Cover Stories

Due to the nature of a D&D game, anime scenes such as cutaways and flashbacks are difficult and fill up too much time during an already short session. So here is a catalogue of moments and stories set in this world, including some characters that the crew have already met, and character they have yet to meet. All of these are canon to the D&D game.

#### "Divine Reflection"

* Dimitri reflecting on his time as the God of Birka, and how he fought his way to it.
* "It has been many years since I last set foot in my home. It is as small as I remember it to be. Beautiful, but nothing compared to the seas below. So much to see, and so much to conquer. Down there, anything was possible. I found lifelong companions, new knowledge on how people think, and solidified my standing in the world below."
* "Adonis is at the wheel, calling to me. It is time for this fallen angel to rise to his throne. Not even a second later we reach the shore, the island is closed off. Once I slay god, I will take his place, a mere mortal I shall be no more."
* "In a flash, the arena is set. In a flash, I take a discarded blade off the ground. In a flash, the battle was won. Or so I believed. While some sided with my ascension, others denied my right. “Fallen angels are never to return, this is blasphemy!” They would shout."
* "Ahead of them lay only 2 paths. The path to enlightenment, or damnation."
* "The island quaked as each flash of my blade sliced through another foe. I reduced many of the cities to rubble. Most tried to escape off the island, but were halted. The final bastion was Five Star. The city shook as I enacted my judgment. Many warriors leaped to attack, but no mere mortal can harm a god. One was even ignorant enough to try to fight me with a tone dial of all things. Once the city was claimed, I made one last sweep, ensuring no other escapees."
* "There was one. A child. Pink hair and donned large red shades, much like any self-respecting Birkan. Funny, he reminded me of myself when I was banished, standing there, hopelessly near the edge. It seemed poetic."
* "Past my barrier, and into the white sea I sent the boy flying, never to be seen again."
* “Dimitri, we have captured the rest of them. Shall we begin construction?” A familiar voice, my good pal Naysay, though most in the Blue Sea know him as Gray Day. While Dimitri was my name, now things have changed. “Yes. In addition, as tradition, I am no longer Dimitri. You will refer to me as Enel.”

#### "On Economics"

* A conversation between Harry and Nick Teals.
* “And that is how we can build up this island’s economy. All of the citizens here have very traditional skills, and with the newly installed power grid, power tools can be used to maximize efficiency!” Said the boy, gesturing towards the projector’s screen layered with detailed graphs and illustrations all relating to infrastructure one way or another.
* “Very good, Harry, if we start tomorrow I believe your plan can be done in about…” The man types numbers on the keys of his mechanical arm, “6 months or so! The town is already growing, but with plans like yours, the island itself might even be able to be a center of industry.”
* “Aw thanks, Sir. It's been great working for you Mr. Mayor.”
* “Perhaps once I retire, and when you are old enough of course, perhaps you could take over.”
* “But Sir-”
* “Please, it took me years to learn basic economics, and here you are creating solutions only a few months in. You are a true prodigy.”
* And so the lesson ended.

#### "Needles and Storms"

* A sparring match between Vice Admirals Green Needle and Maelstrom.
* The clash of steel echoes throughout the crowded arena. Many of the soldiers on break watch in awe, at a safe distance of course, as two titans clash before them.
* Both blades, black as night, the pike sparked, while the lance oozed. They were fierce, but the look they faced each other was pure focus. Each strike was swifter and more precise than the last, but so was each parry and dodge. T
* he woman with an icy gaze, the one wielding the pike, prepared a block and lifted herself into the sky. No longer was this just a simple sword fight, now it was a true sparring match. Her hair darkened along with her expression as blue danced around her frame. The man with the lance, in preparation, injected himself using his bare hands and his ability, hoping to kill the incoming pain if he were to falter.
* The sky itself began to descend, swirling around the now suspended woman, multiple arcs of lighting, like swarms of serpents, darted towards the lance user. The lightning was inevitable, but he fought through it, and took a firm stance. Most swordsmen would be at a loss when their enemy can defy gravity, but not this one. The tip of the needle trusts forward, forming a point of air to launch towards his enemy, imbued with the same black force as the lance. Then another point, and another. And more followed those.
* It was a battle of attrition now, the points and his will defied the clouds, but the clouds' fury was just as potent. All the while the soldiers all dressed in white cheered on their respective superiors. The fight continued this way, until the man seemed to falter. Lessened pain means nothing once the damage starts setting in. He was nearing his limit. However, looking at the storm floating above him, its rage was starting to falter: she was nearing her limit as well.
* Drip. His lance once more oozed with a purple substance. Crouching down, he launched himself. Face to face, weapons both ready, they move to strike. Both grin knowing one of them will be victorious, both extremely confident. The world seems to still before the clash.
* Clang!

#### "Incoming Transmission"

* A log between an agent named Wesley Ode and Doctor Miguel Stein (before his reveal).

#### "An Urgent Meeting"

* A conversation between multiple unknown figures.
* `Light cracks through the stonework, the day having been broken a few hours prior. There, surrounded by the temple walls and vegetation sits a small pool of water with a stage-like pillar at its center.`
* `Surrounding it, 8 figures sit atop platforms of masonry, vines creeping up the sides and through cracks. Heading the meeting, a large, older man leans over the side, cane of rotting wood in hand, turtle shell on his back. To his left and right, a total of 4 other older men: One of regular height, but overweight, hair all swirly. One decorated in armor of ivory, appearing rather bony. One with rugged features and curly brown hair. One with silver hair, his eyes covered, a small, blue serpent wrapped around his arm.`
* `“It’s about time, isn’t, that we address the elephant in the room,” The head directed his question to the other 3 figures across from him. “I’m sure you are all aware of the current predicament, we are down by 2.”`
* `A figure in jade green armor piqued up, “Yes, we all have seen some major changes within the past few months.”`
* `“Life on the seas will always remain wild,” A figure in a muffled, yet audible voice responded, the figure towering over most in the room, but cloaked entirely in white, save for his brown, four-finger gloves and horns. “This will happen again, I don’t see why we were called. Just find 2 more wide-eyed donkeys to take their place, dime a dozen.”`
* `The overweight man stood up immediately, “Don’t you see the urgency in this situation!? Both of them were taken out within a matter of months by the same people! That means either one of two things, either we need to erase those people or we need stronger candidates.”`
* `“Yes,” the silver haired man interjected, “And we cannot erase those people, right Noris?” The rugged man nodded, not saying a word. “Then that brings us to the why. Who do you think is worthy of sharing your titles… I assume Pokar couldn’t bother showing up?” He pointed over to a small figure donning a purple witch’s hat sitting still in their chair.`
* `“Unfortunately, he could not come, so I will be here in his stead. Might I suggest some of the rookies entering the New World? That is how you found my captain.” The witch suggested.`
* `“-Hello.” Standing there in the center appeared a man dressed as a clown… no, a jester, whose face had an uncanny, rubber feeling to it, his bright blue nose blurring with his equally bright blue eyes. A faint whirring exited his mouth every time he spoke. His presence, undetected beforehand.`
* `The serpent on the silver haired man’s shoulders grew and encircled the clown, ready to strike.`
* `“Oh ho no, you don’t have to worry about little old me. Trust me,” His arms stretched and curved like spaghetti noodles around the serpent, “I just want a piece of this action.”`
* `“How did you get in here…” The overweight one asked before thinking back, "Ah I see, you are that one. What makes you think you can come back after running away?`
* `“Don’t you worry about your pretty little head, and as for coming back, you are clearly in desperate need of someone like me now, right buds?”`
* `They all looked at him, the 5 older men not entirely amused, the other 3 bewildered. The jester smiled, or whatever it was he just did, before opening his mouth again to reveal that awful whirring again, “How about a test to prove my worth, you love tests don’t you? I’d do anything you ask, I’d show up to all your meetings, what do ya say?”`
* `The 5 looked at each other cautiously, the rugged man nodded his head, “How about this, you fight one of them, and if you win, you are in?” He points over to the three, “Actually ignore that, how about you take on the big guy?”`
* `“It's a done deal.” The jester snickered.`

#### "Carpe Diem"

* A confrontation between a powerful, yet wounded figure and a bunch of people in suits aboard a stormy ship, one seizes their moment.
* “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” A man in a white uniform screamed, aiming his rifle, the storm raging all around the group. The non-stop rain drops pooling on the wooden boards of the ship. Past the end of his barrel, another figure stands… or rather limps forward, the body of another man in uniform in it's hand, riddled with small, coin-sized holes.
* The figure cracked his neck before speaking, giving a smile that resembled that of a wounded beast, his voice was hoarse, coarse as sandpaper. “I’m doing a service, a service that none of you have the stones to pull off.” The figure leaped forward, the sound of his heels clacking against the wood. The rifle fired, but missed its mark, it was too late. The man in the uniform looked down, his chest riddled with holes. \*Thud\*
* Bursting out the door came out more men in uniforms, one in particular standing out, a woman with white, silver hair and a stern expression paired with a cold, calculating glare behind her black and yellow eyes. The two stared at each other, the shadows of the night and the sounds of the storm distorting the scene, as if nothing but silhouettes were lost in a piece of dead time. The figure charged the woman, jumping around and striking, like a tornado of bullets… no more like wild apes with spears, each strike going for the kill. Wordlessly, the woman avoided each strike, moving like a leaf in the wind, with a minimum amount of effort and energy wasted. She had not said a word. The figure felt his bones cracking, well… more accurately to say all could hear the audible creaking of his bones, as if he was made out of hobbled together planks and nails, an unstable building, ready to collapse.
* \*Thud\* The figure fell to his knees, chuckling with his head down, concealed by his white, crooked top hat. “Ain’t it a shame, having to see a fellow human being crumble to dust before your bloody eyes,” He spoke, eyeing the men in white suits behind the woman, their stances were shaky, unsure what comes next, the figure grabbed his crooked arm and snapped it back into place, followed by his jaw clicking back into its socket. “Well you bastards will be glad to know that man died the second that damn jacket got dirty.”
* “Then-” One of the agents called out, “How did you escape? Wh- why are you on this boat?”
* “Well, if you really wanna know, it's simple, simple that a bunch of World Government Wag-Tails can understand,” The figure stood up once more, still limping, but now his face more in the light. He turned his back to the crowd, and pointed to a metal crate, one that was bolted down to the ship, labeled as “Essential Cargo: S.M.O.U.L.D.E.R.”
* “I spoke to a very special lady. Much like me, she got screwed over, in more ways than one, but let’s not get into semantics. I’m here to give one last hurrah… and,” he turns back to the woman, grinning like the devil, “To see you off. Off this god forsaken world of water!” The figure spun around, the men in white fired their weapons, the woman launched a slash at him, but it flew off once it made contact with the downward spiral.
* Into the air he jumped, then came down the spike of his heeled shoe, punching a hole through the entire ship, immediately forcing it to take water, as he dived into the depths. The agents scrambled for the lifeboats, but the woman charged forward to secure the cargo, but it was gone, ripped right out of the floorboards.
* \*Weeks Later, location Enies Lobby\*
* “Right, right, so you’re telling me he returned, escaped from the depths of hell, and punched a hole in our ship. Under. Your. Watch. I thought you were supposed to be the best, weren't you?” A man dressed in a green coat, decorated with purple belts, questioned the woman across from him, the tone was high and mighty, laced with hints of venom.
* “The best, no. Efficient, I strive to be. However, you are correct, I have failed my mission, and accept all the repercussions of losing the S-”
* “Hush! I refuse to have another failure, multiple rogue Zehn weapons is bad enough, now we have one of our super weapons lost, likely in the hands of another rogue agent. Augh, this is such a pain!” He slammed the desk, before adjusting his chair and posture, “No matter, I’ll send a message to the Marines to look out for it. For now, cover up the stories, claim it was merely a Seaking attack, and relay this information to the rest of the agents. Do you understand, or do I have to send someone more capable?”
* “It will be done.”
* “...”
* “It will be done, sir.”
* “That’s more like it, now move!”