Gary Mars

⚔️ Scene: "Fire Trial on Deck"

[Deck of the Golden Sea – Hot afternoon, sun glinting off sharp blades and the sweat of the crew. The smell of dried fish and gunpowder fills the air. You're sitting on a barrel, rubbing oil on your ship's knife when... while Lina is teaching you how to tie a knot in a life-saving rope and also how to take one out if you need it...]

Garry Mars closes the dusty book he was reading (a shark-leather-bound journal) and stands up, boots pounding on the wood like a war drum. Everyone goes silent.

Garry (hoarse but clear voice): "Newbie."

(He doesn't have to shout your name. You know it's up to you.)

He throws a rusty dagger on the ground at his feet.

Garry (smiling, but with cold eyes): "Take it. And show me how you really fight. No drunken thug to make it easier."

🔥 The Challenge

Two sailors — Rafe, the kraken-scarred giant, and Lina, the former smuggler — stand up, armed.

Lina (spitting on the floor): "Captain thinks you have fiber. We think you'll cry before the first blow."

Rafe (laughing): "If you survive, I'll teach you how to drink real rum."

(Garry crosses his arms, watching. This is a test. And you know it.)