Arrival at Stormhaven Port
The Black Rift Pirates arrived at Stormhaven Port, a crime and trade city where news was as valuable as gold.
As the crew stepped off the docks, the air smelled of salt, sweat, and potential. The streets were filled with merchants, bounty hunters, and pirate crews, all looking for threats or easy prey.
Jorin scanned the city. "This city is full of influential people. We have to watch ourselves."
Solian nodded in agreement. "We split into groups of two. Our assignment is to go and try to get information about high-bounty pirates—especially anyone near 80 million berries. If we're killing someone like that, I want to know what we're walking into."
The Search for Intel Begins
Solian & Jorin – The Tavern Approach
Solian and Jorin walked into "The Rusty Gull", a dingy bar packed with burly-looking pirates and bounty hunters. As soon as they walked in, the room fell silent for a moment—people sizing them up.
Some whispers circulated:
"That's Solian Flare… Black Rift Pirates."
"They're getting famous, huh? Wonder what they're after."
Disregarding the attention, Solian approached the bartender, a scarred old man washing a mug.
"We require information," Solian said, placing a small pouch of berries on the bar. "Big bounties. 80 million and more."
The bartender raised an eyebrow but took the money. "You don't want that kind of trouble, kid."
Jorin laughed. "We'll decide that ourselves."
The bartender shrugged and leaned in closer. "There's one fellow you don't want to get involved with—Dorian "Black Gale" Krayle."
Solian's eyes narrowed. "Go on."
"He's 85 million, and he's not alone. His crew is just as lethal."
The bartender pulled out an old bounty poster and rapped on four other faces.
"The Black Gale Pirates" had four elite members with each of their bounties exceeding 40 million berries:
Garrik "Ironhide" Drex – Bounty: 48 million berries
A giant of a man with impenetrable skin, rumored to have a paramecia-type Devil Fruit that makes him impenetrable to blades and bullets.
Selka "Bloodmoon" Vayne – Bounty: 46 million berries
A ruthless killer who never misses a shot. She wields twin pistols with seastone bullets, making her deadly even to Devil Fruit users.
Viktor "Stormclaw" Cain – Bounty: 44 million berries
A warrior with a claw who has a Zoan Devil Fruit that amplifies his savage speed and strength.
Reese "Phantom Step" Luthar – Bounty: 41 million berries
A swordsman who's said to be faster than a ghost, cutting down enemies before they can even take a step.
The bartender smiled. "And those are only his officers. His men? Each one of them has a bounty over 5 million. Krayle doesn't recruit weaklings into his army."
Solian exchanged a stern expression with Jorin.
"This just got a lot harder," Jorin growled.
Kael & Vance – The Secret Fight Club
Kael and Vance were in a secret fight club, watching as pirates and bounty hunters fought for reputation and money.
They didn't get there to fight—yet. They got there to listen.
A pair of pirates at the next table were arguing.
"Krayle's crew is invincible. You think anybody can take 'em out?"
"Maybe not everyone, but the Marines are going to come down on him hard in a little while."
Vance edged closer. "Why?"
The pirate who had spoken sneered. "Because Krayle's crew just destroyed an entire Marine outpost last week. The Marines put out a kill order on him and his officers."
Kael frowned. A kill order? That meant the Marines thought he was too dangerous to let live.
"Where is Krayle hiding?" Kael asked.
The pirate shrugged. "Last I heard, Devil's Maw Cove. But if you're thinking of going there, you'd best be ready for a war."
Drayce & Dreyse – The Market Spies
Drayce and Dreyse walked through Stormhaven's black market, pretending to browse exotic weapons.
A merchant was speaking in hushed tones to a buyer.
"Krayle's ship was seen moving faster than any Marine ship. Nobody could keep up with it."
The buyer shook his head. "That's because of his Devil Fruit. He's a Wind-Type Logia. The guy blows around like a hurricane."
Drayce stiffened. A Wind Logia user? That would account for why he's so hard to catch.
Dreyse interrupted. "You said that he was last seen?"
The merchant glanced at him and lowered his voice. "Yeah… but if you're looking for him, I'd think twice. He's got an entire fleet of loyal killers. His men aren't the type to run away—they'll fight to the death."
Drayce smirked. "That makes two of us."
Back at the Ship – The Reality Sets In
By nightfall, the crew gathered again, each of them coming back with the same chilling news—Krayle wasn't just a great pirate. He was a bloody warlord.
Solian came to sit on a barrel, processing all that had been reported. "We're going up against a Logia user, four officers with 40+ million bounties, and a whole crew of assassins."
Jorin crossed his arms. "We've never fought anything like this before."
Kael cracked his knuckles. "Good. Time to test ourselves."
Drayce grinned. "So what are we going to do?"
Solian took deep breaths and looked around his crew. "We're not going in dumb. We're going to use our brains. Krayle is dangerous, but he's not unbeatable. If we think, we can take him down—and claim a massive prize."
His eyes blazed with determination. The Black Rift Pirates were about to face their greatest challenge yet.
The hunt began.