A Not So Evil God In Fate/Grand Order

(A/N: If you see something about a span tag, please do tell me so I can remove it. Inkstone likes to put it without me even knowing about it. If this keeps happening, I will email WN for a solution...)

Thinking about a cool entrance was good and all, but he had to ponder very carefully about what his next action would be. Attacking the cute tan girl fighting with that loser seemed like a bad option as he could feel the bloodl.u.s.t she was directing at him. It was nothing surprising considering she originally wanted to fight him. Sigh, being a popular man had its disadvantages.

Killing some of Drake's pirates would that boarded his ship wouldn't do it either. It had to be something worthy of a final boss character. Looking around, Blackbeard didn't take long before finding his prey.

Last time he failed because the Archer in red got in the way, but this time fate seemed to be smiling at him. Those guys were fighting among themselves not too long ago, so any feelings of camaraderie were as good as gone.

Silently, like a ghost, a pirate nears his target. He is hopping like a rabbit, using his allies as a cover. One, he gets behind. Two, he prepares his hook. And three, he strikes!

As Blackbeard was about to land a hit on Sanson, who had his full attention on Mary, he noticed a projectile heading his way, forcing him to retreat.

"Whoops~ I didn't know Mistah Archer was this thirsty for me. I have to say sorry as I don't share your s.e.x.u.a.l preferences." Teach tried to play it off as if it was a mere prank, but EMIYA didn't fall for it.

He was mistaken in something, and that was thinking he knew how the others would act based on a discrepancy in opinions. Archer might not be like his younger self, wanting to save everyone regardless of who they were, but that didn't mean he would let his companions die if they were in front of him.

Even if he didn't have that mindset, EMIYA wouldn't just let Sanson die. The reason was simple. At times like this, having one less ally could prove to be fatal. He was still thinking that Seth had fewer chances of winning against that Archer, so losing even one Servant in their team was the worst thing that could happen.

For a moment, Marie and Sanson stopped their fight. The young girl frowner while looking at her Captain while the young man was slightly confused as to why Archer helped him. Aside from that, he made sure to curse Blackbeard for always trying to sneak up on him. It wasn't like he was unaccustomed to the actions of treacherous criminals, but it annoyed him nonetheless.

Marie didn't approve of what Blackbeard did. She had proven to be quite a strong and independent woman, so having a man meddle with her battle didn't sit well with her. Besides, she might be a pirate, but she was also someone who respected a duel and all it carried.

Assassin, for his part, was surprised by EMIYA's action. Sanson didn't expect his timely intervention at all. He had only realized about Blackbeard's attack when it was too late. If it weren't because Archer threw an arrow between him and his assailant, he would have received a mortal wound, or worse, died.

The Red Bowman's feat didn't go unpunished, though. A small, bleeding hole in his shoulder was the price he had to pay to save Sanson from an inevitable demise. It was nothing to worry about, but it would hinder the speed in which he shot his arrows.

It wasn't like Anne was an opportunistic person or something. It was just that she had already fired before EMIYA decided to shoot her Captain, so there was nothing she could do about it. Naturally, she wasn't thrilled about the idea of Blackbeard interfering with their fights. Her and Mary's mindset were similar in that regard.

Concerning Archer's thoughts on the matter, he just thought it was okay. They might have their differences now. They might not be on good terms as before. They might not be able to work together as they did before, but at the end of the day, they were all allies fighting for a common cause.

Maybe if they could think with a cool head and adequately discuss the matter, perhaps their differences would be resolved. However, they didn't have that leisure, not now at least. That's why he would trust his Master's judgment as well as his own on this. He would believe that Seth was on their side, and in consequence, his Servants.

Some were too focused on their enemies, so they didn't see what transpired, but others did, mainly Stheno, Euryale, Asterios, Waver, and Fujimaru.

The black-haired youth was glad that EMIYA could put aside the prejudices and do something to help his companion, which showed the speech he gave him, as well as the others, had some effect, at least. That said, seeing his Servant get hurt was not something that brought him joy.

Waver observed the events with the detail, missing nothing. For some reason, Caster felt the original Zhuge Liang curse him in every imaginable way possible, even if he was not here anymore. For a supposed strategist, he sure messed things up. Thanks to his Discerning Eye A Skill, he knew from the very beginning what Blackbeard was planning to do. The patterns of his movement, his subtle but noticeable observations of the battlefield before stopping on Sanson. Everything pointed to a sneak attack, but he let his doubts cloud his mind.

Thinking about it in more detail, it might be because he was someone inexperienced with regards to all of this. Yes, he had Zhuge Liang's knowledge as well as his entire repertory of Skills and Noble Phantasms, but in the end, he, Waver Velvet, was not someone used to unexpected things on the battlefield.

'I don't know if my King would laugh at me or just hit my back and encourage me to learn from my mistakes. Good grief, it goes to show there is still room for growth, even for someone who is supposedly dead. If I am, that is.' He still didn't know for sure about the circ.u.mstances of his summoning, but there was no point in pondering over it now.

If they were going to do it, then they had to go about it seriously. When push comes to shove, it was the job of a strategist to make the best use of an army, and what was more important, to keep it together as a single unit. It was not a secret that the strength of an army lay in their unity.

"Everyone, make sure to fight with everything you have got! If you are going to lose against mere ghosts that keep spawning like c.o.c.kroaches, then don't come here calling yourselves pirates, and even less, don't dare call yourselves men!" If there was a time to shout with everything he had got, it was now. Maybe there was an influence of the original Zhuge Liang in that speech, but that didn't matter.

The objective was to motivate their troops to fight to the death if it was necessary. It might seem not very empathetic, but that's what they needed. Of course, even though he directed his speech to Drake's crew, that also went for the other Servants. If they wanted to crush their enemies completely, they would have to do so as a team.

He took advantage of his speech to use another one of his Skills, Tactician's Command A+. As long as they fought as an army and followed his instructions, their overall power will increase. On weak-minded individuals, it could make them fight as if their lives depended on it, without holding anything back, basically removing some of the human body's limiters.

"Like hell, I would lose against these guys!"

"I am not ready to visit Davy Jones' locker today!"

"Prepare to eat your words, skinny guy!"

His words seemed to have the d.e.s.i.r.ed effect, something that pleased him, even bringing a smile to his usually serious face. Drake shared this trait, getting motivated to kill some scoundrels too.

"You heard him! The one who kills the least will have to clean the ship for a whole week, so you better put in some effort!" The pink-haired woman motivated them not as a strategist, but merely as their Captain.

"AYE!!!" She was not disappointed as her crew responded with even more vigor than before. It was one of the perks of being a charismatic leader.

After seeing everything was ready, Zhuge Liang turned toward his Master. "I don't think I need to tell you what to do."

Fujimaru shook his head. Caster's speech also motivated him to try harder and be of as much help as possible. If his Servants were doing everything in their reach to accomplish a goal, he, as their Master, couldn't fall behind.

"I am sorry, EMIYA, and also, thanks." The Japanese young man knew Archer didn't have the need to help Sanson, considering their past disagreements, but he still did, and he was extremely thankful for that.

Even if it was not the most rational decision because he had to conserve as much Magical Energy as possible, he still decided to use his Mystic Code to heal Archer, who, despite his wound, was still fighting Anne. Thanks to this, EMIYA was now in top condition again.

"Although I think you should waste your Magical Energy on someone else, you still have my thanks, Master." He could act without much help from Fujimaru, thanks to Independent Action, so there wasn't a need to heal him. Even so, he appreciated the gesture.

Sanson quickly alternated his gaze between the Red Bowman and Fujimaru before coming to a swift decision. After using his sword as a blunt weapon to gain some distance from Mary, he "retreated" to a place that was as near EMIYA as possible. Archer did the same, jumping from the Golden Hind's gunwale where he was shooting from to the Queen Anne's.

They were going to fight as a duo now. Although improvised, it gave better chances to cover unforeseen events, aka Blackbeard's continuous tries to attack them while they least expected.

"So they want to fight together all of a sudden? What do you say, Mary? Should we teach them how to do it?" Anne asked her more than a trusted companion with a smile of confidence on her face. When it came to fighting alongside someone, no one could beat their teamwork.

"Agreed. Too many interruptions. It's time to put an end to this once and for all." Same as Sanson, Mary rapidly moved from her place and positioned herself next to Anne. Since meeting the Chaldeans, this is the first time the pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read were going to fight together; to fight as one.

Anne and Mary were not two separate Heroic Spirits, but were, in fact, a single one. That meant their real power shined the moment the two fought side by side. The peculiarity of this Servant was that when they were together, their whole parameters would change. If, for example, Mary Endurance was C, and Anne was A, then when they were combined, they would take Anne's one as a base. It was a way to show how they both could cover the weakness of the other with their own strength.

"Archer, Assassin, fight as you must. I will make sure to prevent any unwanted situations from befalling you." Zhuge Liang said to Sanson and EMIYA amidst the chaos before turning to Euryale, Stheno, and Asterios. "Can I count on you to protect me while I do so?"

Altera was busy pressuring that Saber, but he knew that Blackbeard was very wary of her, not wanting to get close to the white-haired girl if possible, so that only left Sanson and EMIYA to protect. He had to continuously keep an eye on him as not to let him harm any of the two, but that would leave him exposed. "Ghosts" or not, they were still something created by a Holy Grail. If he was not careful, he might receive some wounds from their bullets.

"It can't be helped if you are such a pathetic human being who needs a Goddess' help. Very well, we shall cover you, defend those two idiots as much as you like." Stheno gave a positive response, even if she didn't phrase it decently.

"Thanks for that." Caster didn't mind how she said it as long as she could count on her. Now that he had Stheno's reassurance, and in consequence Euryale's and Asterios', he could concentrate on keeping Blackbeard in check. He might not be good with Magecraft, but he did know how to teach a lesson to a troublemaker.

The full might of the future strategist of the King of Conquerors, he will show it to him.