Black Sail

Inside the battleship’s card room, also known as the gambling den, the persistent scent of cigarettes hung heavy in the air, with streaks of smoke clearly defined under the oil lamp’s illumination. Non-smokers with healthy lungs would be coughing out their lungs after stepping inside.

At the main gambling table, a poker game similar to Texas Hold’em was underway.

As the old saying goes, a pirate’s nature is hard to change. They can’t help their love for gambling. It’s not as if they’re going to admire the flowers, right?

"Cybernetic body modifications, AI girlfriends, neural networks within the brain, cyberspace, this is a world of ultra-high technology, where various technologies can magically transform your life.

But they also give rise to all kinds of new problems, new troubles, and new... cybernetic psychoses."

Famed five-star critic, the dashing elf Shadi, said so.

"Sandevistan! Activate! From now on, please call me Rein Silverhand."

Rein, now suffering from cybernetic psychosis, was playing cards frantically, like someone with a mania. After losing several rounds in a row, he was getting a bit heated, spouting nonsense.

"Identified as a glitched original god."

Mika was shocked but started questioning the authenticity. Rein did have the Seventh Amendment cybernetic arm installed, but it didn’t seem to make a difference, considering his original brain wasn’t all that sharp. "Speaking of which, Sandevistan, isn’t that just part of the time halt series?"

"Damn it, the goddamn time halt series. Where’s your remote control? That’s just bullet time. Ever heard of Bayonetta, Michayou’s material library? That doesn’t count as time stopping," Shadi maintained with scholarly precision.