OP: Lord of Mischief C17 Offending a marine captain

Nezumi and his marines clamped their noses shut for a full thirty seconds, but the putrid stench still seeped through their hands. Their eyes burned, their lungs ached, and their faces twisted in sheer agony as they glared at the grinning green-faced madman responsible for their suffering.

Finally, the foul gas drifted out of the open windows, allowing fresh air to flow in. The marines inhaled deeply, their relief almost comical.

"Sweet mother of the sea, I can finally breathe again!"

"I never knew oxygen could taste so good!"

"I swear, if I ever smell something like that again, I'm quitting the marines!"

Nezumi, face red with fury, clenched his fists and pointed a shaking finger at Augustus.

"Men! Arrest this bastard! He has attacked marine officers and disobeyed direct orders!"

The marines turned toward Augustus, their faces still contorted with lingering disgust and anger.

Augustus looked around, then slowly raised his hands in surrender, letting his toy guns clatter to the floor.

"Easy there, gentlemen. No need for violence. I'm not dangerous."

The marines narrowed their eyes, cautiously watching him.

Augustus stepped forward, approaching Nezumi with his hands still raised. He stopped just in front of him and extended his wrists.

"I surrender, Captain. I don’t want to play anymore."

Nezumi smirked, chuckling darkly.

"Heh. It seems you’ve finally come to your senses." He pulled out a pair of handcuffs while speaking. "Smart choice, kid. Maybe if you beg, I won’t throw you into the deepest—"

Clink.

Nezumi suddenly froze. His arms felt... heavier?

He looked down.

His eyes widened.

The handcuffs were locked tightly around his own wrists.

Augustus, now standing leisurely with a cigarette between his lips, exhaled a puff of smoke and smirked.

"Well, well, well... how the turntables."

Before Nezumi could even process what happened, Augustus spun him around and shoved him toward the stunned marines.

"Men! Take this dangerous rat to prison! Don’t let him get away!"

The marines instinctively grabbed Nezumi, blinking in utter confusion.

"Huh?"

"Wait... what?"

"Captain?"

Nezumi, now shaking with rage, roared, "WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING!? I’M NOT THE CRIMINAL HERE!"

The marines finally snapped out of their daze, quickly realizing what happened.

Nezumi pointed furiously at Augustus. "GET THAT LITTLE SHIT!"

"Yes, sir!"

The marines turned—

But Augustus was already gone.

"After him!"

They bolted after him, but somehow, no matter how fast they ran, Augustus was faster.

As he sprinted through the marine base, laughing like a madman, he couldn't help but think—

"Best. Day. Ever."

Augustus reached into his Hammerspace, pulling out a handful of basic prank props. As he sprinted through the corridors, he flung banana peels behind him—not the high-quality 10 TP ones, just enough to send a few marines slipping and crashing into each other like a pile of dominoes.

"Whoa—!"
"Ahh!"
"My back!"

Chaos erupted as marines stumbled over one another.

Then Augustus pulled out a fake bomb—a cartoonishly round, black sphere with a tiny fuse. He hurled it over his shoulder, watching with amusement as the marines' faces turned pale.

"BOMB! HE'S GOT A BOMB!"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Marines scrambled in every direction, diving behind furniture and flipping over tables—only for the "bomb" to land harmlessly on the floor and let out a pathetic little poof! of smoke, accompanied by a weak "Boom!!!" sound effect.

Augustus doubled over in laughter, watching the marines blink in confusion, their fear turning into sheer embarrassment.

"Classic," he muttered with a smirk before jogging further down the hallway.

Then it hit him—Wait... I forgot my payment!

Coming to an abrupt halt, he glanced around, scanning the signs on the doors. His eyes locked onto one in particular.

Captain's Quarters.

Bingo.

Grinning, Augustus pushed open the door and stepped inside. His eyes immediately landed on a large safe nestled in the corner of the room.

"You’ve got to be kidding me—this guy actually keeps his dirty money in a safe like a cartoon villain?"

He cracked his knuckles and got to work. With the aid of his Mask-enhanced strength, he forced the safe open with a satisfying creak. Inside, neatly stacked wads of cash greeted him.

"Jackpot."

From a quick estimate, it had to be around 8 million beli—probably bribes, stolen money, or "fines" Nezumi had extorted from innocent villagers.

Without hesitation, Augustus stuffed it all into his Hammerspace.

Before leaving, a mischievous thought struck him. Reaching into his Hammerspace again, he pulled out a calling card—a small, laminated card featuring a grinning green face.

At the top, bold letters spelled out:

THE MASK.

He placed the card neatly in the open safe, making sure it would be the first thing Nezumi saw when he inevitably discovered the theft.

Satisfied, Augustus turned toward the window.

With a tap of his foot, his body lightened, his weight reduced by The Mask's powers. He floated effortlessly through the window, sailing into the open air.

As the marines finally stormed into Nezumi’s office, Augustus was already gone, escaping into the afternoon sky like a ghost.

Nezumi stormed into his office, his eyes immediately locking onto the wide-open safe. His breath hitched, his face drained of color.

"M-My... My money!"

Silence fell over the room. His men shifted uncomfortably, staring at their captain with wary expressions.

Nezumi staggered forward, peering into the empty safe as if his sheer disbelief could summon the stolen cash back into existence.

"IT'S GONE!" he bellowed, his voice trembling with a mix of rage and despair.

His second-in-command gulped, hesitating before asking in a nervous tone, "C-Captain… what should we do?"

A dangerous silence followed.

Then, Nezumi whirled around, his eyes blazing with fury as he grabbed the second-in-command by the collar.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO, HUH!?" he roared.

The marine swallowed hard, his lips parting as if to speak—then shutting immediately when he realized he had no answer. The rest of the marines looked at each other, unsure whether to respond or stay silent.

Nezumi’s grip tightened, his entire body trembling—not with fear, but with pure, unfiltered rage.

With a sharp shove, he released the second-in-command and turned to the rest of his men.

"What are you all standing around for!? Find that green-faced bastard! Search the village! NOW!"

The marines snapped into action, saluting in unison.

"YES, SIR!"

As his men scrambled out of the room, Nezumi stood there, fists clenched, seething with hatred. His sharp eyes scanned the window, glaring into the village below.

Through gritted teeth, he muttered, "You piece of shit... I will never forget this humiliation, green-face. Mark my words—I'll make sure you’re dead!"

Then, something caught his eye.

Inside the empty safe, a single card remained.

He cautiously picked it up. The moment he saw the grinning, green-faced image printed on it, his vein nearly popped.

It was that bastard's calling card.

Nezumi’s lips curled into a sneer. His anger suddenly gave way to a wicked grin.

"Oh... so you want to play games, huh?"

Without another word, he grabbed a Den Den Mushi, its snail-like face blinking as it connected to another marine base.

As soon as the line opened, Nezumi put on the most terrified, desperate voice he could muster.

"This is Captain Nezumi of the 16th Marine Branch! We have a serious situation! A highly dangerous new criminal has surfaced! He humiliated the marines, assaulted officers, and robbed the base blind! He needs to be taken down immediately!"

His grin widened as he continued.

"His name is Augustus... but the world will know him as 'The Mask.'"


---

Meanwhile… In the Village...

Augustus had already reverted to his normal form, blending into the crowd with ease.

He strolled through the marketplace, whistling a carefree tune. His pockets were heavier, his mood lighter.

After all, he had just made bank—500 TP from the mission, plus an unexpected 200 TP bonus for liberating Nezumi's dirty money.

"Hah… talk about easy money."

He grinned to himself, flipping a single Beli coin between his fingers. The thought of Nezumi's reaction when he discovered the empty safe made him chuckle.

"I should be worried if he puts a bounty on my head..." he mused.

Then he shrugged.

"Meh. Doesn’t matter."

Right now, his focus was clear—he needed to get stronger, earn more TP, and truly become the greatest trickster this world has ever seen.