Marvel: Playing Iron Man, Falling In and Out of Love with Jinx

The next day, at a certain dock.

"All done."

Duke set down the spray can and looked over the lightweight power armor in front of him, nodding in satisfaction.

"Sarah, it's ready."

"Hm?"

Leaning on the table, Miss Fortune jolted awake from her dozing, glancing around in confusion until her eyes landed on the sleek armor set in front of Duke.

"You finished it?!"

"Yep. Taking your personal stats into account, I made a lightweight exosuit. The attached magitech engine can generate instant bursts of strength up to several dozen tons."

"It can fly, it has built-in user recognition, so only you can operate it. Plus, I added a basic AI assistant to support you."

"That's incredible!"

Miss Fortune rushed over and examined the form-fitting suit. The armor was a blend of reddish-brown and silver-gray, with a sleek silver outline and the rest in reddish hues.

It retained the cold, sharp lines typical of steel while incorporating a uniquely alluring elegance that suited her perfectly.

"It's beautiful!"

As she admired her new armor, Duke rubbed his temples and slumped down next to the workbench. In the corner, Graves snored with his new weapon hugged tightly to his chest, a content smile on his face and drool leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Graves' new weapon was a significant upgrade from his old Destiny. Duke had designed it based on Graves' Warden skin, forged entirely from Demacian steel.

Its grip was crafted from Ionia's refined spiritual materials, and it housed a Hextech energy core. On top of that, Graves now had a custom-designed exoskeleton made just for him.

Clang!

The dock doors creaked open from the outside.

Raven, his dark skin glistening with sweat, stepped inside. "Captain, everything's ready. We've made contact with Gangplank's side."

"Excellent. Tell the crew to gear up. Today, we end Gangplank's reign. His era ends here!"

Brimming with fiery resolve, Miss Fortune was in high spirits. Duke, on the other hand, slowly lit a cigar.

This was it. Time to finish everything.

...

Main Harbor District – The Abyssal Maw

Gangplank sat atop a barrel on the ship's prow, sharpening his curved blade with a whetstone.

His first mates stood flanking him, weapons drawn, eyes scanning their surroundings.

Shing!

Sparks flew as the whetstone scraped against steel.

Shing!

More sparks danced with each grind.

"So, that brat got dealt with by Fortune?"

Gangplank's gravelly voice rumbled low. A first mate answered, "Yes sir. I spoke with Raven from the Siren. They said they'll be delivering the body shortly."

"Hmph, has Bilgewater gone that soft?"

Gangplank snorted derisively. "In the end, it's a woman cleaning up the mess."

The crewman broke into a cold sweat. Say too much, offend many. Say too little, offend the captain.

Why did I even open my mouth?

Luckily, the lookout called down just in time.

"Captain! The Siren spotted at nine o'clock!"

"Captain, Fortune's here!"

"Let's see what this little lass has up her sleeve, then."

Gangplank scraped the whetstone one last time. His blade erupted in steady flame, burning ominously.

The Siren sped forward, and within moments, it pulled alongside the Abyssal Maw.

A gangplank extended from the Siren and settled atop Gangplank's ship.

Miss Fortune, cloaked, walked across with a smile. Behind her, Raven and a disguised Graves followed, the latter carrying a long case with his new weapon.

Raven and a few crewmates carried a body bag.

"Hah! No wonder you took him down. So that's the trick, huh?"

Gangplank burst out laughing. Miss Fortune remained composed. "I'm no match for your reputation, Captain. Sometimes, clever tricks do the job."

"Tricks?"

Gangplank's voice turned cold before erupting into a hearty laugh. "That just means you've got brains!"

"The kids in Bilgewater get softer every year. None of them have your guts and cunning. No wonder they're stuck scraping by on the sea, always starving."

Miss Fortune cursed the old man in her heart. His flattery had just painted a huge target on her back. There'd be no shortage of ambitious rats trying to step on her after this.

"You're too kind."

Once everyone was on deck, the gangplank was withdrawn. Gangplank snorted. "You've got guts, walking right in."

"Can't earn your bounty if I don't deliver the goods."

She nodded at Raven, who signaled to Bladetooth Byron to lower the body bag.

Once it hit the deck, Byron stepped back.

"Come take a look yourself, see if it's who you wanted."

Miss Fortune stepped aside. Graves clamped a cigar in his mouth, watching the surroundings carefully.

Facing Gangplank alone, she avoided raising his suspicion. Gangplank slowly stood from the barrel, flaming saber in hand, and walked toward the bag.

With a flick, his blade sliced it open.

Inside lay Duke, coat on, eyes shut.

"Not bad."

Gangplank leaned closer, but noticed something wrong. Duke's face wasn't pale like a corpse.

He frowned.

Suddenly, Duke's eyes snapped open and he smiled.

"Surprise!"

Gangplank's eyes widened as he slashed downward, his instincts and combat experience honed over decades kicking in.

Even in old age, he was still the Dread of the Seas. Still, Bilgewater's king.

Still… Gangplank.

Clang!

Two guns materialized in Duke's hands, White Ivory blocked Gangplank's saber, while Ebony aimed straight at his chest.

Gangplank's pupils contracted. He twisted like a slippery eel and dodged back.

Bang!

The thunderous shot rang out. Blood burst from his left arm, which was blown clean off. A chunk of flesh and bone landed on deck.

The crew froze in shock.

Miss Fortune flung off her cloak and shouted, "Now!"

Her armor gleamed as she drew her Hextech weapon and opened fire on the first mates. Raven, Byron, and the others sprang into action.

Graves lit his cigar with a grin, unslinging his new weapon.

"Hahaha, no mercy!"

The Siren veered away from the Abyssal Maw, pulling back to create distance.

The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.

Wasn't Fortune here for the bounty?

Why had it turned into an ambush on Gangplank?

The sharpest minds immediately realized, Bilgewater was about to change.

...

"No wonder they call you Pirate King. Even old, you react like a beast."

Duke rose slowly from the bag, eyeing a scratch on White Ivory with a grimace. Even though he knew the twin legendary guns could take the hit, it still pained him.

"You and that bitch set me up."

Gangplank gritted his teeth, staring at his severed arm. "You're ruthless."

"You got greedy. You hijacked our cargo from Ionia. I was going to deal with you later."

Duke shrugged and slid on his shades. "But then you sank my ship, killed my men, and sold my goods on the black market."

"You touched my cake, old man, and thought you could walk away?"

Gangplank pressed his flaming blade against the stump, cauterizing it with a hiss of pain and a sheen of sweat.

"I'm the Pirate King. This city is mine. I do as I please!"

"I was raising hell in Noxus before you even grew hair, boy."

With a savage grin, he jammed citrus fruit into his mouth, halting his bleeding.

"You think you and that harpy can take me down? You got the guts for that?"

"Not just take you down, sink your ship, bury you at sea, and end your legacy."

Behind his sunglasses, Duke's eyes turned cold. One by one, drones he had hidden earlier flew into position, surrounding the Abyssal Maw.

"Now, go drown in the sea, old man."

End of chapter...

To be continued...

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