Chapter 28 – Sisters Beneath the Lightning
The air above Grove 13 cracked like splitting glass as lightning tore through the sky. Before Gloriosa could even turn fully toward the sound, a bolt struck the ground behind her—and from it, Shakky stepped forward. In the same motion, she wrapped her arms around her former captain.
"Long time no see, Captain." Shakky pressed her face into Gloriosa's neck, her voice low and trembling despite the thunder still humming in the air.
Gloriosa stiffened at first, her instincts sharpening from years of survival. But the moment she recognized the voice, her body relaxed completely. Her hands rose slowly and gripped Shakky's shoulders as tears slipped down her cheeks.
"Where were you?" Gloriosa asked, her voice breaking despite her effort to remain composed. "I tried finding you on God Valley. But you were nowhere to be seen. I had to leave the island alone. I—I thought I would never see you again."
Shakky tightened her hold and nuzzled closer like a cat seeking warmth. "I escaped the island," she murmured softly. "I didn't die there."
They eventually separated, though neither moved too far from the other. Shakky led Gloriosa toward the secluded grove where she had been training, lightning flickering faintly along her fingertips as they walked.
Gloriosa finally took a proper look at her. Her lips twitched in disbelief as she examined Shakky from head to toe.
"Yo—you…" Gloriosa stammered. "How are you the same as you were on God Valley?"
She circled her once, squinting. "Did you stop aging or what?"
Shakky chuckled lightly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, you can say something like that."
Gloriosa folded her arms. "Explain. Slowly."
Shakky leaned against a tree, lightning briefly dancing across the bark without burning it. "After leaving God Valley, we stayed on an island for a year or two. We thought only a short time had passed. When we finally left and met Whitebeard, we learned eight years had gone by."
Gloriosa blinked rapidly. "Eight years?"
"Then we went to Wano," Shakky continued calmly. "And there… we traveled ten years forward in time. So here I am."
Gloriosa stared at her in utter silence, her expression growing more complicated by the second.
"We?" she repeated slowly. "Island? Eight years? Wano? Ten-year time travel?"
Her voice rose. "What kind of crazy life have you been living? And what do you mean 'we'?"
Shakky shrugged, her expression almost sheepish. "Yeah. It's been a crazy journey."
She hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering the second part. "As for 'we'… I escaped God Valley with a man. His name is Ren. We've been traveling together ever since."
Gloriosa froze completely.
"Man?" she echoed flatly. "You? With a man?"
Her eyes narrowed sharply. "Who are you trying to fool? There is a man you traveled with?"
Shakky laughed openly now. "I expected that reaction."
She began explaining everything in detail—Ren's arrival on God Valley, the chaos of that day, his fight against Whitebeard, the Celestial Dragons he had killed without hesitation. She spoke of the island where time had flowed strangely, of meeting Whitebeard years later, and of Wano's isolation.
Gloriosa's mouth fell open more and more as the story unfolded.
"He killed Celestial Dragons on God Valley?" she demanded.
"Yes."
"He fought Whitebeard?"
"Yes."
"And you—" Gloriosa hesitated, then blurted out without restraint, "—you had sex with him? You? The Shakky that even Roger, Whitebeard, Rocks, and the Holy Knights couldn't win over?"
Shakky crossed her arms and smirked. "You really went straight to that part, huh?"
"Answer me!"
"Yes," Shakky said plainly. "I chose him."
Gloriosa pressed her palm to her forehead. "This world is insane."
As Gloriosa struggled to process the information, an idea slowly formed in Shakky's mind. Ren had once mentioned that a certain vampire-type Devil Fruit could restore youth. If Gloriosa regained her youth and joined them… perhaps she would finally let go of Roger's shadow.
"Sorry, sister," Shakky thought inwardly, her eyes glinting faintly. "You're becoming my sister now. It's for your own good."
She imagined Ren's patience, his ridiculous ambition to create an empire where they could live freely. Compared to Roger's reckless dream-chasing, Ren valued the people beside him first.
"He's a thousand times better than Roger," Shakky concluded silently.
Gloriosa, meanwhile, was still trying to untangle the web of revelations.
"So what are you doing here alone?" Gloriosa asked at last. "What if the Holy Knights found you?"
Shakky laughed. Lightning exploded outward, and in the blink of an eye she vanished. Thunder cracked again and she reappeared a few meters away. Then again. And again.
Bolts flashed in rapid succession as she teleported around Gloriosa in a dazzling display.
Gloriosa stared in stunned silence. "Are you really the Shakky I know? You're totally different."
Shakky reappeared directly in front of her and hugged her again, softer this time. "I'm still the Shakky you know. Just stronger."
She stepped back slightly. "Anyway, tell me. What have you been doing these days?"
Gloriosa's shoulders slumped slightly. "I've been traveling here and there. Since I abandoned Amazon Lily, I can't go back. The Rocks era ended at God Valley. Everything scattered after that."
She looked toward the horizon. "Others like Linlin have changed. The world moved on."
Shakky's expression softened. "You don't have to wander alone."
Gloriosa gave a faint, almost bitter smile. "I made my choices."
Shakky shook her head firmly. "Then it's decided. You're coming with me to Wano."
Gloriosa blinked. "You don't need to do that just for m—"
Shakky cut her off sharply. "Since when did you start acting like someone who belongs alone?"
Her tone left no room for argument. "You're coming with me. That's decided. No questions asked."
Gloriosa stared at her for several seconds before laughter escaped her through lingering tears. "Yeah… you're still that old Shakky."
She wiped her eyes. "So what are you doing here in Sabaody?"
Shakky's aura shifted instantly. The air grew colder, charged with restrained voltage.
"I'm waiting for a few girls," she replied quietly.
Gloriosa raised an eyebrow. "Girls?"
"Don't worry about that yet," Shakky said, forcing her expression back to calm. "Let's catch up properly. We have time."
They sat beneath the trees as the bustle of Sabaody continued far below. Shakky's Observation Haki remained spread across the archipelago, searching patiently for the presence she was waiting for.
As they talked of old days—of God Valley, of the Rocks Pirates, of lost chances and reckless love—Shakky's senses never wavered.
She would not miss her moment.