Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

"Bang—!" A black bullet shot out from the muzzle of the gun, passing right past Nian Zhuo.

"Hmm...?" Nian Zhuo stared curiously at the girl's seemingly successful expression, tilting his head in confusion. "It clearly didn't hit me...?" However, before he could finish speaking, he heard the sound of a bullet piercing the air from his left rear.

"—Huh!?" He dodged backward instantly. The bullet that Annie had shot off course had bounced twice on the mast, changing direction and striking Nian Zhuo in the back of the head.

"Tsk—!" Nian Zhuo clicked his tongue in amazement, not yet having recovered from the opponent's exquisite marksmanship, when a shadow fell over his head. "Holy crap...?!"

The ropes binding the long mast snapped one by one at the center of the mast hit by the bullet, and the falling mast crashed down on Nianzhuo's head.

"They even anticipated this step...!?" To everyone's surprise, Nian Zhuo could only draw his Time Gun Sword, its bright silver blade slashing at the falling mast.

Then, just as he swung his sword, Mary, who had just disappeared, reappeared behind him, and two short knives slashed toward the back of his neck.

The coordination was seamless, and Nianzhuo finally understood what Mashu meant.

The blonde gunslinger, Annie, first used ricochets to change Nenzhuo's position, while simultaneously forcing him to attack from the falling mast.

Meanwhile, Mary, who was lying in wait, seized the opportunity and attacked from behind the moment Nian Zhuo made his move.

The two men, in three moves, forced Nianzhuo into the center of the trap.

The falling mast grew larger and larger, the sword blade could no longer be retracted, and the assassination attempt by the girl behind him drew ever closer.

“Heh—” Nian Zhuo let out a soft laugh.

Try to do something

At the same time, because of Nian Zhuo's soft laugh, a turquoise wind swept around him.

"Ouch!" Mary, who had attacked her from behind, was blown away by the strong wind and couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"This is one of us, the power of Gale!" Nian Zhuo laughed heartily as emerald vortexes of wind gathered in his hands. "Is this all you wanted to teach me?" The fallen mast was torn apart by the wind blades and fell heavily behind Nian Zhuo with a loud thud.

"It's not over yet!" After a brief moment of stunned silence, Annie gritted her teeth and raised the musket again. "If that's the case, then let's try this!" She pulled the trigger again, and the bullet bounced back and forth on the surrounding railings.

—Then it was swallowed up and torn apart by the emerald green gale.

However, the blond gunman observed the trajectory the bullet left in the wind before it was torn apart.

"So... that's how the air flows." Reloading a second time, Annie pulled the trigger without hesitation, just as before.

The bullets once again entered the whirlwind unleashed by Nian Zhuo, only to be shredded by the released wind blades.

However, compared to the first shot, the bullet continued to travel a distance within the vortex released by Nencho.

"Well, I think I get it." For the third time, she reloaded and crouched down. Annie winked at Mary, who was lying behind Nianzhuo. "Next, let's give you a surprise, little brother...? Maybe." Then, Annie's eyes revealed a cold killing intent, as well as the confidence of a gunslinger who could hit the bullseye with a single shot.

"Hmm...?" Nian Zhuo, still somewhat curious, looked at Annie, who was pointing a gun at him. "Surprised? I'm really looking forward to it. But are you sure you don't want to reconsider my suggestion? The terms are really negotiable, you know?"

“Never mind, never mind…” Annie waved her hand, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Mary behind Nian Zhuo quietly picking up the scimitar. “We are not on the same side as you. As long as the Holy Grail is still in your hands, we will never be companions…” Then, Annie pulled the trigger for the third time.

“Besides… we’re pirates, not the pirates you imagine.” Annie watched as her third bullet bounced back and forth on the surrounding railings, plunging into the turbulent winds for the third time.

"This attack..." Nian Zhuo thought it would be shredded by the gale released by his own hands, just like the previous two bullets.

However, before he could finish speaking, he saw that the third bullet Annie fired had passed right through his whirlwind without a scratch!

"What—!?" Before Nian Zhuo could even react, the wind whirlwind broke through and crashed into Nian Zhuo's head armor. "How could this be—did she reinforce the bullets? No, that's not right... She didn't have that time..." Since the bullets weren't reinforced, and Annie couldn't possibly have given them any windproof protection... there's only one answer left.

—That woman figured out the direction of the gust of wind she was releasing after only two test shots, which allowed her to unleash this confident strike.

"..." Nian Zhuo, whose head armor was hit by a bullet, couldn't help but pause, his head tilting backward due to the impact.

The gust of wind released from his hand also weakened abruptly because of this little incident.

"Now! Mary!" Anne shouted to her companions behind her, while simultaneously reloading her musket.

"Yes!" Mary nodded, a dark magical light emanating from the two curved blades she gripped. "This is... our struggle!"

"【Lovebirds Together】!!!" With a roar, the silver-haired girl rushed in front of Nianzhuo.

The pitch-black blade sliced ​​through the air, striking Nian Zhuo's body as if it would never stop.

"..." Nian Zhuo, who had been hit by the bullet, was able to react, but the stiffness of his body still temporarily put him in a predicament where he could not fight back.

However, based on the calculations of Nian Zhuo's attack just now, Mary's strength should not have exceeded C, but now her attacks are causing distinct pain when they hit Nian Zhuo.

【A Couple in Harmony】：C

Anne, wielding a musket, provides cover for Mary, who wields a cutlass, using their combined Noble Phantasms.

The legend of the last two people who fought to the very end, surrounded by countless soldiers before being captured, has come to life.

The more unfavorable the situation, the more favorable the damage reward.

In other words, the greater the gap in strength, the more dangerous the situation, and the greater the damage.

"Ah--!!" At the same time, Mary's attack was about to come to an end. Mary held her twin swords horizontally on both sides of her body and finally struck Nian Zhuo in the abdomen, forcing him back before appearing behind him.

“Annie! It’s up to you now!” Mary said, bouncing around as she gestured to her companion.

"Hmm~ Leave the rest to me!" With a slightly forced smile, Annie raised her musket.

To be honest, Annie saw that no matter how Mary attacked, sparks flew from Nian Zhuo's body, but there was no actual blood spurting out or any obvious wounds.

But she still raised the gun in her hand and aimed it at Nianzhuo, who was standing still.

“…【Lovebirds】” Anne silently recited the name of her Noble Phantasm and pulled the trigger.

The last shot, a golden bullet, struck the spot where Mary had just slashed.

“…It’s over.” Annie looked at Nianzhuo and shook her head with a slightly bitter smile.

"Annie! Anne!" Mary skipped back, excitedly asking, "Did you do it? Did you do it?"

"I'm sorry, Mary." Anne could only manage a bitter smile, patting Mary's head. "We've lost—"

"No, you succeeded." The answer came not from Annie, but from Nianzhuo, who silently absorbed their Noble Phantasms.

His armor was restored to its original perfect condition, but Nian Zhuo did not choose to attack the weakened Annie and Mary at that moment.

"...Huh?" Annie and Mary, who thought he would attack immediately but found him standing still, were equally confused about what he wanted to do. "What...does this mean?"

"I said, you succeeded." Purple patterns appeared on Nian Zhuo's body and then disappeared. "Just now, I used the Joker Memory—well, you don't know what a Memory is anyway, just consider it as me understanding some special power."

"To achieve this with no known history and only human form... you are truly admirable."

"However—that's not the main reason why I think you've succeeded."

"Thank you for showing me what a 'pirate' is. You two."

With slow, deliberate steps, Nianzhuo walked towards Anne and Mary.

The Time Spear appeared in Nian Zhuo's hands.

That's an extremely arrogant statement.

Gripping the silver blade tightly, Nian Zhuo walked with light steps toward the two who were no longer able to resist.

“To be honest, I really don’t understand—” Taking the W watch off his waist, Nian Zhuo placed it on the Time Gunsword in his hand. “Why are you unwilling to surrender to me—is it simply because I don’t understand pirates? Don’t be ridiculous…” As if making a lighthearted joke, the blade in Nian Zhuo’s hand was already covered with a green-purple light.

"--But later I realized that the reason really seems to be like that." Looking at Annie and Mary's unyielding eyes, Nianzhuo couldn't help but slow down his pace. "...So I'm really sorry." Then, Nianzhuo lowered his head.

“I apologize to you for underestimating you and making the wrong judgment.”

“…Huh?” Annie and Mary stood together, expecting the other to take their lives without hesitation, and for a moment they were completely bewildered. “What…do you mean?”

“Literally, although you and I are enemies,” Nian Zhuo said sincerely, his head bowed, “your ideals are still worth my deep consideration. Pirates are not the cowardly and evil people I imagine, but rather people who share the same ideals and pursue the same goals.”

—Don't underestimate your enemy, because that's also underestimating yourself.

There was a time when Nian Zhuo would only fight seriously against famous Servants, but to be honest, he didn't take the two in front of him seriously at first.

They were just thinking, "They're pirates after all, there's no need to take them seriously" and "Maybe they'll agree to join our crew."

Then, it wasn't until Annie's bullet struck his head and Mary's full-force scimitar hit him that he fully regained consciousness.

Throughout history, women named Anne Bernie and Mary Rhett never considered surrendering, even when surrounded by enemies. Instead, they fought to the very end, until the very last moment…

They are warriors who respect their own desires, and gamblers who would gladly die for their own wants.

“So, I’m truly sorry, you are enemies I must take seriously.” Nian Zhuo walked up to them and raised the blade in his hand. “Then, I will also use this strike to prove my apology. I’m sorry… you two.”

“But unfortunately—” However, Mary and Anne on the other side both showed strange smiles. “Although what you said was very tempting, and you almost persuaded us... unfortunately, you can’t judge us.” Then, Anne raised her smoothbore musket and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

The golden bullet, like a streak of light, shot towards Nianzhuo's chest.

However—it was torn apart by a sudden green gale.

“I’m sorry…” Nian Zhuo murmured, “Ever since that attack, I’ve changed the direction of the wind I’m controlling and focused all my attention on fighting you seriously.”

"Really? I see." Nodding, Anne and Mary quickly accepted the fact that they had failed. "But it's a pity, even so, you didn't have a chance."

"What—?" Looking up, Nian Zhuo discovered that Annie and Mary's figures had begun to emit a golden light.

He understood that it was a sign that he was about to be eliminated.

"Have you... run out of magic?" It should have been expected. The two had been fighting and trying to maximize their damage, pushing themselves to the brink of defeat, and they no longer had the strength to continue fighting.

"Oh right~ But you still managed to convey your apology properly." The only remaining regret was that it ended there. Annie and Mary looked at Nian Zhuo, whose sword power had dissipated, and smiled at each other.

“Hey—Nianzhuo.” “…Hmm?” However, when Nianzhuo raised his head, his vision was blocked by a huge shadow.

"Thump—" A soft impact came against my face, and at the same time I felt a hand on my waist.

"So this is the kind of armor that defeated us." With a curious look, Annie and Mary tapped the armor on Nian Zhuo's chest, completely oblivious to the fact that they were embracing a strange man, or even an enemy.

“Hmm, Anne, this armor is very sturdy.” Mary tapped it briefly and nodded to Anne.

“Next time, we will definitely win—” Then, they both looked at Nianzhuo.

Anne and Mary released Nianzhuo, took a few steps back, and waved to Blackbeard.

"...I'm sorry, Captain, we still can't manage it." The golden light particles began to dissipate from their legs, and Mary held up her scimitar in distress. "Sorry, we have to go now."

"Captain, don't give up just because we're disappearing." Annie, too, carefully cleaned her musket and slung it over her shoulder as she neared the end of her journey, just as dashing as she had been at the beginning.

"...Your strength is your ability to win every time." As they parted, Anne and Mary became unusually talkative. "If you lose even that advantage, then we'd really be like fools, wouldn't we?" The words spread to their waists.

"So~ lastly..." They turned to look at Nianzhuo, who was standing there, and waved to him.

"Little boy who doesn't know the rules~ Grow up well!" Until the golden light particles completely spread to their heads, marking their departure.

"..." For some reason, Nian Zhuo seemed to suddenly recall the records of their bond costumes from the previous world.