The Not-So-High Seas

DubloonMan emerged from the shortcut completely healed of all his damage, saving his operator having to use another bubchip so soon after the last one. Even the anchor that he had tossed away had found its way back onto his back again. He took a few steps forward and surveyed the scenery.

He drew in a deep breath and exhaled with a few nods of his head, "Aye... This be..."

"...Yeah?" Roger asked with bated breath.

His navi's nodding quickly turned to a vigourous shaking as he spat, "...Nay! This be wrong!"

"What?" Roger said.

"Aye! Thar be plenty o' water all round but the SEA, this be not it!" DubloonMan answered angrily, "Would ye call a cuppa water 'th' sea'? A puddle in the middle of a street 'th' sea'? YARRR! I had too much grog last night, excuse me while I take 'a sea'! Nay, lad, this be not 'th' sea'!"

"Hah! That's what I was telling you earlier!" Roger chuckled to hide his frustration, "I don't think there ARE seas online!"

DubloonMan waved his arms about to reject his operator's words, grumbling all the while.

"Look, you haven't even explored any part of this net." reasoned Roger, "Just take a look around. Maybe- Maybe there's something you'd like here. Hey! At the very least there'd be things to fight and money to make."

The word 'money' seemed to strike a chord with DubloonMan and he stopped his flailing to reconsider his situation.

"We can leave whenever, but I'm just here for your sake and you didn't even look around."

"Yarr... Me apologies to ye, lad." DubloonMan said, "I... I was expectin' somethin' different is all..."

"Hey, that's fine. You got excited and it was a tough road to get here and it's not what you wanted. Happens to all of us. We'll just try one fight and after that, if you still feel raw about it, we can leave. No problem."

"...Aye. One look couldn't hurt." Dubloonman agreed and set off on a leisurely pace.

((Battle 1))
DubloonMan and Roger struck gold as they found one of the many natural hot springs only a few block away from where the entered the network. Unfortunately it was already occupied by viruses, already swayed by the comfort of the soothing water as they simply bobbed up and down carelessly.

A lone lark, sporting a hot wet towel over its head, realized that a navi was nearby and warned its comrades of the intruder...However, they really didn't want to get out of the water.

Lark: 100 HP [Onsen]
PiranhaA: 60 HP [Onsen]
PiranhaB: 60 HP [Onsen]

Terrain:
10% Coal [Surrounding Onsen]
30% Onsen
60% Normal

DubloonMan: 150 HP

-BATTLE ONE, START!-
"Yarr... Do ye smell that, lad?" DubloonMan asked, taking heavy whiffs of the air.

"No, I can't smell anything that you do." Roger replied.

DubloonMan glared at the basking viruses with his one eye, "T'is th' rank stench o' bahd fish..."

Roger could see the oddly casual viruses and didn't think much of it. Instead, he focussed his attention to his folder for a suitable way of dealing with them, "Okay, I have more chips than I've been able to use and I don't know what two of these do."

"Yarr!" DubloonMan dismissed with another wave of his arm, "I care not fer yer mumbo jumbo. I just be needin' a weapon!"

"Alright, I'll just see what they do then. Slotting in Bubblestar and Elecreel."

The first chip activated by extending the curved end of his hook until it fused with itself, forming a small loop. DubloonMan stared at his deformed hook in horror and cried, "YARR!! WHAT MAHNNER O' WITCHCRAFT BE THIS?"

A thin bubble lining formed in the hoop as DubloonMan waved his arm in a furious attempt to 'shake off' the effects of the Bubblestar. His waving only served to trigger the effect of the chip, which sprayed a series of large, wavy bubbles at the viruses. DubloonMan barely even noticed what he was doing until the chip wore off and his Hook resumed his normal shape. He patted it down to make sure it was solid again before crying out, "I'LL NOT BE MADE AN INSTRUMENT O' BLACK MAGICKS!! NOW WHAR'S ME GUNS?"

Roger couldn't undo the Elecreel he has just slotted in and grit his teeth knowing how DubloonMan would likely react to something likely involving electricity. The only thing he could try was calming him down, "DubloonMan, it's just a chip like any of the other ones I send you like Shotgun or Fireburn or Cannon. You use them, they do something and then they go away. There's no lasting effects."

"Nay, lad! That be devil talk! Me soul may be as black as th' briny deep but I'll ne'er hand it over to th' likes o' DEMONS! What kind o' man is capable o' THAT?" DubloonMan said, forcefully pointing his hook over to the bubbly spread. However, in doing so, the Elecreel activated and a bolt of lightning shot off from the tip of his prosthetic and exploded in a crash of sparks and arcing beams all over the small hot springs. DubloonMan stood paralyzed in fear of what he had just done and gave another shocked look of terror at his apparently possessed hook.

"DubloonMan!" Roger said loudly before lowering the volume of his voice, "Listen, it's fine. I won't use those chips anymore, okay? I can probably trade them or something."

"...Aye. T'is no path fer a pirate t' walk. Perhaps ye can sell it t' a witch." DubloonMan glowered.

"I'll send a Fireburn to finish them off and we can look for better chips." Roger said, slotting in a third chip.

"A fine plan, lad." DubloonMan answered.

The crimson barrel was brought out and toppled over onto its side. DubloonMan gave it a kick to send it rolling into the viruses before pulling out his flintlock to shoot it. The keg barely touched the surface of the water before detonating in a chaotic splash of fire and smoke.

DubloonMan laughed, "Yar ha-har! That's more like it!"



1 - BubbleStar Lark, PiranhaA, PiranhaB (20 damage + bubble trap) + 5 from element
2 - ElecReel Lark (80 + Spead 4) x2 from element
3 - FireBurn2 PiranhaA, PiranhaB (90 damage + line)
Floating bubbles wasn't exactly the seafaring DubloonMan expected, and it showed as the viruses saw the bubbles fly over their heads harmlessly. The viruses were about to simply laugh off the attack when a powerful Elecreel came surging off of DubloonMan's "possessed" hook, electrocuting the bunch to death. The gunpowder barrel later served as celebratory fireworks.

Lark: DELETED
PiranhaA: DELETED
PiranhaB: DELETED

Terrain:
10% Coal [Surrounding Onsen]
30% Onsen
60% Normal

DubloonMan: 150 HP

-- BATTLE 01, VICTORY!! --

-- REWARDS --

[WideShot1] Battlechip, 280z
DubloonMan reverted back to a bitter and ununsually quiet mood. Not even the act of claiming his rewards seemed to cheer him up. Roger didn't know his navi would react so strongly to certain chips and when the new chip data for Wideshot appeared on the PET, he was hesitant to use it on a whim.

"Hey," Roger prodded, "You wanna look around some more or do you want to leave now?"

DubloonMan finished shovelling the last zenny off the floor and looked around, examining the empty hot springs. He knelt down and ran his fingers through the warm water and rubbed it between his fingers. A scowl crept across his face, "Nay, thar be no reason fer me t' stay here..."

Roger sighed, "You can go back through the link or I can just jack you out. I was kind of curious to see what those ships were doing blocking the link."

Roger's words seemed to spark an interest in DubloonMan and he slowly stroked his beard, "Aye... Thar be many a vessel docked at th' port fer SOME reason..."

"Yeah they were probably transporting some of the things fro-" Roger stopped short of finishing his thought. He finally realized that he had encountered a group of thieves who had essentially been stealing from his workplace. He wondered if he would get in trouble for letting them pass or what was worse, since his navi had taken some zenny from their haul, that made him an accomplice. Didn't it? He wasn't well versed in the legality of his situation which made his worrying worse.

"...YAR HA-HAR! I'VE GOT IT!" DubloonMan shouted triumphantly, "WukouMahn and his crew MUST have a reason fer comin' through t' this wretched stinkpool."

Roger was still worried but he browsed the PET screen and noted how clean the facilities were. He assumed his navi's distaste of the network was based on a personal bias from his initial disappointment.

With a glint in his eye and a renewed sense of purpose, DubloonMan called out, "Come, Roger, me lad! We be on a treasure hunt!"

((Battle 2))
DubloonMan, continuing his search for possible treasures, came across the usual group of viruses. The navi found himself in the coast line of a small lake when he found a pair of Heavies simply swaying side to side without a care in the world. When the viruses became cautious of Dubloon's presence, they turned towards a lone tree on the side and began to bash itself into it, causing it to shake and bring out two agitated Elebees from their hive.

Though the bees were enraged by the Heavies disturbing their home, they seemed to be in a fragile agreement to fight against the pirate for the sake of keeping their hive safe!

ElebeeA: 90 HP
ElebeeB: 90 HP
HeavyA: 75 HP
HeavyB: 75 HP

Tree: 100 HP [Beehive]

Terrain: 70% Normal, 30% Sea [Side]

DubloonMan: 150 HP

-BATTLE TWO, START!-
"Perfect, my trades finished." Roger said just as his navi was beset with viruses.

"Ye be visitin' a tradin' post, lad?" DubloonMan asked, "What stock did ye have fer trade?"

"Well, I got rid of the chips that you didn't like and got some that you'll probably enjoy using more. This one's called CrackerBomb." replied the operator, slotting in his first newly acquired chip.

"Yar ha-har! A bomb say ye? Now thar's some arsenal befittin' a pirate!" smirked the navi until the bomb materialized in his hand. Or rather, in his arms. The massive incendiary was more than he could hold one-handed and this was a navi who was used to swinging around an anchor as a weapon. It was so large that it practically blocked his line of sight.

"YO HO HO!" laughed DubloonMan, straining not to fall over, "ME BIRTHDAY COMES EARLY THIS YEAR!"

Roger was glad to see his navi approved of the chip but it was so incredibly unwieldly that he wouldn't be surprised if DubloonMan didn't hit anything with it. But a bomb of that size had to have one massive explosion. He watched as his navi hopped twice before finding his footing and working his hand and hook into position under the monstrosity. With a forceful push of his arms, the bomb hurled forward through the air in a low arc before landing in front of the Elebee's tree. DubloonMan seemed experienced enough to shield his eyes, but Roger wasn't as quick-witted. The brilliant flash from the Crackerbomb flared on the screen, and combined with the dimly lit janitor's closet, temporarily blinded the operator.

"Ow!" Roger winced.

DubloonMan recovered quickly and reached into his jacket with a pleased grin, "Yarr! What other booty did ye scavenge from yer trades?"

Roger ran his fingers over the remaining chips and slotted in one of them without looking. It could have been anything but whatever it was, it was going to be something DubloonMan wouldn't have problems using.

The chip data installed itself and DubloonMan withdrew his normal flintlock pistol. He looked it over, inspecting it for hidden contraptions and shrugged when he found nothing unusual about it. Extending his arm and pointing it at one of the Elebees, the real surprise came when he fired the weapon and unleashed a hail of gunfire as he held down the trigger. The rapid recoil from the hammer rattled his aim wildly, but DubloonMan was content to spread his attacks around. The click of an emptied barrel was followed by a brief, shocked silence before DubloonMan's rowdy cheer.

"YAR HA-HAR!! T'is a FINE addition! What else did ye plunder!?"

Roger massaged his eyes and groaned, "Urgh... Gimme a second. I still can't see yet..."

"Yar... Ye pitiful yeller jellyfish!" DubloonMan berated, "We be needin' t' work on yer spine!"

Not completely disarmed, the navi unleashed his anchor to ward off his would-be attackers. The iron crescents he drew around himself projected a repulsive barrier. He kept up his impromptu defenses as long as he could before running out of strength and releasing the anchor, chain and all, at the nearest virus. Meanwhile, Roger's vision was finally returning and he squinted at the screen to see how his navi was faring.



1 - CrackerBomb HeavyA (80 damage + Blast 3 + small panel crack)
2 - Machinegun1 ElebeeB (30 x 9 + spread fire)
3 - Anchors Aweigh! (self-slow, nova2 10 damage + knockback) + ElebeeA (40 damage)
As DubloonMan reveled over his now more piratey arsenal, a bomb made its way towards the viruses, exploding in a big and fancy flash. Most of the viruses managed to evade it, except for one unlucky Elebee and the beehive tree itself. Enraged, the bees made a beeline (ha) for the pirate Navi, but were stopped in their tracks when a hail of gunfire came blasting their way, destroying both in a flash as well as the tree behind it. The Heavy viruses were most distressed by this development, and warped themselves up to DubloonMan for a beating. Unfortunately, the pirate was ready for them, swinging about his anchor like a madman and driving them back. He then threw it towards one and hit it for a fair bruise or so.

ElebeeA: DELETED
ElebeeB: DELETED
HeavyA: 25 HP
HeavyB: 65 HP

Tree: GUNNED DOWN

Terrain: 65% Normal, 5% Cracked, 30% Sea [Side]

DubloonMan: 150 HP
Roger could see that his navi had gunned down both Elebees and even reduced the tree to a smouldering bullet-ridden stump, but the Heavys were still very much alive. He figured it wouldn't hurt to test out his last trade chip on them, even if he already had a copy of it.

His eyes burned as he tried adjust to the screen, "I traded something else for this Shotgun. Gonna to test it."

He slotted in the familiar chip and eyed the other one lying on the table. On a whim, Roger picked it up and slotted it in right after the first one just to see what would happen. He guessed it would add another round to the single shot weapon. In a turn of events, DubloonMan retrieved a very impressive looking double-barreled blunderbuss. Marked with curls and adorned with a gold trim, even DubloonMan marvelled at his gun, "Yo ho HO! Betty's packed on a wee bitta weight, but I still loves her all th' same. At least as much as a mahn can love a gun."

He circled the hefty Heavy viruses in a leisurely walk while singing, "Ohhhhhh, let me spin ye a tale, me lads and me lasses. Ye better listen up or I'll kick all yer asses! I tell ye it's true, bein' part o' yer crew is a life that wish t' pursue!"

Roger was confused but also amused by the song and listened intently. DubloonMan still seemed to be waiting for something as he strafed the viruses with his loaded firearm, ready to fire, but he kept singing all the while, "I started out low, scraping barnacle shells. Worked me way up to deck swabbie and well..."

Before he finished the stanza, he found the opportunity he had been searching for as the two viruses lined up perfectly in his sights. He raised his gun and emptied both barrels at them, doubling the amount of buckshot and destruction than his usual single round discharge. As the smoke cleared, DubloonMan sneered, "Yarr... I fergot how the rest goes but ye reek of bilge water. Ya har."



1 - Move to align Heavies
2 - Shotgun HeavyB (50 damage + Spread 2)
3 - Shotgun HeavyB (50 damage + Spread 2)
Stuff keeled over as DubloonMan spun his half-thought tale. Good times were had, loot was plenty. Yep, a good haul.

ElebeeA: DELETED
ElebeeB: DELETED
HeavyA: DELETED
HeavyB: DELETED

Tree: GUNNED DOWN

Terrain: 65% Normal, 5% Cracked, 30% Sea [Side]

DubloonMan: 150 HP

-- BATTLE 02, VICTORY!! --

-- REWARDS --

500z
Roger passed a glance at the clock hanging from his wall and noticed his shift had actually ended about half an hour ago. He had been so pre-occupied with exploring, fighting and trading that he had lost track of time. Sure, he could go home now, but there wasn't anything waiting for him there that he needed his immediate attention. What was more important was that he was enjoying himself more now than he had been for a long time.

The metallic splash of zenny rang out from DubloonMan's treasure chest as he looted the area, laughing to himself, "Yar ha-har..."

"So," Roger said, "What was that song you were singing?"

"Yar, it be a old Netopian sea shanty. I'm fairly certain me memory is fulla holes and the song, she's not what she used t' be. Yar ha-har har har!"

Roger cheerfully laughed alongside his navi.

"Aye, thar be no futher reason to stay here. Time t' set course fer open waters!" declared DubloonMan, hobbling to wherever the path would take him.

((Battle 3))
Moving along through the Yoka network, DubloonMan happened upon a fast-moving river, with some rather interesting-looking viruses on the other side. A duo of metallic lizard-ish viruses were chasing around a Spooky, which was teleporting around playfully and teasing them. Two floating fish were in the river itself, watching the antics. Then, the Spooky saw DubloonMan, and teleported up to him to give him a fright.

This also had the effect of turning all the others' attention to him as well, and it looked like they were ready for a fight!

-- ENEMIES --
Senbon A: 80 HP (River)
Senbon B: 80 HP (River)
Magneaker A: 70 HP (Normal, other side)
Magneaker B: 70 HP (Sand, other side)
Spooky: 30 HP (Normal, this side)

-- PIRATE --
DubloonMan.EXE: 150 HP (Normal, this side)

-- TERRAIN --
40% River (Flowing Sea, Navis in river will be swept away 1 movement to left if stationary)
20% Sand (Border of river, 10% each side)
40% Normal (20% each side of river)

-- BATTLE 03, READY? START!! --
DubloonMan flinched at the sight of the Spooky and cried, "YARGH! A GHOST!"

He seemed to reel away and swat pathetically at the virus while Roger watched, not sure whether to laugh or help his navi out.

"M-m-me weapons! W-whar's me weapons?" DubloonMan whimpered patting down his coat for anything to defend himself against his attacker.

Roger held in a chuckle and slotted in a chip out of pity, "Here, Machinegun it."

"Aye... AYE!" his navi grinned as the gun found its way inside his coat. With a fast draw, he pointed it at the Spooky with a quivering hand, "Yar, we'll see how this spirit holds up t' cold, hard lead..."

There was no delay between his words and the rapid discharge of his weapon. The sound of the pistol's hammer chipping away, the flash of gunpowder and the echo of his bullets peppering the area around the virus all melded together into a cacophony of chaos. The empty gun shook in his hand as he scanned the area for the Spooky, practically ignoring the other threats.

"...Me bomb." whispered DubloonMan, still visibly paranoid, "Whar's me bomb?"

"Yeah, I have it here. Gimme a sec." Roger said, slotting that chip in next. He didn't see the Spooky anywhere but he didn't know anything about the virus. For all he knew, it was still alive somewhere, hiding.

The massive explosive appeared in DubloonMan's arms once more. He audibly gulped and twisted around, trying to spot the Spooky. Startled by some sudden movement, he instinctively triggered the fuse on the bomb and prepared himself to hurl it at the perceived threat: an empty patch of sand a panel away.

Roger frantically tried to stop his navi from making a huge mistake, "WHOA WHOA WHOA! Don't throw it there! You're gonna blow yourself up!"

The fuse was burning down with only a few seconds until detonation. The flash of reason lit up in DubloonMan's eye as he looked for another viable target for his bomb. He could see the Magneakers across the river and opted to target them. He lurched around and used his momentum to toss the black ball across the water. Roger shielded his eyes this time.

The loud explosion informed both operator and navi of Crackerbomb's 'safe' landing and they both looked back to resume fighting. DubloonMan strode his way towards the Senbons on an apparent warpath.

"What are you doing?" asked Roger.

"I be crossin' th' riverrr..." DubloonMan quipped, "Thar be no body o' water that can conquer th' likes o' ME!"

Within the first few steps of fording the rapids, the navi was being pushed downstream by the powerful currents, "YARR! TH' WATER! SHE BE CONQUERIN' ME!"



1 - MachineGun1 Spooky (9 x 30 damage + Spray-Fire)
2 - CrackerBomb MagneakerA (80 + Panel Crack + Blast 3)
3 - Move into river.
The Spooky jumped as DubloonMan got out his MachineGun and pointed it right at the virus. Utilizing its innate abilities, the ghost warped out of the way, leaving the Senbons in the river to unsuspectingly take the shots. Two for Davey Jones' Locker.

Wary of the Spooky's presence, the pirate navi shivered his timbers as he looked around and decided to throw a bomb in the Magneaker's direction. One was fast enough to get out of the blast range, but the other... not so much.

The Spooky let out a sigh of relief as it reappeared next to the other Magneaker, but it was feeling down since one of its friends were taken away. The remaining Magneaker tried talking it out of the battle, but the Spooky shook its head and turned its eyes on Dubloonman, who was trying to wade through the river. It looked like it could be tough.

-- ENEMIES --
Senbon A: SPRAY'D
Senbon B: SPRAY'D
Magneaker A: 70 HP (Normal, other side)
Magneaker B: BOMB'D
Spooky: 30 HP (Normal, other side)

-- PIRATE --
DubloonMan.EXE: 150 HP (River)(2 movements from Normal)

-- TERRAIN --
40% River (Flowing Sea, Navis in river will be swept away 1 movement to left if stationary)
20% Sand (Border of river, 10% each side)
40% Normal (20% each side of river)
DubloonMan flailed about as he sank below the coursing water, fighting his way to stay afloat. After the initial shock of underestimating the strength of the river, DubloonMan quickly regained his composure and got to work. He seemed to have a fair understanding of how to swim programmed into him as he propelled himself across the river's width with a powerful front crawl technique. Roger was impressed his navi was doing so well considering he had a hook for one hand and a cannon for a leg with an anchor strapped to his back.

"WHARRGARBL!" DubloonMan spat each time his head breached the surface.

In no time at all, the navi's hook embedded itself into the sand of the opposing beach, anchoring him to solid ground. He pulled himself out of the rapids, completely soaked to the bone, but triumphant nonetheless.

"Yar... Ha-har..." DubloonMan panted with short breaths, "The sea be me whore once more."

Roger was the first to spot the Spooky floating close to the Magneaker. Without alerting his navi to its presence, he slotted in the Fireburn chip and barked out a quick order to distract his navi while he was still partially exhausted, "The Magneaker! Blow it up before it attacks!"

The barrel appeared in front of DubloonMan, allowing him to lean on it for a moment of reprieve before cracking the wooden frame with a jab of his hook. Black powder leaked out, freely mingling with the sandy grains of of the shore. The navi hoisted the powder keg up high and looked at the Magneaker before noticing the Spooky.

"YARGH! IT LIVES!" He howled, toppling backwards and dropping the barrel back onto the sand, "THAR BE NO STOPPIN' IT!"

Roger was less amused and more disappointed now, "Just kick the barrel into it!"

DubloonMan was practically frozen with fear but did as he was told, giving the wooden cask a swift kick of his boot. It rolled forward, spreading the black trail in its wake as the navi readied a match. His hands shook far too much to strike the first one properly and he fumbled it into the shallows of the water.

"Curses!" He mumbled as he readied a second match with slightly improved dexterity. He struck it against the box successfully and held the tiny flame up to the Spooky to spite it, "BACK TO THE NETHERWORLD WITH YE!"

He pressed it into the black trail of gunpowder and watched as the fire blazed its way across the sand, racing to catch up to the barrel. DubloonMan shielded his face as the little spark swam up into the cask and set off the container with a powerful bang, showering everything with charred wooden splinters.



1 - Move onto normal.
2 - Move onto normal.
3 - Fireburn2 MagneakerB, Spooky (90 damage + Line(3))
Swimming mightily with all of his heavy gear back to the shore, DubloonMan faced his enemies like a man, screaming unlike one. Throwing the barrel in front of him, DubloonMan fumbled around with the match. This was when the Spooky teleported up to him and gave his face a most mortifying lick. (10) It didn't really hurt much but it scared the dickens out of him as he dropped the match he was holding, burning the ghost and the Magneaker behind to deletion.

-- ENEMIES --
Senbon A: SPRAY'D
Senbon B: SPRAY'D
Magneaker A: DELETED
Magneaker B: BOMB'D
Spooky: DELETED

-- PIRATE --
DubloonMan.EXE: 140 HP (Normal)

-- TERRAIN --
40% River (Flowing Sea, Navis in river will be swept away 1 movement to left if stationary)
20% Sand (Border of river, 10% each side)
40% Normal (20% each side of river)

-- BATTLE 03, VICTORY!! --

-- REWARDS --

700z
DubloonMan couldn't see the Spooky any more amidst the fiery wreckage of his powder keg. It had disappeared once before his eyes and it appeared out of thin air to attack him but he could have sworn he saw it vaporize in the fire leading up to the explosion. He calmed down and got on his feet, dusting the sand from his wet clothes. He gave a few more glances all around him just to be safe.

"Yarrr... That be a close one," DubloonMan sighed in a breath of relief, "I be not afraid o' any mahn or foul beast what swims, crawls or flies but... Yarr, ghosts be a different matter, matey."

Roger was pleased to see this side of his navi. The soft vulnerability in the otherwise gruff and tough pirate captain made him relatable, almost. His fear of the visibly supernatural would probably work against him in the future and Roger thought about how he could deal with it but it wasn't of the utmost urgency.

"So I've been meaning to ask: what exactly are you looking for?" wondered Roger.

"Treasure!" replied DubloonMan, now back to his normal, greedy self and picking coins up off the beach.

"Okay, but don't you need a map for that or do you just mean the treasure you're collecting right now?" Roger continued to question.

"Eh?" DubloonMan grunted. He looked at the zenny in his hand and shook his head, "Nay, this be small plunder. Treasure, lad! Treasure be what we be after!"

Roger stopped for a moment before asking, "What's the difference?"

"...YARRR! YE ASK TOO MANY QUESTIONS! TREASURE IS... IS... IT BE TREASURE! YAR, I CAN'T BE EXPLAININ' TH' BASICS O' PIRACY T' YE!" DubloonMan snapped, "TREASURE AND BOOTY AND DUBLOONS! TREASURE!"

The sudden change in temperment was unexpected but Roger let it slide. DubloonMan had worked himself up with nowhere to go and he shovelled the rest of his rewards while full of inconsolable rage. His anger continued to persist even after the last zenny was gathered off the ground.

"YARR!" snarled the navi, "THAT WAY!"

((Battle 4))
So DubloonMan was just like, walking around, right? And then he met this like, weird group of viruses that was just hanging out not really paying attention to him. There was like, four of them, and they were totally ignoring him and stuff. There was also another one way out in the open looking at the group that looked like a weirdass kettle and sighing, maybe it was left out. But then one of the group looked at DubloonMan and went like, "Hey, you're cramping our style," and everyone else went totally "yeah" and they turned on him and stuff. The kettle looked over and was like, so sad he couldn't join in.

So sad.

-- ENEMIES --
Cloudy: 80 HP (clustered together)
Typhoon: 100 HP (clustered together)
Puffy-F: 100 HP (clustered together)
Puffy-A: 100 HP (clustered together)
Kettle: 0/100 °C (way out to the right)

-- PIRATE --
DubloonMan.EXE: 140 HP

-- TERRAIN --
100% Normal

-- BATTLE 04, READY? START!! --
"Yar, I be in no mood t' play with ye." grumbled DubloonMan, "ROGER! Me bomb."

"Aye, aye." replied his operator, slotting in the chip.

DubloonMan eyed the group of cluttered viruses and then peeked over at the lone Kettle. It seemed obvious what he was going to aim for first. The Crackerbomb appeared in front of him at his feet, roughly the size of a large exercise ball. He stepped on it with his boot to hold it in place and struck a match against its coarse exterior. The fuse was lit post-haste and the sphere was shoved towards the group of chubby looking viruses with a push of his heel. It rumbled fiercely as it rolled across the flat, tiled terrain.

"I guess you'll be wanting your Machinegun next?" Roger asked."

"AYE." snapped DubloonMan. Clearly his mood hadn't improved at all.

The Crackerbomb's fuse soon reached its end, disappearing into the black ball. A resounding blast shrouded the area with smoke and, as with every other time he had used the bomb, left behind a shallow, cracked crater. DubloonMan was quick to follow up his explosive introduction with a flurry of gunshots from his pistol.

"YARRR HARHARHARHARHARHARHARHARHAR!" He howled, each laugh timed in tune with the snap of the flintlock's hammer.

Holstering the gun back into his coat with a smile, DubloonMan waited for the haze of his bomb to clear to see what became of the group, while still wary of any desperate and sudden surprise attacks. Despite what he had said, a good fight was exactly what he needed to lift up his spirits.



1 - Crackerbomb Puffy-F (80 damage + panel crack + Blast 3)
2 - Machinegun1 Cloudy (30 x 9 + Spray-Fire)
3 - dodge
As DubloonMan produced the bomb in his hand, the Cloudy in the group sensed danger afoot, and began to float away from behind the group. The three others were practically stuck to the ground, and received the full brunt of the explosive. The paneling cracked underneath them, creating a full-on cascade of viruses falling into the hole. The Cloudy was not very pleased that its friends were basically thrown into a pit, and started to initiate its attack, when a fearsome MachineGun slug landed in its face. And another. And another. And another.

Of course, that was the end of it. The Kettle sort of meandered over, wondering what all the hullaballoo was about. It then looked at DubloonMan, and gave a sort of bored face. Slowly approaching, the Kettle continued to give its creepy-looking stoic look.

-- ENEMIES --
Cloudy: DELETED
Typhoon: 20 HP (in broken hole)
Puffy-F: 20 HP (in broken hole)
Puffy-A: 20 HP (in broken hole)
Kettle: 0/100 °C (in front of DubloonMan)

-- PIRATE --
DubloonMan.EXE: 140 HP

-- TERRAIN --
80% Normal
20% Broken