OP: Lord of Mischief C11 Party

Vargo lay unconscious on the ground, defeated and humiliated.

Elias and the others didn’t waste any time.

They quickly tied him up, making sure he wouldn’t cause any more trouble when he woke up.

The Vargo Pirates could only watch in silence.

Their morale was shattered—their captain had been defeated in the most ridiculous way possible, and to make things worse, they had no idea what kind of strange ability Augustus had.

They weren’t about to take any chances.

Meanwhile, the Vargo pirate doctor, who had so carelessly blurted out that Vargo and Matilda had the same blood type, was already regretting his life choices.

He could feel the piercing glares from his crewmates.

Why the hell did I open my mouth…?

But there was nothing they could do.

All they could do was stand there and watch as Johnny carefully transfused blood from Vargo to Matilda.

Slowly—but surely—Matilda’s condition stabilized.

Augustus let out a long sigh of relief.

He had been terrified that she wouldn’t make it, but seeing her color returning—seeing her chest rising and falling evenly—he finally felt the tension in his chest ease.

A small smile formed on his lips.

She had been like a big sister to him since he joined the crew.

She had to live.

And now—she would.

"The notorious Captain Vargo is finally defeated!" Elias declared, his voice booming across the battlefield.

His gaze swept over the remaining Vargo Pirates.

"You all saw what happened. Your captain is out cold and tied up like a prisoner. There’s no point in continuing this fight. Surrender. Now."

The Vargo Pirates exchanged uneasy glances.

Then—one by one—they sighed in defeat.

With reluctant grumbles, they dropped their weapons onto the ground.

"We surrender."

The moment those words left their mouths—

A cheer erupted from the Silver Hook Pirates and the villagers.

"WOOOOOOO!!!"

"Our village is safe!!!"

"This calls for a celebration!"

"YAHOOOO!!!"

Some raised their weapons into the air, not in battle, but in victory.

Elias watched the scene unfold, a small, proud smile appearing on his lips—

Until pain flared through his body.

"Ugh..." He groaned, his injuries catching up to him.

A hand suddenly patted his shoulder.

He turned—and saw Augustus standing beside him.

The same young man who had somehow turned the tide of this battle.

"Captain," Augustus spoke with a relaxed smile. "You're pretty banged up. You should rest. The Vargo Pirates are defeated—you can finally relax now."

Elias exhaled, tired but relieved.

"I never would've expected you to be a Devil Fruit user, kid."

The moment those words left Elias' lips—

Augustus tilted his head, genuinely confused.

‘Wait… what? Devil Fruit user? What does that mean?’

As someone who had never watched One Piece and had only been in this world for a little over a month, he had no idea what Elias was talking about.

Elias noticed the confusion on his face.

He chuckled. "Don’t play dumb, kid. You know what I’m talking about."

Augustus blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Elias’ smile faded.

He stared.

Augustus' face wasn’t just confused—it was genuinely, completely clueless.

For a moment, Elias thought the kid was messing with him—but something clicked in his mind.

A thought flashed through his head.

"Don’t tell me…" His voice slowed. "You ate a strange fruit at some point… but didn’t realize what it was?"

Augustus just stared at him, completely lost.

"...?"

A heavy silence stretched between them.

Elias sighed, shaking his head.

"You really don’t know what you ate, do you…?" He shook his head. "That’s why you suddenly awakened an ability strong enough to defeat Vargo."

His tone turned serious.

"Listen carefully, Augustus."

"There are rare fruits in this world—Devil Fruits. If you eat one, you gain a power that defies logic. It gives you abilities that are beyond human understanding."

He looked Augustus straight in the eyes.

"And if I’m not wrong… you unknowingly awakened your ability in this battle."

Augustus remained silent.

Internally, he held back a laugh.

So that’s what they think?

Elias had completely misunderstood the Trickster System and The Mask ability—assuming it was some kind of Devil Fruit power.

But honestly…

That explanation worked perfectly for him.

It gave him a cover story.

Something believable.

So, instead of correcting him—Augustus just went along with it.

He rubbed his chin, pretending to think deeply. "Hmmm… No wonder I suddenly felt stronger all of a sudden…"

He snapped his fingers, acting as if he had an epiphany.

"Maybe I really did eat a Devil Fruit at some point! That would explain everything, huh?"

Elias nodded firmly. "That’s the only explanation."

Augustus just grinned to himself.

Perfect.

As the celebration roared on, the villagers wasted no time tying up the remaining Vargo Pirates, securing them next to their defeated and humiliated captain.

With their enemies neutralized, the village chief stepped forward, raising his voice for all to hear.

"Without them, we would not have survived under the hands of Vargo!" His voice cracked with emotion, his old eyes glistening. "I, as the chief of Rustbay Village, express my deepest gratitude to the Silver Hook Pirates!"

Then, to everyone’s surprise, he bowed deeply toward Elias and his crew.

The villagers followed suit, their heads lowered in genuine appreciation.

Elias, still wrapped in bandages, gave a small, grateful smile.

But instead of accepting the praise, he turned toward Augustus and gestured toward him.

"Do not thank me," Elias said. "The true hero today is this young man. He not only saved you—he saved us as well. Augustus."

Augustus blinked in surprise as Elias introduced him.

The village chief and the villagers immediately turned to him.

And before he could even think about deflecting the credit back to Elias—

They all bowed.

"Thank you, Augustus!"

The sheer sincerity in their voices made something warm stir in Augustus' chest.

Scratching the back of his head, he chuckled. "Ah, it’s no big deal, really… If not for Captain Elias, I would’ve been running away as fast as possible."

Laughter exploded through the crowd.

"Hahahaha!!!"

And just like that, the night turned into a full-blown celebration.

The village lit up with lanterns, the air buzzing with music, laughter, and the clinking of drinks.

The Silver Hook Pirates and the villagers danced, ate, and drank together, celebrating their unexpected victory.

Even Augustus found himself swept up in the revelry.

At one point, he was dragged into a dance with the pub owner’s pretty daughter.

The girl twirled, laughing as she pulled him along. "Come on, hero, you can’t just sit there!"

"Oi, I never said I could dance!" Augustus protested.

But she only smirked. "Then you’ll just have to learn, won’t you?"

And so—he danced.

---

Meanwhile, on the other side of the celebration…

Inside a sturdy iron cage, the Vargo Pirates sat in absolute misery.

They had no food. No drinks. No celebration.

Just… humiliation.

Some of them were too tired to be angry. Others just glared at the partying villagers, muttering curses under their breath.

Then—

A low groan.

The Vargo Pirates snapped their heads toward the source.

Their captain, Vargo, was finally regaining consciousness.

"C-Captain!" Some of them exclaimed in relief.

Vargo’s eyelids fluttered open, his expression dark. His body felt weak, his muscles sore.

And most of all—his head pounded.

"Urgh… What the hell happened…?" His voice was rough, his head spinning violently.

"Why… why is the world spinning?"

His crew members exchanged glances.

Then they looked away, awkwardly silent.

They weren’t about to be the ones to break the news.

Vargo’s brow furrowed at their lack of response.

"Hey." His voice sharpened. "Why the hell aren’t any of you answering me?"

Still—silence.

Especially from the ship doctor, who looked like he wanted to disappear into the shadows.

Vargo narrowed his eyes at his crew’s guilty expressions.

Then, suddenly—

A cheer erupted from the celebration outside the cage.

"To the Silver Hook Pirates!!!"

"To Augustus!!!"

Vargo froze.

His hazy mind finally registered the loud music, the laughter, the partying.

And then—it hit him.

He lost.

He lost badly.

He lost so pathetically that they were throwing a damn festival about it.

Vargo gritted his teeth, his fists clenching so hard his nails dug into his palms.

"…What the fuck happened?"