Isle Chimera - The Colliding Fronts
The air in the high-security sector thrummed with imminent violence. Kael's enraged bellows from the direction of the Gate Chamber were a physical force, shaking the very foundations of the fortress. Alarms still shrieked, punctuated by the clang of steel, the roar of Kael's pirates, and the distinct, high-pitched whine of Portia's advanced weaponry wielded by her personal guard.
In Viper's cell, the standoff was electric. Portia's smirk widened as she eyed Alex, then Sanji. "Prior claim? How droll. This little songbird," she gestured with her scalpel towards the battered Viper, "was about to sing me a lovely tune about all of Kael's… indiscretions. And perhaps, about your guild's curious interest in this island." Her gaze, predatory and unsettling, flicked to Sanji. "Though, I must admit, handsome, your sudden appearance offers a far more… enticing form of entertainment. Once I'm done with the formalities here, of course."
Sanji's face was a mask of cold fury. "Lay one more finger on him, you bitch, and I'll show you entertainment you won't fucking forget."
"Temper, temper," Portia cooed, clearly enjoying his rage. "Such passion. Kael could learn a thing or two about finesse from you."
Alex's mind, however, was a whirlwind of calculations, far beyond the immediate confrontation. His crimson smartphone, linked to the deployed nano-robot still active near Kael's control room, was also picking up fragmented, chaotic comms chatter from the Gate Chamber. He heard Kael's voice, "…Marine dogs! Here?! In my goddamn Gatehouse! Find them! Flay them alive!" And then, another, more disciplined voice – Tashigi's, faint but clear – "Captain Smoker! The primary conduit! It's overloading!" Followed by Smoker's guttural roar and the unmistakable sound of his jitte deflecting something heavy.
"Marines… Smoker… in the Gate Chamber?" Alex's internal system flashed a probability analysis. Smoker, a Captain, directly confronting Kael and Portia, plus their elite forces, in a confined space with a potentially unstable teleportation gate… The casualty projections were astronomical. For the Marines.
A new, audacious, and utterly ruthless scenario began to form in Alex's mind, a strategic masterstroke of breathtaking cruelty. It wasn't just about surviving Isle Chimera. It was about profiting from its inevitable, bloody implosion in a way that would reshape the entire East Blue.
"Usopp, Nami," Alex's voice cut through the tension in the cell block, still preternaturally calm, "Emergency Protocol: 'Shattered Shield.' You know your objectives. Sanji-san, secure Agent Viper. We are extracting him. Now." His gaze met Portia's. "As for your… entertainment, Overseer? I'm afraid we'll have to reschedule. Isle Chimera is about to become a far less hospitable venue."
Portia's eyes narrowed. "'Shattered Shield'?"
Before she could react, Usopp, from his concealed position down the corridor, fired a volley from his Kabuto. Not explosive stars. But several small, dense pellets that struck the ceiling supports above Portia and her guards. They weren't damaging, but they released a thick, clinging, psychoactive dust – a non-lethal but intensely disorienting hallucinogen Alex had 'purchased' from his System for just such contingencies.
Portia's guards coughed, clutching their heads, their vision blurring. Portia herself stumbled, her smirk replaced by a snarl of confused rage as the world around her began to warp. "What… what is this sorcery, you little shits?!"
Sanji moved like a blur, disarming one of Portia's dazed guards with a swift kick, then scooped up the near-unconscious Viper. Alex, meanwhile, used the momentary chaos to plant a tiny, almost invisible data beacon on the frame of Viper's cell – a device that would transmit a continuous, encrypted signal, but not one easily traceable back to him.
"Nami, lead!" Alex commanded. Nami, though visibly shaken by Portia's earlier words and the general horror, nodded, her smartphone already displaying an escape route through the service tunnels, updated in real-time by Alex to account for the new internal chaos.
The Gate Chamber - A Maelstrom of Fury
Kael, his massive axe a whirlwind of destruction, was battling Smoker. The Marine Captain, despite his Logia abilities, was hard-pressed. Kael was a berserker, his strength monstrous, his rage fueling every blow. Tashigi, meanwhile, desperately tried to fend off Kael's elite pirates while simultaneously attempting to reach the Gate's control console, which was now sparking erratically from what looked like a stray energy discharge.
Portia's personal guards, a disciplined unit, had formed a defensive perimeter around their disoriented leader (who had managed to stumble out of the cell block, still affected by the dust) and were now also engaging Kael's men, seeing them as an immediate threat in the confusion. The Gate Chamber had devolved into a three-way brawl.
"You damn Marines!" Kael roared, his axe cleaving a massive gash in the floor where Smoker had just been. "Working with this Gate-witch to undermine me?! I'll slaughter every last one of you!"
Smoker, reforming from a cloud of smoke, snarled back, "We're not with her, you psychopath! We're here to shut down this whole cursed island!" He saw an opening and lunged, his Seastone-tipped jitte aimed at Kael's arm.
Alex, receiving updates from Nami as his team retreated, allowed a ghost of a smile. Perfect. The Marines, Kael, Portia – all at each other's throats. His system was already calculating the next phase.
Alex's Internal Monologue
"The East Blue Marine forces are overstretched, underfunded, and reliant on a few key figures like Smoker. If a significant portion of their leadership and veteran manpower were to be… neutralized… in a single, catastrophic incident while 'heroically' battling a notorious pirate warlord like Kael… it would create a power vacuum. A vacuum the World Government would be desperate to fill, but would lack the immediate resources to do so effectively in such a remote sea."
"The destruction of Isle Chimera, the elimination of Kael, and the 'tragic loss' of a substantial Marine contingent, including a prominent Captain… It would be a tragedy, of course. But also an opportunity. An opportunity for a 'responsible, well-equipped, and efficient' organization – like the Straw Hat Guild – to step in. To offer 'assistance' to the beleaguered remaining Marine forces. Training. Better equipment (all sourced from my System, at a 'reasonable' markup). Logistical support. Even shared intelligence. They would become dependent. Indebted."
"Goa Kingdom would be the first… acquisition. With the local Marines crippled and indebted to my Guild, who would stop me from installing a 'stable, Guild-friendly' regime? The resources would flow. The Beri would accumulate. And from there… the rest of the East Blue. A Guild-controlled sea, peaceful and prosperous… under my complete, silent authority. Smoker, you brave, foolish man… you're about to become the unwitting catalyst for my true ascension."
Back with Alex's Team - Retreating through Chaos
As they navigated the increasingly chaotic fortress – alarms blaring, pirates fighting pirates, Kael's roars echoing – Alex discreetly activated another function on his smartphone. He sent a heavily encrypted, anonymous data burst. Not to the Marines. Not yet.
It was a complex packet of information, containing:
Partial, verifiable schematics of Isle Chimera's defenses (excluding the Gate's true nature, keeping that knowledge firewalled).
Evidence of Kael's vast insect army and his brutal slave trade (enough to outrage any sane authority).
The location of the "tragic battle" currently unfolding in the Gate Chamber, painting it as Kael's last stand against "invading Marine heroes."
Subtly embedded within the data was the signature of the data beacon he'd left in Viper's cell, now appearing as if it were a distress call originating from within the heart of Kael's command structure, a "trapped Marine operative."
This packet was sent to a carefully selected list of mid-to-high-ranking, ambitious but potentially corruptible Marine officers in the East Blue command structure itself, bypassing Smoker and any immediate G-2 oversight. Officers who might see an opportunity for glory, for promotion, if they were to "heroically" respond to a colleague's distress and crush a major pirate threat. Officers who might be less… scrupulous about collateral damage or the source of their timely intelligence.
"Nami-san," Alex said, as they reached a concealed exit point leading back towards the Solaris's hidden cove. "Prepare the ship for immediate departure the moment Viper is secure. Full speed, heading for the open sea, regardless of pursuit. We're not just escaping. We're setting the stage."