There was a rule in nature, that prey could feel when something was wrong. Around him, the air itself had turned against them. Birds stopped chirping, insects went still, and the world held its breath like it was waiting to see what happened next.
Varin had felt it before. As a kid, out hunting with men who laughed too loud and walked easily with fresh kills over their shoulders, there would be moments where everything just… stopped. The laughter would die, hands would come up to halt the younger ones, and every set of eyes would sharpen in the same instant. Something bigger had stepped into the world, and everything else knew it.
Even on the iceberg, where there weren't really prey animals, where everything that survived was something that could kill, the same thing still happened. Something arrived that made even predators reconsider their place.
That was what this felt like. The woods around him had gone dead quiet. It didn't matter much, for the grand scheme of things, so he walked through it anyway, the massive corpse of a snake dragging behind him, its body leaving a faint trail through the dirt as its tail brushed the ground. It had put up a fight, big enough to be worth killing, but not big enough to matter in the end. He barely spared it a second thought now.
After Nami had finished tearing into him, which had been something to see in its own right, all fury and numbers and the kind of outrage that made it seem like he'd personally offended the concept of money itself. He honestly thought she made a better actor than a navigator, something that the lass herself didn't like hearing.
He waited her out, and once she lost her steam and any respect she had remaining, and once she had, he had snuck into Chopper's infirmary and had nicked two more Rumble Balls. Yes, it was a bit scummy, and he had no plan to tell the lad, or anyone else, for that matter, mainly because they'd try to stop him, and he didn't have enough intelligence to argue his case enough for it to be worth telling them. He'd never been one to sit and think things through when he could just… do them.
The clearing he found was large enough, open ground with enough space that whatever happened next wouldn't tear through half the forest. He paused at the edge of it, glancing around once before stepping in. The silence followed him and pressed in tighter here, like the world itself knew what he was about to do and didn't like it.
Varin dropped the snake into the center of the clearing, the heavy thud of its body the only sound for a moment. He stood there for a second, rolling his shoulders, feeling the weight of what he was about to do settle in his chest. Then he reached into his pocket cl, pulled the two Rumble Balls free, and swallowed them without hesitation.
His body didn't ease into it, didn't transition cleanly like before. It forced itself through the change, bones shifting, muscle tearing and reforming, fur ripping through skin in a violent, instinctive surge. The wolf came out whether he liked it or not, larger than he was used to, and then the chains came. They manifested out of nothing, heavy links wrapping around his limbs, one snapping tight around his jaws like a cruel mockery of a bridle. They didn't connect to anything, didn't anchor to the ground, but they held all the same, pulling tight, restraining something that wanted very badly to break free.
"Is this your idea of a peace offering, boy?" It rolled out of his throat deep and vast, layered with something ancient that didn't belong in the mortal world. Fenrir didn't wait for an answer. The wolf lunged forward, jaws snapping around the corpse, teeth sinking deep into flesh and bone as it lifted the snake with ease. Blood spilled down, dripping from its maw as it held the carcass there, savoring it more than consuming it.
"It's better than I imagined," the voice rumbled, almost thoughtful in a way that didn't fit the brutality of it. "But I'd rather the blue-haired girl you like. Or the reindeer." The beast made a low sound that might have been a chuckle. "Ah… how I miss venison."
"You're still eatin' it, so I doubt ya care that much," Varin's voice cut in, coming from the same body, layered awkwardly over the other, like two things trying to speak through the same mouth. The wolf's head twitched slightly as he forced the words out. "But since you did accept my offerin', that means you gotta answer a few questions I got."
Fenrir stilled for a fraction of a second, then laughed. It wasn't a normal sound. It was deep and heavy, something that seemed to press outward into the world itself. The trees around the clearing shuddered, leaves rustling violently as the sound rolled through them, and somewhere in the distance, something bolted, crashing through brush in blind panic.
"You risked setting me free… for questions?" Fenrir said, amusement thick in its voice. "Oh, you are a fun vessel." The wolf shifted, chains creaking faintly as they held, its massive form settling slightly as it regarded its own body like it was still getting used to it. "Though it's not like I've ever had one before."
"We both know ya can't get outta these chains," Varin shot back, forcing the body to turn slightly, tension running through every movement as he kept control where he could. "So no risk there. Now, back to my questions."
The wolf's head tilted, just slightly, like something listening.
"You know a divine Loki calls Apo?" Varin asked, voice steady despite everything, despite the weight pressing against him from the inside.
For a moment, Fenrir didn't answer. It just stood there, blood still dripping from its jaws, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Then the grin came. "…oh," the voice rumbled, quieter now but somehow worse for it. "Now that… is a name I haven't heard in a very long time."
Varin didn't hesitate, pushing forward before the thing could drift off into whatever memories it was digging through. "So that's a yes," he said, forcing the words through the same mouth. "Who is he. It. Whatever."
Fenrir let out a low breath, something almost like a chuckle curling through it, though there wasn't much humor in it. The wolf shifted slightly, jaws tightening around the carcass before it finally let it drop, the body hitting the ground with a wet thud. It didn't look at the snake anymore. Its attention had turned inward, or maybe outward in a way that didn't quite line up with the world around them.
"Its true name is Apophis," it said, voice settling into something more measured, though no less vast. "A deity of chaos from an old religion. Old enough that most of the land he's from has forgotten him… or rewritten him into something smaller. That tends to happen." The chains creaked faintly as the wolf shifted its weight, attempting to move against the bindings, only to be stopped with a growl. "Though I suspect your little princess might know what he is," Fenrir continued, tone almost thoughtful now, like it was turning the idea over. "He is from her land."
Varin pushed at that, catching the detail. "And you?" he pressed. "You speak like you know him?"
Another low growl, though it carried amusement under it. "In simple terms? He's like my younger brother."
"A overgrown snake that's destined to end the world?" Varin shot back, rolling his eyes despite the weight pressing down on him.
Fenrir's laugh came at his words curling through the clearing, "Smarter than you give yourself credit for," it said, almost approving. "Yes. A massive serpent. The 'Odin' of their religion fights him back every night. A cycle and a story they tell themselves to pretend it's under control." The wolf's jaws parted slightly, breath fogging thick in the air as something darker slipped into its tone. "Ah… the world's about to be very, very fun if our presence has stirred him. If one divine wakes, the others rarely stay sleeping."
Varin pushed against that, not liking the way the air felt heavier just from the words. "Fun how?" he asked, voice edged now. "Your bastard of a father wasn't very clear in his riddles."
Fenrir's head tilted, that unnatural grin stretching again, sharper this time, more teeth than anything else. "Ah, ah… " It's more fun to leave you guessing, boy," it murmured, savoring it. "Besides… you're out of time." The chains tightened for just a second, then slackened all at once, like whatever held them had simply lost interest. "Bring me something bigger next time," Fenrir added, voice already fading, pulling back into the depths. "Or I won't be so… nice."
Fenrir's presence vanished as quickly as it had come, the chains slackened then disappeared, and the cold air disaptted as warhtm filled the space.
Varin's body followed a second later, the wolf form collapsing in on itself, bones shifting back, fur receding until he stood human again in the center of the clearing. He bent forward slightly, coughing once, then spat A scale out into the dirt. "…just great," he muttered, running a hand down his face, already feeling the exhaustion settling in. "So I've woken up Jormungandr's ugly cousin… and there's more of you bastards runnin' around." He nudged the scale with his boot, scowling at it as it had personally offended him. "Bloody fantastic," he added under his breath.
He straightened with a quiet sigh, rolling his shoulders once as the last of the tension bled out of him. "Not that it helped much," he muttered to himself, dragging a hand through his hair. "Probably could've asked better questions." The thought lingered for a second, then he let it go. No point dwelling on it now. What was done was done, and at least he'd gotten something out of it, even if it raised more problems than it solved.
The walk back wasn't long. The forest eased up the closer he got to the coast, the oppressive silence thinning out into something more normal, the distant sound of waves and the creak of wood slowly replacing it. By the time the Going Merry came into view, he'd mostly cooled off, the earlier weight of Fenrir's presence settling into the back of his mind like something waiting rather than something gone.
He didn't even get both feet onto the open stretch before he was spotted. "Varin!" Nami's voice carried sharply and clearly from the deck, already leaning over the railing. Robin got a lead on the sky islands. We're heading to the other side of the island. Come on!"
He slowed a little, glancing up at the ship, then kept walking at the same pace, hands stuffed loosely into his pockets. "Nah," he called back, tone easy. "You guys go ahead. I'm only good for fightin', and I'm fairly certain the entire crew could beat everyone on this island…" he paused just long enough to tilt his head slightly, thinking it over, "…nah wait, Vi wouldn't be able to."
"Hey, you ass!" Vivi snapped immediately, popping up over the railing like she'd been waiting for that exact moment. Judging by the timing, she probably had been. Her glare locked onto him without hesitation.
Varin didn't even bother looking surprised. "What?" he shot back, a grin tugging at his mouth as he stopped just short of the ship. "It's true. Thought women didn't like being lied to." That earned him a thrown object. Not hard enough to hurt, but with enough intent behind it to make the point. He caught it out of the air without looking, glanced down at whatever it was, then tossed it back up toward the deck with a lazy flick.
Nami crossed her arms, clearly not amused. "You're coming," she said flatly. "I'm not letting you wander off again after what you pulled earlier."
Varin snorted softly. "Relax, I didn't break anything important."
"You stole money," she shot back instantly.
"Aye," he admitted without a hint of shame, flicking the sign still on his chest. "And spent it well."
"You—" she cut herself off, taking a breath like she was deciding whether yelling more would help. Nami was a lot of things, smart was one.
Up on the railing, Vivi was still glaring, but there was a faint edge of relief under it now that he was back in one piece. "Just get on the ship," she said, less bite in it than before. "We don't have time to argue."
Varin looked between them for a second, then exhaled through his nose, pushing himself up onto the deck in one easy motion. "Fine, fine," he muttered. "I was just sayin' I wasn't needed."
Nami didn't buy that for a second, but she didn't argue it either, already turning back toward the map with Robin nearby. Vivi stayed where she was for a moment longer, watching him like she was checking for anything off before finally stepping back as well.
Varin leaned against the railing once he was up, gaze drifting out toward the island they were about to circle, the wind tugging lightly at his hair as the Merry cut through the water. After a second, he pushed off, turning back toward the deck with that familiar look creeping in, the one that usually meant someone was about to regret being nearby.
"Actually, Usopp," he called, voice carrying without effort, "get out here from whatever the hell you're doin'." His eyes shifted just enough to catch Vivi already within reach. "Vi, you're already here. I'm stealin' ya for a bit."
Usopp didn't take long to show, though the hesitation was obvious. He stepped out from behind the mast, glancing between Varin and Vivi like he was already trying to figure out how to escape before whatever this was got worse. Vivi didn't move right away either, arms folding as she walked over, suspicion written plain across her face.
Once they were both standing in front of him, Varin's grin widened, just a touch too sharp to be friendly, then cracked his knuckles slowly, the sound carrying just enough to make Usopp flinch.
"So," Varin started, looking between the two of them, "Vi, you remember when I said you were in trouble for the stunt you pulled in front of Alubarna?" His grin didn't fade. If anything, it got worse. "I'm callin' it now."
Vivi blinked, caught off guard for half a second before her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" she said, already bracing for something she wasn't going to like.
Varin didn't give her time to argue. His attention snapped over to Usopp. "And you," he went on, jabbing a thumb in his direction, "said you wanted to be like Brogy and Dorry."
Usopp froze. "…I did say that," he admitted slowly, already sounding like he regretted it.
Varin nodded once, satisfied. "Good," he said. "You're gonna start now."
There was a long pause. Usopp's eyes flicked between Varin and Vivi, then back again, his posture already shifting like he was calculating distances, exits, excuses. "…why do I feel like I should be running?" he muttered.
Vivi, for her part, took a small step back, already shaking her head. "No," she said immediately. "Absolutely not. Whatever you're thinking—"
"Relax," Varin cut in, though there was nothing particularly reassuring about the way he said it. "Ain't anything complicated."
That didn't help. Usopp took another half-step back anyway. "That didn't make me feel better," he said quickly.
Varin ignored him, glancing around the deck like he was sizing up space, then back at the two of them. "Simple," he continued. "You two are gonna spar."
That landed about as well as expected. "…what," Vivi said flatly.
Usopp made a noise somewhere between a choke and a laugh. "No, no, no, no, that's not— I don't fight princesses, that's a rule, I just made it right now, it's a very important rule—"
Varin reached out and caught him by the shoulder before he could keep backing up, just enough to stop him. "Didn't say you were fightin' to win," he said. "Said you're startin'. Big difference."
Vivi stared at him for a second, then let out a slow breath, clearly trying to decide if she wanted to argue or just get it over with. "And this is supposed to accomplish what exactly?" she asked.
Varin's expression didn't soften, but it lost a bit of that edge, turning more serious for a moment. "Means next time someone puts hands on either of you," he said, "you don't just stand there hopin' someone else fixes it."
That quieted things a little. Usopp didn't look convinced, but he also didn't immediately try to run again. Vivi held his gaze a second longer, then looked away with a small huff, like she didn't like the point but couldn't argue it either.
"…this is a terrible idea," Usopp muttered.
Varin grinned again, stepping back and giving them space, already motioning with his hand. "Aye," he said. "Usually is. Now get to it."
They still didn't move. Vivi stood there with her hands hovering near her rings, the thin wires hidden but ready if she needed them, posture tight but controlled. Usopp hadn't even reached for his slingshot yet, just staring between the two of them like he was hoping this would all somehow resolve itself if he waited long enough.
Varin let the silence stretch a second, then sighed, dragging a hand down his face before looking back at them, grin returning, just a little meaner this time.
"Let me make it easier for you," he said, voice dropping a notch, casual but with weight behind it. "Either you spar with each other…" He jerked a thumb toward himself. "…or you deal with me."
Usopp straightened instantly, hands flying up. "Okay! Sparring! Sparring sounds great!" he said, way too fast, already scrambling to grab his slingshot like it had been his idea the whole time. "Very safe, very reasonable, love that plan—"
Vivi shot Varin a look, half annoyed, half exasperated, but she didn't argue this time. She slipped the rings properly onto her fingers, the thin wires catching the light for just a second as she adjusted her stance. "You're enjoying this way too much," she muttered.
Varin just leaned back against the railing again, folding his arms. "Aye," he said. "I am."
Usopp shuffled back a few steps, putting some distance between them, fumbling slightly as he set a pellet into his slingshot. "Just… just so we're clear," he said, glancing at Vivi nervously, "this is friendly, right? Like, not actually trying to kill me, friendly?"
Vivi rolled her eyes, though there was a hint of a smile there now despite herself. "If I wanted to kill you, Usopp, you wouldn't have time to ask that," she said, settling into position.
"That does not help," he muttered under his breath.
"Relax, Usopp," Varin said, tone cutting through clean, not loud, just firm enough to grab his attention. "You're playin' into her game. You'd win against her in a normal fight."
Usopp blinked, some of that panic easing just a bit as he latched onto that. "Is this not a normal fight?" he asked, a bit of his confidence creeping back in now that he had something to stand on.
Varin shook his head slightly. "No," he said simply. "You're a long-range fighter. Medium if you have to. You rely on space, angles, and time to think. Out here?" He gestured lazily to the deck. "You've got none of that. Small space, nowhere to hide, only thing close to cover is the mast, and even that's not doin' you many favors." Usopp glanced at it anyway, like he was already considering how to use it.
"Vi," Varin went on, shifting his gaze to her, "I've yet to really see you fight properly. But I know enough. Those strings of yours, that footwork… you're built for mid-range. Close enough to control the fight, far enough not to get hit." Vivi didn't respond, but her stance adjusted slightly.
"So yeah," he continued, pushing off the railing just a bit, arms still crossed. "This ain't a normal fight. It's a bad one. For both of ya. Which is the point."
Usopp swallowed, gripping his slingshot a little tighter now, but he didn't look like he was about to bolt anymore. Just… thinking. For once.
Varin's gaze sharpened slightly. "So figure it out," he said. "Usopp, you don't get distance, you make it. Vi, you don't get control, you take it." He brought his hands together in a sharp clap that cracked across the deck and snapped both of them out of their hesitation. "Now c'mon," he added, voice dropping just enough to carry weight. "Fight,… or I'll show you exactly how I beat Crocodile."
That was all the push it took. Usopp moved first, his arms snapped up, slingshot already set, and he fired twice in quick succession. One high, one low; the first one was aimed to hit Vivi's head. The second aimed to hit her legs should she dodge.
Vivi reacted instantly, the first she twisted past, the pellet grazing close enough to tug at her hair, the second she caught with a quick flick of her wire, deflecting it off course with a sharp metallic snap. She was already moving as she did it, her own wire snapping out low, cutting across the deck to limit where Usopp could step.
Usopp, for his part, didn't freeze. He shifted, fast enough for his boots to scrape across the deck as he pivoted around the mast, putting it between them exactly like Varin had said. His next shot came from the side of it. He leaned just enough to clear the angle and fired, the pellet forcing Vivi to pull back rather than close in, her advance cut short before it could build.
"Good," Varin muttered, arms crossed, eyes following every motion.
Vivi adjusted without hesitation. She didn't chase him straight but didn't let herself fall into the rhythm he was setting. Instead, she cut wide, circling the mast, forcing him to keep moving instead of letting him plant his feet and line up properly. Her slasher snapped again, higher this time, aiming not to catch him clean but to disrupt his stance, his grip, anything that would throw off his aim.
Usopp dipped under it and fired back. His next shot came mid-motion, released as he moved, and it still landed exactly where he intended, forcing Vivi to twist aside again, the pellet striking right where she would have been a second later. For a moment, the two of them found a rhythm. Movement, counter, pressure, space. Neither overwhelming the other, both are adapting faster than before.
Usopp's breathing had picked up, but his hands were steady. His eyes weren't darting wildly anymore; they were tracking, focused, locking onto Vivi's shoulders, her feet, the way she shifted before she moved. He adjusted his stance again, using the mast without thinking now, letting it work for him.
Vivi slowed just slightly. Her stance lowered, wires taut between her fingers, her gaze fixed on him in a way that showed she wasn't underestimating him anymore.
"Good," Varin said, voice steady, watching them without missing a beat, "but you need to be more aggressive, both of you. Don't give your opponent time to adjust. The moment you hesitate, the fight shifts outta your hands."
He shifted his weight slightly, eyes flicking between them as they circled, measuring, testing. "Vi," he went on, tone sharpening just a touch, "try to learn to lead your slashers. And I don't mean just hittin' where he's gonna be. I mean, control them. Make 'em move how you want, not just where you think they should go. A weapon's no good if it ain't part of ya."
Vivi didn't answer, but something in her stance changed. Subtle, but there. The wires in her hands tightened just slightly. Usopp didn't wait this time. He stepped out from behind the mast instead of hiding behind it, closing the angle instead of retreating. His shot came fast, aimed to force her to react immediately rather than giving her time to set up.
Vivi didn't dodge wide this time. She met it. One wire snapped out, deflecting the shot just enough to redirect it, the other following through immediately after, as a continuation, sweeping in to cut off his next step before he could reposition.
"Better," Varin muttered.
Usopp caught it this time, not panicking when his path closed off. He shifted direction mid-step, firing again without breaking rhythm, the pellet striking exactly where Vivi's shoulder had been a second earlier, forcing her to lean back instead of pressing forward.
But she didn't stop there. Instead of pulling away fully, she stepped in. Her wires didn't snap out in single strikes now. They flowed. One moved, the other followed, not separate actions but part of the same motion, forcing Usopp to keep reacting, to keep moving, not letting him settle long enough to take a clean shot. For the first time, he gave ground without choosing to.
Usopp adjusted, faster now, not letting himself get boxed in. He used the movement she forced, turning it into space instead of retreat, slipping around her line and firing from a new angle the moment he had it. Vivi twisted, the shot grazing past, her wire snapping out again, tighter this time.
Varin watched it build for a few more seconds, the rhythm getting tighter, faster, both of them starting to push a little past thinking and into instinct. That was where it got dangerous. He stepped forward without warning, closing the gap in a single stride, and grabbed both of their wrists at once, stopping them cold mid-motion.
Both of them let out a startled noise, the sudden break in movement snapping them right out of it. The tension in the air dropped just as fast as it had risen.
"You can stop now," Varin said, holding them there a second longer to make sure neither tried to continue out of habit. "Won't do ya any good if you end up actually hurtin' yourselves."
He let go then, stepping back just as easily as he'd come in, like he hadn't just interrupted them mid-exchange. Usopp immediately lowered his slingshot, shoulders sagging as the adrenaline drained, while Vivi exhaled slowly, loosening her grip on the rings, the wires going slack.
Usopp wiped at his forehead, blinking a few times. "I was gonna win that," he muttered, more out of reflex than conviction.
Vivi shot him a look, not nearly as sharp as it would've been earlier. "You were about to trip over your own feet," she said, though there was a faint hint of amusement there now.
Varin huffed quietly, folding his arms again. "Maybe," he said. "Maybe not. Point ain't who wins right now." They both glanced at him. "You moved," he went on. "You adapted. That's more than most manage their first time under pressure." His eyes flicked between them, not praising, just stating it like a fact. "Usopp, you stopped panickin'. Started thinkin' while movin'. That's your whole thing. Lose that, you're dead weight. Keep it, you're dangerous." Usopp straightened just a bit at that, even if he tried not to show it.
"Vi," Varin continued, turning his attention to her, "you started usin' your weapons instead of just swingin' 'em. Keep pushin' that. Those wires? They ain't just for cuttin'. They're for controllin' the whole fight." Vivi nodded once, quieter than before, actually taking it in.
Varin watched them start to peel off, gave it about three seconds, then straightened again like he'd just remembered something important. His gaze slid over to Vivi, and the grin that followed had a very different edge to it. "Now," he said, rolling his shoulders once, "here comes the punishment part for you, Vi."
She stopped mid-step, turning slowly, already not liking where this was going. "I don't like the sound of that."
"Aye, I imagine you don't," Varin said easily. "You can think over the combat basics while you're trainin'. Right now, though…" he gestured vaguely up and down at her, "we gotta get you some muscle. You ain't gonna keep up like that. So we're gonna fix it."
Usopp, halfway to escaping, froze again. "…we?" he repeated, already trying to back out.
Varin didn't even look at him, mostly to hide the downright cruel smile he had. "Brogy and Dorry," he reminded flatly. Usopp sighed like a man accepting his fate.
Vivi crossed her arms, squinting at him. "And what exactly does 'fixing it' involve?" she asked, tone careful.
Varin's grin widened just a bit. "Exercise," he said. "Training. And we don't stop till ya drop."
That got a very immediate reaction. "You cannot be serious," Vivi said.
"Oh, I am," Varin shot back. "You wanna survive out here, you don't get to half-ass it."
What followed wasn't elegant. It started simple enough. Stances, balance, holding position longer than was comfortable. Then movement, back and forth across the deck, forcing them to keep control of their footing even as their legs started to burn. Then it got worse. Squats, holds, repeated motions that didn't look like much until about the tenth time through, when both of them started slowing down.
Usopp complained constantly. Vivi tried not to, but it slipped out anyway once the strain set in. Varin ignored both of them equally. "Again," he'd say, like it was nothing. Or, "Too slow." Or, "You stop movin' in a fight, you die."
By the time the Merry started shifting course toward their destination, both of them were feeling it. Usopp was hunched slightly, breathing heavier than he wanted to admit, and Vivi's movements had lost that clean sharpness from earlier, replaced with effort.
That was when Nami came over, stepping around the edge of their little training space, one brow already raised at the sight of them.
"We're almost there," she said, glancing between the two who looked like they'd just been dragged through something unpleasant. "Robin's confirmed it, this is the place. You two wanna come help, or are you busy… whatever this is?"
Usopp looked like he was about to say yes immediately. Vivi didn't look far behind him. Varin answered before either could get a word out. "They're busy," he said simply, not even glancing at Nami. "We'll be preoccupied for this one."
Nami's eyes narrowed slightly. "Varin—"
"If you need us," he added, cutting in just enough, "yell."
Nami looked at him, then at the two currently suffering, then sighed through her nose like she'd decided this wasn't worth the argument right now. "Fine," she said. "But don't push them too far."
Varin huffed softly. "I know the line."
She didn't look entirely convinced, but she turned and headed off anyway. Usopp watched her go like she was his last chance at freedom disappearing over the horizon. "…you absolutely do not know the line," he muttered.
Varin clapped his hands. "Back to it," he said.