Elias and Kenji landed the Salty Hope on the sandy shore of the island, which now served as the temporary headquarters for one D-Tier conqueror and one moderately anxious Failure Ninja.
"This is it, Kenji. The part of the story where we get to the Trope 15: Villain's Secret Base Loot. It's mandatory for the power scaling in the next arc," Elias said, leading the way toward a massive, ornate wooden chest sitting suspiciously alone under a palm tree.
"Isn't that... too easy?" Kenji whispered, nervously looking back at the horizontally floating flagship.
"It's narratively efficient, not easy," Elias corrected. "If the villain is gone, the loot should be accessible. Otherwise, it's poor pacing. Watch."
Elias walked right up to the chest. It was secured by a massive, rusty padlock. He reached for his newly acquired Minor Object Conjuration (Random Junk) skill.
"I need something to pick a lock, but it can't be an actual lock pick, because that would be too competent. System, conjure me a solution."
He concentrated, and pop!—a single, slightly bent paper clip appeared in his hand, smelling faintly of stale coffee.
"Perfect. The Trope 16: Improvised Tool Solution," Elias announced, inserting the paper clip. After three awkward attempts, the padlock clicked open. "See? Plot Armor handles the expertise; I just provide the narrative intention."
The chest clunked open, revealing not gold or legendary swords, but stacks of papers and ledgers.
"No way," Elias groaned. "This is worse than finding a moderately fortunate scroll."
"What is it?" Kenji peered over his shoulder.
"It's the Grand Pirate Alliance's Financial Records and Membership Roster," Elias said, pulling out a detailed spreadsheet. "And look! They were running a massive multi-level marketing scheme based on selling discounted 'Devil Fruit' knockoffs!"
Kenji's eyes widened. "The legendary 'Devil Fruit' knockoffs that just give you severe indigestion? I heard about those!"
Elias sighed. "No mystical artifacts, no legendary weapon that was destined to be mine. Just tax evasion and terrible investment advice. This is truly an F-Tier loot drop."
Suddenly, his eyes landed on a small, glittering object tucked into the corner. It was a perfectly spherical, transparent crystal the size of a golf ball.
System Alert:[High-Tier Plot Device] Detected. Item: Dimensional Beacon (Unstable).
"Wait, actually useful," Elias murmured, pocketing the crystal. "This will be my ticket out of this world before Ragnarok figures out how to rotate his ship."
The Power of Random Junk
Since the pirates' headquarters was just a glorified office, Elias decided to use his 330 SP to prepare for the next world, the Hunter/Onmyoji realm. He bought the D-Tier Plot Device (Lost Key/Map Fragment) for 50 SP, which turned into an antique-looking key that was explicitly labeled "Key to Something Very Important."
Remaining SP: 280.
He also bought the Minor Aura of Mystery (100 SP) to help with first impressions, leaving him with 180 SP.
To test his new junk skill, Elias held up the Wooden Training Wand and conjured a truly random item: a single, mismatched sock (gray with yellow stripes).
"Okay, this sock has zero narrative utility," Elias lamented. "I need to train this skill."
He spent the next hour walking around the island, deliberately trying to conjure items that were maximally annoying to his surroundings.
He conjured a tiny, malfunctioning whistle in the middle of a flock of startled seagulls.
He conjured a single, wet glove onto Kenji's head.
He conjured a brightly coloured garden gnome directly into a pit of quicksand.
"The key to this skill is specificity in randomness," Elias determined. "I need to summon junk that, in its uselessness, causes a momentary existential crisis in the enemy."
Kenji pulled the wet glove off his head. "I think the gnome is struggling, Elias."
"It's fine, Kenji. It's an inanimate object undergoing a narrative trial," Elias waved him off. "Let's focus on the transition. We need a strong narrative reason to leave."
The Ominous Exit Strategy
As the sun began to set, casting an appropriately dramatic orange glow over the vertically floating flagship, Elias noticed a dark figure observing them from the jungle treeline. The figure wore sleek, black leather and carried a weapon that looked suspiciously like a high-tech crossbow.
Elias pulled up his Minor Narrative Foresight.
Narrative Foresight Scan: Alert: Saga I Cleanup Crew Detected. Target Type: Professional Narrative Enforcer (Tier 2 Bounty Hunter). Objective: Clean up the loose plot threads (i.e., kill the humiliated pirates) and assess the new Main Character (Host). Immediate Threat Level: High.
"Okay, Kenji, change of plans. We are leaving right now. The fun part is over," Elias said, his casual tone replaced by sharp urgency.
"What is it? Did Ragnarok turn his ship back?" Kenji asked.
"Worse. We just triggered Trope 17: The Professional Clean-Up Crew. This is the world's version of quality control. They're here to deal with loose ends—like a floating flagship and two civilians who violated the rules of engagement."
Elias grabbed the Dimensional Beacon (the crystal) and his trusty Wet Noodle Wand. "This is not a character we can defeat with a crab or a ramen coupon. This person is here to confirm whether my Plot Armor is legitimate or a glitch."
The Bounty Hunter stepped into the open. Her movement was silent, predatory, and completely devoid of any comedic value. This was bad. This was a character who understood narrative silence.
"You are Elias Vane. The anomaly," the Hunter said, her voice filtered through a metallic mouthpiece, cold and synthesized. "My mandate is to verify the legitimacy of your designation and, failing that, terminate the corrupted plot line."
Elias didn't hesitate. He knew this was the pre-jump confrontation—the event designed to force the MC into the next, more dangerous plot setting.
"Look, I'm just here for the loot, not a full narrative audit!" Elias yelled, simultaneously throwing the Emergency Confetti Bomb at the Hunter.
BOOM!
The bomb exploded, covering the Hunter in a blinding, mildly sparkly burst of silver and gold confetti.
The Hunter, though visually ridiculous, didn't even flinch. She simply raised her crossbow and fired a sleek, dark bolt right at Elias.
Elias had already activated his Plot Armor.
**Plot Armor (A-Tier)** Triggering: **Narrative Sacrifice**
The bolt didn't miss. But instead of hitting Elias, it zipped past his shoulder and struck the Dimensional Beacon crystal in his hand.
The crystal, labeled 'Unstable,' instantly shattered, ripping a searing tear in the fabric of reality right behind them—a swirling vortex of black, green, and purple cosmic energy.
"Well, that was convenient!" Elias shouted, pulling Kenji toward the vortex. "The Trope 18: Forced Immediate World Jump is now active!"
Kenji looked at the terrifying spatial tear, then at the Bounty Hunter, who was slowly walking through the settling confetti, reloading her crossbow.
"I liked the ninja world better! At least their tears were just from sadness!" Kenji screamed.
"Get moving!" Elias shoved Kenji into the vortex.
Elias took one final glance at the Hunter, who was completely covered in confetti but still radiating lethal intent.
"By the way," Elias called out, pulling out the Lost Key to Something Very Important (the D-Tier Plot Device) and tossing it into the quicksand near the struggling garden gnome. "Enjoy trying to figure out what that unlocks!"
Elias jumped into the vortex, the last thing he heard being the frustrated, almost mechanical growl of the Bounty Hunter, followed by a faint clink as she stepped on the gnome.
The vortex closed instantly behind him.
Post-Jump Diagnostics
Elias landed, this time on something soft and dry—a bed of oddly scented herbs. Kenji landed beside him, coughing violently.
Elias checked his diagnostics.
Status Update: Current World: #112-A (Supernatural Hunter/Onmyoji Realm) Plot Armor Charge: 25% (Severely Drained) System Points (SP): 180 (Saved for the next Arc) New Condition:[The Hunter's Mark (Tier 2)] applied to Host's energy signature. Narrative Enforcers can track Host's movements between worlds.
Elias swore under his breath. "They tagged me. This Bounty Hunter is the worst. Now she's a recurring nemesis."
He looked around. They were in a dark, ancient-looking structure. Tapestries covered the walls, and the air crackled with raw, spiritual energy.
"Well, Kenji," Elias said, forcing a grin, "Welcome to the world of curses, monsters, and mandatory mystical contracts. Look, there's the first plot element already!"
He pointed to a stone pedestal in the center of the room, upon which rested a single, ominous, glowing Scroll—much larger and more powerful looking than Kenji's.
"A Scroll of Ultimate Power?" Kenji breathed, eyes wide.
"No," Elias corrected, reading the fine print on the pedestal. "It's the Scroll of Highly Specific Prophecy Regarding the Next Protagonist. And guess what? The prophecy starts with me touching it."