Once the pirates I defeated were tied up and gagged, I got to work.
Trinity went to look around the town, finding out how many pirates were in its crew, their characteristics, and other important things I was able to identify.
Arthur was in charge of searching for weapons and ammunition; he had to sneak into the town where there were few or no pirates.
I began exploring the rest of the island to find some important things.
As I walked around as quietly as I could, something landed on my shoulder.
It was Hunter. I didn't feel him since he had no ill intentions toward me, and I couldn't sense his movements.
As soon as he arrived, I petted him and asked him to go help Trinity.
He made a sound as if to say "okay," I think, and headed in the direction of the town.
As I continued walking toward a cabin, I quietly approached it and looked out the window.
There was no one inside, as it wasn't that big, with a living room/kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom.
When I entered, there were only normal household items. I entered the room, noticed a closet, opened it, and found clothes and a rifle.
Dante: "Bingo."
I continued searching the place but didn't find anything useful.
I came out with some food, and at the entrance to the cabin, there was an axe; I took that with me as well.
I decided to return to the meeting place.
I was the first to arrive, sat down, and started counting the number of bullets in the rifle, making 24 total, including what's already inside.
After about 30 minutes, Arthur arrived.
I arrived with a cable, more ammunition, a long piece of iron, and two pistols, among other useful things.
Looking at the position of the sun, which was around 6 p.m., I calculated that Trinity would arrive in another hour.
So I started talking to Arthur.
He comes from a family of lumberjacks, and the cabin I found earlier belonged to his uncle. His parents were in charge of selling and managing it, and they helped out whenever they could.
Sadly, as far as I know, he's the only survivor from this village of this pirate attack.
You hear sounds in the distance; I grabbed my sword just in case.
It was Trinity with Hunter.
When they arrived, the crow passed from her to me.
Trinity: "There are 23 pirates in total, with their captain and vice-captain."
Dante: "Do we know who that is?"
Arthur: "When they arrived here, I heard them shouting about the dreaded Nilox, the Crazy Goat."
Something clicked for me; when I was on Salmonie's boat, I read in the newspaper about pirates with good bounties and their qualities.
Among them was this guy.
Dante: "I read about him in the newspapers, Nilox the Crazy Goat, captain of the mountain pirates, with a bounty of 42,000,000 berri, and it's said he has a Zoan-type Devil Fruit that allows him to transform into a goat."
Trinity: "Their vice-captain, I think, is a normal guy, just stronger than the rest. When they couldn't find us, they decided to tie my father up on a stake; practically all the pirates are guarding him, so it'll be hard to get him out of there."
Dante: "Okay, I've come up with a plan to get out of this, but we'll have to do it tomorrow morning." he tossed the rifle and the bullets to Trinity. "If you want to save your father, you'll have to use him."
Trinity: "Yeah, that's crystal clear. I can't just sit back and do nothing." I could feel her emotional state a bit altered; maybe it's Haki or my senses. Could it be the same thing, or both together?
Dante: "Look, Trinity, you don't have to kill anyone. I just need you to disable or injure them so it's easier for Arthur to take them down."
I felt her relax a little after my comment.
Dante: "It's not like it's 2 vs. 21, though. If all goes well, it'll be 3 vs. 21."
Trinity: "You're right. My father wouldn't just sit idly by. Once he's freed, he'll help us in one way or another. That's how he is." She said, smiling as she looked at the campfire.
Arthur: "Why 21? It's 23."
Dante: "Because if all goes according to plan, they'll only have to take care of weakening 21 pirates."
I asked them to gather in a circle that's not too small and not too large.
Dante: "The plan is this: during the night, the three of us will trap according to an escape route. We'll also do it in the village, taking advantage of the fact that they're distracted and sleeping." I looked at Trini. "They must be having a party, right?"
Trinity: "It's not like a party, but practically everyone is drinking and eating."
Dante: "Okay, it still works," I continued explaining the plan. "Once we have the territory armed, we'll wait for tomorrow morning to attack, taking advantage of the fact that most of them are still sleeping or hungover." I looked at Arthur. "I need you to make a path on a secluded side of the village where the entrance to the escape route will be. There, I need you to create a diversion so I have the opportunity to take Mr. Ruminoff quickly without them being able to react immediately."
Arthur: "If that's all right."
Dante: "Good, it'll also signal where he should escape. Following on from that idea, I'll position myself at a safe distance from the pirates to buy time for you all to take up positions, with Arthur being the entrance to the escape zone and Trinity being a high area in the woods. Once Arthur's distraction has begun, Trinity, I need you to disable the vice-captain with a shot."
Trinity: "No problem, but why not the captain?"
Dante: "Because of his Devil Fruit, we might not be able to get rid of him in one hit with normal bullets. That's why I'll be there. As soon as the escape begins, I'll grab the captain and move him as far away from everyone else as possible to fight one-on-one." After a pause, I continued, "The idea is to separate him from his captain so they don't know what to do. The first and most obvious thing is to chase the hostage. That's why you two will be there, accompanying him on the safe side of the traps. Also, having only the captain in front of me will make it faster for me to defeat him, so I can quickly follow his lead to back you up in case of an emergency. That's why your job is more to injure and delay your crew than to defeat you. If you can, you can, but it's better to stall and play in a circle."
I looked at my two new companions.
Dante: "Any questions?"
Trinity: "No."
Arthur: "None."
Dante: "Okay, let's get going. Let's go make the traps."
We set about making different types of traps; Trinity and I took care of the forest while Arthur went to the village.
After everything was ready, we went to rest.
I asked Hunter to keep an eye on where we were; all three of us had to be safe. When he's ready to leave, he can rest on Trini's shoulder, because if she's with me, it'll be very dangerous. He'll also wake us up when the sun is rising in the morning.
Once we were awake and rested, we had a quick snack and set off.
As we walked, I decided to discuss the plan further.
Dante: "As soon as I arrive, I'm going to get as many pirates as possible to focus on me; that way, it'll be easier for them to get to their positions."
They both nodded.
Once at the edge of town, I checked to see if I was missing anything; I really only needed my sword, but I also have a small knife hidden in my clothes, just in case.
Dante: "Okay, I'm going. Wish me luck."
I walked slowly toward the town, more specifically where the pirates were gathered.
I looked around and saw the captain standing next to Mr. Ruminoff, and at his side was a strange guy who, I have a feeling, is the vice-captain.
Before entering, so they could see me, I decided to go into a house, pick up a pot and a spoon, and walk back to it. Already a little closer, I started hitting the pot with the spoon.
Dante: "HOMEMADE! THE POTATOES, CARROTS, TOMATOES, ONIONS, AND EVERYTHING YOU NEED HAVE ARRIVED, HOMEMADE!!"
As soon as I started screaming, I saw everyone wake up. Everyone was confused; Mr. Ruminoff had a look of bewilderment and fear, probably afraid for me, for what they'll do to me if they capture me.
At that moment, the captain stared at me and pointed.
Nilox: "YOU!! You're the brat who ran away with the girl yesterday."
I stared at him for a few seconds.
Dante: "WOW!! I thought my vegetable vendor act was good enough to fool you."
I saw how angry he got.
Nilox: "Do you think I'm stupid?"
Dante: "Yes," I said curtly.
I saw how he got even angrier.
Nilox: "CAPTURE HIM!!
Dante: "Wait a minute, I still have a surprise in my pocket; I was planning to deliver it in the form of a peace treaty between you and me."
They stared at me as I put my hand in my pocket, then pulled out my fist and raised my middle finger.
Just at that moment, an explosion was heard on the corner of town.
Okay, it's showtime.
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I'd like you to know that I just bought FF7 Remake yesterday, but the problem is I already have a game I'm playing, and I'm one of those people who doesn't play a game with an incomplete one.
My idea was that with the game, in addition to having fun and all that, I would get Cloud's moves and abilities for Dante to use, but not for this battle; it won't be possible anymore. I also have some knowledge from some tutorial videos on how to use Cloud in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
I'm still thinking about whether to actually do that or invent some original moves myself. Anyway, if the fic continues to progress and I still haven't been able to play FF7 Remake, I'll have to use the second option, since I don't want to watch videos of the game because I was told that there are different things from the original FF7 on the Play 1. Well, that's just what I came to say.