Chapter 15: Pirate Treasure, Part 2

It had been so long since John Doe watched the Dragon Ball series that he completely forgot about the shortcut next to the trap corridor. He remembered that Goku could jump over it, so he decided to give it a try. He took a few steps back, accelerated, and effortlessly leaped over the trap.

"That was easy!" John exclaimed with a hint of pride.

As he continued forward, the rectangular corridor transitioned into a long passageway constructed from red bricks. After walking for several hundred meters, the passageway once again became a dark, stone tunnel.

John paid no heed and kept moving. Suddenly, he noticed several beams of light emanating from the ground, illuminating the cave's ceiling.

He approached and realized that the lights were coming from the eyes of a pile of skulls. He wondered what the pirates had in mind with this setup.

Seeing no apparent danger, John proceeded forward, but to his surprise, the ground beneath him gave way, and he found himself hanging on the edge of a trapdoor, barely avoiding a plunge into the molten lava below.

John's heart raced as he realized how close he had come to a tragic end. He had to be more cautious, especially since he couldn't recall many of the minor details from the Dragon Ball storyline.

With both hands gripping the edge of the trapdoor, he pulled himself back up into the tunnel. The near-death experience made him proceed with extreme caution, wary of any more traps the pirates might have set.

Fortunately, the pirates weren't as ruthless as he feared. As he made his way through the tunnel and into the main hall of the pirate base, he encountered no further traps.

The pirate base's main hall was enormous, resembling a port with a large submarine docked in the water and several smaller ones nearby. The shore was stacked with supplies, and not far away stood an office building.

The sheer size of the pirate base indicated the immense power of the pirate force, rivaling that of the current Red Ribbon Army.

John was thrilled by the prospect of facing a formidable pirate force, as it meant a greater treasure trove deep within their base.

However, he proceeded with caution, remembering the pirate patrol robot from the Dragon Ball series. This robot was crucial, as it was connected to the base's self-destruct mechanism, and destroying it would trigger the entire base to explode.

John carefully surveyed the entire pirate port hall, confirming that the robot patrolled this area. He only needed to get past its defenses.

Finally, he spotted a passageway behind a pile of cargo, leading to the location of the pirate treasure. Without wasting a moment, he sprinted towards the entrance, hoping to reach it before the robot detected him.

But before he could cover half the distance, the sound of machine-gun fire erupted, and a hail of bullets rained down on him.

A robot with a long, skull-shaped head and a long rear skull rushed towards John, its arm-mounted machine gun firing relentlessly. It also wielded a sharp sword, which it swung at John.

John sidestepped the attack, sweeping the skull robot off its feet with a horizontal sweep. He then disarmed the robot, seizing its sword.

The robot retreated while continuing to fire its machine gun. John dodged the gunfire and, with a few quick leaps, closed the distance to the robot. He slashed with the sword, severing the robot's machine gun arm.

Finally, with a flying side kick, John sent the robot tumbling into the nearby ocean, creating a splash.

After defeating the robot, John noticed that it didn't explode. Relieved, he continued towards the passageway, determined to reach it before the robot could climb back onto the dock.

He managed to dash into the passageway leading to the pirate treasure before the robot could spot him.

Unsure if there were more traps ahead, John regretted not rewatching Dragon Ball before his time-traveling adventure. Fortunately, the pirates hadn't set any more traps in this passageway, and John soon reached the end of the tunnel, guided by the Dragon Radar.

At the tunnel's end was a pool filled with seawater, and the radar indicated that the Dragon Ball was behind the wall.

John took out the submarine capsule and released a small submarine, which fit perfectly in the pool. He piloted the submarine forward, soon arriving at a cave that was much smaller than the pirate port.

In the cave, an eight-armed Kannon statue stood, each hand holding a sword. In front of the statue were three large chests—a gold chest, a silver chest, and a bronze chest. John wondered if the gold and silver chests were made of pure gold and silver or merely gilded.

John transformed the submarine back into a capsule and stepped onto the cave's ground. Aside from the statue and the three chests, he saw no other signs of pirate treasure, but he was certain it was hidden somewhere in the cave.

As John approached the statue, its eyes lit up, and its arms began to move slowly. The swords in its hands shifted, pointing directly at John.

"Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh..." Three swords shot out from the Kannon statue, aiming at John.

These attacks posed no threat to John, and he easily evaded them with a series of backflips. After all eight swords had been launched, the statue returned to its peaceful state.

John's attention returned to the three chests. He didn't believe they contained the treasure, as he vividly remembered from the TV series that the pirate treasure was extensive, filling the entire cave.

If the chests didn't hold the treasure, they likely concealed a trap, which explained why the pirates had left them there.