Chapter 99: Treasure Hunt

Nojiko was looking at the map. 

"What do you have there?" Vivi asked. At the moment Honey came through the Bridge stairs. She was yawning.

"Good rest Honey?" Ben asked.

"Yes Ben," Honey replied.

"That is good, we have a new objective," Ben said. 

"Alvida, Kaya, Marainne and Mikita, why don't you take Adelle for a shower. You have fought hard and let the rest handle," Ben said.

"But my love," Alvida tried to reply. 

Ben cut her off, "Girls it an order to relax." Ben smiled. 

"Sure Captain," Mikita replied.

"Okay my love," Alvida replied. Ben felt good using this authority of power. 

Mikita, Kaya and Alvida then glared at Ben. Maybe not, he thought. 

"Let's go and get you clean and some fresh clothes," Kaya said. They all went to the Bridge stairs and down to the second floor where there was a bathroom.

"Okay Vivi can hear about this as she will be joining the crew," Ben said. 

"I have not joined yet," Vivi said.

"Yet," Honey said. 

Vivi pouted. Karoo who was with Vivi quacked. "So Nojiko what do we have?" Ben asked. The map was on a brown piece of paper. There was some dirt on it. The map showed a series of islands and a cross marked on one of them. The Letter D was also present on the bottom right of the page. 

"The map shows this archipelago. However the mark is not for this island," Nojiko said. 

"So why did they stop here?" Vivi asked.

"I don't know," Nojiko replied. 

"Ben we are wasting time," Vivi said. 

"You heard about our stories and power this symbol holds," Nojiko said.

"I know but," Vivi muttered.

"We will go to Alabasta very soon. We have one stop and someone to free and kick their ass," Ben said.

"Free?" Vivi asked.

"Adelle said she got a vivire card from a woman locked on Gasparde`s ship," Nojiko replied.

"We should save her," Honey said. 

"Okay," Vivi said. Ben pulled Vivi into a hug. 

"Hey," Vivi said as she pulled away from Ben. Ben chuckled. 

"Let's sail," Ben said. Ben, Honey, Vivi and Karoo headed towards the Bridge. 

"Hi HQ," Ben greeted.

"Welcome Master," HQ replied.

"HQ we found a treasure map with the letter D," Ben said. 

"Okay Master," HQ said. 

"HQ lets disembark now," Nojiko said.

"Okay," HQ said. She raised the anchor and the bridge. She pressed the sails button and moved the lever to give the engine power. 

Ben walked to the Eternal Log Pose. He held the log pose. He looked at the golden plate. He ripped the plate off and saw "Navarone" written. He showed it to Nojiko. 

"It was rigged," Ben said. 

"You are correct as always, Captain," Nojiko replied. 

"Who rigged it?" Vivi asked.

"Gasparde," Ben replied.

"He sounds like scum," Honey said. 

The Miss Love Duck started moving away from the island and onto the ocean. They sailed past a few islands. 

"What do you think we will find this time?" Honey asked.

"Who knows but this is an adventure," Ben replied.

"Adventure," Vivi whispered.

"HQ, that island there," Nojiko pointed to. They sailed close to the island. 

"Okay let's stay here. Me and HQ will fly us there," Ben said. 

"Yes Master," HQ said. 

HQ dropped the anchor and pulled the power lever back. She pressed the button and closed the sails. 

Ben, HQ, Vivi, Honey and Karoo exited the Bridge and went onto the deck. Ben transformed into this hybrid form. He grabbed Vivi and Honey. 

"Nice," Honey said as she stroked his chest.

Vivi put her head on his chest. She could feel his strong heartbeat. She smiled. HQ grabbed Karoo. Ben and HQ started flying towards the island where they landed on the sandy coast. The island had a dense and vibrant forest, which covered most of the island in a rich green tapestry.

The forest floor had fallen leaves. The path was lined with an array of lush ferns, and delicate wildflowers adorned the ground with bursts of colour. 

"Very pretty," Honey said. 

"It is," Ben replied. 

Ben let Honey and Vivi go. HQ put Karoo on the ground. Karoo looked shaken by the flight. Vivi went to pet her. 

"Okay let's see what this forest has to offer," Ben said. 

"It looks like it is this way," Nojiko said. Nojiko led the group into the forest. The sound of birds chirping in the background was pleasant. There were tall lush trees on either side. 

"Careful," Ben said.

"Master is right, we don't know what these plants are," HQ.

The girls nodded. Karoo was having trouble moving around in the thick and narrow forest. They kept walking dodging thorny plants. HQ was clearing the way. 

"Sharp red roses," Nojiko said.

"These are some beautiful plants," Vivi commented.

"You would not get some of these in a desert," Ben remarked.

"Yeah, it is a wonderful experience seeing this," Vivi said.

They got to a clearing where there were no trees. There they saw something sparkling. Ben and the girls got closer. Covered in grass and weeds was a tracked vehicle. More specifically a tank. 

The tank's hull was sleek and streamlined, featuring a vibrant sunny pink and deep oceanic blue. The front of the tank was sloped at 45 degrees and had two small headlights. The side of the tank was straight and there were small windows above the tracks. It looked like there was a door on the tank on either side. 

The lightweight material with a glossy finish, gave it a polished and modern appearance despite the weeds growing over it. The tank's hull was also adorned with a subtle blue fish-scale texture pattern, reminiscent of the scales found on fish-men and merfolk.

The rear of the tank was a flat square. There were two jet nozzles at the rear. It went a few metres in the air. The tank`s treads were masterfully blended in the hull, giving the tank a more streamlined appearance.The tank had a rotatable turret. Its primary armament, a long barrel cannon, was positioned in the centre. Next to it is a swivelling harpoon launcher. On top of the tank was a large spotlight. 

"What is this?" Nojiko asked. 

"Looks like a tank," Ben said. 

"What is a tank?" Vivi asked. 

"A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon for war. They are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and mobility," HQ explained.

"Wow," Honey said. 

Nojiko held the map out and walked forward to the tank. "This is the spot for sure on the map," Nojiko commented. 

Suddenly the tank`s headlights turned on. The spot light was also turned on and pointed to Nojiko.