snapped him back to his senses. Looking down, he saw a brown snake had bitten into the folds of his cloak. One of the fangs must have punctured, reaching his skin. In one swift move, Jeth drew his shortsword and slice it in half. Both pieces fell to the ground as Jeth sheathed his sword.

“Told ya you need to wake up bro...”

“Oh shut the hell up. Hey! Medic! Ensign Tullace!” the Marine called out. Jeth sighed. It didn’t take long for the Ensign to arrive, shortly followed by a Marine with a cross on his cap.

“What’s the situation?” The Ensign asked, looking down at the snake.

“He got bit by a snake.”

“Really, I didn’t feel a thing, no need to make a huge deal of it.”

The medic spoke up, “Well, if you insist. I would still suggest drinking some antitoxin, however.”

The medic handed over a bottle, which Jeth reluctantly took. Pouring a small amount into the cap, he drank it, following it down with some water. That taken care of, he handed the antitoxin back and said, “Ensign Tullace!”

“...No need to yell. What is it, recruit?” Tullace responded, turning back to face Jeth.

“Hear me out. Captain Banner thinks the pirates will target the town or construction site, correct?” Tullace nodded. “Well, what else is there on the island that might be a target? Wouldn’t the Golden Hills be a priority for the Quarter Draw Pirates? Riches, mazes of mines to hide in, and its out of the way...perhaps we should check there.”

Tullace thought for a moment, before responding. “The Golden Hills were already a planned part of the patrol, but I’d say I agree. Tullace turned to the rest of the battalion and cried out, “Men! We’re heading to the Golden Hills a little earlier than planned. Change course!”

Jeth nodded and moved as the battalion headed out. Jeth stepped on the snake’s severed head and slipped, almost tumbling. He regained his balance and kept ging as if nothing had happened. That was probably a bad omen...

[Jeth Rownan]

“Heeeeeey! Ensign Tullace! Yoooo! Over here!” Jeth heard from one of the Marines. The battalion was in the middle of descending into a valley in the Golden Hills. Some of the troops had rushed ahead, racing down the hill, and it seems some of them had found something. Or someone had gotten hurt. The Ensign went to them, and Jeth followed along, intrigued.

“-worn ground, scorch marks, broken glasses...I think it might have been a camp,” Jeth heard as he approached.

“Looks very fresh too...”

“The Quarter Draw Pirates then?” Jeth guessed.

Ensign Tullace nodded, “Looks to be so. Noel, let me have the Den Den Mushi, I’ll notify the Captain.” Tullace began to explain the situation to the Captain, while Jeth tuned it out, smiling a bit. He couldn’t help it, since he felt a little accomplish, having guessed correctly where the pirates were hiding. He sobered himself when he realized that there was still a fight to come.

“Alright, here’s the orders men, listen up!” Ensign Tullace called attention. “Reinforcements are on the way. Our duty is to find and shadow the Quarter Draw Pirates. We are to maintain as much secrecy as possible until the Captain and his troops arrive. Am I clear, ‘Castle’ Battalion?” The troops all let out a simultaneous ‘Yes sir!’. Jeth didn’t until after, not being accustomed too the practices of the Battalion yet. No one seemed to notice his lateness, at least. With that, they moved out.

The battalion trudged through the wastes of the Golden Hills. Going up and down the hill caps, which slowly became bigger as they went deeper, was getting tiring. Tullace finally offered a break. The Marines marched through some low valleys until they reached a larger one between three hills. The order was given to break order and rest. The battalion bunched together into groups and delved into their ration boxes.

“Heeyyaa kid! Come over here!” Jeth heard someone trying to get his attention. He turned his attention to see the red haired Marin from this morning sitting down in another group, motioning to an empty spot. Not seeing a reason to turn away, Jeth obliged, sitting down and taking out his box of rations.

“Bro, you look tired,” The Marine stated.

“Psh. Who isn’t. We’ve been marching all day” A buff Marine spoke in between bites.

“I’m fine,” Jeth stated plainly.

“Yeah? What’s your name kid? I’m Arnie.”

“Oh, right. Jus’ call me Squan. You’re just a Seaman Recruit, right?”

Jeth nodded, “Yeah. Seaman Recruit, Jeth Rownan.”

“Really? I assumed you were higher, the way you were talking to Tullace so casually. I was stutterin’ like nuts when I first tried to bring up something like that to an Officer.”

“Wasn’t that ol’ Belmo? He was nuts though.”

Curious, Jeth found himself asking, “How long have you two been in the Marines?”

The three of them ended up chatting for the rest of the break period. After 15 minutes had passed since Tullace ordered the break, he began to order everyone on them over again. Jeth stowed his things and went back on the march. This time, however, he went alongside Arnie and Squan. Why they had taken a liking to him, Jeth couldn’t know, but the was nothing Jeth found odd about it.



A peak away, a band of pirates watched the battalion through several pairs of binoculars. They all wore varying styles of baggy clothes, covering them from the wind. One of them, a pair of bandanas masking his face, turned to the others and remarked, “Psh. What made them think a whole division would go by unnoticed?”

[Jeth Rownan]

The Marines marched on for several more minutes, which swiftly turned into a half an hour. Rested, the Marines had a refreshed spring in their step. All they had to do was locate the pirates, and go from there. Tullace was confident in the abilities of his men. If worse came to worse, they could probably hold off the bulk of the crew with what men they had. Reinforcements were slated to arrive in the area within the hour, and with Captain Banner at their side, none would have any doubts.

The group traveled through a long, narrow valley; the hills having become cliffs. It was likely that the path was dug to make it easier to take carts of mined gold from here to the rest of the island, but it likely hadn’t been used in a good while.

Jeth had a foreboding feeling as the Marines filed in. It was crowded: there was only enough room for 7 men to stand side to side, like a funnel. A drop of dust landed on his head, getting in his hair. His cloak had been taken down, since it was sheltered here, but he had neglected to put his hat back on. He looked up to see that it must have fallen from one of the cliffs above.

The march was stopped by the sudden sound of bullets being fired. There were several cried of shock, and several of pain. The Marines began to panic as they saw the source; several pirates above, wearing boots and vests, shooting down on the venerable Marines.

“Damn, they knew we were here!” Tullace cried out, shocked. After hesitating, he ordered, “Everyone, out! Noel, alert the Captain!” Marines began to filter back to where they entered, weapons drawn. However, the pirates kept shooting. Ropes uncoiled from above, pirates sliding down to attack. Another group of them charged from ahead, chasing them down, while another appeared from the back passageway where they came from.

They were trapped, plain and simple.

Their advantage in numbers was being shifted fast, but ‘Castle’ Battalion was beginning to fight back. Jeth in particular noted that the ropes upward were exploitable. “Arnie! Take your rifle and cover me!”

The big Marine stammered, “Huh?” before drawing his rifle, ready to comply. Jeth nodded, taking out his own rifle and firing at the pirates dropping from one rope. Taking down one or two, he rushed to the nearby rope and began to climb. As promised, Arnie kept firing at gunners who seemed to be aiming at Jeth, and pirates about to descend the rope, while Jeth kept his momentum going upward.

As Jeth reached the end of the rope, he looked up to see a pirate with a knife beginning to slice through the rope. The pirate looked at Jeth and grinned before going back to work. Jeth would have none of it though. He pulled down on the rope and yanked himself upwards, grabbing onto the ledge. Jeth drew his shortsword and slashed, cutting the pirate across the face, causing him to fall back. Across the short gorge, a rifleman shot Jeth, hitting him in the back, but it was to late. Jeth was already up top.

Jeth sheathed his shortsword and drew his two-handed greatsword. There were only half a dozen conscious pirates up here now. All of their attention turned to Jeth, who lunged forward into a group of three. They were still getting their weapons to bear when Jeth wound up his arms. He unleashed his strike, swinging around in a full circle, his cloak twirling as well. “Circinus...Breaking Wheel!” Blood was flung in the air as the pirates fell backwards, defeated. Jeth blocked the blow from a fourth, retaliating with a sharp kick to the groin. The pirate doubled over, and Jeth dispatched him. A bullet whizzed by, clipping his ear, which began to bleed and hurt, but Jeth’s adrenaline was pumping, and he hardly felt a thing.

Jeth took one look at the other two pirates across the small gorge and rushed them, leaping over. From his position in the air, he slashed downwards at one of them. “Vela Guillotine!” Jeth cried as he cut down the rifle wielding pirate atop the gorge. The other aimed his pistol, but Jeth backhanded him with his blade, sending him screaming over the edge.

Jeth took a moment to catch his breath before stopping to watch the battlefield for a moment. The Marines were now pressed on both sides. Ensign Tullace was fighting a more decorated pirate towards the front. But the top was clear, and Jeth was still ready for more. Jeth Rownan retrieved his Marine baseball cap and placed it on his head. They needed all of the help they could get down there, and Jeth was going to supply all he could.

[Jeth Rownan]

Jeth leapt down from the gorge, grabbing onto the rope and sliding down. He clutched his greatsword in hand, rope in the other as he descended. He landed in a clearing between pirates and Marines, drawing attention to him instantly. Jeth let out a monstrous roar towards the pirates, who took a defensive step back in fear.

If they knew Jeth was actually screaming because he burnt the hell out of his hand going down the rope, they would have been less intimidated.

No longer able to use his two handed sword, Jeth stowed it and drew his longsword as pirates came on. Jeth charged, finding himself followed by a small number of Marines. The two forces met, Jeth plowing through a pirate while the others clashed evenly. Stepping forward, no in the throng of pirates, he coiled up his arm and unleashed an attack. “Circinus Breaking Wheel!” Due to only using a smaller sword and one arm, the attack was weaker, but it distracted several pirates long enough for Jeth’s comrades to take them out. Two pirates who survived the blow struck back, one slicing Jeth’s cloak, the other stabbing him in the shoulder.

Jeth rolled back, retreating into the group of Marines for a moment, blood dripping down his arm. He was weakened without his hand, so he lifted it up and blew on it, trying to cool it down. Waving it around, he didn’t think it was helping too much, though it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as it did when he landed. Taking a chance, he grabbed his shortsword. It hurt for a moment, but Jeth thought he’d live.

Rushing forward through the group of Marines again, he attacked the front of pirates. Swinging both swords, he struck multiple times. “Reticulum Noose!” With two slashes, he cut down two pirates. He moved forward, keeping the stream of slashes going. One pirate in front of him lifted a pistol, prompting Jeth to block, crossing both swords in front of him. The bullet was fired, and Jeth hopped forward, pushing his blades closer together before slashing the pirate twice.

There weren’t very many pirates over here, but the Marines had thinned considerable as well. On the other side, Jeth could see that they were still being pressed. Had Jeth really made that much of a difference? No, it was more likely that they sent more of their troops on the side the Marines would retreat through. The Ensign was still up there, right?

Jeth moved down the side, where the forces were thinner. He spotted the Ensign still in combat with a man dressed in a flamboyant outfit. Decorated in medals, wearing a bicorne, tassels...the Captain? Jeth wished he had seen the wanted poster.

Captain ‘Chain Break’ Equino...bounty of ten million? That’s what Jeth seemed to recall. He didn’t know what the ‘Chain Break’ meant, but this man was using a sword. A sword that had just sliced through Ensign Tullace’s quarterstaff. With another slash, the matador dropped Tullace to the ground.

“Is this the best the Marines can offer? I’ve never been so disappointed in my life. Not even my 11th birthday could top this...” he mused, pulling his blade back for the final blow.

Jeth rushed into the fray, both blades crossed. “Crucifix Crux!” He cried as he slashed out twice. The matador blocked, being knocked back a foot from the force of the blow, but not taking a scratch.

Landing gracefully, he glared at Jeth. “It’s rude to interrupt, boy. Did your mother never teach you manners?”

“She taught me how to kill...” Jeth threatened. Technically, she taught him vital spots to kill someone quickly and painlessly, but that was a little wordy for the situation.

Leaping forward, the matador unleashed a flurry of blows. Jeth kept pace with both of his own. Pulling his blade back, the pirate quickly thrust it forward. Jeth caught the sword between his hilts, not noticing it slicing his hand, dripping blood. Jeth pulled one blade back and forced the other upwards, pushing his blade to the side. The pirate moved to dislodge it, but Jeth had already moved into position. “Telescopium...Impalement Spike!”

Jeth stabbed forward, cutting a gash in the pirate’s side as he dodged to his left. Doing a swift pirouette, he turned and stabbed at the still attacking Jeth. The blade cut through the folds of his hood, and was briefly pulled along as Jeth kept moving. Jeth swung around again, and the matador dodged out of the way.

However, his blade slipped from his grasp.

The matador stopped a foot or two away, while his blade slipped from Jeth’s cloak and clattered on the ground behind him. Defenseless, the pirate scoffed, “A fluke! A foul play! Return my blade to me at once!” He looked at his hands, covered in sweat and dirt from the fight before. If he had been at his top performance...

“A fluke? Or divine providence?” Jeth said as he kicked the blade away. Sheathing his own two, he drew his greatsword as he continued his speech. “You who have flown the black flag...God has granted you no mercy.” Jeth took several steps forward as the matador, who wisely tried to retreat. “But rest assured, your death is for the greater good. The innocent will rest easier tonight.”

“The Captain will sort you right! Don’t think you fools crying ‘justice’ will get-“ The matador spoke. Jeth grimaced at the mention of the Captian. This wasn’t him? But his spitting on the ideals of justice...that boiled Jeth’s blood. The young Marine leapt forward and slashed. His blade gouged the pirate’s neck mid-sentence, nearly severing it. The pirate fell to the ground, gurgling in his own blood, before going silent.

“Peace, alas...” Jeth mumbled, speaking the tradition phrase of the Rownans. A small prayer spoken to the executed, nothing more...

[Jeth Rownan]

Jeth caught his breath. His wounds came back to him: the cut on his hand, the bullet that struck him in the back, his ear, several cuts and bruises he didn’t even realize he had received. The friction burn on his hand still stung, but it wasn’t a problem anymore.

Hearing little fighting going on, Jeth turned back to the rest of the battle. It seemed to be a victory for the Marines, as most of the pirates were on the ground. There were few Marines standing, however. Ensign Tullace, still nearby, was attempting to join them. Jeth was glad to see he was still conscious. Jeth went over, helping to steady his commander.

“Bastard got a lucky shot in and snapped my weapon, of course...” He grumbled, clutching the bleeding spot where the pirate had gotten him.

“I think our biggest concern right now is the Captain’s location...” Jeth thought aloud.

“Yeah, I couldn’t get anything from him...” Tullace said, groaning in pain as he managed to stand to his full height. There were footsteps and two other Marines approached. Jeth turned to see that it was just Arnie and Squan.

“Whoa, who was that dude?” Squan asked, looked at the fresh pirate corpse on the ground/

“Looks like he’s...well, was, Gallop, their tactician...” Arnie presumed.

“With neither the pirate Captain or reinforcements to be found. Maybe they met up?” Jeth reasoned.

“Well, if that happened, we won’t need to worry about Equino anymore!” Squan said with a smile.

“That’s not the case, worms...” said a voice from the entrance to the valley. The four Marines turned to the small group standing at the entrance. There stood three men. Shortest and centered was a man with tanned skin, a brown poncho, tasseled trousers, and bowler hat over a head of brown hair and a heavily scarred face. To his right was a tall woman, easily several feet higher than Jeth, with colorful clothing, despite the light covering of dirt. To the man’s left was another man with a needlelike chin, a pompadour shaped like a dog, and double-jointed arms.

Arnie and Tullace gaped, “E-e-equino!” “And his lieutenants!”

“All that’s left of them, at least,” Equino grumbled, glaring at Jeth, his bloody blade still in hand. “And I intend to even the number difference...”

“Take Tullace!” Jeth cried to Arnie and Squan, shoving the still wounded Ensign over to the pair. Equino pulled his arm back and shot forward, a length of spiked chain heading towards the group from under the folds of Equino’s poncho. Jeth slashed downwards at it, hoping to drive it off direction, but by the time his heavy greatsword hti the chain, it had struck Arnie, dropping him to the ground. Squan managed to grab Tullace, and the two turned to flee.

Baring his teeth, Jeth sprinted toward Equino. His charge was shortened when the pirate with a dog-shaped pompadour appeared in front of him, overly long arms ready to strike. Jeth lifted his blade to strike, but a voice interrupted. “I need no help to eliminate the trash.” With a glare, the long arm pirate grabbed the ground and pushed himself to the side. Jeth turned to charge at Equino again, but another length of spiked chain shot at him. He had little time to move before it wrapped around his arm. He grabbed at it, but was stunned when Equino lifted him into the air and tossed him around like a rag doll. With a heave, Equino slammed into the ground. Jeth dropped his greatsword as he was swung again, landing hard on another patch of ground.

Jeth felt the chain unravel, and he stood shakily. He looked up to see the woman gone as well. Equino’s scarred face was the only thing in Jeth’s gaze. “It was you who killed Gallop, correct? I’m not wasting my time here, am I?”

“You don’t intimidate me!” Jeth coughed, hacking blood onto the dirt. Jeth drew both his blades and charged. Slashing once vertically with the longsword and once horizontally with the shortsword, he cried out, “Crucifix Crux!”

The two slashes were dodged with a pair of backsteps on Equino’s part. Arms concealed beneath the poncho, he seemed to by toying with Jeth. Rage building, the Marine recruit slashed with abandon at the pirate captain, who dodged between his strikes with inhuman swiftness. “Oh please, even Gallop could land a hit...” Equino shot two more chains out. One bound Jeth’s right arm to his side, while the other wrapped around his neck. “Stupid child. You fight the future Pirate King!”

Equino lifted Jeth straight up, swinging him over his head. Jeth landed roughly on the ground, headfirst. Both weapons fled from his grasp, and he barely held consciousness. Equino uncoiled the chain binding his arm, swinging him by the neck. With one more swing, Jeth fled from consciousness...

[Jeth Rownan]

Blackness. Weariness. Pain...

Jeth cracked open an eyelid, squinting against the brightly lit area. His eyes still adjusting, he tried to lift his head up, but grunted as his neck pained him. Unable to lift himself up, he waited for his eyes to adjust. He realized was in a neck brace, lying on a bed. He had several bandages on him, but it was clear that his neck had taken the most damage.

He tried to look at the room. From what he could see, he was under a blanket in a medical wing, probably back at base. His throat dry, he tried to look around for a glass of water.

Suddenly he remembered what had happened. The battle, the pirates, Gallop.

Equino.

That man’s scarred face came back to haunt him. He was completely outclassed by that guy. Sure, Jeth didn’t think he’d be so strong compared to the average Marine soldier, but it must have given him an inflated sense of confidence. Which the 10 million beli bountied man swiftly crushed...

Seeing a movement out of the corner of his eye, he croaked out, “Doc?”

The man approached and answered, “Good to see you up, boy, although a little earlier than expected...” Jeth recognized him as the field medic from his battalion.

“Got any water?”

“Of course,” the doctor said as he turned away. Jeth gently turned his head, seeing several other beds of wounded Marines. Some were in far worse shape than he was... The doctor handed Jeth a glass, and the young Marine took it, feeling relif as he drank the cool water.

Clearing his throat, he asked, “What happened after Equino arrived?”

Nodding, the doctor sat, implying that it was going to be a bit of a talk. “I’ll simply start from the beginning, if you don’t mind...”

Jeth said nothing, so the doctor began, “Yes...the battalion, entered the gorge, when we were ambushed. I occupied myself with tending to fallen Marines, while the battle escalated. The Ensign was battling Gallop, but couldn’t win. You entered the scene and defeated him, when Equino arrived with his stronger men. While you fought him, his men moved on to the dozen or so Marines left standing. As they were stronger than Gallop, none really stood a chance. They couldn’t deliver any killing blows however, because moments before Equino defeated you, Captain Banner arrived. Equino took his lieutenants and fled. The medics of the 1st Battalion got to work on the remaining Marines of 2nd Battalion. This was two days ago.”

Jeth sighed. Aside from missing Equino and his lieutenants though, hadn’t it been a victory? The Quarter Draw Pirates consisted of three people now.

The doctor continued, “As for you however, there’ve been some interesting rumors blown about. It’s common knowledge that you killed Gallop and stood toe to toe with Equino, but some of the things I’ve heard are just plain ridiculous...”

Jeth groaned. Between a lucky shot on Gallop and a getting stomped to dust by Equino, Jeth was unsure as to why.

“One thing I have heard is that their planning to relocated you to the East Blue. Jeth’s eyes widened. This didn’t seem like good news to him. “Division 2 is done for, so some reorganization is in order. East Blue has been having troubles lately, especially in Lougetown, so that’s where that rumor came from...”

Jeth mumbled, “Don’t want to go...stupid...”

The doctor said nothing for a moment. “Well, if you’ll excuse me...” he finally said, getting up.

Jeth lay in bed for a while, thinking about what it would mean to be reassigned to the East Blue. He supposed he knew that this might happen when he signed up, but so soon?


Two days ago, on the Coast...

“I still do not see why we must maintain such secrecy...” said the tall woman in colorful clothing.

“Cuz, s’long as the Marines really think the Captain is 10 million, they’re gonna send tha weak ones after us!” the long armed man with the animal pompadour explained.

“The fodder...so boring. How will we get stronger when fighting them?”

“That is not the purpose! The purpose is ‘recruitment’,” The scar faced captain interrupted. The trio of pirates walked down the coast, towards a boat partly concealed by a cliff.

“The more men that hear of the longevity of the Quarter Draw pirates, the more men will offer themselves to us. When we attack the construction site tomorrow with as many men as we lost, the Marines will be baffled. We nearly extinguished an entire Battalion, culled the weak from our crew...”

“And if it’s strength you want to gain, we’ll find all the challenge we need on Lefacti Island, outside of the Government’s eyes!”

[Sean]

Thread Complete.
Reward:
-5000
- Rank up to Seaman First Class for an exceedingly well performance.