The Moby Dick rocked gently beneath a vast, star-pinned sky, the sea calm and glassy as a mirror. Moonlight traced silver trails across the endless blue, and most of the Whitebeard Pirates had long since disappeared below deck, leaving the night to the hush of the waves and the occasional creak of old wood.
Only one man remained topside.
Lupin leaned against the rail, a half-empty bottle of rum dangling from his fingers, his breath fogging in the cool ocean air. His head was thick with drink and heavier thoughts. Blood still stained the shallow cut on his palm, the mark of the brotherhood ritual he'd made with Marshall D. Teach just hours ago.
He'd sworn loyalty. A pirate's bond in blood. And the system — that strange, unseen force tethered to his soul — reacted the instant the blood dried.
[System Notification]
Quest Complete: Brotherhood Ritual with Marshall D. Teach
Rewards:
3 Mystery Chests
1 Creation Point
+100 Edit Points
1 Title Card
Before he could even process it, a series of shimmering lights appeared before him. Three ornate chests materialized one after another, each more lavish than the last. One was polished wood trimmed with gold, another a deep obsidian marked with glowing runes, and the last a gleaming white box that seemed to hum with a life of its own.
Lupin stared at them for a long moment, then let out a slow breath, a lopsided grin creeping onto his face.
"Alright, Lady Luck… let's see what kind of mood you're in tonight."
He stepped forward and opened the first chest — the polished wooden one. The hinges let out a soft groan, and inside lay a weapon that gleamed under the starlight. Cold, dark chrome. Heavy and beautiful.
A revolver.
A beast of a firearm: a Magnum Research BFR, longer and nastier-looking than his own Smith & Wesson XVR 460 Magnum. Its custom grip bore the emblem of a snarling wolf, the barrel shimmering like oil on water.
[You have received: Customized Magnum Research BFR
Type: Weapon]
Lupin let out a low whistle, turning the revolver over in his hands. The craftsmanship was flawless — the kind of gun you'd pass down through generations, the kind you'd trust in the worst kind of fight.
But then his smirk returned, and he patted the holster at his hip where his old XVR rested.
"I already got my partner," he muttered, setting the new revolver aside. A thought struck him then, a rare warmth creeping into his chest. This would be a damn good brotherhood gift.
He looked at the gun again and made up his mind. Yeah… this one's yours, Teach.
He moved to the second chest, the one cloaked in runes that seemed to pulse with a slow heartbeat. Cautiously, he pried it open, half-expecting some cursed relic or a creature with too many eyes.
Instead, it held a single, neatly folded item.
A mask.
Lifelike to the point of eerie. The texture of the skin, the subtle stubble, the faint crow's feet at the corners of the eyes — every detail perfect. It felt cold in his hand, light as a feather.
[You have received: Hyper-Realistic Disguise Mask
Type: Equipment
Effect: Perfectly disguises the user's identity and facial features. Immune to recognition.]
For a moment, Lupin just stared at it.
He peeled off the half-mask he'd worn for years, the one that had concealed the face of a man presumed long dead. Rosinante. A ghost buried in history.
The new mask felt strange at first as it molded to his face, but within seconds, his reflection in a nearby porthole shimmered — his jawline sharper, his nose slightly different, his entire identity erased and reborn.
He barely recognized himself.
For the first time in years, Lupin felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He wasn't just hiding anymore. Now, he could become anyone.
A grin tugged at his lips. Now that's a damn upgrade.
Then came the final chest — the white one. It was large enough to hold a weapon rack, the lid vibrating beneath his fingertips. He hesitated, something in his gut warning him this one was different.
He opened it.
And what he saw made his jaw slacken.
Inside was a miniature ship. A perfect, scaled-down model of a massive ocean liner. It took his booze-addled brain a moment to connect the dots, but then the system chimed in.
[You have received: RMS Titanic (Full Scale)
Type: Legendary Ship
Description: The largest passenger ship of the old world, now recreated and fully operational within the One Piece world. Contains multiple decks, luxury cabins, ballrooms, and reinforced hull. Capable of carrying up to 10,000 passengers. Stored within a dimensional capsule. Can be summoned at will.]
Lupin blinked.
"A… freaking Titanic?" he muttered to no one.
He reached down and lifted a sleek, metallic capsule about the size of a pistol grip. The name Titanic was etched into the side in elegant cursive.
He let out a short, incredulous laugh, pocketing the capsule. Guess I'll figure out where to park that monster later.
Footsteps behind him made the wood creak, and a deep, familiar voice called out.
"Yo, brother! What you got there?"
Lupin turned to find Teach swaggering toward him, a wide grin splitting his face.
"Ah, just somethin' from home," Lupin smirked, glancing down at the revolver.
Teach's eyes gleamed the moment he saw it. "Now that's a piece. Damn, that's a beauty."
Without a word, Lupin picked up the gun and held it out, grip first.
"Brotherhood gift. You're my brother now, and a man like you deserves a weapon like this."
Teach froze, caught off guard. Pirates weren't known for generosity. Gifts like this… they meant something. A promise. A bond.
"You serious?"
"Dead serious," Lupin said, tapping the holster at his side. "I got my partner already. Figured this one was for you."
For a moment, there was nothing but the distant sound of waves and the sigh of wind in the sails.
Then Teach laughed, a booming, belly-deep roar that echoed across the deck. He took the revolver, spinning it in his hand like a gunslinger, testing the weight.
"Ohhh, you're a good man, Lupin. A real brother. Next drink's on me."
He holstered the weapon and clapped Lupin on the shoulder hard enough to nearly stagger him.
And just like that, the night softened. The world shrank down to the two of them, a pair of pirates with blood on their hands and the stars overhead.
They drank. They laughed. Spoke of old wars and wild women, of treasures not yet found and battles they'd one day fight.
And though somewhere deep in Lupin's mind, a voice still whispered of betrayals and tragedies waiting down the line… for this one night, under this endless sky, they were brothers.
And that was enough.