The sun was starting to set as Lupin leaned against the railing of the Moby Dick, watching the orange hues reflect off the water. He glanced down at the familiar daily quest list that appeared in front of him. It was the same as always: minor tasks, chores, and maintenance duties for the ship.
"Swab the deck, clean the cannon, deliver meals... again," Lupin muttered, flicking his finger across the screen with a sigh. It had been weeks since he received a new monthly quest, and his patience was wearing thin. Every day felt like a repetition of the last. Completing his daily tasks had become a monotonous grind, and he longed for something new — something more exciting to break the routine.
He rubbed his forehead, trying to shake off the frustration. "There's gotta be something else I can do…"
Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind. A mischievous grin crept across his face as he began to think about a little bit of fun. The system's interface flickered in front of him as he navigated to the Wanted Poster Edit section. The thrill of tweaking the wanted posters of notorious criminals, especially one he despised, seemed like the perfect way to spice up his day.
Scrolling through the list, Lupin's eyes landed on a familiar name.
Donquixote Doflamingo
500,000,000 Berri
The thought of Doflamingo made Lupin's blood boil. The man's crimes had always disgusted him, and now, Lupin had a chance to exact some petty revenge — in the most ridiculous way possible. A little tweak, a little fun. It was the perfect distraction. He would change his crimes and make his wanted poster a nightmare for the World Government.
He smirked as his fingers moved over the system's interface, typing in what he knew would be a headache for Doflamingo.
**- Rape of a Celestial Dragon
Theft of Marine-issue weapons
Murder of three Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise**
Lupin chuckled at the thought of how the World Government would react to such an absurd claim. He had no doubt that Doflamingo's reputation would be in shambles. Satisfied with his edits, he clicked Confirm Edit.
The system hummed in response, but instead of the usual confirmation message, a red error screen popped up.
ERROR: This poster cannot be edited. Poster unavailable.
Lupin blinked, staring at the screen in confusion. "What? Why the hell can't I change it?"
He tried again. Same result. He furrowed his brow and went to the wanted poster list again. This time, he searched specifically for Doflamingo. Nothing came up. There was no wanted poster, no details, nothing.
"What the hell is going on?" Lupin muttered, scrolling through the list again, trying different searches, but still, there was nothing about Doflamingo.
A cold realization washed over him. Doflamingo had become a Warlord of the Sea, hadn't he? "Oh no..."
Lupin had known this would happen eventually, but he hadn't kept track of when it was supposed to occur. He had forgotten to check when Doflamingo officially became a Warlord. The World Government would have frozen his bounty, making it impossible for anyone to alter it — not even him.
He cursed under his breath, muttering to himself. "I completely forgot about that... Of course, he became a Warlord by now. Damn it."
The system had no Warlord list, and now Lupin was stuck. His fun little prank had come to an abrupt halt. Without the ability to edit Doflamingo's wanted poster, the whole idea had fallen apart.
"Well, that's one plan down the drain," he grumbled, leaning against the railing, his mind churning with irritation. He had been so excited, and now it was over.
His fingers hovered over the system's interface, unsure of what to do next. He had already completed his daily quest for the day, but now he was left with nothing. "Another day of doing nothing…" he muttered bitterly.
The crew carried on their tasks as usual. The sound of laughter, of people working together, only made Lupin feel more isolated in his frustration. Everyone seemed so carefree, but he was stuck in a loop of repetitive tasks with no sense of purpose.
He looked at the horizon, wishing for something more. His daily quests were simple and predictable, and the monthly quest? Still nowhere to be found. "I really need something to break this monotony," he muttered, but there was no answer. The world around him was calm, and yet, Lupin felt restless.
The days passed in a blur of routine. Every morning, the same interface greeted him with the same daily tasks. And every day, he completed them, hoping that tomorrow might bring something new, something exciting, but it never did. The same menial jobs — clean the cannon, deliver the meals, swab the deck — over and over.
"I'm losing it…" Lupin said to himself, staring blankly at the endless ocean stretching out before him. "I need something. Anything."
He could only dream of the next big challenge, the next exciting quest. But for now, he was stuck. And he was beginning to wonder how much longer he could stand the endless cycle of waiting.
"Guess there's nothing left to do but call it a day," he muttered.
As he turned to head below deck, something tugged at the back of his mind — a nagging feeling like he was forgetting something important. He paused mid-step, brows furrowing in thought.
"Wait…" Lupin mumbled, patting his chest. He looked at his arms, then his shoulders.
That was it.
He didn't have the Whitebeard Pirates' tattoo. The iconic symbol that every loyal son of Whitebeard bore somewhere on their body — that proud mark of belonging.
"Damn… I forgot about that," Lupin muttered, feeling a little embarrassed. He'd been sailing with them for a while now, made a name for himself aboard the Moby Dick, and yet, his skin was bare. No emblem. No mark of the family.
Deciding to fix that immediately, he made his way to the upper deck where Marco was leaning casually against the mast, sipping from a bottle. The phoenix caught sight of him approaching and raised a brow.
"Yo, Lupin. What's up?" Marco greeted lazily.
"Hey, Marco," Lupin began, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, uh… I just realized something. I don't have the Whitebeard tattoo yet."
Marco chuckled lightly, taking another sip. "Took you long enough to notice."
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, flame chicken."
"So you wanna get inked now, huh?" Marco grinned, but then his expression shifted into something a little more serious. "Hate to break it to you, but not everyone gets the mark right away. Only the division commanders and top officers get it permanently. Rest of the crew gotta earn it."
Lupin blinked. "Wait… seriously?"
"Yup," Marco confirmed with a shrug. "Whitebeard's symbol ain't something you slap on just for show. It means you're family, sure — but it also means you're responsible for the rest of us. You gotta be a division commander if you want that mark. Till then, you're just another reckless brat onboard."
Lupin whistled low. "Damn… makes sense though."
He knew how much Whitebeard valued family, how serious that emblem was. It wasn't just a tattoo — it was a promise. A bond.
"So I need to climb the ranks first, huh?" Lupin mused.
"Pretty much." Marco smirked, pushing off the mast. "Not saying you won't get there. You've been stirrin' up a lotta trouble already, and Pops likes your guts. Just don't die before you make it."
"Pfft. Like hell I'd die before getting my mark," Lupin shot back with a grin.
Marco raised his bottle in a half-toast. "That's the spirit. Now quit bothering me while I'm off-duty."
Lupin chuckled and turned to leave, feeling both a little disappointed and a little motivated. Another goal to chase. Another reason to work harder.
"Division Commander Lupin, huh? That's got a nice ring to it."