Bazalt Joe

Bazalt Joe (バザルト ジョー) is an original Sword Art Online game character and one of the side characters in Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet. Joe is very interested in Artificial Intelligence (AI) companions due to an event that occurred during his time as a policeman in a small town.

Gun Gale Online
Bazalt Joe has narrow eyes with green pupils and a big scar on his right eye, which he always keeps closed. He wears a brown military cap over his short, black hair. His black and red vest, brown gloves and pants along with his simple, black boots give him a distinct look of a commando, ready for any kind of challenge.

Personality
Bazalt Joe is a good-hearted, honest man, living up to his promises and proclamations, even if it is unattainable or detrimental to him. He is also incredibly stubborn and tenacious, refusing to give up on obtaining the Protagonist's ArFA-Sys unit, even after multiple failed attempts. He is, however, not inherently evil, as he always resorts to obtaining it in a fair fight or terms, never resorting to underhanded methods to attain his goal.

Fatal Bullet
While browsing around a shop in SBC Glocken one day, Bazalt Joe noticed a merchant player attempting to scam Afasys and the Protagonist. Averse to the idea of beginners losing their credits due to deliberate misinformation from other players, he reproached the merchant for their tactics and forced them to leave. Though appreciative of Afasys's gratitude for his intervention and their shared love of guns, the man quickly departed the shop afterwards when he found himself revealing more personal details about himself than he would have liked.

A short while later, Bazalt Joe encountered the Protagonist wandering by themself in the streets of SBC Glocken. Having grown interested in Afasys since their previous meeting on account of their strangely endearing lack of coordination or eloquence, he inquired the new player on their relationship with them. Shocked to learn the Protagonist's companion was actually an ArFA-Sys Unit, the man felt he would make an excellent partner for the android, thus he requested the new player transfer their ArFA-Sys Unit ownership rights to him. When the Protagonist refused, Joe challenged them, Afasys, and their friend Kureha to a duel over the matter, promising to give the trio an expensive item in the event they won. Surprised when he and his crew lost, the gunman nonetheless upheld his end of their deal but warned the Protagonist he still intended to make their AI companion his own.

Almost immediately afterwards, Bazalt Joe challenged the Protagonist to a rematch for the ownership rights over their AI companion. As they, Afasys, and Kureha were disinclined to humor his demand, the man revealed he was aware they were searching for missing ArFA-Sys unit parts needed to enter the upcoming SBC Flügel area and offered to share what he had learned about the components' location if they defeated him and his allies. Shocked when his team lost again, the gunman nevertheless relayed his knowledge on the parts to the trio, assuring them they would meet again in the future.

Shortly after the SBC Flügel was released, Bazalt Joe saw Afasys tearfully running through SBC Glocken's urban district in the direction of the governor's office. Assuming the Protagonist was responsible for the android's distress, the man berated them for their supposed culpability when he later encountered the Protagonist during the latter's search for their AI companion. Impressed by the Protagonist's refusal to demean themself by grovelingly begging for his help, however, the man reluctantly disclosed where he suspected the ArFA-Sys unit was.

Sometime later, Bazalt Joe sent the Protagonist a message challenging them to a final duel for Afasys's ownership rights, pledging to give them his most valuable possession in the event of their victory. Pleasantly surprised to find the Protagonist had brought a sizeable audience to spectate the occasion, the gunman briefly outlined the rules of their one-on-one fight before commencing the battle, which he lost. Impressed by how the other player had grown stronger since their first encounter, Joe revealed the most precious possession he had mentioned in his message was actually referring to himself, thus he offered his services to the Protagonist's party. As a token of appreciation when the other player tentatively accepted the offer, the gunman taught them how to dual-wield most firearms, after which he could accompany them on their adventures.

Not long afterwards, Bazalt Joe joined the rest of the Protagonist's squadron in exploring the SBC Flügel, during which he grew closer to the other player. This culminated in the man divulging that back when he was a policeman serving in a remote town, he used to have a cherished AI assistant with a personality similar to Afasys's but had to sacrifice it in the process of apprehending some criminals, hence why he had taken interest in the android. Though part of him still wanted the ArFA-Sys Unit as his partner, Joe declared he would not sacrifice his friendship with the Protagonist to do so; therefore, he would set aside his obsession for the time being.

After the Protagonist's squadron became the first to complete the SBC Flügel questline, Bazalt Joe visited Kirito's residence during the squadron's celebration of their achievement to congratulate them. While waiting for the rest of the squadron to finish commending their leader so he could offer his own acclamation, the man noticed Itsuki had mysteriously removed himself from the festivities. Having found him just outside, Joe and Zeliska attempted to persuade the man to return but calmly accepted his blunt refusal.

Sometime later, having heard Afasys, Kureha, the Protagonist, and Zeliska had been trapped in a death game orchestrated by Itsuki, Bazalt Joe accompanied Kirito's friends on a mission to rescue them. After everyone managed to escape the death game area, the man joined the Protagonist's squadron in Kirito's room a short while later for a party celebrating the quartet's survival and safe return.

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Bazalt Joe