Chapter 179 - Denouement 1 Part 2

Song wafted out of the Hard Shell Tower, Manboshi and Ryuboshi doing their best to ease their sister back into her confinement in the tower. Sadly, she was still nearly inconsolable at the idea that her one reprieve from that confinement had been discontinued, possibly never to return. The two princes detested the necessity, but a necessity it was: a small armoury's worth of 'gifts' had been sent in the minutes since Cross's farewell.

Father and Brother had mobilized the troops in force in an attempt to run down Vander Decken, hoping the sheer exertion and volume of such a barrage would leave him vulnerable and leave a visible enough trail they could use to hunt him down. But in her heart, Shirahoshi knew it wouldn't work. After all, it hadn't all the times they'd tried before, so why would now be any different?

Despite her grief, Shirahoshi didn't blame anyone involved. She knew why the Straw Hats had to go radio silent: they had their own voyage to complete. And she knew why she had to stay in the tower: Vander Decken had an almost preternatural ability to tell when she was vulnerable, and even leaving her tower's door open for a few minutes posed an all-too-real risk…

But just because she knew why things were happening and that it wasn't the fault of anyone she liked didn't make the situation any easier to bear.

She'd had a chance. A chance at happiness, a chance at peace, a chance to say goodbye… And now, once more, because of factors outside of her control, that chance was at an end before it could begin.

Almost as soon as her brothers left her alone again, Shirahoshi threw herself onto her pillows, and she cried and cried.

Puru puru puru puru! Puru puru puru puru!

The familiar sound broke through her miserable haze, and Shirahoshi slowly sat up, wiping her face. She blinked a few times at the snail, curiosity replacing grief as she wondered why it was ringing. It looked up at her with the same curiosity, and she slowly nodded.

"KA-LICK! Ah, hello? Do I have the right number?"

Shirahoshi's hands came to her mouth. "Wha—N-Nami? 'Weather Witch' Nami, of the Straw Hats?"

"Yep, that's me! And is this Shirahoshi?"

"Uh, y-yes, but—?"

"We heard about your situation from Cross, all of us did," Nami warmly answered. "I can imagine what you're going through. Locked up for eight years, not able to mourn your mother… believe me, I get it. Hell, I even think I had it better than you, and from me, that's saying something. When we get there in a couple of years, I promise you, we'll get you out of that tower for good."

The tears were flowing again now, and she smiled a watery smile. "Th-Th-Th-thank yooouuu," she sobbed.

"You're welcome. But, in the meantime…we can't do much while we're so far away, but as Cross said, you can call us anytime. I've got everyone's numbers; we won't always be able to pick up, got training to do and all that, but we'll make as much time for you as we can. Soooo… what do you say? Want a couple dozen pen pals over the next two years?"

Shirahoshi's tears continued to flow, but now, she was smiling from ear to ear.

-5 Days After the War-

Dracule Mihawk was in a decidedly sour mood on his arrival to Kuraigana Island. While Marineford had left him buoyed, the long and extremely tiresome 'visit' with that red-haired nuisance had drained every drop of what little goodwill he had left for the decade. As he walked up to the door of his castle, he wanted nothing more than to relax on his comfiest chair with a bottle of wine and polish Yoru for a few hours. Or days.

Unfortunately for his mood, the sight that greeted him when he opened the door was… well, not the last thing he wanted to see, but it was definitely in the bottom five: Roronoa Zoro, slouched in one of his chairs, surrounded by a pile of his wine bottles (he knew his wine cellar top to bottom, and he recognized his entire stock of thirty year Déesse), chugging down one last bottle like it was water.

And he didn't even have the decency to look buzzed.

"Welcome back," Zoro stated as he shook the last drop into his mouth, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face. "Just so you know, I drank all your wine, moved everything two inches to the left, and let the humandrills in to finish the rest. And they've been watching my crew, sooo…"

There was precisely one second of silence before Mihawk drew Yoru from his back. But his expression did not remotely resemble one ready for combat.

It was much more reminiscent of a certain lightning-empowered lunatic.

"Mars Ultor above, Roronoa Zoro, have you lost all sense of self-preservation?!"

"You say that like I ever had one."

The World's Greatest Swordsman could only shake his head in sheer disbelief. "Truthfully, I'm shocked that you didn't go the extra mile and soil my rugs."

Roronoa shrugged, and Hawk-Eye felt something crack in the back of his mind.

"Like I said, humandrills."

Mihawk's eyes twitched. And for the first time of what would be many over the next two years, he thought back to the question Cross had asked him on the battlefield.

"…Your first lesson: DIE."

It was very, very hard to find an answer.

-o-

When their newest addition's mood had, during that dreadful battle, turned literally stormy, the scientists of Weatheria initially saw it as an opportunity. An opportunity to witness a hitherto unseen meteorological phenomenon! Oh, the papers! The accolades! The petty one-upmanship in the bars!

The novelty wore off quickly. At this point, they were all just relieved that the most recent newspaper delivery had calmed that mood to something normal and non-meteorological. They still gave her a wide berth: a little due to fear of triggering a relapse, but mostly because her latest experiments involved lightning in truly unsafe voltages.

"Ah… pardon me for saying so, young lady… and I fully acknowledge that I'm no expert in these matters-" Haredas gulped audibly, tugging at his collar as sparks flew between Nami and Billy. "But, ah… while I will always applaud your innovations, I am a tad confused about the direction you seem to be taking them. It's just… You don't seem the type to go for overwhelming firepower in combat?"

"Oh, I'm not," Nami responded calmly, if absently. Most of her attention span was being spent on carefully maneuvering a beam of lightning linking her staff's tip and Billy's body across a shirt hanging on a clothesline between them so as to pass the plasma through every inch of the fabric. "I've always relied on wits and speed more than brute strength, and that's not about to change. But… how should I put this?"

She hummed thoughtfully, then nodded to Billy, who killed the current. Nami set down her staff and reached for the hem of her shirt. Haredas barely had time to turn around, blushing, before she removed it.

"I could say this is about wanting to get stronger. To not have to rely on others, even though it's really nice to be able to," Nami explained to the sound of rustling cloth. "But that's not it. Or, not all of it. See, here's the thing: my dream, in case you didn't know, is to chart a map of the entire world. But now that I've seen a bit more of the world, I know that's just the end of the road. I'm sure lots of other navigators have tried the same and failed, so I'm going to have to do the same, but better. Oh, by the way, you can look."

Haredas slowly turned around and blinked at the form-fitting top covering everything between her neck and skirt. Even her fingers were covered by the sewn-in gloves.

As she kept talking, she moved over to the workbench nearby, where a tangled mess of wires lay around a golden frame. Slowly, she worked her covered right arm through the wires, fitting it around her forearm and over her hand, before withdrawing a seashell from the drawer and securing it to her elbow.

"Better maps are drawn by better navigators. So if I'm going to draw the best map in the world, I'll have to be the best navigator. So all of this? This isn't me wanting to be stronger. That's just a bonus. This… is just the next logical step. I'm doing this because I can. Because this is something I can do. Because this…"

Nami raised her hands before herself and snapped her right fingers, and a spark leapt from one hand to the other with a crack.

"This is me."

-o-

Heracles peered around the tree he was hiding behind, finding his new friend standing over a massive pot, a pointed black hat on his head and a grin a few molars too wide on his face. Where the devil did he get that hat'n? He wondered.

"Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble," Usopp chanted gleefully, moving his hands like a conductor as he and the handful of bugs that had already fallen under his spell—and Heracles had thought that was figurative, but given how many were glaze-eyed and drooling, he couldn't be sure anymore—fed ingredients into the spice-filled concoction.

"Giant rhino beetle's horn,

In the brew now, freshly shorn.

Reaper's Pepper, seeds and all,

Scorpion's sting and monkey's gall.

Nettles brought by hand of toad,

Boiled right quick with yellow-woad.

Sear the poisoned snakeskin's way, Char and bl—"

"GROARGH!"

An absolutely massive Komodo Dragon burst through the brush of the clearing. Heracles's hand whipped to his side, going for his Pop—

"YOU THREW OFF MY GROOVE, YOU SCULLION! GET HIM, MY PRETTIES!"

BZZZZ! "GRAAAARGH!"

—only to be pre-empted by an enraged shriek from the 'potion master', whereupon a buzzing cloud slammed into the uber-lizard and knocked it back in a panic of flailing limbs. Heracles stared at the thrashing undergrowth for a moment before slowly retracting his hand from his side.

"Gah, so annoying…" Usopp sniffed as he re-straightened his hat. "Alright, where was I…?"

Heracles considered for a moment before cautiously answering, "Er… 'poisoned snake—'"

"Oh, I'll just take it from the top. Twice as potent this way!" Usopp cackled. "Round about the cauldron go—"

Heracles groaned, pressing his hands to his helmet. Just two years and he'd be left alone with the normal monsters. Why had he missed having other humans around again?!

-o-

"Double double, skirt steak plate, Gorgeous slices, that's just great~

"Cooked quite rare, with searing heat, Crisp the crust and red the meat…"

Such was the red-clad Newkama's chant as she practically juggled ingredients with all the grace and skill of a bartender. Despite the theatrics, she did not stop stirring the red sauce in another pan.

"Chase the classic sous vide craze, Zhoosh with bittered rhubarb glaze.

"Garlic butter pat, delish, Sea salt flakes, and there's the dish~!"

Meanwhile, Sanji, Ivankov, Inazuma, and Bentham all watched with mildly disturbed expressions.

"…I'm sorry, I haven't met too many of the island's masters yet, but is it typical for them to be this—?"

"Weird?" Inazuma asked bluntly. "No, Ann is a special case."

"I admit, she's one of the more eccentric ones, but she makes it work," Ivankov shrugged. "And she makes a damned good steak dinner."

"I'll take your word for it," Sanji said, of two minds about the whole thing. "But I don't suppose you have literally anything else—food-related, anything else food-related that I could be doing instead?"

"Actually, I was very interested in dissecting your Death's Door Lunchbox," Ivankov said, leading him out of the kitchen (to everyone's relief). "I've been meaning to bring it up since yesterday, now that we know Cross-boy is…well, as well-off as he can be."

"But it performed its task perfectly," Inazuma picked up with a frown. "It was an impossible show of willpower to begin with; he was emaciated with no other recovery from the operation other than a nap, and he was still almost too healthy to eat it safely."

Sanji shuddered at the image, grateful that he could help his captain but horrified both by his gift's necessity and near-failure.

"You can rest assured, Sanji-boy, it will be my absolute delight to help you refine it," Ivankov said with utter seriousness. "This would be a worthy recipe to make the 100th."

Despite the circumstances, Sanji grinned with no small amount of pride as he withdrew his recipe book. "Well, I've gotten a few tips already, but what have you got to suggest?"

FWOOOM!

Fire blasted out of the windows of the kitchen they had just left.

"Dinnertime, ladies and gentlemen~" Ann sang.

"…though I suppose I'm morbidly curious about this recipe first," Sanji murmured.

"I'm just morbidly terrified!" Bentham wailed melodramatically.

-o-

Standing in just outside the Torino library's entrance, Chopper smiled as a News Coo touched down.

"Nice hat," Chopper complimented. "Your new boss lets you wear what you want?"

[Mmm, it's still kind of a uniform,] the gull shrugged, tipping the blue and orange newsboy cap atop her head. [But we get to choose whatever style we want now. Who knows, maybe in a few months we'll get around to diversifying a bit more. At least now we won't get our tailfeathers plucked for asking.]

"Couldn't have gotten worse than it was, huh?" Chopper sighed. "Well, I'm glad for you."

[Thanks. But one thing that hasn't changed is the busyness, so can we get to business?]

"Oh, right, sorry." Chopper held out a thick yellow envelope along with a few beri notes. "This needs to go to Sakura Kingdom as soon as possible."

[You got it,] the gull said, slipping the package into her satchel and turning away.

"Oh, wait! Sorry, take this too!"

The coo looked back in mild annoyance, but she took the postcard Chopper held out. Then she saw what was written:

Dalton,

I hope you're the first of many to benefit from this treatise. But I'm sorry for probably making you Doctorine's test subject here. Don't bother running, you'll just be tired if she catches you, and she'll be mad if she doesn't.

Tony Tony Chopper

The coo slowly raised her head and stared at the human-reindeer. […]

"I don't think you want to ask."

[You're a Straw Hat, that was a given.]

-o-

The Revolutionaries were very hospitable. They had raised no objection to her desire to remain on the deck and had immediately relocated furniture and refreshments from inside to make her more comfortable. And there was no sense that they were doing it out of fear of her, either; they knew what she had gone through and respected the lingering trauma she still had.

Robin had little reason not to trust them. It was only old instincts that made her prefer the open air, and she hoped that it would be a short-lived paranoia.

"So, how far to the island?"

"About a week's sail. Hopefully, we should be out of the snow by tomorrow, at the latest by the day after. We'd have gotten you there sooner, but our express route is busy in the North at the moment," the nearby Revolutionary answered.

Robin nodded and settled back in to wait, sipping her coffee with a soft smile. All things considered, with Luffy's mission successful and Cross, if not in ideal circumstances, as well off as he could be in whatever training ground he was at, her mood could hardly be better.

"Hey, look alive! They're here, the commanders are here!" another voice called.

"The South and East commanders?" Robin asked, standing up at once. She had been warned of their arrival but hadn't expected it to be so soon. Nor had anyone else, it would seem.

A pair of rappel lines came down upon the ship's edges, swiftly followed by a purple-haired woman dressed all in red and a cat-man who looked like he belonged in a more steampunk-centric setting.

'I have been spending entirely too much time with Cross if that's the first word that comes to mind,' she reflected. Standing, she walked over to them.

"Hello, nice to meet you. I believe that we'll be working together for a while. I'm Nico Robin," she introduced herself.

The two of them gave her a once-over, the cat-man with a grin and the woman with a neutral expression. In unison, they held out their hands, Robin taking both and shaking with an application of her Devil Fruit.

"Belo Betty, nice to meet you too."

"The name's Lindbergh, the honour is entirely yours, I promise ya!"

"Hmm, indeed," Robin said with a small smile. "Will the other two commanders be joining us as well?"

"Probably at Baltigo, yeah," Betty shrugged. "Karasu was on assignment with the boss to begin with; your—" Her lip twitched as she visibly swallowed part of what she wanted to say, "— brother… did exactly the right thing to get his help."

"Oh?" Robin's expression became one of curiosity. "And how is that? I was certain that the Revolutionary Army would find no cause to intervene."

"Under the original context of the war, sure 'nuff, we couldn't do spit! Marines executing Pirates, that's the law, and that's entirely and totally fair! Eh, no offence." Lindbergh coughed slightly.

"But then," Betty said, actually managing a smile. "The very first thing that he did was have Sengoku admit that the execution had nothing to do with Ace being a pirate, only that his father was one, and that furthermore, there is no law that can convict someone on their bloodline alone. That tipped the context from lawful to tyrannical, and the moment that Dragon heard it, he took flight to join the war."

Robin silently filed that away as something that she would definitely tell Cross at the earliest opportunity. She could only imagine he could do with any sort of triumph, given his state of mind when she'd last seen him.

"And you know how that turned out. But anyway, to answer your question, if Karasu's already there, he'll probably have Morley show up, too," Betty finished.

"I see. I hope you won't mind me picking your brains about how I can improve myself. Although I'll be surprised if you have any tips on stealth that I've yet to learn."

"Maybe, maybe, but in terms of the other fine and feral arts of revolutionizin'? Sorry to say, you're still a small guppy in a large pond! But!" Lindbergh popped a finger up. "Don't you worry your pretty little head: We'll teach you everything we know and a few things we don't before our time together is up! We'll make you into a bona fide, Lindbergh-approved badass before you know it, toots!"

"I'll keep that in mind, Mister Lindbergh. And for the record?"

"Ye—?" The engineer's nascent question was interrupted by an arm sprouting atop his head, grabbing his goggles and yanking them out—

SNAP!

"YEOWCH!"

—aaaand letting them snap right back into his eyes, causing him to double over and paw at his face, a stream of curses spilling out of his mouth.

"That's 'Nico Robin', 'Miss Robin', or 'ma'am' to you," Robin chuckled lightly, her favourite Smile™️ affixed to her face.

Betty took ten seconds to take in Lindbergh stumbling away and swearing bloody vengeance before grinning from ear to ear and throwing her arm across her newest comrade's shoulders. "Congrats, you're my new favourite person."

"How nice," Robin said with a small smile. "And my relationship with Cross makes no difference?"

"I am actively ignoring that," Betty answered with a cheerful twitch.

"Razza frazzin…" Lindbergh grumbled as he stumbled away, navigating into the ship's comms room easily despite still fumbling with his goggles. Once he finally got his vision clear and his eyepieces back into place, he couldn't help but grin.

"…Well, at least we've got someone else with a sense of humour here," he chuckled before reaching for the nearest (non-black and non-white) snail. The answer came quickly.

"Wait, how did you get this number? Who are you?! WHO DO YOU WORK FOR, WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

The Mink stared cock-eyed at the snail for a few moments. Then he burst out laughing.

"ZIZIZIZIZIZI! Good one, Koala. Though maybe you've been hangin' around Cross a tad too much recently? Just sayin' is all."

"Oooh, you don't know the half of it, Lindbergh. But anyway, what's the report?"

"According to the X.O., Tequila Wolf's sacking encountered no resistance… that wasn't taken out by Nico Robin well before the main force arrived," he chortled. "Sooo yeah, complete success on that mission. No new Devil Fruits acquired yet, but we've got a report on the new shipyard that the Navy's building here. Though, heh, something tells me construction's going to stall even more now that their stores of pitch have mysteriously vitrified. Aaaand lastly, we scrounged a few new recruits from the Grey Terminal, which is smelling as delightfully pungent as ever!"

The engineer's good cheer abruptly collapsed into an out-and-out scowl. "…And you may want to tell Sabo that his so-called family, which I do not so call, are making a grab for the throne with that thing they're calling their 'son' making moves on the princess. Like it or not, unless we meddle like he's told us not to, we'll probably be seeing him at the Reverie. So, yeah, two years to brace for that screaming nightmare."

"Isn't there already a king and an heir?"

Lindbergh's response was grim silence and a flat stare through his goggles.

"…Right. Forgot that when you think of rock bottom with these people, you need to bring a pickaxe. Well, we'll burn that bridge when we come to it. And your ETA is on track?"

"Should be, yeah. Oh, but while I've got you…" Lindbergh trailed off, and his voice was gentle as he spoke again. "You're doing all right, right? I mean, an assignment that brought you that close to Mariejois in the middle of a war… plus what you had to take care of first. You sure you don't regret goin' on that mission?"

There was a pause as Koala looked away, her gaze elsewhere…

~The Day of the War~

One of the very few top Marines who hadn't been called to Marineford for the war lay in a hospital bed, a day or so away from recovering sufficiently that he'd be more asset than liability in a fight. Such was the diagnosis that the physician beside him had given him when he woke up.

It took a minute for him to realize that the dread he felt in his heart wasn't from the inability to help the Navy when they needed him most. Rather, it was because he recognized the speaker's voice, and not as a doctor or nurse. His eyes snapped open, and he forced them to focus. When his vision cleared, he felt his breath catch at the sight of who he saw beneath the medical disguise.

The one standing beside him was the one who had put him in his hospital bed.

"You didn't really think you'd get away, did you? An execution was promised today, and I can't let you ever recover. Maybe a lethal injection isn't the best way to end this…"

Vice Admiral Strawberry tried desperately to muster enough Armament Haki to reinforce his arm where she was holding the syringe at the ready, right above—

Where the last one had gone in, he realized. Which was followed by the last realization of his life as she set the syringe down beside him: it was empty.

"…but what's done is done. Say goodbye…"

And she didn't speak another word. She just sat there, staring him in the eyes as the poison coursed through his veins despite his willpower. Something desperate shone in his eyes as he stared at Koala… and the Revolutionary shook her head disapprovingly, reached out her hand, and closed his eyes.

Nobody was there to save him. No mercy was to be found. Koala simply stared at him until he finally, mercifully stopped moving. She gripped his neck and pulled back an eyelid, and it wasn't until ten minutes later, when she was fully satisfied that her task was finished, that she left the corpse of one of the Navy's best men to be discovered.

~Present~

Koala shook her head softly to clear her mind and gave her commander a sincere smile.

"I'm doing just fine, Lindbergh. Thanks for asking, but this was one of the most fulfilling assignments that I've had in years. I have no regrets for what I did."

Lindbergh nodded. "Just makin' sure. Can I count on seein' you when we get there?"

"Hopefully. A week, then, give or take."

"Yep. Take care."

KALICK!

-o-

"Mister Franky! As impressive as it is that you've managed to keep from blowing yourself—or our island, for that matter—to high heaven, as well as the fact that you've uncovered our dear Vegapunk's long-sought-after inner sanctum, I'm afraid that the grace period we've afforded you has expired. If you cannot provide what you promised, we will have no choice but to alert the Navy of your presence and place you under citizen's arrest."

Franky looked away from the machine he was working on to give the gathered council a flat look.

"OK, first of all, do you really think you can take me?"

"We think that we have a good enough grasp on your character to be confident that you wouldn't hurt a group of defenceless elders simply trying to do their due diligence."

"...Yeah, alright, that's fair. Would be SUPER uncool of me to crack your skulls like that, Granny Kokoro raised me better than that."

"Apparently not well enough to wear pants an appropriate amount of the time…" Another of the elders grumbled.

"Oh, she tried. Didn't take," Franky laughed. "Aaaanyway… second question! You folks listen to the SBS that often?"

"As frequently as we can manage: dubiously legal content aside, it is being broadcast from one of our national pride's masterpieces."

"Well, then, let me play you a little number that I don't think Soundbite has shared with the world yet."

His grin almost split his face as he gripped the grandiose lever before him with both hands.

"It's called 'Here Comes the Sun.'"

He slammed the switch upward with both hands, and- a klaxon began blaring.

"WARNING, WARNING. ISLAND WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN T-MINUS 10… 9…"

"WHOOPS!" Franky yelped, slamming the switch back down.

"SELF-DESTRUCT ABORTED. PLEASE BE MORE CAUTIOUS IN THE FUTURE, DOCTOR VEGAPUNK."

"Eesh," Franky huffed, shaking his head while the assembled governors worked their heart rates down from 'impending heart attack.' "You know, your 'national pride' seemed to have a bit of a habit, ya know? This is the third damn one I've found in this place!"

"So noted…" the lead governor grumbled acridly as he mentally upped the dosage of heart medications he'd have to take tonight. "But in the meantime, I assume that wasn't what you intended to show us?"

"Eh? Oh, right, right. It was… Ah, this one!" Franky reached out and grabbed a much less grandiose, normal-sized lever located just to the side of the self-destruct switch. "So, uh, like I was saying, 'Here Comes the Sun!' And hopefully not a nuclear fireball…"

The switch slammed into place, a spark jolted through the lab's circuitry, and all at once, a hum filled the room.

An appropriate term, given the hum was localized not to a single source, but emanated from all around the spectators: the entire mountain, humming and vibrating with newly awakened energy. An energy that surged forth in the form of a noticeable rise in temperature.

The governors gazed upon their surroundings with untempered awe, and their admiration only grew as they took in the readings displayed on the surrounding monitors.

"I… I don't believe it! The climate control system, it's… it's actually—!"

"By thunder, he's done it, he's actually done it!"

"The long night… is over?"

"Well, I'll be damned…"

"Hey, do me a favour?" Franky said, already walking away. "Since winter's about to end, toss all of your coats in my room on your way out. I could use the down for a SUPER! Mattress! And once you're all done celebrating with your families…"

He shot a madcap grin over his shoulder. One that would stick with them all for a long time.

"Send someone back up here to pick up my shopping list. I've got a few ideas in mind… and you can bet your asses that they are, one and all, SUPER!"

-o-

A long-armed crook and a living skeleton stood on opposite sides of a table. Their focus was on the contract awaiting their signatures. At first glance, it was a boilerplate contract, the kind record agencies churned out by printing press, but a lawyer taking a close look would've noticed… irregularities.

Irregularities that were the result of much stubborn negotiation.

"Alright, let's go over this one more time," Sancrin muttered. "You're one of the Straw Hat Pirates, and your reason for sticking with me is to grow stronger…by making yourself a music star."

"How I improve myself is for me to worry about. Your role is to manage everything else," the skeleton coolly answered.

"And the time frame…you're not promising me any more than a year?"

"I have insight into what I must do, which may accelerate my growth. I will stay with you for no less than a year, after which I will stay until I need to try something different for my training, or until the crew reunites," Brook clarified. "And I believe it goes without saying: attempt to sell me out, and bankruptcy will be the least of your worries."

Sancrin felt an urge to mop at the sweat that had suddenly bloomed at his hairline, despite the fact that 99% of any desire to try crossing a Straw Hat had died long ago. As for the remaining 1%…

"…And the profits. You're sure about this division?"

"I don't anticipate I'll need much," was the answer. "The 5% I've requested is only for emergencies. You're welcome to the remaining 45%."

Sanction grimaced. "Yeah, that's the part that I'm not clear on. You get 5%, I get 45… who the hell gets the last 50!?"

"Nami," was Brook's matter-of-fact response.

A vein popped on Sancrin's skull, and his eye twitched.

"…Yeah, hell no, there's no way I'm paying that much to a gold-digging sk—!"

KRAK-A-THOOM!

Both of them jumped at the sound of a thunderclap outside. It sounded rather close.

"…That was a coincidence," Sancrin muttered. It wasn't particularly convincing, especially since he had already snatched up the nearest pen.

"Then why are you signing so fast?" Brook asked knowingly. One of his empty sockets was warped, an imitation of a raised eyebrow.

"None of your boneheaded business, that's why!"

-o-

Pell dove, soared, bobbed, wove, and spun harder than he'd ever had to in training. A necessary exertion, when the air currents themselves were conspiring against him.

Vivi, down on the stone garden that the palace terrace had become, had her right fist tightly clenched around a vortex of air while her left kept her Lion Cutter spinning. Every attack she flung was an attempt to ground the Falcon Zoan.

Both of them were grinning.

"Maahes's Blade!" Vivi declared, swinging the scythe she'd been spinning towards her longtime friend…and missing by a mile, seeing as she only had so much chain and arm strength, and he was several meters in the air.

But the blade of razor-sharp wind that was flung off the arc of her weapon flew much farther, and at such a speed and width that Pell was forced to fold in his wings and dive to avoid receiving a nasty gash. As he approached the ground, he threw his wings out, catching as much air as he could, before flapping them just as hard. This both arrested his downward momentum and directed him towards Vivi. Not especially fast, but fast enough, and with his blade drawn, he had hope he could make up for it with the extra reach.

SHHHING!

The howl of metal against metal rang out as Pell's blade glanced off of Vivi's scythe. Planting his claws, the guard pushed off with both his wings and feet, sending him back into the air before his opponent could follow up.

Vivi's lips pressed together, wracking her brains for a way to get at Pell. Something that would disrupt his flight much harder than anything else she'd tried. An idea sprang to mind, and she breathed deeply, filling her lungs to capacity. Then, bringing both of her hands before her, she clenched her fingers together as though gripping an orb, and then spread her arms out, clawing the air apart.

The unnatural movement of air created a vacuum for half a second before it abruptly collapsed, sucking Pell in toward the center. No novice he, he swiftly turned the new development to his advantage, leaning into the wind swirling around the collapsed air, accelerating in much the same way a spaceship would slingshot around a planet.

Vivi was in no position to contest this maneuver. The technique had stripped the air from her lungs with all the force of being kicked in the stomach. This time, when the Flying Talon struck, her Lion Cutters flew from nerveless hands, the impact sending her flying several feet away in the sand. If the loss of her weapons didn't indicate defeat, the wisps of air swirling about, attempting and failing to reintegrate with her body, were an even clearer sign.

As the winds died down, Pell sheathed his sword and resumed his human form. Cobra, Chaka, and Igaram, who'd been hiding behind a stone wall, peeked their heads up as he walked over to Vivi.

"That was impressive, Vivi. What do you call that technique?"

"I'll… think of a name…when my lungs reinflate," she wheezed, ramming her fist into her chest. "My powers… did not like doing that…"

Pell smiled softly, extending a hand to help her to her feet.

"Don't worry, you're not alone. Devil Fruits come with drawbacks beyond our water issues. Don't even get me started on how often I used to mistake couscous for maggots." He shuddered. "Not one of my finer memories…"

"What do you mean 'used to,' feather-brain?" Chaka cut in, smirking. "I know I saw your head moving in a pretty familiar way during lunch last week!"

"Says the man who buried and lost his last three medals of valour."

"ONCE! Only once, you moulting—"

"And this is why I never considered taking the Storm," Igaram laughed. "No embarrassing stories for me."

"Says the cross-dresser," Chaka, Pell, and Vivi deadpanned.

"ONCE!"

"Something you want to tell Terracotta and me, Captain?"

"NOTHING AT BALL—AT ALL, YOUR MAJESTY!"

The two Royals looked between the red faces of their three best men.

Then, all at once, all five of them burst out laughing. In that moment, Vivi decided, she couldn't possibly be happier.

It took a few minutes, but the laughter eventually petered out. "So…it's all a matter of practice?" Vivi asked. And to their nods, she continued, "Then I guess I should be focusing on how I can become stronger, faster…"

"I'd start by improving your situational awareness."

Vivi froze at that sickeningly, terrifyingly familiar voice. She could see everyone else present in a similar state. Why?! Why was he here?!

SCHLICK!

The sound of metal piercing flesh - or rather, hooking it - was a welcome distraction, especially since Vivi could see that none of her family had been harmed. Her eyes, and everyone else's, shot up to the parapet looming over them.

There, hovering in a whirlwind, was the master of the Sand-Sand Fruit. To their collective shock, a stranger clad all in white was speared on the end of his poison hook, a dagger tumbling out of nerveless fingers. Almost reflexively, Pell reached out to catch it, and hissed in displeasure when his thumb brushed the blade.

Crocodile, for his part, descended to the ground before them, his hand gripping the assassin by his neck and his eyes locked on his face. The stunned silence lasted long enough for Crocodile to nod in satisfaction and fling the corpse off the balcony.

"That's more like it. That's how things are supposed to go: I stab someone, they die."

There was no relief or gratitude in his audience's eyes. Unperturbed, he withdrew a golden casing from within his coat and covered the poisonous hook on his left arm.

"Crocodile…" Cobra uttered, his tone dark and bordering on a growl. He exhaled forcefully through his nostrils before speaking again in a more moderate tone. "I must express my gratitude to you for subduing that assassin. But that is far from enough for me to permit your presence in this country again."

"And I admire the audacity it takes to think you can control even a single thing I do, Your Majesty," Crocodile drawled back. "In case you've missed it, there aren't any rookie pirates around to miraculously save your hide again."

In response, the wind howled around the courtyard. Vivi took a thunderous step forward, teeth bared and gales swirling about her arms. "There's one right here, you monster!"

"And should worst come to worst," Cobra intoned, glaring fearlessly at the crime lord. "Then we will call upon that rookie's father. I believe you've recently had the honour of his presence."

That comment had the intended effect: for a brief moment, Crocodile's smug demeanour twitched down into anger tinged with fear. But the moment passed, and his arrogance returned.

"If you feel that's the appropriate course of action, feel free to do just that. Why, there's not even any need to go so far. Simply say the word, and I'll depart your… lovely kingdom without a word of complaint. To put it another way…" Crocodile swept his arm across his waist and dropped to his knee, lowering his head in a bow that was entirely undercut by the sarcastic smile he bore. "I am entirely at your disposal."

For the briefest of moments, Vivi swore the world turned red. For that man to be standing in this place, again, standing like that and saying those words, again, after all this time, after all he'd done—! It took every ounce of self-control in her body not to bring the storm of the century down on his head.

But she managed it. Only barely, but she did, with a harsh intake of breath to fortify her nerves. For her country, and for her father, she'd allow this monster to speak. For exactly as long as she needed to, and not a second longer.

"Why have you come back to Alabasta?" Vivi grit out, the words dragging like barbed wire. "Are you that desperate to conquer our kingdom!?"

The crocodile blinked, then threw his head back and laughed, the Alabastians stunned into silence by the reaction.

"Kuhahahaha! Conquer it? Oh, please, Princess, you give this wasteland entirely too much credit. If I wanted to conquer a kingdom, there are far easier and far more hospitable options to be had. Only the misinformed come to Alabasta for its waters." Crocodile's smile was all teeth as he spoke. "Let me be entirely transparent: not once have I ever harboured any desires to rule your little sandbox. If you want it, you can keep it."

"Then why did you plunge us into a civil war?!" Chaka barked indignantly, his teeth slipping into fangs.

"For Pluton, you cretins," the Warlord scoffed, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The only worthwhile thing that your country has to offer is the location of the Ancient Weapon Pluton. Or at least…" Crocodile's expression slipped into an aggravated scowl, teeth clenching down on his cigar. "I thought it did, until I was disabused of that notion. Fifteen years of ambition, sunk into a worthless heap of sand…"

It took every inch of royal discipline Vivi and Cobra had between them to keep themselves from reacting to Crocodile's dismissal of their country. Thankfully, from the way he sighed and waved his hand, they'd managed to succeed.

"But, so be it. The past is the past, and now I have other priorities. Because as it so happens, a single worthwhile investment is here that will be a key part of my plans going forward."

At her limit for inaction, Vivi stormed over to Crocodile until she was right in front of him, glaring murder at his face.

"What investment, you bastard?"

The man looked down at her with the same arrogant smirk. "I'm looking at her," he answered.

SHING!

That was the limit, and Vivi found herself flung backward a few steps as Chaka and Pell, both in their hybrid forms, rushed forward.

"If you think we'll let you hurt so much as a hair on her head, you're as mad as you are evil!" Pell shrieked, the hilt of his appropriated blade creaking in his talons.

Crocodile impassively regarded the blades crossed directly over his jugular, then loosed a derisive snort. "Cute," he drawled, before slipping clean through them, effortlessly maneuvering his body around the sea prism stone. "You can put the toys away, boys. I'm not here to hurt your precious little princess."

"You—!"

"If I wanted her powers, I'd have drained her dry before any of you could even think to blink." He raised his crimson-tinted hook, waggling it back and forth. "I think I've established that well enough, no?"

Vivi stared at the weapon, trying to find a counterargument. Though it killed her to admit it, she couldn't find one. Raising her hand, she signalled her Guardians to step back, which they did, glowering all the way.

"What are you after, Crocodile?" she asked.

"Wealth, fame, power, and all that which these things can bring me," Crocodile answered. "But in order to acquire these things, I'm in need of opportunities. Cracks and openings in the balance of the world, into which I can introduce my influence and grow all the more powerful. And while I could create these opportunities myself, why bother when there's already someone gallivanting across the oceans and knocking the status quo on its ass wherever he and his merry band of misfits choose to go?"

King Cobra's eyes widened in indignant rage. "My daughter would never help advance your insane ambitions!" he roared.

"Cobra, you senile fool, she and her friends advance them just by being themselves," Crocodile scoffed, waving his cigar dismissively. "All I need to do is follow along and pick up whatever broken pieces they leave in their wake. And if there is one thing I'll admit the Straw Hat Pirates are good at, it's breaking things. As such, rejoice! It is entirely to my benefit that the Straw Hat Pirates not only survive the next two years and reunite, but flourish in the process. Which circles back to why I'm here."

He locked eyes with Vivi, the smirk never leaving his face.

"No matter how many records you have to pore over, the fastest way you'll become a Logia worthy of the New World is to learn from one. Decades of practicing control and versatility, all the ruthlessness needed to survive the most dangerous ocean in the world, all of that stands before you. I think you already get it: the fact that you hate me is just another reason why I'm your best choice for growing stronger. So go ahead. Loathe me. Despise me. But if you want to get stronger, truly stronger, for the sake of your precious kingdom and friends…"

A flash of motion, and both Logias moved. Vivi only just caught Crocodile's hook with the blade of her Lion Cutter, only to be forced to her knees with the sheer force he pressed into the weapon. Down, down the Cutter went, until the very tip of his hand caught under her chin, and tipped her face up to stare up into his cruel sneer.

"Then you will accept my offer. Because you don't have any better choice, Miss Wednesday."

The sound of sloshing liquid came from the guards nearby, Crocodile rolling his eyes. Otherwise, silence fell on the proceedings - silence Vivi broke.

"Stand down."

Despite keeping her eyes on Crocodile, she could feel the incredulous shock rolling off of everyone else present.

"I hate him... but he's right. I swear I feel my tongue rotting in my mouth, but he's right."

Crocodile's smug grin grew at the words. "Let's start right away, then. I did anticipate that you might say no, so there's a sandstorm due to hit the city that you'll need to go dispel immediately."

The air cracked from the sheer tension, whether by Vivi's wind or her Haki.

"I will kill you," Vivi vowed. "One day, I swear, I will kill you and take back everything you've stolen from us."

"Now, now, is that any way for a good little princess to speak?"

Between one breath and another, a slicing dust devil spun into existence around her, and one word struck with all the frigid force of the north wind:

"Absolutely."

And the next moment, the literally screaming gale blasted its way into the sky, aimed at a sandy cyclone that had just crested the horizon.

Still utterly unperturbed, Crocodile reformed from the damage she'd wrought on him and turned back to the king.

"Now, then… do you still have my things?"

"…One word, Crocodile," Cobra swore, his eyes bearing as much hatred as Vivi's. "One word of you harming anyone in this country, one word of consent from Vivi—"

"You'll what, Cobra? See that I go straight to the deepest pits of hell itself? Sorry to inform you, but I've already been… and found it wanting."

And with the last word his, he marched out.

-o-

It was impossible to detect for anyone who wasn't an animal with a sensitive nose, or at least a Zoan. And even for such being, this particular scent trail was buried so far under the omnipresent stench of blood, gunsmoke, and adrenaline that it was impossible to find unless you were actively looking for it.

Su was actively looking for it and had been scampering around the war grounds so long that she was unsure the ash would ever wash out of her paws. She was roughly halfway to exhaustion, at her wits' end from avoiding the seemingly endless armed sides in this conflict, and yet her expression was one of excitement.

The tree was the root of the war; hence, if there was anything that every faction tried to avoid damaging, it was the tree's own roots. So who would stick around them long enough to find a well-hidden foxhole beneath a particularly knotted knoll?

Only someone who already knew what was there to find, Su reflected as she found the burrow still untouched from the first time she laid eyes upon it. She descended inside.

She wasn't surprised to find a labyrinth waiting for her: as Adam's trunk was colossal above, so was its root system titanic below. Yet the scent trail was plain to follow now. Anyone who made it this far on purpose would make it the rest of the way if they had any good animal sense. Which, now that she thought about it, seemed a little bit too easy…

Her fur stood up as she came to a fork, the scent directing one way far more strongly than the other. On a hunch, she took the path less travelled - and stopped in front of a window carved in the tunnel, through which she could see a thresher's worth of bone and wood spikes that would have awaited her had she taken the lower path.

[Okay, not that easy then…] Su muttered nervously. She resumed her travels much more cautiously, head on a swivel for any further 'surprises'.

She was not disappointed, and it was only after traversing what must have been at least two miles of trap-infested roots that Su managed to wriggle her way out of the last hairpin turn. But once she'd finished getting the dirt out of her tail and could properly behold her destination, the fox froze, overcome with joy, relief, and sheer awe.

[The Heart of the Eternal Firstborn… this… this is actually it! I found it!]

And that she had.

'Kitsune ni Mitsukerareru Kakure,' the riddle had said. And having found the answer, Su could now fully appreciate the cleverness of the name. The sensible and logical thing was to assume that it meant 'Village That Can Be Found By A Fox.' Su shook her head, a wry grin on her face, at the fact that even as a Straw Hat, she had overlooked the nonsense and madness option.

The correct translation was 'Village That Can Be Found In A Fox.'

Few organisms in the world had skeletal structures that could outsize the titanic bones that Skelter Bite had appropriated from Oars. The vulpine skeleton in front of Su was not one of them. That did nothing to diminish the majesty of the preserved canine. It lay suspended and cradled in the roots of the Jewel Tree Adam, the size of the Thousand Sunny, and utterly breathtaking.

But the true centrepiece of the tableau before her was the skeletal remains of nine tails, curled protectively about the skeleton's form.

[Blessed Tamamo…] Su whispered reverently, instinctively bending her neck and touching her nose to the ground. [Forgive my trespass, o Avatar of Inari, but this humble trickster is so glad to have finally laid eyes on you.]

Her exultation complete, Su raised her head and lifted her paw to make her way toward the fox's feet. But she didn't get the chance to make that step before her instincts prompted her to freeze, fur standing on end.

[Though, before I complete my pilgrimage…] Su said, slowly angling her gaze up. [I suppose it is only right I pay proper respect to your children first…]

On ledges around the entrance, peering down at her, were six other foxes. Except to call these entities mere foxes was a disservice, if not an insult.

Where she was about the size of a full-grown human's head, all of them were the size of a human. Where her fur was a natural grayish-white, all of them had pristine, ethereal snow-white fur with vibrant sky-blue highlights, lending them an almost unnatural radiance. An unnaturalness further enhanced by the glowing pools of pure white that were their eyes, and the trails of light that seemed to flow from them.

And most important of all, where Su had a single tail, none of them had fewer than three.

"How unexpected," a low voice came, one in a tongue that a human could understand - and also flanged just outside the realm of natural. The nearest fox gracefully hopped down from his perch and approached her. She remained still as he looked over her, padding around her form. "A guest… truly an auspicious occasion."

"It has been some time since the last pilgrimage…and for the one to manage it to be as a kit. She is a bold one, if nothing else," another onlooker opined, this one female.

Su slowly breathed in and out, dismissing her frustration at the designation. It was their ages, not hers…

"Well, if she has come to pay reverence to our dear mother, we must show the proper hospitality," a third declared, her tone mirthful. "Let us hear what the little one so desires that it drew her down from the heavens themselves, hm?"

Su couldn't hide a gulp at her species being sussed out that fast, but she swiftly mastered herself again. She lowered her snout once more, torso dropping into the closest thing to a bow she could manage.

[Children of Inari, you humble me with your attention. I am sorry to trespass on your holy grounds, but know that I do not do so lightly: my voyage thus far has been harrowing, life-threatening, and it is at most only halfway done. If I am to complete my voyage and support my friends in their struggles, then I am in dire need of strength. In need of the means to break reality, and twist fate itself to my will.]

Her courage bolstered by giving her pitch, Su dared raise her head and meet the ethereal foxes' gazes head-on.

[Children of Inari, I have come in search of the Blessing of Inari, and I will not leave until it is mine.]

"…well now. This one is bold indeed."

The other five foxes now dismounted and surrounded her, while the first turned towards the skeleton, inclining his head in a clear gesture to follow.

"She's come this far. It seems only right she lays eyes upon her goal," he declared.

"As for whether she is worthy of it… We shall see," another intoned.

Su was all but forced forward as they escorted her into the village proper. Her eyes spotted other foxes around as she went, confirming that these guardians were not the only Children. Butterflies fluttered in Su's stomach as they went. Not only was she feeling the anticipation of being so close to her goal, but the very air around her seemed invigorating.

"Hmmm, I see that she can feel it," said one of the guards, his voice quiet but reverent. "The fullness of Mother's power may have reincarnated for the next bearer, but the remnants have never left. In her very bones, in the very blood she passed down to us, even after generations, her blessings remain."

"Truly, mere 'devils' are ephemeral…" another sighed reverentially. "But that which is Divine is Eternal."

They came to a halt before a curtain of vines, strung before the entrance to the skeleton's ribcage. Three of the guards passed through ahead of the others. Su, fur standing on end again, waited a few seconds before the others ushered her forward, and she passed through the vines to behold a field of rice.

Giant stalks of the stuff reach for the shreds of sunlight that seep in through the tree above. Enough of them that the Children, with a little judicious scavenging of meat, would never need to enter the warzone above.

In the very center, plain to see and surrounded by the three guards, was a golden birdcage. And within it?

A single rice ball. And despite being plain white, the very grains themselves seemed to swirl in such a way as to cause migraines if gazed upon for too long.

"Even dormant, you see the power's potency. The true fruit lies among the countless white grains, yet it permeates every morsel around it."

[Ah… so, is it the ume or the actual rice?]

"Yes," instantly answered everyone in earshot, Su included. There was a shared moment of amusement before the solemnity returned, and the six of them surrounded her once more.

"Naturally, we cannot simply give her Mother's power. Not even any of our own have dared to take up her complete legacy."

"She has a long road ahead of her if she seeks to prove herself worthy of such an honour."

All of them sat down around her, front legs upright and their tails waving mystically behind them.

"It may take years, and it may take every ounce of dedication she has to succeed. But only one question matters: does she have the will to face such a challenge?"

Seconds stretched like eons, Su turning their words over in her head. There it was, the goal she'd been searching for, the force multiplier she'd desired for so long. That which could elevate her existence to a higher level, that which could make her a proper equal on her crew, even if only to contend with her own insecurities.

With all her dreams sitting before her, Su found that there was only one real answer she could give.

[…no.]

They stirred in response to her reply.

"Truly?" one of the foxes sniffed, raising her muzzle high. "To come so far and see the prize before her eyes, yet to shrink before what is necessary? Disappointing… but unsurprising."

[Oh, you misunderstand me.]

The very air seemed to thicken at Su's change in behaviour: her voice had lost its reverence, and her posture reflected defiance.

[I'm not saying I'm not willing to do what it takes to claim the Blessing of Inari. I'm just saying that I'm not willing to do the trials that you set for me. I'm on too tight of a schedule, too much to improve and too little time. And if that was my only issue, I'd submit in a heartbeat; I'm sure your trials would make me stronger. But there's a bigger problem. And you all know exactly what it is.]

Silence fell again. Silence stretched on long enough that Su began to wonder if she'd made a fatal error. But, finally, the six's solemn visages melted into smirks.

"I was mistaken, it seems: she is as cunning as she is bold."

"A kit truly worthy of making it to Mother."

"But not one worthy to take her power."

['Worthy' nothing: you're the trickiest of tricksters. Nobody's passed the trials since Tamamo died because they can't. You'd keep them coming until I died or gave up. Playing by your rules means that I lose. So allow me to speak like the pirate that I am: I'm taking your treasure, whether you like it or not!]

Su had expected condescension, howling laughter. And she couldn't deny that she felt unnerved when the atmosphere just shifted instead. It had been tense moments before. Now it weighed heavily with amusement. Lethal amusement.

"Aww, how cute! The new toy doesn't want to play with us!"

"We'll just have to break her sooner, then."

"Oh, let me break her jaw! The sounds they make are always so funny!"

[Brutal bastards, aren't you…]

"We have lived with conflict since time immemorial. Perhaps our tastes have warped a tad, but don't worry. You'll learn to appreciate it."

"That or go mad. Either one is fine!"

[You don't know my kin, do you? I'm one of the Straw Hat Pirates. When we don't like our options, we make our own.]

The foxes didn't react as Su flicked her tail, revealing a small orange gun that she caught in her teeth. But as she sprang into the air, they were still taken aback when she fired it.

The fiery projectile that it shot went straight through one of the field's skylights rather than at any of them. She landed and let the gun fall from her mouth.

"Is she attempting to stall us by showing all the good sense granted to a drunkard?"

"Bewilderment is powerful. But fleeting."

Su ignored the jabs in favour of turning up her nose at them. [This is your last chance. Give me that rice ball now, and you won't get hurt.]

Their response was for one of their number to break ranks and lash a kick at her side, and it was only with the training she'd gotten over the past few months that she was able to leap out of the way of a blow that would have sent her flying.

"Impressive agility," the guide drawled. "But the kit is still decades too young to challenge us. And she is all alone."

[Yeah, being alone is really bad,] she said, smirking. [That's why I packed a flare gun.]

As one, the foxes blinked.

"What's a flare?"

BOOM!

The foxes yelped at the sudden blast of heat and force, leaping away from the source. They landed on their feet, snarling at where the ceiling above them had collapsed, raining debris on their rice field and letting the sun into their sanctuary. And the cause was most unwelcome.

"Trespasser!" "Defiler!" "Humans are not welcome here!" the guards howled like a chorus of the damned.

"I'm very sorry," the human responded coolly, scooping up Su in one arm. "But you threatened my friend. So I'm afraid I have no choice but to desecrate your holy land and topple your religion. It's really starting to become something of a habit for me."

The six of them leaped at her, claws and fangs aimed to preserve their own peace and order—

And then she jumped. She jumped surprisingly high, tucking her legs against the wall as though to leap off in another direction. They tensed, ready to leap in whatever direction she landed, any second now—

FWUMP!

Then their jaws hit the ground when she suddenly grew wings, pushing off the wall and gliding through the air away from them. The shock took a second to wear off, by which time it was far too late: she was within reach of the golden cage, smacking the guards aside with frustrating ease. Only then did she draw her pistols.

They darted forward, prepared to dodge whatever lethal blows the intruder fired. They were utterly unprepared for her weapons to produce floating masses of murky water that filled the area around them, slowing them down and blinding them. Even extracting themselves from the marsh taxed them, normal force proving feeble. By the time they were free, the two intruders were gone. And so was their treasure.

All six of them came to the same conclusion that they would never admit: the kit had proven worthy of Tamamo's power. After all, she had outfoxed them.

They would further deny that the fresh breeze blowing through Tamamo's skull almost sounded like laughter.

-o-

When it became clear that they weren't being pursued and were still close enough to the roots to avoid the warring factions, Conis leaned against the nearest mass of wood and took the chance to catch her breath.

"Su, su su," Su panted beside her.

"No problem, Su… but let's not waste any more time," she said, straining a bit with the cage before tearing off its metal door and taking out the rice ball. "Open wide."

The fox tilted her head back and opened her mouth, and Conis shoved the entire confection between her jaws. Her mouth closed as her eyes shot wide open, blank white and with the kind of brittle texture that reminded her of that time Vivi had tried making pasta from scratch. Visibly straining, Su gulped, swallowing the Devil Fruit and everything with it.

"GROWF! ROWF, YIP! YEACK!"

And as soon as her airway was clear, she spat out a series of noises that Conis was forever grateful Soundbite was not present to translate. Especially considering her body language, which was heavy on thrashing and flailing.

"I am so, so sorry, Su…" Conis apologized, hands raised placatingly - which conveniently hid the smile on her face at her dear friend's current state.

"SUUU…" If the gimlet glare Su was hammering into her was anything to go by, Conis hadn't managed to keep the laughter out of her voice as well as she'd hoped.

So she let it out instead, one hand coming to her mouth in a vain attempt to hide her giggling. Su bristled all over - and scampered to a nearby section of root, wrapping her jaws around it and gnawing with all she had, clearly trying to rid her tongue of the awful taste.

Conis snickered a bit more at her friend's predicament before sobering up and staring at Su with deadly seriousness. "All kidding aside, can you tell if it actually worked? Did you get what you were looking for?"

Su abruptly stopped gnawing. Withdrawing from the root, she bowed her head in concentration. After a moment, her head snapped up, her typically hidden eyes glowing a baleful, unnatural shade of blue.

"Suu…SUUUUU!"

The fox's head snapped back as she loosed an ethereal-tinged howl, her fur rippling as an unseen wind blew through it.

Conis held her breath as she waited to see what would come of such a miraculous display of sheer power…!

Ten Minutes Later…

Conis heaved a tired sigh, once more glancing up from her watch to scan her surroundings, her foot tapping an impatient staccato on the ground. Su was still screaming. Now that she thought about it, Conis was starting to doubt whether or not Su had actually taken a breath in the past few minutes. And while that was impressive, it was probably not healthy, especially given their present circumstances.

Honestly, when was this display going to come to a hea—?

"—UUUUuuuu…SU!"

Then, all at once, the fox's voice subsided, and seeing that all the light had pooled into her tail, Conis' annoyance fled from a wave of anticipation. She watched without blinking as the fox leapt into the air—

POP!

And a burst of smoke came over her, hiding her from view. It cleared quickly, and Conis stared at the new form of her friend. She blinked once. Twice.

Then she fell on her back, howling with laughter.

"I-I'm so s-s-sorry, Su, but—HAHAHAHAHA! The buildup, the confidence, and it was just—HAAAAHAHAHA!"

The little white fox, just as little and just as white as before, swished both of her tails in agitation. Agitation that seemed directed mostly at her own powers, seeing as she'd turned her head to snap and snarl at her second tail.

Conis allowed her laughter to wind down to mere chuckling, then amused sobriety. She stood, clutching herself with a somewhat lost expression.

"Well, learning curve aside, you've got what you need now," she said, speaking as much to herself as Su, who refocused on her human. "It'll be rough training, I'm sure, but nothing that we're not used to already. But what does that leave me?"

She peered at the ground around her, absently kicking a pebble into a nearby chasm with firelight pouring out of it. "I don't know if I'd have better luck trying to put out the fire on the island or the flames of war in all of these factions. Where am I supposed to start?"

Without waiting for an answer, she started walking back toward their bunker, Su on her heels. It was an open question how much longer it would last as a sanctuary or if they'd find an answer before it did. But still—

Both of them stopped as a gunshot rang out, darting behind cover to the right, bullet after bullet firing… not in their direction? And they heard the sound of a body falling nearby, too.

Peering out, they saw a fallen, bloodstained figure clutching a smoking gun, a fallen body a ways off that still had its fingers locked in its own guns. But a closer look showed that the fallen soldier was grievously injured as well. And then further observation revealed a chilling fact: that there was no soldier at all, but a child. A teenager at best, dressed in ragged armour and clothes and clutching a gun in a white-knuckled grip, but definitely not an adult.

Conis's legs were moving before she even realized it, dashing out of cover and skidding to her knees by the injured child, one hand pressing his weapon into the ground while another locked onto his shoulder and kept him pressed against the wall.

"Hold still," she ordered urgently, her eyes scanning over him as she recalled her White Beret training. "I need to see how badly you're hurt, try not to—!"

"Su, su!"

Su's franting yipping was the only warning Conis got…

Kachack.

Because the familiar noise of a gun cocking was simultaneous with the equally familiar sensation of cool metal pressed into the back of her neck.

"Don't move."

He had reinforcements waiting. She couldn't see the boy behind her, but the voice told her all she needed to know of his age.

"Hands where I can see them," the other boy ordered. She slowly obliged, holding them up. Immediately, the fallen boy pointed his gun in her face, or tried to. He was still shaking, and she grimaced as she saw the pallor of his face. He was losing too much blood. Her fists clenched, and then after a moment's consideration, Conis lowered her arms and grabbed at the boy's chest, searching the growing bloodstain for his gunshot wound.

"I said—!" the voice behind her snarled, pressing his gun harder into her neck.

"He's already dying, what are you worried about me doing?" she snapped. "If you're going to shoot me, then at least hold off until I can save his life."

The gun at her neck didn't move, but the boy behind her didn't speak again, nor did he pull the trigger.

She found the wound quickly, a hole in his side that was still bleeding profusely. Nodding to herself, she reached into her coat and withdrew the cloths, bandages, and salve that she wouldn't leave her base without.

"This might feel worse before it feels better," she said, dabbing some salve on a cloth. Wiping the wound down, she carefully secured the bandages around his waist once, twice, thrice - and that was when the roll ran out. Conis frowned. It was a quick fix, yes, but it shouldn't have run out that quickly. She needed more…

An image of a gaunt Marine crossed her mind, and she smiled to herself before gripping her trenchcoat's hem and tearing off three long strips. Bound together, it was enough to secure the wound.

"Anywhere else?" she asked, already gripping her coat again. The wounded boy, whose look of suspicion hadn't even faltered as she bound him up, scoffed.

"No. What are you playing at? Whose side are you on?"

"Side? Nobody's."

The guns snapped right back up, this time with more hostility.

"Nobody on this island is on anybody's side. Answer or you're dead."

Conis swallowed audibly, her brain attempting to find a way to explain the truth to them. But it was with a sinking pit in her gut that she realized she couldn't. Neither of these children seemed inclined, or even capable, of understanding any explanation Conis gave them that didn't fit their current world-view. So if the truth wouldn't work, what could she say that would disincline them… from…

An answer came to her in a flash, and before she could think better of it, she blurted the first word that came to mind.

"Yours."

The boys blinked, obviously surprised, and Conis doubled down on the opening.

"I'm not an enemy. I'm on your side," she insisted, slowly allowing a kind smile to spread across her features.

The two boys looked between her and each other for a few seconds. When they looked back at her, they were still stern and distrustful, but the doubt and confusion in their glares gave the angel hope.

"No, you're not, we've never seen you before," the uninjured child stated.

"Then in that case, I'd like to properly enlist. Show me to your leader."

Her request drew the kids up, open confusion passing between them. The uninjured boy looked between her and the fallen one, and slowly lowered his gun.

"Fine," he said quietly. "We'll give you a chance."

'And I will give you a chance,' Conis swore silently. She carefully but effortlessly hoisted the injured boy on her shoulder, drawing quickly hidden surprise from both of them, and they were on their way.

"My name is Conis. What's yours?" she asked, only to immediately flinch as her mind caught up with her mouth. Because on this island, the only response she could imagine was—

"Private Nils, J9K7," the healthy boy said.

"Corporal Gunnar, V6N4," the injured boy wheezed.

…that.

"A pleasure," she answered immediately, despite her insides roiling at the latest injustice heaped on the pile. A companionable silence fell between them, which Conis used to workshop over how to get an in on whatever faction these boys represented without having to go full Wiper, while potentially dealing with yet another Wiper…

"By the way, you gonna eat that?"

Conis glanced at Nils, and seeing that his eyes were turned towards her shoulder, she snapped her hand up to restrain her newly empowered friend.

"SUUUU! SU SU SU, SUSUSU! SU!"

"It's going to be a long two years…" Conis sighed.

-o-

Merry dusted off her pitch-coated hands, a smile on her face at the sight before her. What had once been the Fishmen's camp was now a single super-tent, strategically reinforced with spare planks (pay no attention to the odd stains coating them), sitting in front of a small fire pit. Surrounding the much-shrunken encampment was every single booby-trap her devious mind could come up with: all of them hurt, encumbered, and/or made a hell of a racket. Those fishmen weren't going to be sneaking up on her camp anytime soon!

"Let's see…" she hummed. "Tent's up, fire pit's placed and wood gathered, booby traps are armed, dangerous—" She pulled out a map she had drawn on the back of an old dinner menu. "—And very well-marked. I've got plenty of supplies. I'd say that's everything!"

Merry tucked the map away. And then slowly fell back onto the ground with a quiet, dusty 'Thump!' A pained, tired groan wormed out of her mouth.

"That took forever…" she whined. "And my hands hurt… 'M probably gonna get blisters…"

A minute passed in the Locker, the only sound the creaking groan of the ships slowly settling into the abyss. Then, Merry slapped her hands to her cheeks.

"Okay, whining session over," she told herself. "Time for long-term planning. I've got a week's worth of food and water, so I'm gonna need to keep scavenging. Which means the newest ships are closest to the edge. Which means risking run-ins with Sea Kings and those salvager assholes." A prospect she didn't particularly relish, but at least she wouldn't be hurting too badly for throwable projectiles anytime soon.

"Main priority: get stronger." She grimaced. "Problem is, I have no idea how. Maybe I could ask some of the older ships…?"

After a few minutes of thought, she turned up no better ideas, so she tabled the subject and moved on to her next item.

"Note to self: start drawing up ideas for peeling that damn robobear like a tin can." A pause. "And save it for when I'm feeling down, because wow, I feel better already!"

That left one last item, and it was one that killed Merry's mood in a hurry. Ignoring her aching muscles, the girl-ship rolled over onto her side, unconsciously curling up in a fetal position as she tried to pointly ignore the howling vortex at the center of the graveyard.

"How the hell am I gonna get out of here…?"

The despair of her situation weighed on her for a while; she was in no danger of dying as long as she stayed in the graveyard, but she would inevitably need a way out, and she couldn't use the way she came in. It may have been hours before she finally mustered the will to raise her head and look back at the wrecks.

"Oi, geezers. Don't suppose any of you lot got any clues on how the hell to get out of here? You know, that doesn't involve tipping over that final edge into the great ever after?"

For a few seconds, all Merry heard was the ever-present creaking of timbers and the howl of the vortex. Heaving a sigh, the ship-girl turned over in an effort to get some sleep—

"The Threshold."

Before her eyes abruptly shot wide open.

"Yes, the Threshold."

"You must sail up the Threshold."

"The Threshold is the only way."

Merry scrambled into an upright position, whipping her head about with an ear-to-ear grin.

"Well, bloody hell, that sounds like a winner! Where's this Threshold thingy, then?!"

The crack of splintering wood rang out, and Merry beheld a timber collapsing so that its end was pointing… directly into the center of the Locker.

Directly at the central vortex.

Merry stared at the 'exit' she'd been given for nearly a full minute before choosing to respond. "Ah. I see. That goes all the way to the top, doesn't it?"

"Of course."

"Obviously."

Merry continued staring for another minute before flopping onto her back with a defeated groan. "Fucking great. Eeeeergh… don't suppose any of you lot feel up for one more ride from beyond the grave? In, like, two years, but still."

Rather than any immediate, tangible responses, the only answer Merry received was a wave of sheer confusion.

"Why do you ask?"

"Why do you require help?"

"Why do you not sail upon it yourself?"

That last question caused Merry to jerk up again, an exasperated glare on her face. "Have you spontaneously gone senile? That's what I need the ship for! How am I supposed to sail if I don't have a ship!"

"You are a ship."

The sheer bluntness threw Merry for a loop, but she swiftly rallied and crossed her arms with a huff. "That's… kinda right… But still! At the moment, I'm still human, and even if I could go back to how I was, which I can't without killing myself, that still leaves two very big problems: first, I don't have any mates to crew me, so I'd be dead in the water, and second, and perhaps much more pertinent!" she flung her arms out, displaying herself for all to see. "I'm a Devil Fruit user, so I'd literally be dead in the water! In case you've forgotten how all this works, I can't swim!"

And then, just like that, the Locker went silent.

Not the Threshold's howl, or the few winds it kicked up. But the rest? The creaks of timbers, the groans of rotted ropes, fell dead silent.

And in that silence, the next statement was like a cannonshot.

"…We do not ask you to swim."

Merry reeled at the intensity of the message, so loaded with determination. "Ah—?"

"We would never ask you to swim," another ship declared, heralding a rising chorus of the nautical dead.

"You cannot swim. This has ever been true."

"You should not swim. This is a fact."

"To swim is not in your nature."

Merry's head whipped back and forth as the voices of the dead echoed about her, understanding what they said but knowing she was missing what they meant. Until finally, the choir united in a single voice. The same message was delivered with all the force, truth, and earthshaking impact of Luffy's declaration that he would be the Pirate King.

"You have never swum in your life."

And in that instant, their words crashed over Merry like the first wave of a high tide, understanding striking her harder than any current. She stared in awe as her mind reeled with the implications, the possibilities…

The chance that maybe… she could… she could…

"OK… that… that's a thing…" Merry breathed, a hand shakily reaching up to cradle her head. But even with her newfound clarity, that still left her with a problem, one that made her gnaw at her lip. "But… but still… I-I still don't have a crew. I managed to sail myself once, but that was completely different, and it almost killed me. And even without that, I still can't go back to being a ship without splitting in two. It's still… impossible…?" But even as she said it, she could hear the doubt present in her own voice.

"Then do the impossible."

And Merry, first ship and helmsgirl of the Straw Hat Pirates, could make no argument to that.

It was going to take a lot of introspection and practice, but those words brought a memory to mind. A single, hazy memory, so far away, but if she followed that line of thought, then maybe, potentially… could she one day—?

Crrrrreeeeak…

She snapped out of her stupor at that sound, looking around in confusion. She knew the sound of a ship's timbers creaking, but she had never heard it that…muffled, before.

"New company."

"A new arrival."

"Incoming."

The words were 'spoken' with all the formality of a hotel bellman who uttered the same phrase a thousand times a day. Merry frowned, scanning the black seas outside the coral trees.

"Oh, if they shoot out and crush my camp, I am going to be pissed…"

Thankfully for Merry, the ship was ejected from the vortex at an angle away from her humble camp, crashing down onto the seafloor a good way off from where she was positioned.

But even at that distance, Merry's eyes nearly leapt from her skull.

"SHIVER ME BLOODY TIMBERS, IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS?!"

-14 Days After the War-

[Argh, how much longer before we get to leave this Archipelago? It feels like it's been two years already!]

[Dude, it's only been two weeks, calm down. Seriously, you should take a leaf out of his book.]

A vein pulsed in Mikey's head. He whirled on his fellow dugong, not even looking in the direction Donny was pointing.

[HE'S DEADER THAN BROOK!] he yelled.

And indeed, the youngest Dugong wasn't wrong: in both the state of his body and the total stillness he'd maintained since arriving, Bartholomew 'Tyrant' Kuma did indeed put their undead musician to shame.

[…I'm impressed, that comeback was technically accurate,] Donny drawled.

[The best kind of accurate!] Leo chimed in.

[He has a point, though,] Raphey admitted, shoving Mikey aside, which cut off his budding explosion. [At this point, I almost wish we were dealing with wherever the Hell everyone else is instead. The war was a rollercoaster, but it's over now, and none of the aftershocks are hitting us. If anyone comes back and finds that we've been twiddling our flippers for two years? Never mind the shame and embarrassment, we'd get kicked off the crew!]

Her (relatively) smarter brothers gulped, a deathly pallor falling over them. [More likely into a stewpot, but point well made…] Donny whimpered.

All four of them shuddered.

[Remember how you're feeling now, boys.]

The quartet looked up at Boss, who was staring off into the distance again. But this time, his gaze wasn't turned towards the Red Line.

[Remember how stir-crazy you're feeling with this reprieve, and keep it in mind when the training gets harder than anything I've yet put you through. Then you can decide whether you'd prefer it.]

The four disciples exchanged confused looks. Without a word, the four of them came up beside Boss. And when they saw what he was looking at, they froze.

Because in the dead of night, they saw more lanterns shining in the distance than the whole of Skelter Bite. Just on the horizon was a downright insane quantity of ships, comparable to the Dead End Race that they had been part of less than a month ago.

[Now, a lot of these folks, these rookies, are only going along with the new tide. They'll be weak. Pathetic, even, having never held a weapon in their lives. But the thing about a rising tide lifting all boats…] Boss trailed off, expecting them to fill in the blanks.

[Is that we're getting everyone…] Leo summarized grimly. [The weaklings, but also a fresh crop of prodigies and veterans. People who have never had any reason or inclination to leave their islands until now. And they're all coming here.]

[And Sebek only knows how many of them are going to try coming after Sunny when they find out that we're the only ones guarding him,] Raphey added quietly. [The clout, the gold, the armoury, the wood…we're standing between them and the potential to be set for life.]

[And look at where we are,] Donny said, though none of them took their eyes from the horizon. [Land on one side, ocean on the other. We're gonna be sandwiched from below and above.]

[So… we've got to keep our defences perfect. Constantly. In every direction. With no guaranteed backup besides Kuma. For two years,] Mikey concluded quietly.

For another minute, the five of them stared solemnly at the horizon.

Then, in perfect unison, the four disciples drew their weapons, the slightest smirks playing across all of their faces.

[Well. It would be rude not to offer them a proper welcome to the threshold of the New World. Permission to start culling some of the more questionable ones?] Leo asked.

[Granted. Be back before dawn,] Boss answered.

All four of them shot into the air, Mikey and Leo climbing higher while Donny and Raphey plunged into the water. And the moment their backs were turned, Boss allowed himself a satisfied smirk.

[Couldn't be prouder, boys,] he said softly. He took one last drag of his cigar and turned his expression downward as he tapped out the ashes. Securing it back in his lips, he took up his hook and started spinning it, eyes laser-focused on something below the surface.

He dove overboard without another word, primed for combat.

Utterly unaffected, Bartholomew Kuma maintained his lifeless vigil.

Thousand Sunny, the ship fated to carry the Pirate King to the final island, all but glowed with hope.

And even in the face of the daunting challenge that awaited, no small amount of eagerness.

As was only appropriate for a Straw Hat.