One Piece Solar Rift Conqueror!

The newly acquired ship swayed softly on the waves as Solian stood at the helm, his eyes out to the open sea. The salty air was sweet with the promise of freedom, yet something weighed upon his mind—money.

They had the strength, a ship, and promise, but without funds, they'd not last long. Provisions, weapons, repairs, new recruits—everything required berries. And currently? They had barely enough to keep them afloat.

Kael, sitting cross-legged on a barrel, sighed. "So, Captain, what's the plan?"

Jorin, sharpening his sword, looked up. "Aye, we've got a ship, but if we don't start amassing some cash, we're dead in the water. We need money, and we need it fast."

Solian leaned against the mast, deep in thought. They couldn't just rely on bounties alone. Hunting pirates was profitable, but inconsistent. Plus, the strong ones in this part of the sea were rare, and if they wanted real challenges, they had to head to deadlier waters.

Kael smirked. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Jorin grinned. "If it involves money, I'm in."

Solian crossed his arms. "We steal from the Marines."

A pause.

Then Kael burst out laughing. "Now that's what I wanted to hear!"

Jorin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, makes sense. Marines steal treasure from pirates all the time. Not to mention taxes, bribes, and all kinds of dirty money. They're sitting on piles of berries."

Solian smiled. "And as opposed to assaulting civilians or traders, robbing the Marines only makes us enemies of the state. Which, if we are honest, we were going to be anyway."

Kael shrugged. "Fair point."

Choosing the Target

They unfolded a map of the sea zone and looked for Marine bases. They needed a smaller base—one with riches but weak defenses.

Jorin pointed to a medium-sized island. "Here. It's not a big base, just a checkpoint they use to monitor pirate traffic. It should have a treasury with uncollected bounties, marine wages, and supplies."

Kael hunched forward, studying the features of the island. "What's the manpower like?"

Jorin went to get a spyglass and scoped from a distance. "Looks like around 200 Marines guarding it. Two Lieutenants are in command of them. One of them is stronger, probably a good fighter."

Solian rubbed his chin. 200 Marines was not a small force. Even if most of them were weak, sheer numbers could be problematic.

Kael cracked his knuckles. "Doesn't matter. We catch them off guard, hit quick, take what we can, and get out before they get reinforcements."

Jorin smirked. "We'll be stealing from the largest gang in the world."

Solian's eyes burned with determination. "Then let's do it."

Scouting the Marine Base

Under the cover of night, Solian and his crew dropped anchor outside the horizon of the island. The moon shone down on the water as they rowed toward land in a small boat, quietly paddling to avoid detection.

The Marine base was built on the face of a cliff, overlooking the harbor. Stone barracks and wooden watchtowers surrounded the central treasury building—a highly secured facility toward the middle of the base.

Solian peered through his spyglass. "Guards on every tower. Perimeter patrols. Good security, but nothing out of the ordinary."

Kael grinned. "So what's the plan?"

Solian laid out the plan.

Step One: Jorin goes in first, quietly killing some guards.

Step Two: Solian and Kael enter on the east side, heading for a storage building to cut off Marine supplies.

Step Three: They get together at the treasury, break in, and grab as much money as they can.

Step Four: Get out before reinforcements arrive.

Jorin nodded. "Easy enough. But what if something goes wrong?"

Kael smiled. "Then we fight our way out."

Solian smiled. They would not need to kill everyone. Just enough to cause chaos.

Infiltration Begins

Jorin made the first move. Silent as a phantom, he slipped past a distracted guard and knocked him out cold. He pulled the inert Marine into the bushes, then signaled the others.

Solian and Kael crept forward quietly, staying in the shadows. They reached the storage building, where barrels of supplies and wooden crates were stacked up.

Kael smiled. "Time for some sabotage."

With a quick strike, he broke open an oil barrel and kicked over a lantern, setting the storage area ablaze.

Flames erupted, quickly spreading through the supplies. A loud explosion followed as a powder keg caught fire.

The Alarm is Sounded!

The Marine outpost exploded into chaos.

Sirens blared. Marines rushed out of their barracks, weapons drawn.

"FIRE! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

Solian smirked. Phase one: complete.

Now, they had to reach the treasury before things got too out of control.

Breaking Into the Treasury

As Marines ran to contain the fire, Solian, Kael, and Jorin ran towards the central treasury building.

Two guards stood in their way.

Jorin didn't wait. In an instant, he sliced down the two Marines before they could react.

Kael broke open the door, and rows of locked chests and vaults filled with money lay before them.

Solian's eyes gleamed. "Jackpot."

Kael whistled. "This might be easier than I thought."

Jorin sneered. "Don't jinx it."

Solian immediately used his Devil Fruit. A portal opened beneath a stack of treasure chests, teleporting them onto their ship in an instant.

But then—a thunderous voice from the outside.