Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Mid-afternoon settled gently over Angel Island, bright and open beneath a clean blue sky. The White-White Sea gleamed beyond the shore in soft, rolling swells, while the island-cloud beneath Nami's sandals gave with that strange springy softness she still had not adjusted to. A simple bag was slung over her left shoulder, packed with clothes and a few necessities for both her and Robin. A breeze rolled in now and then, lifting her tangerine hair and tugging lightly at the yellow short-sleeved shirt she had pulled on over her bikini top after coming ashore. Beside her, Conis kept an easy pace as she guided Nami away from Angel Beach and up the grand cloud-staircase. Su trotted a little ahead of them, her fluffy white tail swishing happily.

Nami placed one hand on her hip as they climbed, glancing up the long stretch of stairs ahead with a grimace. "For a place made of clouds, you people have a lot of stairs."

Conis blinked, then gave a small apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I suppose I don't notice them much anymore."

"Lucky you."

"We can take our time," Conis offered. "There is no need to hurry."

Nami glanced up again, then sighed. "Good. Because I refuse to be defeated by a staircase in heaven."

Conis covered a soft laugh with one hand. "Your friends seemed to manage it rather well."

Nami's mouth curved as a thought came to mind. "Let me guess. Usopp complained the most?"

"Well…" Conis's smile turned sheepish. "He did seem to struggle a little."

"Yeah, that sounds right." Nami could already picture it in her head. Usopp would finally reach the top of the stairs, hands dropping to his buckling knees as he wheezed for air, his face slick with sweat. Then he would make up some ridiculous imaginary disease for why he could never take those stairs again and insist someone should carry him next time. Finally, she would smack him in the back of the head the second he asked her to do it and call him an idiot.

"Is he not used to climbing?"

"Usopp is used to surviving things he has no business surviving," Nami replied. "Climbing is different."

Conis tilted her head, curious.

Nami lifted a finger, slipping naturally into explanation. "Luffy, Robin, and Chopper have Devil Fruit powers. Zoro and Sanji are just ridiculous. Usopp and I are the normal ones."

Conis considered that. "And Kevin?"

Nami hesitated for the smallest fraction of a second. "He's not one of us," she said. "We brought him along because he knew how to get us up here."

Conis watched her face. "But he is strong?"

"Very," Nami said, her voice flat with certainty. "Strong enough that if he ever became a problem, fighting him would be the worst possible plan."

Her mind flashed back to his fight against the crew's three strongest, and how Kevin had walked away victorious without any serious injuries.

"That sounds serious."

"It is." Nami's eyes narrowed faintly. "Which means I'd rather know what he's hiding before it becomes our problem."

Before Conis could ask, Nami glanced back over her shoulder at the sea-clouds below them. A pleased little smile tugged at her mouth despite the climb. "Still, the Waver almost made the death-trip worth it."

Conis brightened. "You enjoyed riding it?"

"Enjoyed it?" Nami looked at her. "Conis, that thing is amazing."

The other girl's smile warmed at once.

"It handles strangely at first," the orange-haired girl continued, her hands moving slightly as she spoke. "The thrust doesn't respond like a normal boat. It's all balance and timing, and the sea-clouds give just enough underneath you to make turns tricky. But once you feel how the Breath Dial pushes against the surface, it starts making sense."

Conis stared at her with open admiration. "You understood that from one ride?"

Nami's smile turned smug as she pointed at herself. "Navigator."

"That explains everything?"

"It explains most things."

Conis laughed softly. "You really did learn quickly."

Nami waved a hand, though she did not look displeased. "I wouldn't say I've mastered it yet. I want to try again later."

"Of course. I would be happy to lend it to you."

"Good." Nami looked back toward the beach where the Waver had been secured. "Next time, I want sharper turns."

"Sharper?"

"I almost fell twice. That means I'm close."

Conis looked mildly alarmed. "Is that how Blue Sea navigators learn?"

"The good ones."

They continued climbing, but a quietness followed the joke. At first, Nami thought Conis was only watching the path. Then she noticed the other girl's smile had faded into something quieter. Not polite nor distracted. Sad.

Nami slowed slightly. "Conis?"

The blonde girl startled. "Yes?"

"You disappeared for a second."

"Oh." She lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry."

"That wasn't an answer."

"It's nothing you need to worry about."

Nami studied her. Conis was gentle, almost painfully so, but she was not hard to read right now. Whatever had crossed her mind had not been small.

"This is about Upper Yard, isn't it?"

Conis's shoulders drew in. "I spoke too firmly on the beach earlier. I apologize if I frightened you."

"You didn't."

Conis looked at her.

Nami clicked her tongue. "Fine. A little. But if a place is dangerous, I'd rather hear that before I ride straight into it."

The answer should have helped, but it didn't.

Conis's face tightened again, and this time she could not hide it.

Nami caught it immediately. "That's not all."

Su stopped ahead of them and turned back with a small, puzzled squeak. "Sue?"

Conis halted too, hugging her arms close as if that might hold everything in place. For a moment, she stared down at the cloud-stair beneath their feet.

"I failed to warn someone before," she said quietly.

Nami's posture changed. "Who?"

"A Blue Sea dweller," Conis answered. "A few days ago. He arrived here alone."

Nami waited.

"He was lost," she continued. "Confused. Scared, I think. Though he tried very hard to hide behind jokes instead."

Nami's eyes sharpened, but her voice stayed even. "What was his name?"

Conis's expression softened with the memory. "Ben."

The name landed cleanly.

Nami kept her face still.

"Ben," she repeated.

Conis nodded. "He was strange, but kind. Some of his jokes made no sense to me at first." A small, fragile smile touched her mouth. "When I told him I worked at a café, he called me a sky barista."

Nami huffed faintly. "That sounds like him."

Conis looked at her.

She corrected quickly, "Like something a Blue Sea idiot would say."

"I suppose so." Conis looked toward Su, who had padded back closer to her ankles. "Su found him first on Angel Beach. She brought him to me, and I brought him home. Father and I did not know what else to do. He had no way to contact his home, and he did not understand Skypiea at all."

"That sounds like you and your dad," Nami said.

Conis blinked.

The navigator shrugged, looking away as if the compliment was nothing. "You're both too nice for your own good."

The blonde girl's smile softened. "We only thought no one should be alone in a place they don't understand."

"See? Too nice."

Conis gave a quiet laugh, then continued. "We gave him dinner and let him stay with us. Ben asked about everything. Island-clouds, sea-clouds, Dials, Wavers. He looked at Skypiea as if the whole island had fallen out of a dream."

"To be fair," Nami said, glancing around at the impossible cloud city, "this place is insane."

"That is exactly what he said."

Nami's mouth twitched.

Conis's smile faded again. "But he was sad too. He said he could not return home."

Nami's fingers brushed unconsciously against the silver pendant resting on her chest.

For a moment, she was not looking at Conis anymore. She was back on the Going Merry's aft deck, standing near her tangerine trees while the South Bird picked at the slices Kevin had peeled for it. She remembered the way his teasing had faded when she told him those trees were mostly there because she wanted to bring a piece of home with her.

He had gone quiet. Not awkwardly, and not because he did not know what to say. His face had softened, like the word home had reached into him and found something raw. For once, he had not made a joke or sarcastic remark. He had only looked at her trees and said he understood.

Nami's brows lowered slightly.

Conis did not notice. "I wanted to help him think about something else. So I showed him Father's workshop and explained how Wavers worked."

The tangerine-haired girl looked back at her.

The Skypiean girl's smile returned, small and fond. "Then Ben made his own."

Nami stopped walking. "He what?"

Conis stopped too. "Made his own Waver."

"Just like that?"

"Well… not exactly like that." She looked sheepish. "His method was quite unorthodox."

"Unorthodox how?"

"I'm not sure how to explain it." Conis's brows pinched together as she searched for the right words. "It was very fast. Very loud. And… alarmingly enthusiastic."

Nami stared at her.

"The result worked," Conis added quickly. "It was not a standard Waver by any measure. More like a board. He said he had used something similar where he came from."

"A board," Nami repeated.

"Yes. He could ride it almost immediately." The blonde's smile warmed. "Just like you."

Nami's thumb pressed lightly against the pendant. This guy built a new Waver just like that?

Another memory came to her.

"Let me guess, you have some kind of monster form that can repair houses too?" she had asked.

"Of course not. It would be weird if it could only fix houses after all, which is why it can fix almost anything."

When Kevin had transformed into that small, red, devil-like monster he called Juryrigg, he had repaired Cricket's house and reattached the Going Merry's damaged bow in barely two minutes. Something that should have taken a proper crew much longer, and the end result likely still would not have been as good.

And he did all that while laughing manically. It matched Conis's description very well.

Conis looked toward the distant shimmer of the White-White Sea. "We rode together that afternoon. He looked happy then. Truly happy. For a little while, I think he forgot how lost he was." Her hands tightened around her arms. "Then I left for my evening shift. I thought he would stay near Angel Island."

Nami's thoughts sharpened. Kevin's story about Skypiea. His warning about Eneru. Her face stayed steady, but inside, one piece slid into another with a quiet click. "He went to Upper Yard," she said.

Conis nodded. "Yes."

Nami's jaw tightened. "And Eneru found him."

"Eneru judged him," she said softly. "For trespassing on holy land."

The name settled coldly between them.

The man with lightning powers Kevin had warned them about. A man who could apparently hear conversations from far away. Someone who, according to Robin, may have had the power of a lightning Logia.

Conis's hands trembled. "We saw the judgment from Angel Island. A great bolt came down from the sky." Her eyes shone, but she kept her voice gentle, almost careful. "There is no way anyone could survive that."

Nami's mind moved faster than her face.

So far, Kevin's story about Skypiea was tracking. He had woken up on Angel Beach, befriended two Skypieans who were clearly Conis and Pagaya, ridden a Waver he had likely built with Juryrigg, encountered Eneru, and survived something Conis understandably believed had killed him.

But there was one very important difference.

Kevin was not Kevin.

His real name was Ben.

Nami turned the thought over carefully, keeping it locked behind her eyes. He had told the truth about almost everything else, which somehow made the lie stand out even more.

Why only his name?

Did he not trust them? Or was it something else?

Conis wiped at one eye, embarrassed by the tear before it could fully fall. "I keep thinking if I had warned him sooner, he might still be alive."

Nami looked at her and for one second, she almost said it.

He is.

The words sat right there. She could have taken that grief off Conis's face with two syllables.

But she did not.

Kevin, or Ben, had not revealed himself for a reason. Most likely, he wanted to keep the element of surprise against Eneru. That was why he had shown up disguised as his best friend instead of walking around Skypiea with his real face and real name. If Eneru could really hear people from far away, then one careless word could ruin everything.

And with her crew, carelessness was sometimes expected.

Luffy would shout the wrong name at the worst possible time. Usopp would panic and expose half the plan by accident. Chopper might blurt it out from worry. Sanji would be too busy yelling threats at whatever hurt Nami or Robin to think about secrecy. Even Zoro, for all his bluntness, might let it slip if he decided the lie was pointless.

Robin was honestly the only one Nami could see not ruining Ben's plan.

Nami exhaled quietly through her nose.

So that was why. He had given them a fake name because his real one was dangerous here. Truthfully, it was a legitimate concern, and she could not blame him for it.

That did not mean she had to like it.

Nami stepped closer to Conis. "Listen to me. That wasn't your fault."

Conis looked at her, startled by the firmness. "But I should have told him."

"You didn't send him there."

"No, but…"

"You didn't make him go exploring." Nami continued to insist and Conis lowered her gaze. "And if he was anything like the idiots I travel with, warning him might not have stopped him anyway."

A tiny, sad laugh escaped Conis before she could stop it. "Ben might have done that."

"There you go."

"But he still should have known," she said softly. "Even if he ignored me, he should have known. I was kind to him, but I was not careful."

Nami's expression softened despite herself. "Being kind matters too."

Conis looked down, absorbing that with difficulty.

They started walking again, slower this time. Su kept ahead of them, but she glanced back more often now, her little ears twitching.

Nami's fingers tightened once against her own arm.

Ben had come back here to the place where people thought he had died. He had walked back into the home of the girl who blamed herself for his supposed death and said nothing, all to protect her from an angry Kami's wrath.

It was annoying, stupid, and self-sacrificing in the worst possible way.

Nami turned her head slightly, trying to shake the thought off. She clicked her tongue under her breath. She was paying attention to Ben. Too much attention. And that was the really irritating part.

…

Lunch had taken over the main room of Pagaya and Conis's house by the time Nami and Conis returned.

The table was crowded with plates, bowls, and steaming dishes, all arranged with careful attention. Neatly sliced fruit sat beside lightly grilled sky-fish, warm bread, bowls of fragrant stew, and a few dishes Sanji had somehow made look more elegant than they had any right to.

Luffy was already seated far too close to the food, saliva building at the corner of his mouth while one hand crept toward a plate. Chopper sat beside him, practically vibrating with anticipation. Usopp had claimed a spot near the middle of the table with the air of a man preparing to tell an important story over lunch. Zoro leaned back against the wall with his arms folded, looking half-bored and half-ready to eat regardless. Robin sat gracefully near one end, her chin resting lightly against one hand as she watched the others with quiet amusement.

Sanji turned the instant the door opened.

"Nami-swan!" he sang, nearly sparkling as he crossed the room. "You've returned. Did you have fun? Tell me the sun was gentle on your—"

Sanji paused when he noticed something different about her.

"Yeah, I had a good time." Nami stepped inside, brushing a hand through her orange hair. Su trotted in after her and Conis. Nami then noticed Sanji's disappointed expression. "Something wrong?"

Sanji looked away, teary eyed. "You…put on a t-shirt."

Nami was unimpressed. "Yeah, I did." She set her bag aside. "Is lunch ready?"

The cook straightened at once. "For you? Always."

Usopp leaned toward Chopper and muttered, "Notice how that didn't answer whether lunch is ready for us."

Chopper whispered back, "Maybe we're included?"

"We are garnish."

Conis smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry if we kept everyone waiting."

Pagaya waved that off with his usual mild smile. "Not at all, Conis. The timing is just right."

Nami's gaze swept the room, counting faces automatically.

Luffy. Zoro. Usopp. Sanji. Chopper. Robin. Pagaya. Conis.

No Kevin.

Her expression stayed casual. Her eyes did not. "Where's Kevin?"

Robin's gaze shifted toward her for the briefest moment.

Luffy perked up from his seat, one hand still hovering dangerously close to the grilled fish. "Levin went walking around."

"Kevin," Usopp corrected. "It's two syllables, Luffy. Two."

Luffy frowned. "Le-vin."

"That's still wrong!" Usopp comically yelled while slapping the air.

Nami folded her arms. "He went alone?"

Zoro cracked one eye open. "Said he was looking around town."

"And nobody thought that was suspicious?"

Usopp lifted a hand. "In our defense, most things about him are suspicious."

Luffy's attention drifted back to the table. "If he's late, I can eat his food, right?"

"No," Nami said.

Luffy's face fell. "Why not? He's not here."

Robin lifted her cup with a faint smile. "Because he may return before you finish stealing from him, Captain."

Luffy blinked. "You think so?"

"I would call it a possibility."

As if summoned by the word, the door opened again.

Ben stepped inside, still wearing Kevin Levin's appearance, with a rectangular wooden case braced under one arm. His gaze landed on the table and his mouth curved into an easy smirk.

"Perfect timing. I was starting to think I'd missed the part where Luffy eats the furniture."

Luffy's eyes locked onto the case. "Levin! Is that food?"

Ben glanced down at the case. "Not food."

Luffy deflated instantly. "Aww."

"You'll survive. There's an entire table right there."

Zoro's gaze sharpened from the wall. "Is it booze?"

Ben's smirk widened. "And suddenly someone's paying attention."

Zoro straightened.

Ben set the case down and flipped it open, revealing several neatly packed bottles with cloud-shaped labels and pale teal liquid inside. "Found a place called Cloudfin Tavern while I was out. Figured if I was going to wander around paradise, I might as well come back with souvenirs people actually care about."

Sanji eyed the bottles, then Ben, reluctant approval entering his expression. "At least you understand the value of arriving with something useful."

"I live to impress judgmental cooks."

"Don't aim too high."

Zoro reached over and took one of the bottles, turning it in his hand. "Not bad."

"That's it?" Usopp asked. "He brings a whole case of sky booze, and all he gets is 'not bad'?"

Zoro gave him a flat look. "That means I like him."

Ben smiled. "I'll take it."

He glanced back at Zoro. "Careful with that one. Bartender said it's stronger than it looks."

Zoro's mouth curved faintly. "Good."

"Yeah. Somehow I knew that warning would have the opposite effect."

Pagaya looked pleasantly surprised as Ben handed one of the bottles toward him. "How thoughtful. Thank you, Kevin."

"No problem."

Conis politely smiled. "That was very kind of you."

Ben's smirk softened by a fraction. "Figured your dad deserved something after letting this circus sleep in his house."

Lunch began properly after that.

For several minutes, the room warmed into the easy chaos. Plates shifted, bowls were passed, Luffy tried to reach across the table twice and got smacked away both times, and Chopper made small, amazed noises every time he tasted something new. Ben took a bite of stew. Thankfully, his Lenopan biology still allowed him to consume and taste human food. He paused, then looked over at Sanji.

"Okay," he said, pointing his spoon at the bowl. "That's unfairly good."

Sanji flicked ash from his cigarette, his pleased little huff trying and failing to sound modest. "Naturally. A real cook does not fear unfamiliar ingredients."

Pagaya nodded, smiling over his own bowl. "You adapted to our kitchen remarkably quickly."

Sanji's expression softened into genuine pride. "Thank you, Pagaya. Your ingredients are fascinating." He paused, then frowned toward the kitchen. "Except that jar of spoiled sauce in the fridge. That was not fascinating. That was a crime scene."

Pagaya blinked, then gave a small, embarrassed chuckle. "Ah… yes. I had been meaning to dispose of it."

Sanji stared at him.

Pagaya cleared his throat. "For several months, I believe."

"If something is spoiled, you throw it out before it becomes a tenant!" Sanji snapped.

Luffy pointed at his empty bowl. "More!"

Sanji's smile vanished. "Ask like a human being."

"More, please!"

"That was imitation manners!"

"But I said please."

"You weaponized please!"

Luffy blinked at him, completely unashamed. "So can I have more?"

Sanji grumbled, but he still took the bowl.

Later, as they ate, Usopp settled into the posture of a man who had found the perfect audience and intended to abuse the privilege.

"So there I was," he began, one hand pressed to his chest, "alone on a ship in the middle of a storm. Waves taller than mountains. Thunder splitting the sky. My crew of eight thousand men had all fainted from fear."

Zoro took a drink from his bottle. "Saves you from inventing dialogue for them."

Usopp jabbed a finger at him. "They were too terrified to speak!"

Chopper leaned forward, eyes wide and shining. "What happened next?"

Usopp's grin widened. "That's when the sea began to boil."

Luffy's mouth fell open. "Boil?"

"The water turned black," he said, dropping his voice. "The boat stopped moving. Then, from beneath the waves…"

He paused, letting the silence stretch.

Chopper swallowed. "What was it?"

Luffy leaned in. "A Sea King?"

Usopp slowly shook his head. "Worse."

Chopper gasped. "Worse than a Sea King?"

"A monstrous squid," Usopp declared, throwing one hand outward. "A green demon of the deep. Tentacles thicker than ship masts. Eyes glowing red. A beak sharp enough to bite a battleship in half."

Ben paused mid-bite. For one uncomfortable second, Usopp's description dragged up the memory of Vilgax revealing his true form during their battle deep in the ocean. Ben blinked once, then shoved the unpleasant memory of Vilgax trying to eat him back where it belonged.

Across the table, Luffy looked delighted. "That sounds awesome!"

"It was not awesome," Usopp said gravely. "It was horror itself. The beast wrapped one tentacle around my ship, pulled us toward its terrible mouth, and my men cried out, 'Captain Usopp! Save us!'"

Nami lifted a brow. "Your men were unconscious."

Usopp froze for half a second. "They woke up to scream."

"That's convenient."

"They were well-trained."

Sanji exhaled smoke through his nose. "Trained to faint and scream?"

"Exactly," the sniper said, refusing to surrender ground. "Morale is complicated."

Robin smiled faintly into her cup.

Usopp pointed toward Chopper, regaining his momentum. "Any normal man would have panicked. But I stood at the bow, stared that monster right in its glowing red eyes, and said, 'You picked the wrong ship.'"

Chopper's hooves flew to his cheeks. "So cool!"

Luffy grinned. "Then did you punch it?"

Usopp's eyes narrowed with theatrical gravity. "Not immediately."

Nami muttered, "Here it comes."

"When the beast lunged, I leapt into the air, spun over three tentacles, dodged the fourth by a hair, and landed on its head. Then I drew my mightiest weapon."

Chopper breathed, "Your slingshot?"

Usopp's expression turned deadly serious. "My bare fists."

Nami stared at him. "You punched a giant squid."

"I punched a giant squid," Usopp confirmed, "right between the eyes."

Zoro snorted. "And it didn't eat you out of embarrassment?"

"One strike from Captain Usopp carries the force of ten thousand cannonballs," Usopp said proudly. "The squid trembled. The sea shook. Then it realized it had challenged the greatest warrior of the ocean and fled back into the depths, crying inky tears of defeat."

Chopper was practically vibrating. "Inky tears…"

Luffy slammed both hands on the table. "That's amazing!"

"It was nothing," Usopp said, turning his long nose up with false modesty. "A brave warrior of the sea must be prepared to defeat any monster. Fish, squid, octopus, kraken, whatever rises from the deep."

Ben took another bite, watching Usopp with a strange, faintly amused look. "Giant green squids? Yeah. Those are the worst."

Robin's eyes slid toward him with quiet interest.

Nami noticed too.

Usopp blinked, clearly thrown by someone accepting part of his story instead of immediately attacking it. Then he recovered with heroic speed. "Exactly! Kevin understands. Finally, someone at this table respects the dangers of advanced squid warfare."

Nami clicked her tongue. "Don't encourage him."

Robin's smile lingered. "It does follow a certain internal logic."

"It follows something," Nami said.

For a short while, it almost felt normal. Loud, ridiculous, warm, and somehow comfortable despite the unfamiliar setting. Her gaze drifted to Kevin…or rather Ben. He looked loose and casual as he ate, but something about his reaction to Usopp's story had struck her as odd. Not frightened exactly. Not even surprised. More like Usopp had accidentally stepped on an old bruise.

Nami looked away before he noticed and turned toward Pagaya, wanting to shift the conversation. "Can I ask something about Wavers?"

Pagaya brightened. "Of course."

"Would they work on normal clouds?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Wavers are made for sea-clouds only. Ordinary Blue Sea clouds do not have the proper structure."

Nami leaned forward slightly. "Because of that pyro stuff you mentioned?"

"Pyrobloin," Pagaya corrected gently. "It is a compound found in Sea Prism Stone."

Robin's interest sharpened, though her posture remained relaxed. "Sea Prism Stone is involved in the formation of these clouds?"

"Yes. When volcanic eruptions occur in the Blue Sea, pyrobloin particles can be carried high into the sky. When those particles meet water vapor, they create special clouds. The density of the vapor determines whether the result becomes sea-cloud or island-cloud."

Usopp slowly looked down at the floor. "So we're eating lunch on volcano dust."

"Volcano dust that absorbed water vapor and became island-cloud," Pagaya clarified.

Usopp stared harder at the floor. "That did not improve it."

Chopper tapped one hoof against the cloud beneath him. "Clouds are really complicated."

Robin's eyes had gone thoughtful. "If pyrobloin comes from Sea Prism Stone, that would explain their unusual stability. The compound gives the vapor a structure ordinary clouds lack."

"Exactly," Pagaya said.

Nami's gaze narrowed in fascination. "And Wavers work because the Breath Dial pushes against the sea-cloud surface, almost like a small boat pushing through water. If the cloud doesn't contain pyrobloin, there's nothing solid enough for the craft to ride."

Pagaya's smile broadened. "You understand very quickly."

"Of course I do," she said, pleased with herself. "Clouds are part of navigation science."

Ben pointed his spoon toward Nami. "That's actually impressive."

Nami shot him a sideways look. "Don't sound so shocked."

"I'm not shocked. I'm acknowledging your giant navigator brain."

For one brief second, the compliment landed honestly.

But then Ben's smirk returned. "Don't worry. It probably still fits through doors."

Nami's expression flattened. "And there it goes."

Ben chuckled.

Robin watched the exchange with amusement.

Luffy, meanwhile, had listened with a deeply serious expression that fooled absolutely no one. He nodded once, then slapped his fist into his palm. "Okay. I get it."

Usopp stared at him. "You do?"

"Yeah." Luffy pointed at the table as if delivering a grand conclusion. "Sea-clouds are the ones you can sail on. Island-clouds are the ones you can stand on."

A pause followed.

Ben shrugged. "He's not wrong."

Pagaya smiled. "That is… a simple way to put it."

Nami sighed. "He skipped almost every important detail."

"But I remembered the useful part," Luffy said proudly.

Zoro took another drink. "Good enough."

Sanji exhaled smoke. "Naturally, that would be your standard."

Zoro's gaze slid toward him. "Got a problem, cook?"

"Only with heads that reject information unless it's shaped like a sword or a bottle."

Zoro's brow twitched. "Want me to shape you like one?"

"Try it, mosshead."

Nami's palm hit the table. "Do not start a fight in someone else's house."

Conis looked between them, startled. Pagaya only smiled politely, though Ben suspected the man was quietly reevaluating every Blue Sea visitor he had ever heard of. The room settled again after Nami's warning, but Pagaya's expression gradually shifted into something more serious. He placed his bottle down carefully.

"Since we are discussing Skypiea," he began, "there are laws and customs you should understand while you are here."

The mood changed subtly.

Robin's eyes moved to Pagaya. Nami straightened slightly. Ben's spoon paused halfway to his mouth.

Luffy, somehow, kept eating.

Pagaya continued, "You entered legally, so your pendants should prevent trouble in ordinary places. However, Blue Sea dwellers are not always viewed kindly by those in authority."

Usopp frowned. "How not kindly?"

"They may watch you more closely than citizens of Angel Island." Pagaya chose each word with care. "A small mistake can become an accusation very quickly."

Nami's brows knit. "What counts as small?"

"Entering restricted areas. Taking something without knowing it belongs to someone. Damaging property. Speaking disrespectfully to the wrong official. Ignoring orders from the White Berets." His gentle face grew firmer. "Here, those things can become serious."

Usopp swallowed. "That sounds less like law and more like a trap."

Conis lowered her gaze. "Sometimes it feels that way."

Luffy looked up, cheeks full. "So if someone says don't do something, don't do it?"

Nami turned on him. "Yes. That is exactly what you should take from this."

"Oh." He nodded, then reached for more food. "Okay."

Nami did not look reassured.

Ben leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing. "So the rules are strict, outsiders are easy targets, and the officials will be looking for excuses."

Pagaya hesitated.

That answered before his words did.

"Yes," he said quietly. "That is a fair way to understand it."

Sanji's cigarette lowered a fraction. "These White Berets enforce the laws?"

"They are the local law enforcement," the bearded man replied. "It would be best not to provoke them."

Zoro huffed. "Depends if they start something."

"Zoro," Nami warned.

"What?"

"You are the warning."

He looked away. "Tch."

Robin, who had been silent through most of the explanation, lifted her cup again. Her tone remained mild, almost casual. "Are there places we should avoid?"

Pagaya's expression tightened and Conis's hands folded in her lap.

"Yes," he said. "One above all."

Conis's voice came softer. "Upper Yard."

The name settled over the table.

Luffy tilted his head. "Upper Yard?"

"It is holy land," Pagaya explained. "Sacred territory. No ordinary person may enter without permission."

Usopp leaned back slightly. "Holy land? Like a shrine?"

"In a sense. It is forbidden under Kami Eneru's rule."

Luffy perked up. "Eneru."

The room seemed to cool around the word.

Conis looked down at the table. "Eneru is Skypiea's ruler."

"And anyone who enters Upper Yard without permission," Pagaya continued, "is considered a trespasser against Kami."

Chopper's ears drooped. "What happens to trespassers?"

Conis's fingers tightened.

Pagaya answered gently, but there was no comfort in it. "They are judged."

No one spoke for a moment. Robin's gaze moved calmly from Pagaya to Conis, then to Ben. Nami watched him too. His eyes were lowered, fixed on the table rather than either of their hosts. His mouth was set in a faint line.

Conis took a quiet breath and looked around at all of them. "Please do not go near Upper Yard. Whatever you hear, whatever you think might be there, it is too dangerous."

Luffy stared at her, then looked toward Nami.

She already knew that look and hated it immediately. "No."

He blinked. "I didn't say anything."

"You thought loudly."

"I was just wondering."

"That's worse."

Ben snorted once under his breath.

Pagaya looked troubled. "I mean this sincerely. Trouble with the White Berets is one thing. But if Kami Eneru becomes involved…"

"I think we get the picture," Ben said, keeping his tone casual. "Forbidden land, angry ruler, very bad day. We'll be careful."

Pagaya released a small sigh of relief. "That is good to hear."

Nami's gaze shifted from Conis's pale face to Ben's carefully guarded one.

Conis had warned them this time. She had said everything she had failed to say before, laying out the danger of Upper Yard as plainly as she could. And the boy she thought she had lost sat less than ten feet away, wearing another man's face and listening to her blame herself without giving her the one answer that would make it stop.

Nami looked down at her plate, her appetite fading.

…

The rest of the afternoon carried the group back down to Angel Beach.

Luffy had been the first to suggest going back outside, though "suggest" was generous when he had already been halfway out the door by the time anyone answered. Chopper followed immediately, Usopp trailed after them while complaining about having just eaten, and Sanji, after cleaning up the kitchen, began gathering anything he thought the ladies might need beneath the sun.

Ben went with the crew without much argument. Part of him wanted to slip away again, keep moving, keep searching for a cleaner path toward Eneru before the false Kami realized he had returned. But walking off alone twice in the same day would only make the locals more suspicious.

Besides, if he was being honest with himself, he wanted this. A little sun, a little noise, a few ridiculous pirates acting like the world was not about to tilt sideways. Before he had to seek out Eneru and drag himself back into the storm, the teen hero figured he could let himself breathe for a while.

Now Angel Beach stretched around them beneath the warm mid-afternoon light, soft white shore giving way to the gentle swells of the White-White Sea beyond the shoreline.

Unsurprisingly, Nami had gone straight back to the Waver. She cut across the sea-clouds in a wide, confident arc, her yellow shirt tied neatly around her waist and her bikini top visible again as she leaned into the turn, letting the Waver pick up speed beneath her.

Nami laughed brightly as the Waver skimmed over the clouds. "Okay, I understand why people live up here now!"

Back on the beach, Luffy folded his arms and pouted with open jealousy. "I wanna ride it."

"You'll just fall off," Usopp said.

"I won't."

"You absolutely will."

Luffy pointed at the sea-clouds. "Nami isn't falling off."

"Nami actually knows what she's doing," Usopp replied.

Nami leaned into another turn and called back, "Touch this Waver and I'll charge you for every scratch!"

"That's not fair!"

Chopper watched her with sparkling eyes. "She's amazing. She barely wobbles now."

"She is Nami-swan," Sanji said, one hand pressed to his heart. "Even the clouds understand their role around her."

Zoro, sitting cross-legged on the cloud-sand nearby, gave him a dull look. "Do you hear yourself when you talk?"

Sanji's smile vanished. "Do you hear yourself snore?"

"You wanna test which one's worse?"

Before Sanji could lunge, Ben stepped between them with both hands raised. "Okay. New rule. No murder before dessert."

Zoro glanced at him. "There's dessert?"

Luffy's head snapped up. "There is?"

"No," Ben said. "That was a distraction."

Luffy's interest collapsed. "Aw."

Sanji flicked ash from his cigarette. "You interrupted me for a fake dessert?"

"I interrupted you because Conis and Pagaya's beach doesn't deserve to become a crime scene."

Pagaya, standing nearby with his usual mild smile, lifted one hand. "I do appreciate that."

Ben pointed toward the modified fishing net stretched between two posts he and Pagaya had set into the cloud-sand earlier. It was rougher than what he would have used back home, uneven in a few spots and clearly meant for catching fish rather than blocking a ball. A light, round ball Conis had found in a storage chest sat tucked under his arm, patched in a few places but still usable.

Usopp squinted at the setup. "Why did you tie a fishing net in the middle of the beach?"

"For a game. Beach volleyball."

Chopper tilted his head. "Beach volley ball?"

"Yep. Two teams. Ball goes over the net. Don't let it touch the ground on your side."

Luffy's eyes sharpened with sudden purpose. "So we beat the ball."

"You hit the ball."

"With fists."

"With hands," Ben allowed. "But try not to turn it into a crime against sports."

Luffy nodded gravely. "I'll only commit a small crime."

"That is not what I said."

Conis stood near Pagaya, hands folded in front of her as she looked between the net and the ball with curious interest. "So the point is not to defeat the other team directly, but to make them miss?"

"Exactly," Ben said. "Three hits max before the ball has to go back over. No catching. No holding. No throwing."

Luffy raised his hand.

"No biting either."

Luffy lowered his hand.

Usopp stared at him. "That was your question?"

"I was checking."

Pagaya smiled pleasantly. "What an interesting Blue Sea game."

"It's simple once you start playing," Ben said, tossing the ball lightly from one hand to the other. "Teamwork, timing and stopping Luffy before he reinvents it."

Luffy frowned. "What if my version is better?"

"It won't be."

"You haven't heard it."

"I survived the preview."

From the pavilion, Robin sat comfortably in the shade with an iced drink in hand that Sanji had made for her earlier. She had declined playing with a gentle smile, but she had accepted Ben's request to act as referee. Her posture was relaxed, her chin resting lightly against one hand as she watched the setup with quiet amusement.

"I believe I understand," Robin said. "If the ball touches the ground within the marked area, the opposing team scores. More than three hits before returning it also gives the point away. And if the ball lands outside the boundary, the team that struck it loses the point."

Ben pointed at her. "Exactly. See? Referee Robin gets it."

Usopp folded his arms with grave approval. "Good. We'll need a sharp mind to protect the integrity of the game."

Luffy frowned. "From who?"

Everyone looked at him.

He blinked. "What?"

Robin smiled into her glass. "I will do my best, Captain."

Ben clapped his hands once. "Teams. Let's keep it simple. Zoro on one side, Sanji on the other."

Zoro's mouth curved faintly. He was definitely going to enjoy this, but first, he had a question. "Is it illegal to hit someone in the face with the ball when sending it to the other team's side?"

"It's frowned upon," Ben answered, "but no, it's not illegal."

A small chill ran through him when Zoro's smirk grew a little more bloodthirsty.

Seriously, what is it with those two fighting during basically every conversation they have?

"Perfect," the swordsman said, cracking his neck almost eagerly.

Sanji rolled his shoulders, already staring across the net like Ben had personally handed him a battlefield. "Perfect. I'll defeat him so beautifully that Robin-chwan and Conis dear will speak of it for years."

Zoro stood and brushed cloud-sand from his pants. "Try serving before you start writing songs about yourself."

Sanji's eyebrow twitched. "Say that again after I spike this ball into your empty skull."

"Try it, curly brow."

They ended up with Luffy, Sanji, Usopp, and Conis on one side, while Zoro, Chopper, and Ben took the other. Conis had only joined after gentle encouragement from Pagaya and an enthusiastic shout from Luffy, though she still looked unsure as she took her place beside Usopp.

Chopper transformed into his human form since his regular form was too short to play properly, which startled both locals. The crew gave Conis and Pagaya a quick explanation about Chopper's Devil Fruit, and after everything else they had seen from the Blue Sea visitors, they simply accepted it.

Ben had invited Nami to join them, but she politely declined, saying she wanted to keep riding the Waver. Pagaya stood off to the side as scorekeeper, smiling with mild curiosity at the strange Blue Sea game.

Ben offered the ball to Sanji. "You're serving first."

Sanji stepped back from it.

Ben blinked. "Problem?"

"I don't use my hands in combat."

"It's volleyball."

Sanji pointed across the net at Zoro. "He's there. It's combat."

Zoro snorted. "Scared of a ball now?"

Sanji smiled thinly. "Watch and learn, mosshead."

He dropped the ball onto his foot, popped it into the air with a controlled flick, then spun and kicked it cleanly over the net. The ball shot across with far more force than Ben had expected.

Usopp screamed. "That's not a serve! That's an assassination!"

Ben lunged sideways and managed to bump it upward with his forearm, the impact briefly denting his arm. The ball arced high, wobbling unevenly but staying in play.

"Zoro!"

The swordsman moved under it, stared up at the ball for half a second, then struck it with one open palm like he was swatting an insect. It went back over the net at an ugly angle, but it cleared.

Ben stared after it. "Huh. That worked."

"Of course it worked."

"That was not a technique."

"It crossed the net."

"Low bar, but okay."

On the other side, Luffy's grin widened. "My turn!"

"Careful!" Chopper warned.

Luffy stretched both arms back. "Gum-Gum…"

"No Devil Fruit!" Ben, Usopp, and Robin shouted at once.

"Don't destroy the ball before we even play!" Usopp added.

Luffy froze with both arms stretched behind him. "But I was gonna hit it."

"With normal arms!" Ben shouted.

Luffy considered that, then let his arms snap back. "Oh. Right."

The delay cost him. The ball dropped directly between him and Usopp, bouncing off the cloud-sand with a soft puff.

Robin lifted one hand from the pavilion. "Point to Zoro's team."

Usopp threw both fists into the air. "A flawless opening strategy by Captain Usopp's beach warriors!"

Zoro glanced at him. "You screamed."

"Strategically."

Ben smirked. "It did create atmosphere."

"No," Zoro said. "It created noise."

The next few rounds were messy, loud, and ridiculous. Luffy kept forgetting he was not supposed to stretch for every ball, but his normal reflexes were still sharp enough that he managed several saves by throwing himself across the beach. Chopper used his human form well as his large arms helped him knock the ball back in the air and deliver strong palm strikes to send it back to the enemy. Conis was hesitant at first, apologizing almost every time she hit the ball, but she started learning once Ben called out a few simple tips.

"Arms together, Conis!" Ben shouted. "Don't swat at it. Let it bounce off!"

Conis nodded, determination flickering across her face. When the next ball came toward her, she stepped forward, clasped her hands the way Kevin had shown and bumped it neatly into the air.

Chopper gasped. "You did it!"

Luffy jumped up, laughing. "Nice one, Conis!"

Sanji's eyes practically turned into hearts. "A pass worthy of song, Conis dear!" He pivoted smoothly and lifted one leg. "Allow me to answer such elegance!"

He kicked the ball over the net from her pass.

Conis's eyes widened. "That counted?"

"Absolutely!" Usopp cheered.

Pagaya smiled warmly from the sideline. "Very well done, Conis."

A smile broke across her face before she could stop it.

Ben saw it from across the net. For a second, the noise of the game faded into the background. Conis looked lighter than she had since he had returned to Angel Island. She was genuinely smiling.

Something in Ben's chest loosened at the sight.

Unfortunately, he was still in the middle of a game, and the ball promptly slammed into his face.

"Oof!" Ben dropped backward onto the cloud-sand.

Robin lifted one hand. "Point to Sanji's team."

Luffy doubled over laughing. "Levin got hit in the face!"

Chopper hopped in place. "Are you okay?"

Usopp pointed dramatically. "He shielded them with his nose! A hero's sacrifice!"

Ben sat up, rubbing his face and silently thanking Muckamorph for holding the disguise. "First of all, not my nose. Second, who hit that?"

Sanji lowered his kicking leg with a smug smile. "I aimed for open space. Your face made a late appearance."

Zoro's mouth twitched. "Good aim."

Ben shot him a look. "You're on my team."

"Still good aim," Zoro insisted. He could not stand the cook, but he was still irritated about losing to Ben earlier. Seeing Ben get hit like that was amusing, even if the shitty cook had been the one to land the shot instead of him.

Farther out on the sea-clouds, Nami passed close enough to see Ben get pelted by the ball and couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Nice reflexes!" she called, grinning as she leaned into her turn. "Very heroic!"

Ben groaned. "I'm never living that down, am I?"

"Nope!"

Sanji sparkled so hard he nearly forgot the game. "Nami-swan laughed! This match has been blessed by heaven itself!"

Zoro pointed across the net. "Serve before I die of secondhand embarrassment."

Sanji's head snapped back toward him. "You'll die from my next spike first!"

Ben stood and dusted himself off. "Great. We've reached the death threat portion of volleyball."

"We started there," Usopp said.

"Fair."

The serve came back hard. This time Zoro stepped in and returned it cleanly, driving the ball down toward Sanji's side with enough force to make Usopp yelp in triumph.

Sanji moved like a blur, pivoting on one foot and snapping the other leg upward. His heel caught the ball before it hit the ground and sent it flying back over the net.

Ben stared. "Okay. That was actually cool."

Sanji smirked. "Naturally."

Zoro's eyes narrowed. "Tch. Flashy."

"Effective," Sanji shot back.

"Lucky."

"Jealous."

"Annoyed."

"At losing?"

"At you breathing."

"Guys!" Ben exclaimed, sounding annoyed. "Let's try keeping the murder strictly verbal, okay?"

Robin smiled faintly from the pavilion. "A reasonable boundary."

Luffy chased the next return with far too much enthusiasm and crashed into Usopp, sending both of them tumbling in a pile of limbs and hooves. The ball bounced lazily beside them.

Robin lifted her hand again. "Point to Zoro's team."

"Luffy!" Ussop squeaked from underneath him. "You're crushing my nose!"

Luffy laughed, unbothered. "Sorry, Usopp."

Conis hurried over to help Usopp up, smiling despite her concern. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay," Usopp said, only to sway the moment Conis brushed cloud-sand from his bandanna.

"H-Hey now, there's no need for that. I'm fine," he said, his face warming at how close she was.

She really did remind him of Kaya, right down to that kind, gentle heart. For a moment, something wistful tugged at him, bringing back the promise he had made to return and see her again once he became a truly brave warrior of the sea.

He steadied himself and managed a small smile. "But thanks."

"Oh," Conis said, then smiled again. "You're welcome."

The game continued with bursts of laughter, arguments, and near-disasters. Pagaya kept score with remarkable patience, though he occasionally had to adjust when Luffy forgot which team had earned the point. Robin called every play evenly, including one point for Ben's team when Usopp tried to convince her that "legendary warrior pressure" counted as a legal block.

"It does not," Robin said pleasantly.

Usopp deflated. "Not even a little?"

"Not even a little."

"Harsh, but fair."

The ball arced high over the net.

"Mine!" Luffy shouted.

"No stretching!" Ben warned.

"I know!"

Luffy jumped, hit the ball with both hands, and sent it straight down toward Zoro.

The swordsman stepped in and returned it with a clean bump. Ben moved under the ball next, setting it up perfectly for Chopper.

"I got it!" Chopper shouted.

The ball flew high over him. He jumped, eyes locked straight on Usopp, making his target painfully obvious.

Usopp's eyes widened as he realized the point had come down to him.

"This is it," he whispered. "The block that'll make legends weep."

"You better not drop it!" Sanji snapped.

"Not to worry, Sanji!" Usopp planted his feet, throwing both hands up. "The great Captain Usopp is on the job! I'll block it like a wall!"

Chopper struck the ball hard.

It shot straight toward Usopp, who braced himself and thrust his palms out to stop it. For one glorious second, he looked determined. Then the ball slammed into his hands with enough force to shove them backward into his face.

More specifically, into his long nose.

"ARGHHH!" Usopp screamed as he fell onto his back, clutching his poor nose, which had bent at an extremely unnatural angle.

The ball dropped harmlessly between his feet.

Robin raised her hand. "Game point to Zoro's team."

Ben and Chopper cheered. Zoro smirked and actually fist-pumped the air, clearly satisfied to have finally beaten that shitty cook at something.

Despite losing the game, Conis laughed. It came out bright and startled, one hand covering her mouth as if she had not meant to let the sound escape so freely. She did not mean to laugh at Usopp, but his reaction was too funny to resist.

Sanji looked down at his teammate and shook his head. "You're a wall, all right. A wall of jello."

Usopp sat up slowly, cloud-sand stuck in his hair. One hand clutched his nose as he tried to look dignified after the most undignified moment possible.

"The sun was in my eyes," he muttered.

Zoro looked up at the sky. "It was behind you."

"The reflected sun was in my eyes."

"Reflected off what?"

"My future victory."

Ben laughed and reached down to pull him up. "Sure, Captain."

Usopp accepted the help with wounded dignity. "At least someone respects greatness."

"I said sure. That's different."

Conis was still laughing softly across the net, and Ben couldn't fight the smile that tugged at his mouth.

After learning he was a clone and could never return home, Conis had been the one to show him Wavers. She had taken him out over the sea-clouds and given him something fun to focus on when everything else felt too heavy. She had not known how much he needed it, but she had done it anyway.

Now he had given a little of that back.

…

Night settled over Angel Island, and the White-White Sea's pale surface caught the moonlight in quiet swells that looked almost like drifting snow.

Inside Conis and Pagaya's home, everything had finally gone still.

Nami and Robin had taken the guest bedroom while Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper had been given blankets and pillows in the main room. Within minutes, Luffy had sprawled halfway across his own blanket, Usopp's pillow had somehow migrated under his arm, Chopper lay flat on his back near Usopp with his little hooves tucked loosely against his chest, and Zoro had fallen asleep sitting upright against the wall. Nearby, Sanji had spent a few minutes muttering threats at Zoro for snoring, only to fall asleep shortly afterward while murmuring Nami and Robin's names with ridiculous fondness.

Ben waited until the house had fully settled before slipping out onto the balcony.

He stood with his forearms resting against the railing, staring out over the quiet White-White Sea. Muckamorph's disguise still held over him, giving Conis and Pagaya everything they needed to look at him without seeing the young man they thought had died.

The last time he had stood on this balcony, Professor Paradox had torn the ground out from under his entire life. He had learned that he was one of three Echo Echo clones scattered across the Omniverse, separated from Ben Prime for so long that they had become their own individuals. A living mistake, or maybe a living miracle, depending on how cruel the Omniverse felt like being.

Either way, the result was the same.

He could never return to his home universe. Not really. The family and friends waiting for Ben Prime were not waiting for him. Grandpa Max, his parents, Gwen, Kevin, Julie, everyone he loved, they were still alive, but to him they might as well have been ghosts.

Conis and Pagaya had not known any of that initially, but they had been kind to him anyway. They had fed him, sheltered him, answered his questions, and let him breathe when the whole world had stopped making sense.

Now he was back, and neither of them knew it.

Ben's hands tightened slightly around the railing. "Nice view, though," he muttered under his breath.

The balcony door slid open behind him.

Ben turned, his expression already shifting toward something casual, and saw Pagaya step outside with a small cup in one hand. The older man had changed into simpler night clothes, and his round glasses caught a soft glint of moonlight as he paused at the doorway.

"Oh, Kevin," Pagaya said mildly. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"Nah." Ben turned back toward the sea. "Couldn't sleep."

Pagaya stepped onto the balcony and closed the door carefully behind him. "A full house can make that difficult."

Ben smirked. "Pretty sure your living room lost a fight tonight."

Pagaya chuckled. "It has survived worse."

"Really?"

"No," He admitted, his smile turning sheepish. "But I am trying to be polite."

Despite himself, Ben gave a quiet laugh. "Sorry about the chaos."

"There is no need to apologize." Pagaya came to stand beside him at the railing. "Chaos is not always unwelcome."

Ben glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Pagaya did not look annoyed or weary. If anything, the older man looked quietly pleased.

The bearded man turned his gaze toward the moonlit White-White Sea. "I wanted to thank you."

Ben blinked. "For what?"

"This afternoon," Pagaya replied. "The game on the beach. Volley Ball, I believe?"

"Beach volleyball," Ben corrected lightly. "Regular volleyball is usually on a court. Beach volleyball has sand. Or, you know, island-cloud in our case."

"Beach volleyball," Pagaya repeated, as if carefully filing the name away. "A very strange game."

"That's fair."

"But enjoyable." The man's smile warmed. "Though I admit, I was not always certain which team had scored."

Ben leaned a little more against the railing. "You did better than Luffy. He forgot which team he was on twice."

"I noticed." Pagaya's eyes curved behind his glasses. "Your friends are very spirited."

Ben paused. Friends? "Yeah," he said after a beat. "Spirited is one word."

Pagaya looked at him. "Not the word you would use?"

"I just met them a couple days ago," he said with a shrug that tried too hard to be casual. "We had the same destination. I knew how to get them through the gate, and they had a Log Pose pointing to Skypiea. Useful arrangement."

Pagaya's expression remained mild. "That sounds very practical."

"Exactly."

"And yet they made room for you at their table."

Ben's mouth twitched. "They make room for food too. Doesn't mean they're emotionally attached to lunch."

"Perhaps not." He looked back toward the sleeping house. "But your captain seems like a young man who decides such things quickly."

"He's not my captain."

"No?"

"No."

Pagaya did not argue. Somehow, that made it worse.

He only sipped from his cup and said, "Some friendships begin with long years. Others begin because people are forced onto the same road and discover they do not wish to leave each other behind."

Ben looked away.

The Skypiean man's tone stayed gentle. "But perhaps that is a question time will answer better than either of us can tonight."

Ben stared out at the sea for a long moment. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Maybe."

Pagaya let the silence breathe, then said, "In any case, I am glad you were all here today."

Ben glanced over.

The older man's gaze had drifted toward the pale shape of Angel Beach below. "Conis laughed."

Ben's smirk faded.

"She laughs, of course," he continued softly. "She is a kind girl. She tries not to worry me. But today was different. For a little while, she forgot to carry everything."

Ben looked down at his hands.

Pagaya turned his cup slowly between his fingers. "These past few days have been difficult for her. The reason is hers to share, if she chooses."

"That so?" Ben asked, keeping his voice loose with effort.

Pagaya nodded. "She blames herself for something that was not her fault."

Ben's throat tightened.

"I have told her as much," he continued. "Many times. But fathers can become background noise, I'm afraid. We say something too often, and our children begin to hear only the worry beneath the words."

Ben's fingers curled around the railing. "Sounds frustrating."

"It is." Pagaya smiled faintly. "But also very human, I think."

Ben almost said something sarcastic. Nothing came.

Pagaya looked out over the moonlit beach again. "So when I saw her smiling today, running after that ball with your friends, I was grateful."

Ben forced a small shrug. "It was just a game."

"Yes. That is what made it kind."

The words landed harder than Ben expected. He pushed out a grin before they could show on his face. "Well, I'm available for more high-quality foreign entertainment. Next time, I can teach you dodgeball."

Pagaya blinked. "Dodgeball?"

"People throw rubber balls at each other."

The older man considered that with grave seriousness. "On purpose?"

"Usually."

"I see." Pagaya glanced toward the house, where Luffy's muffled snoring carried faintly through the walls. "Perhaps not that one."

"Yeah, probably smart," Ben said, wincing as he glanced toward the house. "Luffy would forget you're supposed to dodge, Zoro and Sanji would aim for each other's heads, and Usopp would somehow turn getting hit once into a five-act tragedy."

Pagaya chuckled, and for a brief moment, the balcony felt easier.

His eyes then drifted toward the dark distance beyond the White-White Sea.

"This island needs more afternoons like that," he said.

Ben grew still.

Pagaya's smile faded, though his voice stayed quiet. "Angel Island is beautiful. Our people work, raise families, make music, tend shops, ride Wavers, argue over prices in the market, complain when the weather is inconvenient." He looked down into his cup. "A normal life, in many ways."

Ben listened without interrupting.

"But under Ene—um, you-know-who, normal life is never allowed to feel entirely normal."

How so?"

Pagaya's fingers rested against the cup. "Everyone waits."

"For what?"

"A mistake." The moonlight stretched pale across Pagaya's glasses, hiding his eyes for a second. "A wrong word. A careless step. A misunderstanding with the White Berets. A child wandering too far. A visitor not knowing which ground is forbidden."

Ben's jaw tightened.

Pagaya's voice did not rise. He spoke like a man describing weather, because perhaps people here had been forced to treat fear as something ordinary.

"Most days are peaceful. But everyone knows peace can end suddenly if Kami's attention falls on them. So people smile. They laugh. They help each other. Then they lower their voices when certain names are spoken." His thumb brushed the side of his cup. "They learn which questions not to ask."

Ben's hand tightened around the railing.

Pagaya noticed. "I do not say this to frighten you."

"Could've fooled me."

A faint, sad smile crossed Pagaya's face. "I say it because Blue Sea dwellers often mistake our quiet for safety."

Ben looked at him.

"It is not safety. Only habit."

For a moment, Ben said nothing. His voice came lower. "Eneru's habit."

Pagaya paused at the directness. He glanced once toward the closed balcony door, then back to the sea. "Yes, Kami Eneru's."

Ben stared out into the dark. He had hated Eneru already. Hated him for trying to kill Aisa. Hated him for playing god over these people's lives. But hearing Pagaya describe life under him sharpened that hatred into something colder. Eneru did not just kill people with lightning. He made fathers choose their words carefully in their own homes. He made kind girls blame themselves for violence he committed. He made an entire island treat fear like common sense.

Ben forced his voice into something casual before too much of that anger could show. "Your god sounds like he's got a pretty fragile ego."

Pagaya blinked.

Then, despite himself, he gave a startled little laugh and quickly lowered his voice. "That is not a phrase I would recommend saying loudly."

"Yeah, I figured."

"Or softly."

Ben's smirk returned faintly. "Noted."

Pagaya's amusement faded back into caution. "Please understand, Kevin. I do not wish to see anyone provoke him. There are people here who would suffer for it."

The wrong name hit Ben again.

He looked down at his hands. "I get it."

Pagaya studied him with gentle curiosity. "You say that as though you truly do."

Ben huffed once. "I've dealt with guys like him before."

"Rulers?"

"Bullies."

Pagaya was silent for a moment.

He nodded slowly. "A simple word."

"Simple doesn't mean wrong."

"No," Pagaya said. "It does not."

The quiet between them deepened, filled by the soft rush of the distant White-White Sea and the muffled snores from inside the house.

Pagaya finally turned from the railing. "You should rest while you can. Tomorrow may be another lively day."

Ben looked toward the dark outline of Upper Yard somewhere in the distance. His eyes hardened. "Yeah," he said. "Probably."

Pagaya reached the balcony door, then paused and looked back. "Goodnight, Kevin."

The name struck again, gentle and wrong.

Ben smiled anyway. "Goodnight, Mr. Pagaya."

Pagaya disappeared into the house, closing the balcony door softly behind him.

Ben stayed where he was. For several seconds, he did not move. He only listened to the quiet rush of the distant White-White Sea and the muffled snoring of the sleeping house behind him.

I'm sorry. He thought. Just hold out a little longer.

…

Night had settled over the Shandorian Cloud Village, but the village had not gone still.

Fires burned low between dwellings and supply shelters, their orange light flickering across woven walls, wooden poles, hanging hides, and the pale island-cloud beneath everyone's feet. At the center clearing, the statue of Kalgara stood above them all, watching over the village like a silent guardian.

Around that clearing, men and women worked in tense quiet.

No one dared to call it hope. Hope was dangerous when spoken too quickly, and Wyper had already made that clear. But the feeling had slipped into the village regardless, passing from hand to hand with every turquoise crystal fragment pulled from the sacks and laid out beneath the firelight.

The pieces caught the flames in blue-green flashes.

Some were jagged and thin enough to be bound along arrow shafts. Others were broader and heavier, better suited for spearheads, knife edges, or reinforcement along shields. The smallest splinters were carefully tested against the chambers and barrels of the Flash Guns, the craftsmen trying to see whether the crystals could be fitted around the Dial mechanisms without cracking the weapons apart. A few larger shards had been set aside for testing against Impact Dials, though the older craftsmen handled those with extreme care.

Earlier attempts to cut and shape the crystals had gone poorly.

One craftsman had tried to score a smaller piece with a sharpened tool, only to ruin the tool's edge. Another had attempted to chip a shard shorter with a hammerstone, and the blow had bounced back hard enough to numb his wrist. The crystal itself remained unchanged, as if even the judgment that had blasted a hole straight through Upper Yard had not been enough to weaken it.

Kamakiri crouched near one of the mats, turning a long, narrow shard between two fingers. "Too heavy for an arrow."

Braham stood behind him, arms folded. "Then stop looking at it like one."

Kamakiri shot him a flat look, then laid the shard against a short spear shaft and checked the angle. "Low bind. Reinforced base. It could work as a spear point."

Genbo snorted from where he sat near a pile of smaller fragments. "Could?"

"You have a better use?"

Genbo picked up one jagged thumb-sized fragment and held it to the firelight. "Shot. It only has to hit Kami once. Doesn't need to look pretty."

Braham's covered gaze lowered to the fragment. "If it survives firing."

"It survived Eneru," Genbo pointed out.

That ended the argument.

The conversation was cut off by the sharp hum of Dials slicing across the village.

Several Shandorians near the edge of the clearing looked up as a Waver skimmed over the village, trailing cloud behind it. The rider leaned hard into the approach, and the board slowed with a controlled burst of pressure before steadying in the main clearing with only the faintest wobble.

Wyper stepped off before it had fully settled.

The Hoverboard Waver continued hovering at his side, a few inches off the ground. His bazooka was strapped across his back, his shield remained fixed to his left arm, and the tribal mask covered his face.

Kamakiri straightened. "Wyper."

Braham turned slightly. Genbo looked up as well. Around them, the other warriors quieted without being told.

Wyper reached up and pulled his mask away. His eyes went first to the turquoise crystals spread across the mat, then to the men waiting for his report.

"More Blue Sea ships reached the White Sea," he said.

Kamakiri's brow lowered. "How many?"

"Several."

"Pirates?" Genbo asked.

"Some. Maybe all." Wyper's voice stayed flat. "Doesn't matter. Most are gone."

Braham's gaze held on him. "Most?"

Wyper's jaw tightened.

For a moment, he did not answer.

"One ship got through."

Genbo leaned forward. "How?"

"The Sky Knight."

That name moved through the gathered warriors like a bitter taste.

Kamakiri's grip tightened around his spear. "Gan Fall."

Wyper spat the name with open contempt. "He came riding in before I could finish them."

A low murmur passed through the clearing.

Wyper did not wait for it to settle. His gaze swept over the gathered Shandorians.

"Where's Aisa?"

Braham looked up. "With Isa. Why?"

Wyper stood near the edge of the clearing with the Hoverboard Waver hooked under one arm. For a second, his hand tightened around its frame. "I need her eyes."

Kamakiri's gaze narrowed. "For what?"

Wyper turned away. "Something I saw." He left without another word.

Braham and Kamakiri exchanged a glance, but neither followed.

Wyper crossed the Shandorian Cloud Village with purposeful strides. The deep blue of late evening left the fires beneath cooking racks and tents to throw shifting orange across the island-cloud surface. Villagers watched him pass, and a few stepped aside before he reached them.

Aisa sat near Isa's dwelling, tucked beside a low woven wall where the noise of the village reached softer. In her small hands, she turned over a jagged turquoise shard, rolling it between her fingers slowly. She looked up and the moment she saw Wyper's face, her body went still. Her fingers tightened around the crystal until one sharp edge pressed faintly into her palm.

Her mother, Isa, followed her daughter's gaze and rose slowly. "Wyper."

"I need to speak with her."

Isa's eyes moved briefly to Aisa, then back to him. "About the war?"

"About what came from Upper Yard."

Aisa stood before her mother could answer. "What happened?"

Isa looked down at her, worry pulling at her mouth. "Aisa."

"I want to hear it."

Isa did not look convinced, but she did not stop her daughter either. Her gaze returned to Wyper, stern and protective. "Then say what you came to say. No games. No half-truths."

Wyper accepted that without argument.

Aisa stepped outside with him. The space beside the hut was quiet enough that their words would not carry, sheltered by the angle of the wall and the low hush of the village beyond it.

Wyper stopped in the shadow beside the hut and turned toward her. "I saw a Blue Sea ship today."

Aisa's fingers closed around the crystal. "And?"

"One of them onboard changed."

Her breath caught.

Wyper watched her carefully. "Green flash. One body gone. Another in its place."

Aisa's eyes widened. "Like Ben."

"You tell me."

"Yes," she whispered. Then, with more force, "Yes. That's how it happened. That's exactly how Ben changed."

The name sat between them, heavier than it should have been for someone Wyper had never truly met.

He did not soften at it. "This one wasn't crystal."

Aisa took a step closer. "Then what was he?"

"Green. Humanoid. Not flesh." Wyper's gaze hardened with the remembered sight. "His body shifted when he moved, like liquid. I hit him with something that should have killed him. He pulled himself back together."

Aisa's brows pinched together. "I don't know that form."

"You saw all of them?"

"No." She shook her head quickly. "Only some. The crystal one. A red flying one. And a big wolf one." Her eyes searched his face. "What did he look like before?"

Wyper hummed low in his throat, recalling the details. "Young. Brown hair. Green and white jacket."

Aisa went very still, then her eyes shone. "It's him."

Wyper's face remained unreadable. "You don't know that."

"How many people can do that?" she asked, her voice small but fierce. "How many people change in green light? How many Blue Sea boys show up right after Ben disappears?"

Wyper did not answer.

Aisa stepped closer, hope and disbelief crashing together in her expression. "He survived."

The hope in her voice was dangerous. Wyper knew that immediately. Hope made warriors sloppy. Hope made children run toward places where gods listened. Hope turned facts into prayers if it was allowed to spread too quickly.

But he had seen the green flash with his own eyes. He had seen the green liquid-like creature. He had seen the same impossible pattern Aisa described from Upper Yard. The facts lined up too neatly to ignore.

The outsider who had made Eneru bleed had somehow survived his judgment.

Wyper's gaze dipped to the Hoverboard Waver under his arm.

Aisa noticed. "You believe me."

"I believe what I saw."

"Then we have to find him."

"No."

The word landed hard enough to make her blink.

"What?"

"You heard me."

Aisa stared at him. "Wyper, if Ben is alive, we have to tell everyone."

"We tell no one."

"But he can help us!"

"He can ruin us."

Her mouth fell open like he had struck her.

Wyper stepped closer, lowering his voice. "We move on Upper Yard soon. Eneru does not know what we have. He does not know how much of that crystal we recovered. I will not throw away surprise because a Blue Sea dweller might be useful."

"Might?" Aisa's voice cracked. "He hurt Eneru. He made him bleed!"

"That does not make him one of us."

"He saved me!"

"And that does not make him Shandorian," Wyper shot back. "He was with pirates. You understand that? Pirates. He may hate Eneru, but that does not mean he fights for us."

Aisa's small hands curled into fists at her sides. "He stood in front of me when Eneru tried to kill me."

For a moment, something in Wyper's eyes shifted. Not softness exactly, but recognition. He did not deny what Ben had done. He could not. The crystal shards that could hurt Eneru, Aisa standing alive in front of him, all of it existed because the outsider had chosen to shield her.

But Wyper's voice stayed hard. "And if you run after him, Eneru may kill you anyway."

"I'm not afraid of him."

"You should be."

Aisa's eyes flashed. "You're using his board."

Wyper went still.

Her voice shook, but she forced the words out. "You're using his crystal. You're using what he left behind because it helps Shandora. But the moment he might still be alive, you call him a distraction?"

The quiet tightened between them.

Wyper's grip closed harder around the Hoverboard Waver's frame. "I will use every weapon Shandora is given."

"He's not a weapon!"

"No," Wyper said, his voice rough. "He's a risk."

Aisa stared at him, hurt and angry all at once.

"He's a person," she said.

Wyper's jaw flexed. For a second, he looked like he might answer differently. Then the war came back over his face like armor. "People die when children chase hope."

Aisa flinched.

He saw it. Regret moved through his eyes, fast and buried, but he did not take the words back.

"We have one chance," he said. "One. If Eneru hears even a whisper that the Blue Sea dweller survived, he may strike before we are ready. He may strike here. At the village. At your mother."

Aisa's anger faltered.

Wyper pressed on, quieter but no less firm. "You want to help him? Stay silent. You want to help Shandora? Stay here."

"But if he needs us?"

"Then he should have come to us."

"He doesn't know where we are!"

"And you don't know where he is." Wyper leaned closer, his shadow falling across her. "You will not run blind into the sky because of a maybe."

Aisa looked down, her small shoulders trembling with the effort of holding back everything she wanted to say.

Wyper watched her for one more moment. "Tell no one," he ordered. "Not Laki. Not the elders. No one."

Aisa's head snapped up. "Not even my mother?"

"Especially not her. She will try to protect you, and fear makes people speak."

"That's not fair."

"War isn't fair."

Her face tightened.

Wyper turned away, the Hoverboard Waver tucked under his arm and the weight of war already pulling him forward. "Stay in the village, Aisa." His footsteps faded into the low noise of the village.

Aisa remained beside the hut.

For a while, she only stared at the ground. The turquoise crystal sat cold in her palm, its sharp edge pressed against her skin. Slowly, she lifted her head and looked toward the clouded sky, in the direction where Upper Yard waited beyond the reach of the village.

Ben was alive.

Wyper could call him a risk. He could call him an outsider. He could order her to stay quiet until his voice turned into stone. But Ben had stood in front of her. He had not treated her like a distraction.

And if he was alive, then she had to find him.

…

Morning in Skypiea began with the smell of breakfast and the Straw Hats waking in their usual chaos.

Sanji had taken over Pagaya's kitchen before anyone else stirred, preparing a full meal from the ingredients on hand while refusing to let either host do more than point him toward the proper shelves. Luffy woke the instant the scent of food reached him and launched himself upright with enough force to crash into Usopp, who yelped so loudly that Chopper scrambled awake in a panic.

"Emergency?!" Chopper cried, already fumbling for his hat. "Who's hurt?!"

"Me!" Usopp snapped from beneath Luffy's elbow. "I'm being murdered by breakfast!"

"I smell meat," Luffy said, completely ignoring him.

Zoro, still half-asleep against the wall, cracked one eye open. "Shut up."

Usopp shoved uselessly at Luffy's arm. "Tell him to get off me first!"

Nami and Robin joined them not long after, both looking far more rested than the men sprawled around the main room.

Sanji's attention shifted with incredible intensity. "Nami-swan! Robin-chwan!" he sang, nearly glowing as he carried two carefully arranged plates. "Breakfast is served. A heavenly morning deserves heavenly cuisine for angels like you."

Nami accepted her plate without hesitation. "Thanks, Sanji."

Robin smiled politely. "How thoughtful."

The cook practically melted on the spot. "That smile alone has seasoned my soul."

Zoro snorted. "Then skip breakfast."

Sanji's expression sharpened. "No one invited your moss-covered commentary."

"You talk too much."

"You sleep too much."

"You cook too much."

Sanji's eyebrow twitched as if he heard his religion being insulted. "Say that again."

Nami sat down with her plate. "Say it later. I'm eating."

Both men went quiet.

Ben, still disguised as Kevin, lingered near the window with a cup in one hand, watching the house come awake around him. Never a dull moment with these guys around, he thought.

Conis helped clear a few things from the table once breakfast was underway, already prepared for her morning shift at Conache Café. Pagaya, meanwhile, mentioned returning to his Waver projects for the day, and that caught Nami's attention immediately.

"Waver projects?" she asked.

Pagaya brightened. "Yes. I have a small workshop attached to the house. I mostly handle repairs and small adjustments for neighbors."

Nami lowered her fork. "Could I see it?"

"Of course," he replied pleasantly. "Though I need to stop by a specialty shop in town first. I am short a few parts after a—um, recent project."

"A specialty shop?" Nami's eyes sharpened in a way that made Ben think someone had just mentioned treasure.

Pagaya nodded. "Breath Dials, steering handles, hull fittings. Things of that nature. They often keep several Waver models on display as well."

Nami was already standing. "I'm coming with you."

Across the room, Luffy's head turned toward the door.

Nami pointed at him without looking. "No."

Luffy froze. "I didn't say anything."

"You didn't need to."

"I was just gonna look around."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Nami then turned to the others, one hand settling on her hip. Her expression became the kind that meant she was no longer asking. "Listen carefully. No trouble. No breaking things. No stealing. No picking fights with officials. No wandering into places with warning signs. And absolutely no Upper Yard."

Luffy nodded with great seriousness. "Got it."

Usopp narrowed his eyes. "Repeat it."

"No Upper Yard."

"That was one rule."

"The big one."

Nami's eye twitched. "There were several big ones."

Zoro stood with a yawn, stretching one arm over his shoulder. "So don't go to Upper Yard. Easy."

Nami turned on him. "You are not allowed to call directions easy."

Zoro frowned. "I know where I'm going."

Sanji exhaled smoke through his nose. "No, you know where you end up. Completely different thing."

"Shut it, cook."

"Find your way to the insult first, mosshead."

"Both of you," Nami snapped.

Ben took another sip from his cup. "Wow. Morning briefings here come with live entertainment."

Nami's gaze slid toward him. "You're included."

He pointed at himself with exaggerated innocence. "Me? I'm the responsible one."

Robin's smile curved faintly. "A bold introduction."

"Thank you, Robin."

"I was not praising you."

"Still taking it."

Nami folded her arms. "Don't wander into trouble."

Ben smirked. "I don't wander into trouble. Trouble and I have a mutual scheduling arrangement."

"That is worse."

"More efficient, though."

Robin lifted her cup. "At least he is organized."

Nami stared at her. "Don't encourage him."

Ben's smirk widened. "Too late."

Nami's glare moved back to him. "Kevin."

"Yeah?"

"No trouble."

He raised his cup in a lazy salute. "Define trouble."

"Anything Luffy would find fun."

Luffy perked up. "Hey."

Ben glanced at the captain, then back at Nami. "That is a very broad definition."

"It needs to be."

"Fair enough."

…

A short while later, the group left the house and made their way into town, their silver pendants visible around their necks.

Angel Island in the morning was bright, busy, and strange in a way that still caught the pirates looking around despite themselves. The streets were made of island-cloud, springy underfoot with every step, and lined with colorful homes, small shops, and hanging signs. The air carried mixed scents of warm bread, sea-cloud mist, fresh fruit, and unfamiliar dishes being prepared somewhere nearby.

The Straw Hats drew attention almost immediately, which was not exactly surprising. Blue Sea dwellers were uncommon enough. A smiling boy in a red vest and straw hat, a green-haired swordsman carrying three swords, a smoking cook in a suit, a long-nosed sniper, a tiny talking reindeer, and two beautiful women were not exactly subtle.

Chopper shifted closer to Usopp as a few children pointed at him. "They're staring."

Usopp placed a hand over his chest and lifted his chin. "Naturally. Even in the heavens, people recognize greatness."

"They're looking at Chopper," Zoro said.

Usopp's posture sagged. "You could've let me have one second."

Chopper looked up at the curious children, then puffed his chest out with nervous pride. "M-Maybe they've never seen a doctor like me before."

Robin glanced down at him. "That would be difficult, Doctor. You are one of a kind."

Chopper spun away, swaying happily. "D-Don't call me one of a kind, you jerk! That doesn't make me happy at all!"

A few of the Skypiean children whispered among themselves, now even more fascinated.

Usopp leaned toward them and nodded solemnly. "Yes, yes. Behold our legendary doctor. No autographs during business hours."

"Usopp!" Chopper protested.

"What? I'm helping your reputation."

Conis guided them as far as the main stretch near Lovely Street before slowing near an intersection. The road ahead curved toward the market, while a smaller path led toward a quieter part of town. Shops were opening their shutters, and a few Skypieans paused to glance at the Blue Sea visitors before continuing on.

"This road leads toward the market," Conis said, gesturing politely. "Conache Café is farther along Lovely Street. If you need directions, most people should be willing to help."

Sanji stepped forward at once, one hand over his heart. "Then I'll escort you, Conis dear."

Conis blinked. "Escort me?"

"Naturally. A lady walking to work alone while I stand idle?" Sanji shook his head gravely. "Impossible."

"It is not far," she replied, smiling awkwardly. "And Angel Island is usually very safe."

"Usually," Sanji repeated, his visible eye narrowing. "A word with far too many escape routes."

Zoro snorted. "You just want to follow her."

Sanji rounded on him. "And you just want to drag every noble impulse into the mud."

"That wasn't noble. That was flirting."

"It can be both!"

Conis's cheeks warmed faintly. "I truly do not want to trouble you."

Sanji's expression softened the instant he looked back at her. "No trouble. Besides, I'd like to see the café. A local kitchen can teach a cook things no map ever could."

That answer eased some of her embarrassment. "If you would like to come, then I do not mind."

Sanji practically floated. "Then I am in your care, Conis dear."

Nami gave him a sideways look. "Try not to get banned from the kitchen before lunch."

Sanji looked wounded. "Nami-swan, I would never disrespect another cook's kitchen."

Zoro muttered, "You'll reorganize it in ten minutes."

The cook's smile sharpened. "Only if it cries out for help."

Pagaya gestured toward the side path with a pleasant smile. "The Waver shop is this way, Nami, if you would still like to see it."

Nami's attention sharpened instantly. "Definitely."

She turned back toward the others, one hand settling on her hip. "Before everyone scatters, we meet back this afternoon. Near Conache Café. Do not make me hunt you down."

Luffy blinked. "Where are we meeting?"

Nami stared at him.

Luffy stared back.

Usopp slowly leaned toward Chopper. "He's already lost the mission."

Chopper whispered, "But we haven't left yet."

"At Conache Café," Nami said, pointing down the street with dangerous patience. "Where Conis works. The place I just said."

"Ohhh." Luffy nodded. "Right."

"You didn't remember."

"Nope."

Nami's eye twitched. "No wandering into trouble. No picking fights. No breaking anything. No stealing. No going near Upper Yard."

Luffy's face fell. "That's too many."

"They're all for you," Zoro said.

Nami's eyes slid to him. "Not all."

Zoro looked away. "Tch."

Sanji exhaled smoke through his nose. "Imagine needing rules to walk through town."

Nami's gaze swept over the group once, counting automatically.

Pagaya. Conis. Luffy. Zoro. Sanji. Usopp. Chopper. Robin.

One missing.

Her smile vanished. "Where's Kevin?"

Robin's expression remained calm. "He walked away earlier."

Nami slowly turned toward her. "He what?"

"He walked away earlier," Robin repeated pleasantly.

"And no one thought to mention that?"

Zoro shrugged. "You were busy making laws."

"They were warnings."

"They sounded like laws."

Usopp nodded gravely. "Very strict ones."

Nami's fingers flexed once at her side. "Of course he wandered off."

Robin's eyes curved faintly. "He did seem determined."

Nami looked at her.

Robin only smiled.

For half a second, Nami's gaze sharpened, as if she could feel a conversation happening underneath the conversation. Then she clicked her tongue and turned back to the others. "Fine. He's not part of the crew, so he can get himself lost if he wants." Her eyes narrowed. "The rest of you are my problem. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper answered at once.

Zoro grunted.

Nami pointed at him. "That better mean yes."

"It means I heard you."

"That's not the same thing."

"It's close enough."

Robin gave a small, graceful nod. "I will be careful, Navigator."

Nami glanced at her, then sighed. "At least someone will be."

As the group began to split up along Lovely Street, Robin's gaze drifted toward the opposite side of the road, away from the market, away from the café, and away from the Waver shop.

Her smile did not change. But her eyes lingered there for a moment longer than necessary.

…

Luffy found the food market less than five minutes later.

He had not meant to wander there, exactly. He had simply followed his nose through Lovely Street, past shops, stalls, and vendors calling out things he did not understand. Then a warm, savory smell drifted through the air.

He stopped so suddenly that a Skypiean man nearly walked into his back.

His head turned. On the corner of the market street stood an open-fronted restaurant with round tables and a painted sign showing a steaming bowl with grilled sky-fish curled across the top. The smell coming from inside was rich and smoky, full of cooked fish, broth, and something that made his mouth water instantly.

Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Food."

A young waitress in a neat apron noticed him standing in front of the entrance. Her polite smile faltered when she saw his lack of wings. "Oh. A Blue Sea dweller?"

"Yep," Luffy said.

Her gaze dropped to the silver pendant hanging from his neck, and the tension in her shoulders eased. "You entered legally, I see. Welcome. Table for one?"

"Yeah."

She turned to lead him inside.

Luffy paused, then added, "Maybe ten."

The waitress looked back. "Ten people?"

"No. Ten tables."

Her smile froze for a second.

Luffy grinned. "I'm hungry."

She gave a polite little laugh, clearly deciding he was joking. "Right this way."

Luffy sat down.

Five minutes later, the first bowl arrived. Then the second. Then the third.

After that, the kitchen stopped sending food out in courses and started sending it out in waves. Fried sky-fish, soft bread, bowls of soup, grilled shellfish, steamed dumplings, fruit, roasted skewers, and several dishes Luffy could not name arrived one after another. He did not ask what most of them were. By the time he thought of a question, the food was already in his mouth.

The waitress stared as empty plates began stacking beside him.

The chef leaned halfway out of the kitchen, still holding a pan. "Is he eating the garnish?"

The waitress watched Luffy swallow a decorative cloud-leaf whole. "He already did."

The chef stared.

Luffy held up his bowl. "More!"

The waitress blinked. "More?"

"Yeah. This fish is great."

"Thank you. It was caught fresh this morning."

"Then catch more."

The waitress opened her mouth, closed it, then looked helplessly toward the kitchen.

The chef slowly disappeared back inside.

More food arrived. Then more.

By the time Luffy finally leaned back, the plates beside him had become a small tower. His belly had rounded comically beneath his red vest, and he looked profoundly satisfied. "That was great!" he said.

The waitress approached carefully, bill in hand. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now, your bill."

Luffy blinked. "Bill?"

Her smile tightened. "For the food."

"Oh." He patted his pockets, then frowned. "I don't have money."

The waitress went very still.

The chef peeked out again.

Luffy snapped his fingers. "But I know a guy."

"You… know a guy?"

"Yeah. Levin." Luffy nodded proudly. "He has jars of dirt."

The waitress stared. "Dirt?"

"Not dirt. The special dirt." He scratched his cheek, thinking hard. "The one everybody here likes."

The chef stepped farther out. "Does he mean Vearth?"

"Yeah! That!" Luffy grinned. "Levin can pay you with that."

The waitress and chef both stared at him.

Luffy stood, his bloated belly wobbling slightly as he stretched both arms over his head. "I'll tell him."

"Sir," the waitress said weakly. "You still need to pay now."

"I just said I'll tell him," Luffy replied, already waddling toward the door. "Thanks for the food!"

He stepped into the street, looked left, then right, and immediately perked up when he spotted another food stall.

"Ooh. Meat."

The waitress and chef stood in the entrance, watching him wander away.

The waitress looked back at the mountain of empty plates.

Her eye twitched.

…

Zoro did not know where he was, nor did it bother him.

He was walking through town. Towns had streets. Streets went somewhere. Therefore, he was not lost. The destination was simply taking its time showing up.

Several Skypieans stared as he passed the same fruit stand for the third time.

Zoro frowned at the street ahead. "This place is laid out stupid."

It was not.

Eventually, he turned down a side road and spotted a painted sign hanging from two cords above a half-open doorway. It showed a smiling sky-fish beside a bottle and cup.

Cloudfin Tavern.

Zoro's expression shifted. Kevin said this place was where he got that booze. It wasn't half-bad.

He stepped inside.

The tavern was smaller and cleaner than the rough drinking holes Zoro preferred, with carved wood around the entrance and shaped clouds worked into the walls. Wind chimes sang softly near the doorway, while a pair of Tone Dials tucked near the rafters played a mellow string tune.

A narrow bar ran along the far wall. Behind it, bottles of pale liquor stood in neat rows. Several sky-fish hung curing near a kitchen archway, giving the place a faintly salty smell.

Only a few locals were inside. Their eyes moved to Zoro's swords first, then to his lack of wings, then to the silver pendant hanging at his chest. Once they saw it, most of them looked away.

Zoro ignored them and sat at the counter.

Behind the bar stood a broad-shouldered Skypiean man in his forties, wearing a loose grey shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looked up from polishing a cup.

"Heso."

Zoro stared at him. "You sneezing or greeting me?"

The bartender paused. "Greeting you."

"Right." He rested one elbow on the bar. "Strongest thing you've got."

The bartender glanced toward the window. "It is still morning."

"Didn't ask what time it was."

A local at the end of the bar choked softly into his cup.

The bartender studied Zoro for another second, then set the cup down. "You are sure?"

Zoro gave him a flat look.

The bartender reached for a bottle. "Strongest thing, then."

The first drink went down easily. The second had a strange fruit taste that almost ruined the burn. The third was better. By the fourth, Zoro had settled into quiet judgment, testing each bottle like he was choosing a sword.

The local at the end of the bar leaned closer. "Do all Blue Sea dwellers drink like that?"

Zoro glanced at him. "No."

The man relaxed slightly.

"Some drink more."

He stiffened again.

The bartender gave a small, careful cough. "Is it true the Blue Sea has oceans deep enough to swallow whole mountains?"

"Yeah."

The local's eyes widened. "And people live there?"

"Yeah."

"By choice?"

Zoro took another drink. "Usually."

"That sounds terrifying."

"You get used to it."

The bartender eyed him. "To drowning?"

"To the ocean."

"That is not much better."

Zoro shrugged. "Depends on the day."

By the time the bartender placed another bottle in front of him, a neat row of marks had been made on a small slate beside the counter.

Zoro noticed it vaguely.

"What's that?"

"Your tab."

Zoro nodded once. "Fine."

The bartender waited.

Zoro stared back.

The bartender's expression slowly tightened. "You do have extol, yes?"

Zoro blinked. "Extol?"

"Skypiea's currency."

"Oh right." He looked down at his pockets like they had personally betrayed him. Then he leaned back, completely unbothered. "I know a guy."

The bartender did not look reassured. "A guy."

"Yeah. Tall guy. Muscular. Dark hair."

The bartender stared. "The other Blue Sea dweller?"

"Yeah. Him." Zoro picked up the new bottle. "He can pay. You take dirt, right?"

…

After several minutes of walking down the street and trying very hard to ignore the stares Chopper drew from passing townspeople, Usopp stopped.

Chopper looked up at him. "Usopp?"

The sniper frowned, rubbing his chin. "I feel it."

"Feel what?"

"A warning from my warrior instincts."

Chopper gasped. "Really?"

Usopp closed his eyes with grave importance. "A brave warrior of the sea must listen when danger whispers."

Chopper leaned closer. "What's it saying?"

Usopp's eyes opened and slid past him to a narrow storefront packed with shells of every shape and size. His expression changed instantly. "It's saying," he whispered, "we need to go in there."

Chopper turned, spotted the display window, and hurried over to press both hooves against the glass. "There are so many!"

Usopp leaned beside him, eyes shining. "Look at that one. And that one. And that one!"

"You pointed at the same one twice."

"That's because it demanded respect twice."

The storefront was narrow, but every inch of it was packed with Dials. Some sat in neat rows behind glass, while others hung from strings, rested in padded trays, or filled little wooden boxes marked with careful labels. The whole place smelled faintly of polished wood and the dry, mineral scent of old shells.

A beat later, Usopp and Chopper burst through the door together.

The shopkeeper looked up from behind the counter. He was an older Skypiean man with small round glasses, swept-back white hair, and wings that twitched slightly in surprise.

"Welcome," he began, then blinked. "Oh. Blue Sea dwellers. I heard a group arrived yesterday."

Usopp straightened and puffed out his chest. "Then word of the great Captain Usopp has already reached the skies. Not surprising. Fame does travel upward."

"Oh?" The shopkeeper adjusted his glasses. "What an honor, then."

His gaze drifted down to Chopper. "Though, Captain, is it wise to let your pet walk around without a leash?"

Chopper froze.

Usopp froze too, but with the grim awareness of a man standing beside a loaded cannon.

"Hey!" Chopper shouted, throwing up both hooves. "I'm not a pet! I'm a doctor!"

The shopkeeper's glasses slipped down his nose. "It talks?"

"He talks," Usopp corrected quickly. "This is Tony Tony Chopper, ship's doctor of the great Captain Usopp's eight-thousand-man crew."

"E-Eight thousand?"

Chopper whipped toward him. "I'm not in your crew!"

Usopp leaned down and hissed, "Work with me. We have momentum."

"You're lying!"

"Heroic framing!"

The shopkeeper looked between them, then focused on Chopper with careful politeness. "My apologies, Doctor Chopper. I have never seen a creature like you."

Chopper's irritation vanished. He planted his hooves proudly on his hips. "I'm a reindeer."

"I see. Forgive my mistake."

He softened at once. "Oh. Well, if you understand, then it's okay."

Usopp leaned closer. "He called you doctor."

The reindeer began swaying happily, his grin impossible to hide. "D-don't think calling me doctor makes me happy, you jerk!"

The shopkeeper stared.

Usopp waved a hand. "That means he's happy."

"I… see."

Usopp placed both hands on the counter. "Now, shopkeeper. A friend showed us some Dials yesterday. Lamp, Tone, Breath, Breathe. What else have you got?"

The shopkeeper hummed, then pulled out a sturdy shell with a narrow mouth. "This is an Impact Dial. It absorbs force and releases it outward."

Usopp's eyes widened. "That's incredible." He turned to Chopper, already seeing glory. "An enemy strikes. Captain Usopp stands firm. Then, with one fearless motion, I return their own power tenfold!"

"Not tenfold," the shopkeeper said. "Only what it absorbed."

Chopper leaned closer. "Could it protect someone from a fall?"

"In theory. But the recoil may injure the user."

Usopp's hand, which had been creeping toward the Dial, stopped.

Chopper glanced at him. "Maybe don't test it on yourself."

Usopp pulled his hand back with dignity. "Obviously. A genius inventor respects the experimental phase."

The shopkeeper set down a darker, flatter shell. "This is an Axe Dial."

Usopp's head snapped toward it. "Axe?"

"It releases a thin cutting blast. Dangerous if mishandled. It can slice through wood and softer stone."

Chopper took a small step back. "That sounds scary."

Usopp leaned closer. "That sounds useful."

"It is not a toy," the shopkeeper warned.

Usopp nodded solemnly. "Of course not. Anything named Axe Dial deserves maturity."

"It is also illegal to discharge in town."

The sniper's finger froze an inch from the shell. "I knew that."

The doctor squinted. "You didn't."

The shopkeeper slid the Axe Dial farther from him and, after putting on a mitten, lifted a pale blue shell from a tray. Frost clung lightly around its rim, and the air cooled the moment it touched the counter.

Chopper's ears perked. "Oh…"

"A Cold Dial," the shopkeeper said. "It stores and releases cold air. Useful on hot days and for preserving food."

Chopper's eyes widened. "Could it help someone with a fever? Or keep a patient cool if they're overheated?"

The shopkeeper smiled. "A very thoughtful use, Doctor."

Chopper beamed, then immediately wiggled in place. "D-don't praise me! It doesn't make me happy at all!"

Usopp nodded. "Doctor Chopper has spoken. The Cold Dial joins our arsenal."

Chopper spotted another shell, small and dark gray with ridges around its curve. "What about that one?"

The shopkeeper placed it down. "Flash Dial. It stores and releases intense light."

Usopp's fingers twitched.

"Please do not activate it in here."

"I wasn't going to."

"You were thinking about it," Chopper said.

"For emergencies," he said quickly. "Imagine it. Darkness. Enemies closing in. Then, flash! Captain Usopp appears, savior of the helpless!"

Chopper's eyes sparkled. "That does sound cool."

"It can also be used for signaling," the shopkeeper added. "Or if someone is lost."

Usopp nodded as if that had been his point all along. "Exactly. Practical heroism."

The shopkeeper arranged the Impact, Axe, Cold, and Flash Dials together. "These are the only uncommon Dials I currently have in stock. Would you like them?"

"Of course!" Usopp declared. "We'll take all four!"

"Alright!" Chopper cheered.

"Wonderful." The shopkeeper folded his hands. "They are quite expensive, but I am sure a captain of your stature can pay."

Usopp's chest puffed out. "A man commanding eight thousand followers does not fear mere numbers."

Chopper tugged on his overalls. "Usopp."

The sniper leaned down, still grinning. "What?"

Chopper whispered, "We don't have money."

Usopp went completely still.

The heroic light drained from his face.

His eyes widened in slow horror. "That," he whispered, "was what my instincts were warning me about."

…

Sanji and Conis reached Conache Café just as the morning rush began.

The café sat near Lovely Street, open and cheerful beneath the bright morning. Pale tables were arranged near broad windows, wind chimes swayed gently from the rafters, and the painted sign outside rocked on its ropes whenever the breeze rolled through. The smell of warm drinks, fruit, and baked pastries filled the air, sweet enough to make Sanji's attention sharpen the moment he stepped inside.

Conis greeted the other workers, tied on her apron, and moved behind the counter with practiced ease. "Thank you for walking with me, Sanji."

Sanji softened instantly. "Conis dear, escorting a lady safely to work is never a burden."

Conis smiled, embarrassed but polite. "Angel Island is usually very safe."

"Usually is the word villains hide behind."

"I do not think we have many villains on Lovely Street."

"Then Lovely Street is blessed," he said, hand over his heart. "But I remain available in case beauty requires defense."

"Heso, Conis!" a familiar voice called from behind the counter. "Right on ti—"

Raki stopped when she saw Sanji.

She leaned over the counter, springy brown curls bobbing, her bright conache-slice earrings catching the light. Her eyes traveled from his suit to his cigarette to the way he was practically sparkling beside Conis.

"Oh," she said, grin spreading. "Again?"

Conis blinked. "Again?"

"First Ingram. Now this one." Raki rested her chin on one hand. "Busy week."

Conis went pink. "Raki, please."

Sanji's visible eye sharpened. "Ingram?"

"He was only a visitor," Conis said quickly.

"A handsome visitor," Raki added.

Sanji's cigarette dipped.

Conis turned brighter pink. "Father and I were helping him. That is all."

Raki hummed. "You brought him here, gave him conache juice, and let him invent imaginary drinks."

"Imaginary drinks?" Sanji repeated.

"He called it a smoothie," Raki said. "Still no idea what that means. But he said it with confidence, which helped."

Conis's mouth twitched despite herself. "He was strange."

"Funny strange," Raki said, then her grin softened. "Actually… where did he go? He said he was visiting you, but I haven't seen him since."

"Ingram had to leave." Conis's smile faltered. Sanji noticed immediately.

Raki's teasing vanished. "Oh."

"Yes," Conis replied, hands folding lightly against her apron. "It was sudden."

For a second, the warmth of the café thinned.

Sanji did not know the whole story. He did not need to. The way Conis looked at the counter told him enough. Whatever jealousy had sparked in him drained away, replaced by quiet concern.

Raki's voice dropped. "I'm sorry. I was only teasing."

"I know," Conis said softly. "It is alright."

Sanji bowed his head. "Any man remembered that gently by Conis dear deserves respect."

Raki looked at him, then at Conis. "He's dramatic."

Conis's lips curved faintly. "A little."

Sanji straightened. "Madam, I am not dramatic. I am sincere with excellent posture."

"Dramatic," Raki decided.

Conis let out a small laugh.

Then Sanji saw the kitchen.

One of the cooks in the back flipped something pale and delicate over too harshly. Its edge began to darken. A second pan hissed much too loudly beside him, and a basket of sliced fruit sat dangerously close to the heat.

Sanji went still.

Conis looked over. "Sanji?"

"Forgive me," he said, already moving past the counter. "I have to intervene."

The cook blinked. "Intervene in what?"

"That pan has eight seconds before tragedy."

The cook stared. "Who are you?"

"A cook." Sanji's voice turned firm. "And that ingredient is asking for help."

Raki's brows lifted. "Conis?"

"I have only known him since yesterday."

"That is not an answer."

Sanji glanced back with a smile. "Only brief assistance, Conis dear. I cannot ignore a cry from the stove."

Within minutes, he was in the kitchen.

Within ten, he had reorganized half the prep station.

Within fifteen, Conache Café smelled even better than it normally did.

Customers began noticing immediately. Heads turned. Conversations slowed. A woman at the counter leaned to peer past Raki toward the kitchen.

"What is that?"

"Is it new?"

"I'll take one."

Raki stared as Sanji moved through the kitchen with frightening ease, adapting to unfamiliar ingredients like he had been waiting for the challenge. Each time Conis carried out a dish, Sanji added some precise little flourish to the plating before it left the counter.

One woman took a bite and widened her eyes. "This is wonderful."

Sanji glowed. "Madam, your smile has improved the recipe."

Raki slowly leaned toward Conis. "Does he always talk like he's proposing to breakfast?"

Conis watched Sanji bow to another pleased customer. "Apparently."

"He may be more dangerous than Ingram."

"Raki."

"I'm serious. Ingram joked. This one sparkles."

Sanji, unfortunately, heard her. He turned with hearts in his eyes. "If I sparkle, ladies, it is only because I stand near such radiance."

Raki and Conis both blinked. Conis gave him a small, amused look. "Sanji, you really do enjoy this."

The hearts faded for a moment. What remained was quieter and far more genuine.

"A cook who doesn't enjoy feeding people has no business in a kitchen."

Conis's smile warmed.

Then three more women complimented the food, and Sanji spun right back into hearts.

"Ladies, please! There is enough passion for every plate!"

Raki laughed outright. "Oh, he's fun."

The morning rush somehow became smoother and more chaotic at the same time. Orders moved faster. Plates came out prettier. Customers lingered longer, drawn in by the scent of Sanji's cooking and the sudden rhythm of the café running better than it had any right to. Raki had to stop teasing Conis long enough to keep up at the counter.

Near one of the tables, an off-duty White Beret paused with his cup halfway to his mouth. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of Sanji moving through the kitchen.

"One of the Blue Sea dwellers?" he muttered. For a moment, he watched Sanji flip another piece of sky-fish onto a plate, irritation settling into his face. Then he sighed, pushed back from his chair, and stood. "Better let the captain know."

…

Nami forgot about most of Angel Island the moment Pagaya led her into the Waver specialty shop.

It sat along one of the quieter streets, tucked between a Dial repair stall and a small café with flower boxes under the windows. A painted sign hung above the door, showing a little Waver skimming over stylized sea-clouds. Inside, the air smelled faintly of polished wood and metal fittings.

Waver parts lined the walls in careful displays. Steering handles, small hull panels, Dial housings, tubing, braces, screws, fittings, and curved boards had all been arranged with care. Several completed Wavers rested across the shop floor as well. Some were sleek and narrow, clearly built for riders who already knew what they were doing. Others were broader, sturdier, and probably less likely to throw beginners face-first into the White-White Sea.

Nami stepped inside slowly, eyes moving everywhere at once. "Okay. Now this is dangerous."

Pagaya smiled, pleased by her reaction. "Dangerous?"

"For my wallet," she said, already drifting toward the nearest Waver. "If I knew how much these cost, I'd probably start negotiating."

"I'm afraid most Wavers are rather expensive."

"Then it's definitely dangerous."

She crouched beside the stern, her attention snapping from admiration into study. "Breath Dial goes here?"

"Yes. That placement is very important. A poor mount can make the whole craft unstable."

Nami traced the line from the Dial housing to the underside of the frame without touching it. "So that's why it fights you on tight turns. The thrust is still pushing one way while your balance is trying to force it another."

Pagaya's brows lifted behind his glasses. "You noticed that already?"

"I nearly ate cloud twice. I noticed."

"A memorable lesson, then."

She stood and continued down the display line, absorbing details with a navigator's hunger. How the frames were shaped to ride the surface of sea-clouds. How the handles controlled angle and pressure. How some models had minor adjustments near the rear to compensate for the rider's weight. A proper Waver wasn't just a toy, and the more Nami looked, the more she wanted to understand every inch of it.

Before she reached the back wall, another display caught her eye.

It was smaller than the Wavers. Much smaller.

A pair of boots sat mounted on a low stand, each fitted with narrow metal runners along the soles and small Dial housings near the heels. Beside them were spare plates, straps, screws, and what looked like reinforced ankle braces. They reminded Nami of skates, though the construction was far more delicate than anything meant for ice or wood.

She stopped in front of them. "And these?"

Pagaya followed her gaze. "Ah. Shooters."

"Shooters?"

"Yes. They are worn on the feet and used to skate along sea-clouds." He adjusted his glasses, pleased to explain. "They are not as common as Wavers for ordinary travel, but skilled users can move very quickly with them."

Nami leaned closer, studying the little Dial housings. "So they're like skates."

"In a sense, yes. But they require a cloud path. Without one, there is nothing stable to ride."

Nami's eyes narrowed with interest. "A cloud path?"

"Milky Roads, for example. Or trails produced by certain Dials." Pagaya gestured to the runners beneath the boots. "The Shooters grip the cloud surface and allow the rider to glide along it."

Nami imagined it quickly. Not a boat. Not quite a Waver. Something faster and more direct if the rider already had a path to use.

"Sounds hard to control."

"Very," he said. "A small mistake can send the rider tumbling. They are better suited for people with excellent balance, or for trained officers."

"Officers?"

"The White Berets use them at times." He gave a small, apologetic smile. "They are effective for pursuit."

"I bet." Her gaze lingered on the Shooters another moment before shifting to a display near the back of the shop. It was not the kind of Waver she had ridden yesterday.

The frame was compact, narrower and flatter than the recreational models, mounted upright beside a shelf of experimental parts. It had no proper seat, no broad steering handle, and no gentle beginner's shape. It looked more like a board than a vehicle.

Nami's smile faded by a fraction.

Her mind went back to the masked warrior who had attacked the Going Merry on the White Sea. The sharp movements. The strange board he had ridden. The way it had chased after him when the Sky Knight had sent him careening back.

She narrowed her eyes. "Pagaya."

"Yes?"

"Do people ride these?"

He followed her gaze. "Board-types? Some do. Not many on Angel Island."

"Too hard?"

"Too unforgiving. They are fast, but unstable. A standard Waver is safer for ordinary riders."

Nami glanced back at him. "So who uses them?"

"Skilled riders. Thrill-seekers." His smile dimmed slightly. "And Shandorians, at times."

"Shandorians?"

"A warrior people," he said carefully. "They have been in conflict with Skypiea for a long time. Their craft are often built for speed, pursuit, and retreat."

Nami remembered the masked man's aggression and the way he had attacked without warning. "Yeah," she muttered. "That sounds about right."

Pagaya studied her. "You have seen one?"

"Yesterday. A masked guy attacked our ship on the White Sea." Her eyes stayed on the board frame. "He rode something like this."

Pagaya's expression sharpened with interest. "Like this?"

"Similar idea. Different execution."

"How so?"

Nami stepped closer to the display, comparing memory to machine. "It looked like someone started with a board and built the rest around that."

Pagaya hummed softly.

"It was smoother," she continued. "More compact. Twin housings in the back, almost like little engines. And it didn't move exactly like the Waver I used."

Pagaya adjusted his glasses. "In what way?"

"It held steadier than it should have." Her eyes narrowed. "When he jumped back onto it, the board shifted under him, but it didn't wobble. It just caught him and pulled away from the Merry."

"That is impressive control."

"It wasn't just the rider," she said. "After the Sky Knight knocked him off, the board didn't fall. It kept humming in the air, banked on its own, and chased after him."

Pagaya's brows lifted. "On its own?"

"Yeah." Nami crossed her arms, still watching the display. "Like it knew where to go."

"That is unusual," he said, and this time his curiosity was plain. "Shandorian board Wavers are modified, but they still follow familiar principles. What you describe sounds quite unique."

Unique.

Nami's fingers brushed lightly against her own arm.

Conis had said Ben's Waver was more like a board than a standard Waver. She had said he built it himself inside Pagaya's workshop, using methods she called unorthodox. And Kevin, or Ben, had already shown that he could repair and build things that should have taken much longer, especially with that small red gremlin-like form he called Juryrigg.

A custom board Waver. Twin rear housings. Smoother design and operation. Too unusual for Pagaya to recognize as standard. And then there was Ben's reaction yesterday when the masked warrior attacked the Going Merry. He had gone still for a second, but that could have meant anything in the middle of a fight.

At first, she thought it was because he was assessing the threat. Now she was not so sure. Had that warrior found Ben's Waver after Eneru's judgment? Was that why Ben had frozen when he saw it?

Nami's mouth pressed into a thin line.

Pagaya, unaware of where her thoughts had gone, looked back at the compact board display with thoughtful enthusiasm. "If such a craft exists, I would very much like to examine it. A hover-capable board Waver would change a great deal."

"Yeah," Nami said, still staring at the unfinished frame.

Her voice stayed casual, but her mind did not.

"I bet it would."

…

By the time the others scattered through Angel Island, Ben had already stopped pretending this was a sightseeing trip. He moved through the crowd with his hands at his sides, shoulders loose, and eyes half-lidded. Skypieans glanced at him, noticed the silver pendant at his neck, and then looked away with visible relief.

To them, he was just another Blue Sea dweller touring the town. That was fine. Being underestimated was useful.

Lovely Street thinned the farther he walked from the busier market stretch. The voices of town faded behind him, replaced by the creak of ropes, the soft bump of small boats against docks, and the occasional hum of Breath Dials pushing craft across the sea-clouds.

The harbor sat along the far side of Angel Island, where the island-cloud sloped down toward a broad wharf. It was not like any harbor Ben had ever seen back home or in the Blue Sea. There was no dark water, no smell of salt, no gulls screaming overhead. Instead, white sea-clouds rolled gently beneath the docks, catching the morning light like snow under glass.

Several Dial Boats were tied along the wharf. Some were small personal craft with simple seats and curved handles. Others were wider and sturdier, likely meant for families or cargo. A few had little canopies stretched over them, while one elegant craft with a swan-like shape and folded wing details rested farther down, tied off.

Ben paused near a post and looked out over the harbor.

To his left, the White-White Sea opened wide and calm, with a few riders skimming across it in the distance. To his right, the cloud-canals bent toward more restricted lanes, narrower channels where fewer casual travelers went. Farther beyond, partly hidden by distance and light, rose the dark green mass of Upper Yard.

Ben leaned one shoulder against the post.

Guess that's the Milky Road the bartender was talking about, he thought.

His gaze shifted toward Upper Yard. So I know where I need to go. Now I just have to get there without alerting anyone, especially Dumbo.

A stealth form would be ideal. Something that could fly, move quietly, and disappear before anyone realized he was there. Ghostfreak or Big Chill could work. Ampfibian might too since intangibility was part of his underutilized toolkit.

He needed to scout Upper Yard first. Find Kami's shrine. Count the priests, the soldiers, and whatever else Eneru kept between himself and the people he ruled. Then he could choose the battlefield instead of letting Eneru choose it for him.

A clean, fast strike. One versus one on Ben's terms. Not Eneru's.

Ben pushed off the post and scanned the harbor again, eyes narrowing as he searched for a place to transform without causing a scene. He had taken two steps toward the narrow gap between two dockside storage sheds when a familiar voice reached him.

"Looking for a quiet place?"

He stopped.

Ben turned his head and found Robin standing near the edge of the wharf as if she had been there the whole time. Her arms were folded over her chest, and her expression held that same calm amusement that made it impossible to tell whether she had followed him for two minutes or twenty.

He stared at her for a beat. "You know, most people make noise when they sneak up on someone."

Robin's smile curved faintly. "Most people are not archaeologists."

"Pretty sure that's not a stealth profession."

"It can be, depending on the ruins."

He gave her a flat look. "Way too smooth of an answer."

The ravenette stepped closer, her gaze drifting over the harbor with casual interest. To anyone watching from a distance, she looked like a woman enjoying the view. Her eyes moved from the docked Dial Boats to the cloud-canals, then farther out toward the dark shape of Upper Yard.

Ben noticed exactly where she looked.

He kept his posture loose. "If you're looking for the others, I think Luffy followed his stomach somewhere with food. Probably racking up a huge bill too."

"That does sound like Captain."

"Then shouldn't someone stop him?"

"Navigator is very capable."

"Cold."

"Practical."

Ben huffed despite himself, then glanced back toward the gap between the sheds. "Well, as much as I love standing around making small talk, I've got things to do."

"Yes," she said softly. "That seemed apparent."

His eyes shifted toward her.

Robin did not speak again. Instead, she reached into the small bag at her side and removed a folded piece of paper and a pen. Ben's brow furrowed as she held the paper against the flat top of a mooring post and began to write.

The gesture caught him off guard for only a second before he understood what she was doing.

Robin finished writing and turned the paper toward him.

You are preparing to enter Upper Yard.

It was not written like a question.

Ben stared at the sentence while the harbor sounds sharpened around them. Ropes creaked against docks. A Breath Dial hissed softly as a small boat eased away from its mooring.

He slowly looked up to see her expression remained calm and pleasant. After a moment, he took the pen from her hand and wrote beneath her words.

That obvious?

She read it, then wrote again.

You are looking for a place where no one will see you change shape.

Ben glanced around to confirm no one was watching closely before writing back.

You notice too much.

Her smile deepened slightly.

I have been told.

He almost snorted, leaning one hip against the mooring post and kept the pen in hand. "Okay," he murmured. "Let's say you're not completely wrong."

Robin gently tapped the paper.

He rolled his eyes, then wrote.

I'm scouting. Not starting a fight yet.

Robin's gaze lingered on the final word.

She wrote beneath it.

That is still a dangerous errand to take alone.

Ben read the line once. His first instinct was to deflect. He could have written some joke about how he had punched worse guys than Eneru before breakfast. It would have been easy.

The pen hovered for a moment before he wrote the truth.

I know.

Robin did not look surprised.

He sighed through his nose and added another line.

But I've handled bigger things where I'm from.

She accepted the pen back, her eyes calm.

Alone?

For a moment, Ben's memories moved too quickly to separate.

Vilgax. The Highbreed. Aggregor. Dagon. Every disaster, every mission, every fight that had felt too big even with the Omnitrix. And there was one thing those memories had in common, one thing he hated forgetting whenever the pressure started closing around him.

He had not been alone.

He took the pen and wrote slower this time.

No.

Robin's expression softened just slightly, though not enough to become pity.

Ben stared at the word, then looked back toward Upper Yard. "I had my friends," he said under his breath.

Robin's pen moved again.

Captain appears to have taken an interest in you.

Ben blinked, then looked sharply from her face to the paper.

He barely knows me.

Robin wrote with the same graceful patience.

That rarely prevents him from making a decision.

He frowned, but there was no easy argument for that.

He wrote:

That's flattering. In a terrifying way.

Her mouth curved.

Captain can be both.

"Yeah," Ben murmured. "I noticed."

He then shook his head, turning to the cloud-canals. "But this isn't your crew's problem."

Robin did not answer immediately.

Her gaze drifted toward the White-White Sea, and for a moment, her expression became distant. Not sad exactly. More like the words had brushed against a memory with teeth.

Then she wrote.

That has not stopped them before.

Ben read that line carefully. "That have anything to do with Alabasta?"

Her eyes lifted to his. For once, her smile did not quite hide everything.

Among other things.

After a brief pause, she added another line.

A story for another time.

Ben watched her face for another second, trying to read what she left unsaid. Robin was good at that. Saying just enough to answer, but never enough to hand someone the whole truth.

He respected it. But also found it incredibly annoying.

"Of course," he muttered.

She wrote again.

I will not stop you if you choose to go.

Ben quirked a brow.

That was not what he had expected. He had expected a warning. Maybe a threat, subtle and polite in that very Robin way. Instead, her words stayed even.

Robin continued writing.

But I would suggest considering whether going alone is truly your best course of action.

Ben stared at the sentence.

No speech about friendship. No demand that he tell Luffy and the others everything. No heroic declaration that the Straw Hats would march into danger for him. Just a quiet observation.

He tapped the pen lightly against the paper, then wrote:

You're pirates.

She read the words and tilted her head. "Yes."

He frowned at the complete lack of concern in her voice. After a moment, he added another line beneath it.

Pirates usually don't help people.

Her eyes curved faintly with amusement. She took the pen from him and wrote with calm, elegant strokes.

These pirates are unusual.

Ben cocked a brow at the wording.

She had not said we.

Maybe that was because Robin was still new to the crew and did not consider herself fully part of them yet. Or she was simply the kind of woman who kept one careful step between herself and everyone else. Maybe both.

Ben looked down at the paper again, huffing quietly. "That's putting it lightly."

Robin added another line.

They helped a princess reclaim her country.

He looked back at her, but her expression gave away nothing more.

So that was what Alabasta was about. Or part of it, anyway.

The fact that she treated it like a story for another time told him it was not simple. He decided not to dig.

He wrote:

And you think they'd help people they just met?

Robin accepted the pen.

The captain does not seem to measure loyalty by time.

His throat tightened slightly.

Robin held the paper steady, writing the next line.

If he believes someone has been wronged, arguing with him rarely changes the outcome.

Ben immediately thought of Mock Town. Luffy taking down Bellamy had not been strategy. It had not been about gain. Bellamy had mocked a dream and hurt people who had been kind to them. Cricket, Masura, Shoujou. That had been enough.

Yeah, Robin was probably right.

Ben exhaled quietly. "I'd rather not drag any of you into this," he said, barely above a whisper.

Robin looked at him for a long moment.

Then she wrote:

Perhaps that will not be entirely your decision.

Ben read it and closed his eyes briefly.

That was the part he hated.

Not because he believed he needed full control. He knew better than that by now. He had learned the hard way that trying to carry everything alone usually ended with someone else paying for his stubbornness. The biggest wins of his life had not come from him locking everyone out and charging ahead. They had come because he trusted people. Because Gwen trusted him. Because Kevin came through. Because Grandpa Max believed he would do the right thing even when the right thing looked reckless from the outside.

Trusting others had saved worlds.

That did not make it easy though, especially here. Not when Eneru could hear the wrong word and turn it into lightning over Conis and Pagaya's home.

When Ben opened his eyes, Robin was folding the paper neatly. She left the lower half blank and offered it to him.

Ben accepted it, brow lifting. "Souvenir?"

"In case words become safer than speech," she said aloud, her voice soft and mild.

He tucked it into his pocket. "You're pretty prepared."

"I try to be."

Robin turned as if to leave, then paused. "Kevin."

The wrong name made his shoulders tense.

Robin watched him with those careful blue eyes. Her expression did not change, but her gaze sharpened just enough to show she had noticed. "I will keep my own counsel for now," she said quietly. "But I would think carefully before deciding you have no one else to rely on."

Ben's smirk flickered, then failed to fully form. "That sounded way too personal for a casual conversation."

She smiled faintly. "So it did."

Robin stepped away from the mooring post, moving back toward town with her usual unhurried grace. A few Skypieans glanced at her as she passed, but she drew no more suspicion than a beautiful tourist walking through the harbor.

He watched her go, then looked back in the direction of Upper Yard.

For a long moment, his plan stayed exactly where it had been.

He could still do it. Slip between the sheds, find a quiet corner, change into something intangible, and scout the approach before anyone realized he was gone. He could map the route, find Kami's Shrine, learn where Eneru's priests were stationed, and maybe even figure out where to strike first.

Any of his stealth forms could get him close. It made sense.

Ben's gaze lowered toward the dock.

He knew the Straw Hats were capable. He would not have brought them to Skypiea if he did not believe that. But were they really ready to face someone like Eneru?

Luffy was strong, and his rubber body apparently made him immune to lightning, which was a massive point in his favor. But he was also reckless enough to turn a careful plan into a shouting match before anyone finished explaining it. There was also the fact that Luffy was painfully easy to mislead when someone knew how to bait him. Ben did not know how cunning Eneru was, but it did not take a genius to assume the tyrant was probably better at strategy than the rubber-brained pirate.

Zoro and Sanji were monsters in their own right, but lightning did not care how hard someone could swing a sword or kick. Usopp was clever, and probably more resourceful than he gave himself credit for but fear still got its hooks into him too easily. He also seemed to be of average strength, and his weapons would be useless against Eneru's intangible body.

Nami and Chopper were sharp in different ways, but Ben had no idea how they would hold up once Eneru started throwing lightning bolts from the sky.

Robin was harder to place. Apparently, she was a former assassin with the ability to sprout limbs from almost anywhere, so he had no doubt she could handle herself better than most. Then again, how did any of that measure up against a man who could turn his body into lightning?

But none of them had seen Eneru. None of them had stood in Upper Yard with a little girl behind them while a giant lightning bolt came down from the sky. While capable, these pirates did not give the teen hero the impression that they would be much help against him.

Ben's mouth tightened. He had thought like that before.

Eight years ago, when Zs'Skayr had crawled out of the shadows again, Ben had been sure he could handle it all himself. He had the Omnitrix. He had the power and skill. In his head, that meant everyone else was just in the way.

He could still hear his younger self saying it, smug as anything.

"I still say things would have gone a lot smoother if you two just let me handle everything myself."

Then Zs'Skayr had proved him wrong almost immediately.

Ben's fingers curled slightly at his side.

That had been the part he used to skip when telling the story. The part where Zs'Skayr had taken him, and if things had gone just a little differently, the Ectonurite Lord would have taken over his body and gained control of the Omnitrix. The thing Ben thought made him untouchable would have become the worst weapon imaginable in the hands of something that hated everything.

But Gwen had been there. Not watching from a safe distance nor cheering from the sidelines. She had opened the shuttle's hatch and let the sunlight pour in. One person Ben had thought he did not need. That had been what destroyed Ghostfreak and saved him and the world from destruction.

Afterward, he had been forced to admit the truth, even if he had dressed it up in his usual ten-year-old attitude.

They were pretty good at kicking butt together.

Ben exhaled slowly.

So far, the Straw Hats didn't give him the impression they were ready, nor fully understood what they were walking towards. To him, they seemed energetic, reckless, and strange.

However, Luffy had taken down Bellamy for someone he barely knew, and according to Robin, the crew had helped a princess reclaim her country. Even her, she had followed him and spoken with paper because she understood that one careless word could put him, Conis, and Pagaya in danger.

So perhaps… they could prove him wrong too.

Ben looked toward Lovely Street, sliding Robin's folded paper deeper into his pocket.

"Okay," he muttered under his breath. "Blind faith it is."

...

Later that afternoon, Conache Café was still recovering from Sanji. Not in a bad way. Quite the opposite.

The cheerful little café near Lovely Street had not changed much since morning, but the smell had. It was sweeter now, richer, sharper in all the right ways. Behind the counter, Raki watched Sanji move through the kitchen like he had been born there, while Conis carried the last few plates to another table with practiced care. Even she kept glancing back whenever the blonde cook added some tiny flourish before letting a dish leave the counter.

At the table nearest the open window, Nami leaned back in her chair with a tired sigh. Robin sat beside her, composed as ever, looking like the afternoon had been pleasant rather than full of suspicious details and near-disasters.

Raki glanced toward the kitchen, then toward the satisfied café crowd. "Conis, let's take ten before he reorganizes the whole place."

Conis blinked. "Would that be alright?"

"The owner told us to sit before we start looking useless in our own café." Raki slipped out from behind the counter and pulled a chair beside the others. "I'm not arguing with paid mercy."

Conis smiled sheepishly and joined them.

A moment later, Sanji approached with a tray balanced on one hand.

"Nami-swan," he said, setting a plate before her with reverent care. "Robin-chwan. Conis dear. madam Raki. Today's café specials, prepared with devotion and improved only by the beauty of those receiving them."

Raki looked down at her plate. "That's our special?"

"With respect," Sanji replied, "your special had great potential. I merely helped it confess."

Robin's smile curved faintly. "How considerate."

Conis covered a small laugh. "I did not know food could confess."

"In his kitchen, apparently it can," Nami said.

She eyed the plate, then stopped with her fork halfway raised. Her expression sharpened. "Wait. We don't have Extols to pay for this."

Conis lifted her hands quickly. "Oh, no. You do not need to pay."

Nami paused. "We don't?"

"The owner covered it," Raki said, jerking a thumb toward the back. "Your cook brought in enough customers to make the kitchen panic twice. We sold out of two specials."

Sanji placed a hand over his heart. "A satisfied customer is a cook's greatest reward."

Nami picked up her fork. "Free food is mine."

Robin lifted her cup. "Navigator's gratitude is direct."

"It saves time."

The door chimes rang.

Usopp and Chopper entered first, both wearing the mournful expressions of people who had seen paradise and been told it cost too much. Luffy followed behind them, licking his fingers. Zoro came in last, looking far too relaxed for Nami's liking.

She narrowed her eyes immediately. "Why do you all look like that?"

Usopp stiffened. "Like what?"

"Guilty, hungry, and expensive."

Chopper climbed into a chair, ears drooping. "The Dial shop had so many amazing Dials, Nami."

Usopp sank into the seat beside him like a man returning from war. "Impact Dials. Flash Dials. Cold Dials. Even something called an Axe Dial."

Nami's fork paused. "A what?"

"That's exactly what I said." He pointed at her, suddenly finding strength. "If it has 'Axe' in the name, imagine the tactical possibilities."

"No."

"You don't even know what I was going to ask."

"You listed four things to waste money on."

Chopper raised one hoof. "But the Cold Dial could be useful for patients with fevers."

Nami hesitated.

Usopp leaned in immediately. "See? Medical purpose. Emergency purpose. Brave warrior purpose."

"The last one isn't helping your case."

"Nami," Usopp pleaded, clasping his hands together, "loan us a little Berri. Just enough for the important ones."

Nami smiled.

Usopp went pale. "No. Wait. Not that smile."

"With my usual three hundred percent interest?"

Chopper's jaw dropped. "Three hundred?!"

Usopp slapped both hands on the table. "That's robbery!"

Nami's smile sharpened. "We're pirates."

Robin took a calm sip. "A difficult point to dispute."

Luffy dropped into the nearest chair and reached for Nami's plate.

Nami stabbed her fork into the table an inch from his hand.

Luffy blinked at it. "Oh. That yours?"

"Yes, it's mine. It's in front of me." Her eyes narrowed. "And why are you licking your fingers?"

"I ate earlier."

Nami went very still.

Usopp whispered, "Uh oh. I can see where this is going."

Nami's voice lowered. "Luffy. Did you pay?"

Luffy scratched his cheek. "Nope. I told them Levin would."

The entire table went silent.

Nami slowly turned toward Zoro. "And you smell like alcohol. More than usual. Where were you?"

Zoro leaned back in his chair. "Tavern."

"Did you pay?"

"Put it on Kevin's tab."

Nami stood so fast her chair nearly tipped over. "You idiots!" Her fists came down on Luffy and Zoro before either of them could dodge.

"Ow!" Luffy yelped, clutching his head.

Zoro rubbed the new bump on his skull. "What the hell was that for?"

"For spending someone else's money without asking!"

Luffy frowned. "But he has jars of dirt."

Conis froze. "Dirt?"

Raki's teasing smile vanished. "Wait. Vearth?"

Zoro looked unimpressed. "Yeah. What's the problem?"

Conis stared at him. "Vearth is very precious in Skypiea."

Raki's eyes sharpened with sudden curiosity. "How does your friend know that?"

Luffy brightened. "Oh, because he was here before and—"

A hand bloomed from the back of his chair and clamped over his mouth.

"Mmph!"

Conis gasped while Raki jolted backward in shock.

Robin calmly set down her cup. "Pardon me. Captain sometimes speaks before thinking."

"Sometimes?" Sanji questioned from the kitchen.

Raki stared at the extra arm. "T-That is your hand."

"Yes."

"It grew out of the chair."

"Yes."

Chopper nodded eagerly. "Robin can grow limbs anywhere."

Usopp shuddered. "Usually when you've forgotten she can do that."

"It is a specialty of mine," Robin said politely. "To answer your question, Kevin researched Skypiean culture before the trip. That is how he knew Vearth was valuable."

Nami looked at Robin. Robin looked back. Neither of them blinked.

Conis relaxed by a fraction. "Oh. I see."

Raki did not look fully convinced, but she glanced at Luffy's covered mouth and wisely chose not to press. "So, uh, that hand just staying there?"

Robin's smile warmed. "Only until Captain remembers not to set off cannons indoors."

The hand vanished.

Luffy inhaled deeply. "I wasn't setting off cannons."

"You were loading one," Usopp muttered.

Sanji leaned out from the kitchen, cigarette between his lips. "Speaking of Kevin, where is he? If his name is being used to finance these two walking disasters, he should at least be here to suffer with the rest of us."

The door chimes rang again.

"Speak my name and I'll appear," Ben said, stepping inside with a leather bag hanging from his shoulder. "Technically, I also appear when I open doors. Less mystical, but more reliable."

Luffy grinned. "Levin!"

"Still wrong name."

"Hey, can you use those jars of dirt to pay my restaurant tab?"

Ben stopped. "Your what?"

Zoro lifted one hand. "And my bar tab."

Ben looked between them. "Seriously? Do I look like your personal bank?"

Nami folded her arms, murmuring, "Welcome to my world."

Zoro shrugged. "It's just dirt. And you have plenty on you."

"Not the point, dude."

Sanji pointed his cigarette at Zoro. "Mosshead creating tavern debt. Shocking."

Zoro's eye twitched. "You got something to say, cook?"

"Yes. But Nami-swan is angry, and I respect the survival of this café."

Nami turned on Ben. "And where were you?"

Ben blinked. "Me?"

"Yes, you. You bailed before we split up this morning."

"I had important things to do."

"That sounds like something people say when they don't want to explain."

"That is exactly why people say it."

"Kevin." Even though she knew his real name, she made sure to keep using the cover.

"What?" He tucked his hands into his pockets. "There wasn't much point sticking around to hear rules that don't apply to me."

Zoro snorted in amusement.

Nami whipped toward him. "Don't encourage him."

Zoro looked away. "Didn't say anything."

"You breathed smugly."

Before the conversation could continue, the café changed.

It started with the street.

The voices outside thinned. Chairs scraped softly as a few customers turned toward the open windows. Conis's shoulders tensed. Raki's humor disappeared like a candle snuffed out.

Ben heard it next.

A faint, steady scraping. Not footsteps. Scraping.

From the far side of Lovely Street, a group of Skypiean men came into view in matching uniforms: light-purple shirts, wide blue trousers patterned with white cloud-shaped spots, and black knee-length boots.

Instead of walking or marching toward the café, they crawled.

Palms and knees moved in a practiced rhythm across the street. The customers nearest the window lowered their eyes.

Luffy leaned sideways to look. "Why are they crawling?"

Conis whispered, "Luffy, please."

Ben shut his eyes for half a second. The crawling sky police. Of course.

The squad reached the café entrance. The broad man in front rose first, crisply bringing himself to his feet. The other White Berets popped up behind him in formation, as if the crawling had been the most official thing in the world.

The captain's eyes swept the café, then settled on the table of Blue Sea dwellers.

"Heso," he said, making the quick hand gesture that came with the greeting.

"Heso," Conis and Raki replied automatically, though their voices were tight.

"Heso," Ben returned.

Luffy lifted a hand. "Bless you!"

Conis gave him a strained smile. "I-It is a greeting here, Luffy."

"Oh." Luffy nodded seriously. "Heso!"

The captain did not smile. His gaze paused on the silver pendants at their necks. "Blue Sea dwellers."

Usopp sat up too straight. "Legal Blue Sea dwellers."

"For now."

Ben stepped forward before anyone else could improve the disaster. "Captain. Something wrong?"

The captain looked him up and down. Recognition flickered, but not the right kind. "Are you the one called Kevin?"

Ben's stomach tightened. "Yeah," he said. "Is there a problem?"

"Two local businesses have named you as financial guarantor for this group."

Ben slowly looked at Luffy and Zoro the former smiled while the latter looked bored. Ben looked back at the captain. "I'd like to report identity theft."

Nami smacked Ben's arm. "Not helping."

The captain pulled the first paper free. "A Blue Sea man wearing a straw hat. Dine-and-dash, refusal to settle payment, and distress inflicted upon restaurant staff."

Luffy frowned. "But I told them it was good."

Nami yelled. "That is not money!"

Another paper.

"A Blue Sea man with green hair. Unpaid beverages, refusal to settle tavern tab, disorderly loitering, and suspected public intoxication."

Zoro leaned forward. "Suspected?"

Ben muttered, "Amazing. That's the part you dispute."

The captain continued without blinking. "A Blue Sea man with blond hair. Unauthorized preparation and distribution of food inside a licensed café kitchen without the proper registration."

Sanji stared at him. "I saved this kitchen."

"You entered it without authorization."

"The ingredients authorized me."

Raki covered her mouth. Conis looked torn between alarm and the urge to smile.

The captain flipped another page, turning to Usopp. "And you. Handling an unregistered exotic animal in a commercial district without restraint."

Chopper shot upright. "I'm not an exotic animal! I'm a doctor!"

The captain looked down at him. "Unregistered animal presence, public speech causing civilian confusion, and suspected impersonation of a medical professional."

Chopper's eyes filled with horror. "Impersonation?!"

Usopp shot to his feet. "How dare you accuse our doctor of impersonating himself!"

The captain's eyes sharpened. "Public disturbance."

Usopp sat back down. "I withdraw my objection."

Nami's fists came down on Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp in rapid succession. "All of you are unbelievable!"

Chopper trembled. "Do I get hit too?"

Nami's hand paused, then patted his hat once. "You get a warning."

Usopp pointed. "Favoritism!"

"And now," the captain said, pulling out a pen and writing across the page, "three counts of domestic assault."

Nami stared. "Domestic?"

"They are your companions, are they not?"

"That does not make it domestic!"

Luffy rubbed his head. "What's domestic mean?"

Zoro shrugged. "Sounds expensive."

Usopp clutched his fresh bump, tears in his eyes. "Finally. Justice recognizes my suffering."

Nami's smile turned dangerous. "Do you want to make it four counts?"

Usopp went pale. "I respectfully decline justice."

Nami turned her glare on the captain. "Now listen here—"

Ben stepped between Nami and the captain before the fine could somehow double again. "Okay. How about we skip to the part where you tell us how much trouble we're in?"

The captain handed him the papers.

Ben read them and his expression flattened.

He looked up. "Dude. These read like ransom notes."

"Kevin," Nami warned.

"What? This is itemized greed. It even has an administrative fee."

The captain's gaze cooled. "Skypiean law is not a negotiation."

Ben's smirk thinned. "Didn't say it was."

He reached slowly into his bag.

Every White Beret immediately shifted.

It was small, but Ben noticed. So did Zoro, Sanji, and Robin. Zoro's hand drifted a fraction closer to his swords. Sanji's cigarette stilled between his lips. Robin's eyes narrowed by the smallest degree.

Ben slowed the motion. "Relax. No weapons. Just this."

He drew out a small glass jar full of dirt.

The captain's stern expression cracked.

Behind him, two White Berets exchanged startled looks. Conis's hand rose to her mouth. Raki's eyes widened.

"I've never seen that much," Raki murmured.

The captain's voice lowered. "Is that Vearth?"

"Enough to cover this." Ben kept his voice casual. "Probably enough to cover the emotional damage to the restaurant staff too."

No one laughed.

The captain's eyes changed. Not greed. More like calculation.

"Vearth is sacred material," he said. "It is not accepted for municipal fines."

Ben lowered the jar. "How convenient."

"Display it carelessly again, Blue Sea man, and you may invite questions you do not want asked."

The warning landed harder than the fine.

Ben tucked the jar away. "Fine. Then how do you want us to settle?"

"With Extol," the captain replied. "If you lack local currency, Berri may be accepted at the standard conversion rate. Ten thousand Extol to one Berri."

"How much was the fine?" Usopp asked weakly.

Ben glanced back. "Over ten billion Extol."

The table went still.

Chopper's eyes widened. "T-Ten billion?!"

Raki winced. "That's very serious."

Conis clasped her hands near her chest, worry plain on her face. "That is… a very large fine. Even by Skypiea standards."

"What is with these crazy big numbers?" Usopp cried.

"Ten thousand to one," Nami said, already doing the math. Her face tightened. "That's over a million Berri."

Luffy turned to her. "Hey, Nami, you've got money, right?"

"That's my money!" she shouted. "There's no way I'm paying for something this stupid!"

The captain narrowed his eyes. "Lower your voices unless you would like another charge for public disturbance."

Zoro leaned back with a bored look. "Tch. So noisy."

Sanji's gaze sharpened. "Careful, mosshead. They charge by the syllable."

"These are serious crimes," the captain declared. "If you are unable to pay, you will all be placed under immediate arrest."

The air in the café tightened.

Conis went pale. Raki's hand gripped the edge of the counter. Several customers looked away, pretending not to watch.

Ben stepped forward. "Okay. We get it."

He reached into his bag again and pulled out a burlap sack heavy with gold coins. Everything he had left from selling the golden idol and fish he caught in Jaya.

So long, money. And here he had thought this new universe was being nice to him.

He dropped the sack onto the nearest table with a hard clink.

"There. That should cover it."

The captain took the bag and weighed it in his hand. "Lieutenant."

One of the White Berets snapped upright. "Sir!"

"Count it."

"Yes, sir!"

As the lieutenant began sorting the coins, Nami turned to Ben, her irritation faltering into something more startled.

"What are you doing?"

Ben did not look at her. "What does it look like?"

"Those were our fines."

"Yeah. I picked up on that part."

"You shouldn't have to—"

He raised one hand, stopping her without looking back. For once, the smirk was gone.

The lieutenant finished counting, then saluted. "It is all here, Captain."

The captain's mouth tightened, like part of him had hoped it would not be. "Very well."

He returned his attention to the group. "Your fines are settled."

Luffy grinned. "So we're good?"

Nami grabbed his cheek and stretched it. "You are so far from good I can't see you from here!"

"Ow, ow, ow!"

The captain did not move. "Do not misunderstand. Payment settles today's violations. It does not erase them."

The café fell quiet again.

Usopp swallowed. Chopper lowered his hooves. Sanji's expression cooled. Zoro's hand rested near his swords without touching them. Luffy stopped rubbing his cheek.

The captain looked over all of them. "Your group has drawn official attention."

Ben met his stare evenly. "Understood."

"You especially will be watched."

"Figured."

"Keep your companions away from restricted areas." The captain's eyes sharpened. "Especially Upper Yard."

Conis lowered her gaze.

Ben's expression did not change. "We heard the rule."

"Then obey it."

The captain held Ben's stare a moment longer before making a short gesture. The White Berets dropped to their elbows and knees in perfect unison.

Luffy's eyes widened. "They're doing the crawling thing again."

"Luffy," Nami hissed.

The squad crawled out of the café, through the doorway, and back onto Lovely Street with grim, disciplined seriousness. The scraping sound faded little by little, leaving behind a silence that felt much heavier than it had any right to.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Usopp leaned toward Conis. "Why do they crawl again?"

Conis's face went pink. "They just… do."

Raki let out the breath she had clearly been holding. "You Blue Sea people attract trouble like spilled syrup attracts ants."

Usopp pointed at Luffy and Zoro. "To be fair, some of us attract more than others."

Nami turned on the table. "Every single one of you is paying me back."

Luffy blinked. "But Levin paid."

"And now you owe me for having to witness it."

"That's not how money works."

"It is when I'm angry."

Zoro leaned back in his chair. "Wasn't a big deal."

Nami's fist twitched.

Ben raised one hand. "Before you murder him, maybe wait until we're not in the café the crawling cops just threatened."

Sanji exhaled a thin stream of smoke. "He has a point."

Zoro glanced at Ben. "You didn't have to do that, you know."

Ben shrugged, his smirk sliding back into place. "What can I say? It's in my best interest to help others in trouble."

Conis stared at him. For a moment, she only blinked, her hands still curled near her apron. The words had been light. Careless, even. But something about them pressed against a memory she had not been ready to touch.

It sounded like something Ben would have said.

"Shishishi!" Luffy grinned. "Thanks, Levin."

"Still wrong name."

Nami stared at Ben, her brows drawing together as her eyes sharpened.

…

Conache Café never quite recovered its cheer after the White Berets left. The customers started talking again, but their voices stayed lower than before. Even the clink of cups against saucers sounded careful now.

Raki sighed from behind the counter and clapped her hands once. "Alright. Break's over. Conis, we've still got the late shift to survive."

Conis nodded, then turned back to the group. "I'm sorry. I must return to work."

"You don't have to apologize," Nami said. "We're the ones who brought trouble into your café."

"That was mostly them," Usopp said, pointing at Luffy and Zoro.

Luffy tilted his head. "I didn't make them crawl."

"That is not the issue!" Nami snapped.

Conis gave a small, strained laugh. "I should be finished in another few hours. You are all welcome to return to our home whenever you are ready. Father should be there in his workshop."

"Actually," Ben said, looking around the table, "before we do anything else, we're fixing this."

Luffy blinked. "Fixing what?"

"The mess you made," Nami said coldly.

Luffy looked down at the table. "I didn't spill anything."

Nami reached into her bag and pulled out a big stack of bills folded neatly, her expression tightening. She separated the money into two portions and slapped one into Sanji's hand. "Take Luffy back to that restaurant. Pay his bill. Make sure he apologizes properly."

Sanji accepted the money with unusual seriousness. "Understood."

Luffy brightened. "Can I apologize by ordering dessert?"

"NO!" Nami and Sanji said together.

Sanji grabbed Luffy by the back of his vest and hauled him toward the door. "Move."

"Hey, I can walk!"

"That has not helped us so far, moron."

Nami then turned to Zoro and held out the second portion.

"Tavern," she said.

Zoro lifted an eyebrow. "The fine's paid."

"And your actual tab?"

The swordsman looked away.

Nami's eye twitched. "Zoro."

Zoro sighed and pushed his chair back. "Fine."

Robin rose smoothly from her seat. "I will accompany Swordsman."

Zoro frowned. "I don't need a guide."

"Of course not."

"You think I'll get lost."

"I would never say that."

"You just did with your face."

Nami placed the money in Robin's hand instead of Zoro's. "Please make sure he pays and doesn't accidentally start a second tab."

Zoro scoffed. "I'm standing right here."

"That's why I gave it to Robin."

Usopp and Chopper had been trying very hard not to look too hopeful.

They failed.

Ben glanced at them. "You mentioned a Dial shop?"

Both nodded at once.

"Did you take anything?"

"Of course not!" Usopp said, offended. "We're not petty thieves."

"Yeah!" Chopper added. "Not thieves!"

Ben cocked a brow. Pirates who did not steal. This crew kept finding new ways to surprise him.

"Well then," he said, reaching into his bag, "you two actually deserve a reward."

Chopper's ears perked. "Really?"

"Really. Unlike those other two, your charges were completely bogus anyway." Ben pulled out a much smaller wad of Berri bills from his bag and handed it to Usopp. "It's not much, but it should help with the Dials you wanted. Try not to let the shopkeeper upsell you."

Usopp accepted the money like he had been handed a sacred treasure. "Kevin…"

Chopper's eyes shone. "Thank you!"

Usopp teared up. "You truly are a hero among men."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't make me regret it."

Nami's eyes narrowed. "Was that your money?"

Ben shrugged. "Yeah."

"Kevin."

"They didn't do anything wrong," he said, his tone light but firm. "And honestly? The little guy thinking about using a Cold Dial for fevers was pretty cool."

Chopper froze, then immediately started swaying. "D-don't praise my ideas, you jerk! It doesn't make me happy at all!"

Usopp clutched the money dramatically. "Fear not! Captain Usopp will make the most of this generous investment."

Chopper tugged Usopp toward the door. "Come on, Usopp! Before the Dials are gone!"

The crew split with all the efficiency of a house fire being assigned errands. Sanji dragged Luffy toward the restaurant while Robin drifted after Zoro, who immediately turned the wrong direction until she gently caught his sleeve and guided him the other way. Usopp and Chopper hurried off toward the Dial shop, whispering excitedly over what they could afford.

Within moments, Ben and Nami were the only ones left from the crew near the café entrance.

Conis looked between Nami and Ben with quiet gratitude. "Thank you for helping settle things."

Nami exhaled through her nose, the empty space in her bag feeling far heavier than the money had. "Someone had to."

Ben shrugged. "Trying to keep everyone from getting arrested is kind of becoming a hobby."

Nami looked at him from the corner of her eye.

Conis smiled faintly, but the worry in her expression remained. "Please be careful."

Ben met her gaze, and his tone softened despite the smirk he tried to keep. "We'll try."

Nami did not miss how careful the promise sounded.

A few minutes later, she and Ben walked down Lovely Street together, away from Conache Café and toward the broad cloud staircase that led down to Angel Beach. The others knew to meet them there when they finished with their errands, though Nami was already bracing herself for at least three new problems by the time they showed up.

The late afternoon sun had warmed the street to a soft glow. Shops were still open, children chased each other near doorways, and the distant White-White Sea glimmered between buildings.

It should have felt peaceful, but Nami barely noticed.

She kept her pace even, arms folded, eyes forward. She could still hear the clink of Berri hitting the table. Could still see the way Ben had paid without looking at anyone, like wiping away someone else's debt was just another annoying errand he had to deal with.

Debt.

The word sat under her skin. Money could be earned, stolen, saved, or spent. Debt was different. Debt had teeth. It was a chain someone could place around your neck while smiling like they had done you a favor. Her fingers curled against her arm before she forced them loose.

No. This was not that.

Ben, Kevin, whatever name he was hiding behind, was not Arlong. He was not holding anything over the crew's head. He had not even asked for anything back. That was part of what made it worse. People who gave too much for free were dangerous in a completely different way.

Ben glanced sideways. "You're doing the quiet angry thing."

"I'm not angry."

"Wow. Chilling. You almost sold that."

Nami shot him a look. "Where did you get your Berri?"

"Straight to the interrogation, huh?"

"Answer me."

He winced slightly, then looked ahead again. "Jaya."

Nami's attention sharpened. "What about Jaya?"

Ben exhaled. "I may have found a golden idol thing while I was there."

Nami stopped walking.

Ben took two more steps before he realized she was no longer beside him. He turned back, brow lifting. "What?"

"A gold idol?"

"Yeah."

"Like the ones Cricket had?"

"Not the same design. This one looked like a warrior or something."

Nami stared at him with slow, dawning horror as the full weight of his words settled in. Treasure had been within reach. Real treasure. Gold. And no one had told her.

"So there really was more gold on Jaya?"

"At least that one idol."

"A gold idol."

"One," Ben repeated, holding up a finger. "Not a city. Not a treasure chest. Just the one. Okay?"

"Even so," Nami's eye twitched. "You didn't think to mention it?"

"Nope." His voice turned dry. "I was lost, broke and trying to figure out how to get back here." He gestured vaguely around Angel Island. "Weirdly, treasure updates were not my top priority."

"You still could've told me!"

"So you could pester me about gold the whole time?"

"No," Nami said, offended. "So I could make sure you didn't get cheated."

Ben cocked a brow.

She held his stare for half a second, then looked away. "And possibly negotiate my service fee."

"There it is."

"It would have been fair."

He scoffed. "Doubtful." He started walking again, forcing her to catch up. "Besides, I found it the day before I met you guys. At the time, I was more focused on sleeping in an actual hotel than in the back room of a bar."

Nami huffed, but there was no real argument left in it. She then stepped closer, the humor fading out of her expression. "Was that all of it?"

Ben's smirk thinned. "The idol?"

"The money."

He looked at her for a moment too long.

Nami's voice dropped. "Tell me."

For a few seconds, he didn't say anything. Her eyes demanded an answer, and eventually Ben sighed.

"Yeah," he admitted.

Nami's stomach sank. "Yeah, what?"

"That was all of it. I'm tapped out."

For a second, Nami said nothing.

The street noise moved around them, too bright and ordinary. This strange guy they just met kept them out of legal trouble and had given what he had left after to Usopp and Chopper for a gift for not being idiots.

Paid out of his own pocket. For them.

Her voice came out sharper than she intended. "Why?"

Ben tucked his hands into his pockets. "Because you guys were about two seconds from getting dragged off by the crawling sky cops."

"That's not an answer."

"It is absolutely the answer."

"No, it's a dodge." She stepped closer, anger giving shape to the unease she did not want to name. "You used all your money to pay our fines. You're not even part of our crew. We've known you for two days."

Ben looked away toward the White-White Sea.

That bothered her more than the smirk would have.

"I'm not here for a vacation, Nami."

She went still as the breeze tugged at her hair. She understood before he said anything else.

Eneru.

Ben kept his gaze on the horizon. "I thought I could handle this myself. Maybe I still can." His jaw tightened. "But someone reminded me I'm not exactly at my best when I pretend I'm a solo act."

A moment passed as Nami searched his face. "You want our help."

His shoulders shifted. "I won't ask if your crew doesn't want in."

"That's not what I said."

"And I won't beg or demand it either. This isn't your problem." His gaze hardened, and for one moment, she saw the person beneath the borrowed face much more clearly. "If I have to go alone, I will."

Nami held his stare. He meant it. That was the problem.

He would walk straight into Upper Yard and go to war with Eneru alone if the others said no. Maybe even if they said yes and he decided they were in too much danger.

It irritated her. More than it should have. Because she understood it.

Before Luffy, before Arlong Park fell, before she learned what it felt like to finally ask for help, she had believed the same thing. Her village, her burden, her deal. She had convinced herself that if she just carried it longer, suffered harder, planned better, she could save everyone without dragging anyone down with her.

She had been wrong.

And now this shape-shifting idiot with too many names was standing beside her, making the same mistake with a different monster.

Nami took a breath, ready to say something she was not sure would come out gently.

Until a distant shout cut through the street.

"Namiiii!"

Usopp and Chopper came running first, both glowing with triumph.

"We got them!" Chopper called, holding a small bag against his chest. "The Cold Dial!"

"And the other ones too," Usopp added quickly.

Nami's eyes sharpened. "Other?"

Usopp's grin twitched. "A small, responsible number of other."

Luffy came bounding in next with Sanji behind him, the cook holding him by the back of his vest like a leash.

"I apologized," Luffy announced.

Sanji's brow twitched. "After asking whether their dessert menu was included in the apology."

"It wasn't," Luffy said sadly.

"Because that is not a thing!"

Zoro and Robin arrived last. The former looked annoyed while the latter looked pleased.

Nami glanced at them. "Did he pay?"

Robin smiled. "Swordsman's debt has been settled."

Zoro grunted. "The tavern guy was dramatic."

"You tried to pay him with the bottle you were still drinking," Robin said.

"I was giving it back."

"Half-empty."

Zoro shrugged. "Still counts."

Ben rubbed a hand over his face. "Eh, I'll take it."

Luffy leaned toward him, already bored with responsibility. "Hey, Levin. You got any more games from where you're from?"

Ben blinked. "Games?"

"Yeah. Like the beach ball one."

Nami stepped forward before Ben could answer. "No."

Luffy pouted. "Aww. Why?"

"Because we're not playing today." She turned her head and looked directly at Ben. "Kevin has something he wants to run by the crew."

The shift was immediate.

Luffy's pout vanished. Zoro's eye narrowed slightly. Sanji took the cigarette from his mouth. Usopp straightened, and Chopper's ears lifted. Robin's gaze moved from Nami to Ben, quiet understanding already there.

Ben felt every pair of eyes land on him.

"Right," he said slowly. "So. There's something I should probably explain before this gets any more complicated."

Nami crossed her arms. "Probably?"

"Definitely. I was softening the landing."

Luffy tilted his head, his tone turning serious. "Is it about the Eneru guy?"

The crew went silent.

Luffy blinked, then slowly looked around at their faces. "Oh." He scratched his cheek. "Wait. I wasn't supposed to say that out loud, right?"

Nami's smile became terrifying. "You're a real genius, Luffy," she said through clenched teeth.

Before he could laugh it off, she stepped in and jabbed her fingers hard into his forehead. "Ow!"

"Haven't you been listening to what Kevin's been telling us?!" she snapped, jabbing him again. "Or did all the food knock the warnings out of your head?"

Luffy rubbed the red spot. "Okay, okay, I get it! Sorry!"

Ben opened his mouth, ready to salvage whatever was left of the moment. But then his gaze shifted past them. Movement stirred down on Angel Beach below. The same group of White Berets from the café had reached the beach and were moving in formation through the soft cloud-sand.

Toward the Going Merry.

Ben's expression changed. "Well, that doesn't look promising."

Nami followed his stare, and the color drained from her face. "The Merry."

Zoro's hand went to his swords.

Sanji's face hardened. "Those bastards."

Luffy leaned over the rail, eyes widening. "Hey! They're going to our ship!"

Usopp grabbed the sides of his head. "Why are they going to our ship?! We paid! We paid the stupid giant fines!"

Robin's voice stayed calm, but her eyes had sharpened. "Clearly that did not end their interest."

Ben was already moving. "Go!"

Luffy did not need to be told twice. He launched himself down the grand cloud staircase with reckless speed, sandals slapping against the steps.

"Wait for us, idiot!" Nami shouted, chasing after him.

Sanji followed close behind while Zoro broke into a run beside him, with Robin moving in smooth urgency behind them.

Usopp and Chopper sprinted after the others.

"Careful!" Chopper cried. "The stairs are steep!"

"I know that!" Usopp shouted.

His foot caught the edge of the next step. For one heroic second, Usopp windmilled his arms and almost saved himself.

Then Luffy, already three steps below, looked back. "Hey guys, hurry up!"

Usopp crashed into him, and both went tumbling.

"LUFFYYYY!"

"Shishishi!"

They rolled down the staircase in a flailing heap of limbs and screaming.

Chopper skidded to a stop. "Are they okay?!"

Nami raced past him. "They're idiots! Keep moving!"

…

The White Berets gathered around the Going Merry, as the ship rested anchored on the shore. Several officers stood near the shoreline while two more walked to the Merry's anchor line. The Straw Hats reached the bottom of the grand staircase and rushed onto the beach.

Ussop scrambled to his feet at the bottoms of the stairs, wobbling from the fall, yet he pushed himself to reach the Merry on time with the others. "They better keep their hands away from the Merry!"

"Hey! What're you doing near our ship?!" Luffy pointed at the captain, as he was the first to reach the White Berets, with the rest of the group arriving seconds later.

The White Beret Captain who they encountered at Conache Cafe turned at the shout, maintained a stoic expression toward the pirates, as if he was expecting them.

"Heso" he greeted, but none of the Straw Hats returned it this time.

Ben was the last to arrive, his eyes inspecting the scene.

Nami stormed forward. "What is the problem now?!"

"Detaining and escorting your ship off this section." The Captain calmly replied.

Luffy's face tightened, not liking the captain's tone of his response.

"For what reason?" Sanji asked took one of his cigarettes and lit it up. "Our ship is not disrupting any public space"

"It's illegal stationed on top of a protected shellfish bed, with the addition of the anchor dropped in extreme proximity to it, running high risk of causing damages to its structure." The captain replied.

Chopper walked toward the shore as Ussop stared at the soft white shore, he could not see any shellfish, "There are shellfish in the clouds?"

"Well…Dials were originally shells right?" Ben pointed it out. "They had to come from somewhere"

Chopper crouched and pressed both of his hooves carefully against the cloud-sand, feeling the shells moving around beneath. He looked up at the captain horrified.

"W-we didn't know!"

"How were we supposed to know there was a shellfish bed here?" Zoro asked slightly incredulous.

"Ignorance is not exemption"

Of course it wasn't, Ben thought sardonically.

The more time Ben spent on Skypiea, the more it seemed that any offense, no matter how minor, accidentally or unintentional it may be, was disguised as a trap. One wrong step or misdemeanor and the law will rain down and stomp on the prey that now was trapped in it.

"And the penalty?" Robin asked calmly.

The captain reached into one of his pocket sleeves in his cape-like overcoat and pulled out a paper. He handed it over to Nami who snatched it first, she scanned the fine and the color of her face drained the moment she saw it.

Ussop leaned over her shoulder to see it. "How bad is it?"

"Fifty billion, four hundred million Extol." She answered, her voice coming out flat.

Ussop gasped loudly enough as though his soul left his mortal body. "That's way worse than before!"

"Ten thousand Extol equals one Berri" Robin calculated. "Therefore, our fine is five million four hundred thousand Berri."

Most of the Straw Hats tensed up at the revelation, it was indeed a greater amount.

Ben frowned, the situation was getting worse by the minute.

Luffy turned towards Nami as she was the expert when it came to their finances. "Hey Nami, do we have that?" He asked innocently.

"Of course we don't!" She snapped at him.

For a brief moment, Ben considered using Vearth again to pay for the fine. However, the Captain made it very clear that it was considered sacred in Skypiea and thus unacceptable to be used.

"Failure to pay the fine authorizes immediate seizure of the offending vessel." The White Beret Captain announced to the Straw Hat Pirates, his words hit harder than the fine.

Ussop and Chopper's eye widen from the shock.

Nami's face shifted to a frightened expression, while Luffy's went still.

Zoro's hands moved to his swords, anticipating conflict to escalate.

Sanji's frowned as he subtly shifted his stance.

Robin remained calm, her expression neutral as she weighed their next move. But the other officers were watching them too closely now, hands drifting toward their weapons with just enough restraint to pretend they had not decided anything yet.

It was clear a fight was coming.

However, the only one who stepped forward to attempt de-escalating the situation once more was Ben. "May I have a word, Captain?"

The other White Beret officers shifted their stance as he approached their captain, their hands moving to their weapons. Ben raised both of his hands as a peace gesture. "No starting anything, I only wish to Parley."

"He wants to have a party?" Luffy repeated, finding that idea to sound like a lot of fun.

"Parley, not party. It's a pirate term that means Kevin wants to talk and find a peaceful solution, Captain" Robin informed him with a small smile. Sometimes she found the innocent ignorance of her new captain endearing.

Luffy looked at Robin in slight amazement. "You mean there are pirate words I've never heard of?!" He grinned a bit before he then got a bit closer to her. "Can you tell me another?!"

"Now isn't the time for that Captain." Robin gently turned down his request.

Luffy pouted a bit. "Oh ok."

"Do you really think you can just settle every violation by paying fines, Kevin?" The Beret captain rhetorically asked.

"Yeah, I'm not a fan of collections either." He answered.

Ben tried the best he could to tap into his best friend's rough-edged confidence, his stance, tilting his chin like this was just a bad deal he could talk his way through. "Look, we're new here. You know that. We don't know every protected area, shellfish bed, restricted current, sacred cloud, or whatever else you guys have marked off. If we messed up, fine. Tell us. We'll move the ship."

Nami looked sharply at him but remained quiet. The other Straw Hats did so as well.

"As it stands, no damage has been done, and it is easily fixable by just moving the ship to a new location. Just give us one warning, we move the ship, and all of this can be put to rest. Simple right?"

The captain's expression did not soften "The law is clear"

"But there isn't even a sign anywhere." Ben gestured across Angel Beach.

The captain lifted his chin. "The absence of signage is itself a protective measure. Signs attract the curious, and the curious disturb protected beds."

Ben stared at him. "You hear yourself, right?"

"Kevin," Robin said softly.

The captain's eyes hardened. "Ignorance of Skypiean law does not excuse law violations. Since you cannot pay, the vessel will be confiscated and transported to the sacrificial altar."

The crew froze.

Chopper whispered, "Sacrificial?"

Nami's eyes widened in apprehension. "Altar?"

Usopp's hands clenched at his sides. "You are not taking our ship," he said quietly.

The captain lifted one hand. "Proceed."

Two White Berets moved toward the anchor line.

Usopp stepped forward. At first, it was only one step, followed by another. His knees shook, and his mouth was tight, but he moved between the officers and the Going Merry like his body had decided before his fear could stop him.

"No."

The nearest Beret frowned. "Move aside."

Usopp's hand went to his slingshot. "You don't touch Merry."

"Usopp!" Nami cried.

The officer reached for him.

Usopp fired.

A pebble cracked against the captain's left shoulder with a sharp snap.

For one beautiful, terrible second, everyone went silent.

"AGH!" The captain stumbled back slightly, grabbing at his shoulder.

Usopp's hand froze in the firing position.

Ben closed his eyes. "Oh, man."

The captain slowly lowered his gaze, still clutching his shoulder.

Usopp swallowed. "T-That was a warning shot."

"That hit him though," Zoro said.

"It warned him where his shoulder was!"

The captain's voice dropped. "Obstruction of official duty. Assault on an officer. Arrest him!"

The White Berets surged forward.

"Usopp!" Chopper cried.

Luffy moved.

"Gum-Gum…" He reared back his right fist, stretching it to an impossible distance. "Pistol!"

His fist snapped forward and slammed into the captain's face, sending him careening across the beach. He landed in the pavilion hard enough to shake loose a spray of splintered wood.

For a second, Angel Beach went still.

"Captain?!" several officers exclaimed.

Other officers stared in shock at what Luffy had done.

"His arm…" one uttered, face going pale.

"It stretched," another whispered, voice cracking. "His arm stretched!"

Luffy grinned at Usopp. "Nice one, Usopp."

Usopp blinked at him, still trembling. "Nice one?"

"You protected Merry."

Zoro's mouth curved faintly. "Not bad, long-nose."

Sanji took the cigarette from his mouth. "A man protects his lady. Even if she's a ship."

Usopp's eyes filled with tears. "You guys…"

Ben exhaled and shook his head. "Well, you can't say I didn't try and do things peacefully."

Nami tapped his back with an almost dejected look "Yeah I know the feeling."

Then the White Beret captain groaned.

He pushed himself upright beneath the pavilion's shade, one hand braced against the floor, the other clamped over his nose. Blood dripped between his fingers and spotted the front of his uniform. His white beret had fallen crooked over one eye, and when he lifted his head, his face had gone red with humiliation.

"How dare you," he hissed.

Luffy tilted his head. "Huh?"

The captain shoved himself to his feet, shaking with anger. "First, you disrespect our culture by trying to use sacred Vearth to pay fines. Then you damage protected island-cloud. Now you obstruct a government official from performing his duties." His voice rose with each word. "A Class-5 criminal offense!"

Ben cocked one brow. "You guys are just making these classes up as you go, aren't you?"

The captain's eyes snapped to him. "Silence! In the name of Kami Eneru, I declare you exiled to the clouds!"

Usopp blinked. "Exiled to the clouds?"

Luffy brightened. "That sounds kinda nice."

"It isn't, Blue Sea fool!" one of the lieutenants snapped.

Another officer's mouth twisted into a grim smile. "The clouds don't all hold people up. Some take them down and never give them back."

Nami's stomach dropped.

Usopp went pale. "I suddenly hate the clouds."

The captain lifted one arm, pointing at the Straw Hats with a trembling finger. "Arrest them!"

"Yes, sir!" The White Berets moved as one.

Zoro's hand closed around a sword hilt. Sanji stepped forward with his hands still calmly tucked in his pockets, cigarette glowing at the corner of his mouth. Ben rolled one shoulder, Muckamorph's disguise stretching with the movement.

"Guess we're doing this now," Ben muttered.

The captain bared his teeth. "Let fly!"

The White Berets raised their weapons.

"Milky Arrows!"

Sharp projectiles launched across the beach with a chorus of snapping strings and hissing Dials. Their arrowheads were not steel, but pale red, conical shells that spun as they flew. Trails of milky clouds streamed behind them, thin at first, then thickening in the air like paths being painted across nothing.

Luffy's eyes widened.

The arrows came straight for the crew.

"Nami!" Luffy threw himself in front of her and shoved her back toward the Merry. "Go to the ship! You're in the way!"

"Aah!" Nami stumbled, caught herself, then spun toward the Going Merry. "Fine! Don't get killed, you idiots!"

Luffy grinned as the arrows streaked past him. "What are those?"

The projectiles missed, but the cloud trails did not fade. Instead, they hung in the air, growing denser until they solidified.

The White Berets leapt.

Their boots struck the trails, and metal runners fixed beneath them bit into the cloud-streams. They glided forward on Shooters, skating through the air as if the Milky Arrows had drawn roads just for them. Swords flashed free in their hands.

Luffy's grin stretched wider. "Wow!"

Ben stared for half a second longer than he should have. I get it. Those things give them something to skate on.

Juryrigg had built a similar feature into his Hoverboard Waver so he could ride in places where there wasn't any sea-cloud present.

A sword hissed toward his side.

Ben snapped back to the present and leaned away. The blade sliced through the edge of his fake shirt, close enough to cut into the purple Lenopan mass beneath his Kevin Levin disguise. He answered with a punch to the officer's face, sending the man careening backward off his Shooter and across the beach.

Another Beret came in low. Ben ducked the swing, drove an elbow into the officer's stomach, and kicked his legs out from under him.

A third officer slashed from the side before Ben fully turned. The blade caught him along the ribs. The officer froze when he saw there was no blood.

Instead, purple sludge oozed from the cut.

The Beret's eyes bulged. "W-what?!"

Ben turned his head slowly and gave him a roguish smirk. "Surprise."

His right arm lost shape.

It melted into a thick purple tendril, stretching longer and longer before the officer could react. Muckamorph whipped it across the beach, the sludge-limb cracking into three Berets at once. The blow struck across their torsos and sent them hurling backward, knocking two more officers off their cloud trails in the process.

By the Merry's hull, Usopp and Chopper were waiting for Nami to climb the ladder until they saw Ben's arm turn into a purple tendril.

Usopp stared. "His arm turned into goo!"

Chopper's eyes sparkled despite the danger. "That's amazing!"

Ben cocked a brow. "What, did you guys forget I was in disguise?"

Nami, halfway up the Merry's ladder, whipped around. "Focus on not getting arrested!"

Zoro met the next wave head-on. One sword came free with a clean ring, and he stepped into the path of an incoming Beret. Their blades clashed, but only once. Zoro's strength drove the officer's sword aside, and the flat of his blade slammed into the man's chest hard enough to drop him onto the beach.

"Too slow," he muttered.

Sanji moved like smoke beside him.

A Beret skated down a Milky trail, sword raised. Sanji pivoted without taking his hands from his pockets and snapped a kick into the officer's wrist. The sword flew from his hand. A second kick crashed into his jaw and folded him backward off his Shooters.

"You point a blade at a lady's ship," Sanji said coldly, "you should expect poor service."

Another officer swiped at Luffy.

Luffy bent backward out of the way, his body stretching at an impossible angle. He snapped upright and sprang to the side, laughing as the blade cut empty air.

"Those shoes of yours are cool!"

The Beret stared. "What?!"

"He's stretching himself again!" another shouted.

Luffy's arm shot out and wrapped around a nearby palm tree.

Ben's head turned. "Luffy, what are you—"

"Gum-Gum…" Luffy launched himself upward. His body spun wildly in midair, arms and legs twisting around each other until he became a tangled, rotating ball of rubber limbs.

The captain, still near the broken pavilion, bared his teeth in recognition. "I see now. A Devil Fruit!" A fist snapped out of the spinning mass. It hit the captain in the face. Again.

"FIREWORKS!"

The ball of rubber exploded into motion.

Punches and kicks burst out in every direction, too many to follow, each limb snapping from the tangled center and retracting before another shot out. The remaining White Berets were struck from all sides. One took a fist to the stomach. Another caught a foot under the chin. Two officers slammed into each other midair after Luffy's fists ricocheted them off opposite sides of the beach.

The Milky trails broke apart as their riders fell.

Bodies hit the cloud-sand in a messy chorus.

The captain spun backward, crashed through the already damaged pavilion railing, and landed in a heap beneath the shade. His white beret floated down and landed on his face.

For a moment, only the soft rush of the White-White Sea filled the silence.

Luffy dropped out of the air and landed on his back, eyes spinning. "Heh-heh," he said weakly. "Fireworks."

Ben looked across the unconscious Berets scattered over Angel Beach, then back at Luffy. A smile tugged at his mouth despite himself. "Huh. That was actually a pretty cool attack."

Luffy lifted one shaky hand. "Thanks, Levin."

"Still wrong name."

Zoro nudged one downed officer with his boot. The man groaned but did not get up. Zoro sheathed his sword with a soft click and looked toward the Merry.

"Hey, Nami! How much money do we have?"

Sanji frowned at him. "Why are you asking? You seriously think we could pay five million in fines?"

Ben scoffed. "Too late for that anyway."

Nami leaned over the foredeck railing, fists clenched. "We don't have anything left!"

Zoro's brow furrowed. "We're broke?"

"Yes!"

"We're in bad shape."

Luffy sat up, still wobbling. "Why are we so poor? As your captain, I have to say this. You guys spend way too much money!"

"Most of it goes to feed you, stupid!" Nami screamed.

Ben turned to Luffy, exasperated. "Maybe lead by example next time."

Luffy blinked at him. "But I'll be hungry next time too."

Ben stared. "That is somehow the most honest and least helpful answer you could've given."

Usopp crossed his arms and lifted his chin with all the dignity of a man whose legs were still shaking. "Well, at least we beat them thanks to my Formation B strategy."

Chopper gasped. "Really?!"

"Of course! My warning shot created the opening, Luffy executed the finishing maneuver, Zoro and Sanji handled flank suppression, and Kevin provided the mysterious goo support."

"Goo support?" Ben questioned.

Sanji exhaled smoke. "He protected the Merry. Let him have this."

Usopp's eyes shimmered. "Sanji…"

"For ten seconds."

"Sanji!"

A strained laugh cut across the beach.

It was from the Beret captain.

He lay half-propped beneath the ruined pavilion, blood still dripping from his nose, his uniform scuffed and torn. Two lieutenants crawled toward him, groaning as they tried to sit up.

"Fools," the captain rasped.

The crew turned.

"You should have surrendered quietly." His laugh came again, pained but vicious. "We are the friendliest law officers you will find in Godland."

Ben cocked a brow. "Could've fooled me."

The captain's eyes gleamed with ugly satisfaction. "They will not be so gentle with you."

Luffy's smile faded.

Zoro's gaze sharpened.

Sanji's expression hardened around his cigarette.

The captain pushed himself up on one elbow. "You are Class-2 criminals now. Make all the fuss you want. Laugh. Run. Fight." He coughed, then smiled through the blood. "The Kami's priests in Upper Yard will deal with you."

Ben's expression hardened.

Nami's hands tightened on the Merry's railing.

The captain lifted his chin with the last scrap of dignity he had. "Heso."

The two lieutenants hauled him up, each taking one of his arms over their shoulders. Around them, the remaining conscious White Berets dragged their fallen comrades together. Some limped. Some groaned. None tried to continue the fight.

Ben watched them retreat from Angel Beach, his face carefully blank.

He exhaled heavily through his nose. "Well," he said, almost to himself. "Under the radar is officially dead."

…

After the White Berets retreated, the broken Milky trails slowly softened in the air, losing shape piece by piece as the Dials' lingering force faded.

Ben stood near one of the thicker cloud trails. Thanks to Muckamorph's biology, the slash across his ribs had already sealed, the purple Lenopan mass smoothing over until it looked like the blade had never touched him.

Usopp crouched near one of the cloud paths with a stick in hand, poking at it from what he clearly believed was a safe distance.

Chopper leaned beside him, eyes wide. "It's still solid."

"Don't touch it too much," Usopp warned. "It might explode."

Ben glanced down at him. "Why would it explode?"

"It came from a weapon!"

"I'm pretty sure those weren't the weapon part."

Usopp looked offended. "How can an arrow not be the weapon part?"

Ben pointed toward the fading cloud trail. "Because the arrows weren't meant to hit us. They were laying down tracks."

Chopper blinked. "Tracks?"

"Yeah. Those little shell arrowheads made solid cloud paths, and then the White Berets skated along them to get close." Ben crouched, studying the way the cloud held itself together before slowly unraveling at the edges. "Not a bad setup, actually. Annoying, but not bad."

Usopp's eyes narrowed. "So they shot roads at us?"

"Pretty much."

Chopper gasped. "That's kinda cool!"

Usopp slapped a hand over Chopper's mouth. "Do not admire the people trying to arrest us!"

Nami's gaze drifted to the abandoned grooves in the cloud-sand, where the officers' footwear had carved thin lines across the shore. "Those must've been Shooters," she said.

Ben glanced at her. "Shooters?"

"Wavers on skates," Nami replied, still studying the tracks. "The shop Pagaya took me to had some."

Usopp shot upright. "You mean we could buy those?"

Nami's voice cracked. "Nobody is buying anything anymore!"

Usopp wilted. "Right. Broke."

"Criminals and broke," Ben muttered. "Really rounding out the vacation."

A shout came from the direction of the grand staircase.

"Everyone!"

Conis rushed onto Angel Beach first, her long braids bouncing over her shoulders and her face pale with worry. Pagaya followed close behind, breathing harder than usual.

"A-Are you hurt?" she asked quickly.

Luffy turned with a grin and lifted one hand. "Nope! We're fine."

Conis stared at him.

Pagaya adjusted his glasses with a trembling hand. "We-We heard there was a fight with the White Berets on Angel Beach."

"Small fight," Zoro said.

Nami snapped, "Small?"

Sanji exhaled smoke, glancing toward the ruined pavilion. "If you even wanna call it a fight."

Ben rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, so the short version is, they tried to seize the ship over some protected shellfish bed violation, then things got complicated."

Usopp pointed at himself. "I defended Merry."

"You shot the Berets captain," Nami said.

"With a warning shot."

"You hit him!"

"It warned him where his shoulder was."

Pagaya's face went a shade paler. "You struck a White Beret captain?"

Luffy raised his hand. "I did too."

Conis looked as if she had just been told the clouds had caught fire.

Ben lifted both hands before anyone spiraled further. "And then he declared us exiled to the clouds, tried to arrest us, and after Luffy's rubber fireworks show, he said we're Class-2 criminals now."

Conis froze while Pagaya went completely still.

Nami noticed. "What?"

Conis's hands tightened at her chest. "Class-2…"

Pagaya swallowed. "Oh, dear."

Usopp's voice cracked. "Why did you say that like that?"

Robin stepped closer, her gaze calm but attentive. "Cloud exile. What does that sentence mean here?"

Conis looked at the Merry, then back at the crew. Her voice came out soft, but there was no gentleness in the meaning. "You and your ship would be cast away on an island-cloud with no way of escape. You would stay there until you died from starvation."

A silence fell across the beach.

Chopper's ears drooped. "That's horrible."

"Yeah, it is," Sanji remarked, his frown deepening.

He knew starvation well enough from experience. What she described sounded painfully familiar: being trapped in a small space with no way out, forced to ration whatever food you had while hoping you survived long enough for help to arrive.

"Take it from me," the cook said quietly. "It's not a pleasant experience."

Usopp's face drained. "So when he said exiled to the clouds, he meant murder by cloud?!"

"Lawful punishment," Pagaya said faintly, though he sounded as if the phrase tasted bitter.

Ben's mouth tightened. For someone with aliens that could fly, phase, or survive a fall all the way back to earth, cloud exile was not much of a threat. For anyone else, it was a death sentence.

Robin's eyes lowered in thought. "Ahh… That explains the ship that fell from the sky."

Ben turned toward her. "What?"

"Before we came to Jaya," she explained, "an old galleon fell from the sky in front of us. Perhaps its crew was exiled to the clouds."

Usopp went rigid. The memory clearly hit him all at once. The massive wreck dropping out of the sky. The rotten timbers. The skeletons inside. The impossible horror of a ship that had fallen from above like the sky itself had spat out a grave.

Pagaya looked between them with growing distress. "This is a terrible predicament."

Conis stepped back, and Pagaya stepped with her. Both took more steps away from Ben and the Straw Hats.

Nami's eyebrow twitched. "How come you're way over there?!"

Conis flinched. "I'm sorry."

Pagaya bowed his head. "Now that you are branded as Class-2 criminals, we cannot help you openly. Association itself could be treated as a crime."

Luffy laughed, utterly unconcerned. "Oh well. We're used to being hunted."

Usopp whipped toward him. "Yes, but have you been listening, Luffy? Now this Eneru guy and his priests will be after us. We should leave. Like now!"

Sanji frowned, cigarette shifting at the corner of his mouth. "Actually, that brings up a good question. How do we leave?"

Zoro scratched the back of his head. "Hmm… yeah, we never gave much thought to how we'd get back, did we?"

Nami snapped her head to them. "Why are you all realizing this now?!"

Usopp turned desperately to Conis and Pagaya. "Is there any way back? Will we ever see the Blue Sea again?!"

Conis hesitated, still clearly frightened, but she answered. "It is very perilous, I'm afraid. But there is a way down to the Blue Sea. You have to go down one level and sail to the far east of the White Sea… to a place known as Cloud's End."

"Cloud's End?" several of them repeated.

Conis nodded. "Yes. But I would not advise you to go that way. You would have to cross a vast sea in the sky."

Usopp stared at her. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Chopper looked from Conis to the Merry, panic rising. "What? We can't go home?"

"We're not going home." Luffy's voice cut through the noise.

Everyone looked at him.

The captain stood in the middle of Angel Beach, straw hat shadowing his eyes. His gaze was fixed past the Merry and past the shore.

Usopp's mouth opened. "Luffy, what are you talking about?! Staying here is too dangerous!"

Sanji's expression tightened. "Not to mention if we stay, we'll just bring trouble to Pagaya and Conis dear."

Luffy turned to Ben. "You said you wanted to beat Eneru, huh?"

Ben's body went still.

Conis's eyes widened. "W-what…?"

Pagaya made a small, strangled sound. "N-no! Don't say something like that out loud!"

Luffy grinned like the answer was obvious. "Well then, let's go!"

The beach froze.

Ben stared at him in mild shock. "But… I didn't even ask for—"

"You helped us get here," Luffy said. "Paid our way in. And helped us with those fines. No way we're not gonna help you." He smiled, wide and careless and completely sure. "Besides, you're my friend."

The words hit harder than Ben expected.

Friend. Just like that. No ceremony. No conditions. No waiting until Ben explained every lie, every secret, every piece of himself he had kept hidden. Luffy had known him for two days. Two days of fights, food, confusion, and dodging the truth.

And still, he said it like it was settled.

Ben felt the guilt twist sharper under his ribs. He had not even given him his real name. For a moment, the only sound was the faint rush of the White-White Sea against the shore. Ben's mouth then curved into a small smile. "Just when I think I've got you figured out, you surprise me again."

Zoro smirked.

Sanji's expression softened into something approving.

Robin smiled with quiet amusement, as if she had been waiting for this moment.

Usopp and Chopper looked like men hearing the tolling bell of their own fate.

"We're going toward the death jungle," Usopp whispered.

Chopper hugged his hat. "With priests."

"And murder."

"And lightning."

Nami, surprisingly, was smiling. Proud in the way when Luffy was being an idiot in exactly the right direction. Ben noticed. She caught him noticing and looked away.

Luffy pointed at the Merry. "Okay! Get the ship ready! We're going to Upper Yard!"

Usopp's jaw dropped. "Why did that sound like an adventure order?!"

"Because it is," Zoro said.

Nami proceeded towards the Merry's ladder. "You heard him. If we're doing this, we're not doing it sloppy."

Usopp stared at her. "Nami, you're helping?"

She gave him a sharp look. "Our captain said we're helping Kevin. So we're helping Kevin."

Ben blinked.

Nami crossed her arms, cheeks faintly pink with irritation. "And don't look at me like that. I don't like owing people."

Robin's smile deepened. "Navigator is very responsible about debts."

"Exactly."

"Even emotional ones?"

Nami shot the ravenette a look. "Don't start."

Usopp suddenly turned toward Pagaya. "Hey, Pagaya! You said you were an engineer, right? Before we leave, could you spare some parts so we can repair our ship?"

Pagaya startled. "C-certainly!"

Luffy's hand shot up. "Hey, old man! Think we can we have the rest of the food from yesterday too?"

Pagaya blinked. "Of course."

"Awesome! Sanji, get the bento boxes!"

Sanji snapped upright. "Very shrewd!"

Ben looked from Luffy to Sanji to Pagaya, then back at Pagaya. "Wait. You're actually helping us?"

Pagaya gave him a nervous smile. "As long as you are quick."

His expression tightened with guilt. "Going back to your place could put you in danger. We're criminals now, remember?"

Conis lowered her gaze, but Pagaya shook his head.

"You have already been guests in our home," he said. "And you have not harmed us. If there is a way to assist without drawing too much attention, then we will do what we can."

Ben's fake face softened. "I'm sorry for the trouble. We'll get out of your hair soon."

Nami pointed toward the stairs. "Hey! If you're heading back, don't forget mine and Robin's stuff!"

Sanji turned to her with hearts in his eye. "Of course, Nami-swan!"

Luffy started forward. "I'll come to supervise you guys."

Ben looked at him. "You mean to eat any snacks?"

Luffy froze. "…No."

Ben stared. "That didn't sound convincing."

Nami clapped her hands once, taking command. "Fine. Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp go to Pagaya and Conis's place. Get the food, our things, and whatever parts Pagaya can spare. The rest of us stay here and get Merry ready."

Ben hesitated. His eyes moved toward Conis and Pagaya, and the guilt in his chest pressed harder.

He could not leave like this. Not after everything. Not after Conis had been grieving his "death" while he had been standing right in front of her. Not after Pagaya had opened his home twice without knowing who he was really helping.

He had to tell them. Or at least write it down.

Robin caught the shift in his expression. "What is it?"

"I…" Ben kept his voice low. "I have to tell them."

Robin understood immediately. Her gaze softened, though her voice stayed careful. "Be mindful of how you say it."

Ben nodded once. "Right."

He then took off after Luffy's group. "Wait up, guys!"

"Hey! Kevin!" Nami called.

He did not stop.

Nami turned to Robin. "Where's he going?"

"He has business to take care of."

"Business?" Zoro questioned.

Chopper's ears drooped as he watched Ben hurry after them. "Maybe he's worried about Conis and Pagaya? They looked really scared earlier."

Nami blinked twice, looking between Ben, Conis, and Pagaya before understanding settled.

"Oh," she said quietly. "I get it."

"Get what?" Zoro asked.

"Not important right now." Nami turned back toward the Merry. "Besides, we need to be ready to move fast."

Zoro looked at her from where he stood near the anchor line. "Honestly, didn't think you of all people would back Luffy up on this."

Nami glanced at him. "How did you think I'd react?"

"Figured you'd want to get out of Skypiea as fast as possible."

Chopper nodded nervously. "I kind of wanted that too."

Nami looked toward the White-White Sea, then toward the stairs where the others had started climbing. For a moment, her fingers brushed near the silver pendant at her throat.

She shrugged. "I can't let debts go unpaid."

Zoro studied her for a second, then smirked faintly. "Well… it's refreshing to see you in debt for once."

Nami's eyes narrowed. "You keep talking, and I'll raise your debt."

Zoro's smirk vanished. "Are you insane, you witch?!"

Robin moved to the side of the ship, her gaze drifting toward Upper Yard. "Navigator is not wrong. Kevin has helped us more than once. Though I imagine the people waiting there will be quite dangerous."

Chopper shivered. "I was trying not to think about that."

Nami grimaced. "Same."

Robin smiled gently. "Then perhaps we should prepare thoroughly."

Nami exhaled, then straightened. "Good idea. Chopper, check our medical supplies. Robin, see what you can organize from the deck. Zoro…"

Zoro looked over.

Nami pointed at the anchor line. "Don't get lost."

He frowned. "I'm standing right here."

"That's why I'm saying it now."

Meanwhile, farther away, tucked inside the foliage near the edge of the stairs, the White Beret captain lay flat on his stomach. His uniform was torn. His nose still bled. One eye was swelling shut, and every breath made his ribs ache.

Still, he watched.

His fingers dug into the soft cloud beneath him as he glared toward the Going Merry.

"Fools," he rasped to himself. "They don't realize Kami Eneru and his priests will crush them."

His mouth twisted into a pained smile.

"They live to punish criminals like you."

His voice lowered to a whisper.

"You will be guided to the sacred land… Upper Yard."

…

Pagaya opened the front door to his house quickly and gestured them in. "Please be swift. I will gather what parts I can spare."

"Thanks, old man!" Luffy said, stepping inside. "Also, food!"

Sanji grabbed him by the back of the vest. "You're not raiding their kitchen like a wild animal."

"But Pagaya said we could have leftovers."

"That does not mean you inhale them before I pack them."

Usopp pointed toward the door that led to Pagaya's workshop. "Right. Tools. Parts. Ship repair supplies. Leave that to me."

"You know what you need, dude?" Ben asked.

Usopp lifted his chin. "Naturally. I am the man who keeps the Going Merry sailing through impossible seas."

Sanji's visible eye slid toward him. "You mean the ship you keep repairing with planks, nails, and prayers?"

"High-quality prayers," Usopp corrected.

Pagaya guided him into the workshop with a pleasant, if somewhat confused, smile. "This way, then."

Inside, half-finished Waver frames rested along one wall, tools hung from neat hooks, and boxes of screws, braces, tubing, and Dial housings lined the benches. The warm smell of wood, oil, and dust filled the room, and Usopp stepped inside with the stunned reverence of a man entering sacred ground.

"Aw," he exhaled, smiling. "This is beautiful."

Pagaya brightened. "You think so?"

Usopp crossed to a workbench and picked up a small hand tool, weighing it carefully in his palm. "Balanced grip. Good weight. Clean edge." His eyes widened as he looked over the tool rack. "You maintain these yourself?"

"Of course."

Usopp's expression turned grave. "Respect."

Pagaya chuckled softly and moved toward a storage shelf, pulling down a small wooden box of spare fittings. "Are you the shipwright, Usopp?"

Usopp froze for half a second and then straightened like a man handed a title far too important to reject. "No," he said, with the heavy burden of false modesty, "I am the sharpshooter. We don't have a shipwright, so these guys depend on me for everything. Repairs, weapons, strategy, morale, storytelling. It's a real pain sometimes."

"I see," Pagaya said politely, setting the box on the bench.

Usopp nodded, already gathering what he needed as he spoke. He began placing a hammer, pilers, screws, nails, and braces into his bag. "The ship couldn't sail without me. I guess you could say I'm like a second captain. Everybody does call me captain."

Pagaya's smile remained kind as Usopp continued sorting through the supplies, now adding a small saw and a bundle of repair patches to the growing pile.

"Luffy has spirit, sure, but who keeps the brave heart of the Merry beating? Who patches her wounds after battle? Who stands tall when all others fall? That's right. Captain Usopp—"

Seeing that Usopp would be at this for a while, Pagaya quietly excused himself from the workshop. Usopp did not notice.

Meanwhile, in the main room, Sanji had turned the low table into a battlefield of careful food arrangement. Several bento boxes were open in front of him; each one being filled with leftovers from yesterday's dinner and that morning's breakfast. It should have been a rushed job. They were criminals now, the Going Merry was being prepared to sail to Upper Yard. Yet Sanji worked with the absolute focus of a master artist preparing a final piece. Luffy sat on the couch with a small snack in both hands, chewing while watching Sanji work diligently. Conis sat nearby, hands folded in her lap, worry still lingering in her expression. Pagaya stepped into the room from the workshop and paused, looking down at the boxes with genuine admiration.

"Your arrangement of the food is very artistic," Pagaya complimented. "What lovely colors."

Sanji's shoulders lifted with professional pride. "Presentation is crucial. A meal should please the eyes before it ever reaches the tongue."

He adjusted a slice of sky-fish with chopsticks, then frowned in concentration.

"No, red would look better over here. And some emerald sky beans here…" He leaned back slightly, judging the balance. "There. Much more appetizing."

Luffy tilted his head. "It all looks the same once it's in your belly."

Sanji's eyebrow twitched. "Quiet, you uncouth rubber vacuum. Food should appeal to all the senses."

Conis's eyes softened as she watched him work. "You truly are an incredible chef, Sanji. The beautiful meals you prepared at the café today, and now these boxes… it's beautiful."

Sanji turned to her so quickly the chopsticks nearly flew out of his hand. "Really?"

Conis nodded. "Yes."

His whole face brightened. Then, with dramatic tenderness, he lifted one of the finished boxes and held it toward her. "Then this one is for you, Conis dear."

Conis blinked. "What? For me?"

"Of course." Sanji smiled, lovestruck and utterly serious. "I call it my Love Dilemma: Falling for an Angel Bento Box."

Conis's cheeks flushed. "Oh my…"

Ben stepped into the room with the bag that contained Nami and Robin's stuff slung over his shoulder. "Do you rehearse that stuff, dude?"

Sanji shot him a look. "Romance does not rehearse. It descends upon the unworthy like divine inspiration."

Ben stared at him for a beat. "So yes."

Sanji's teeth sharpened. "I said no."

"Pretty sure you said it in cursive."

Luffy laughed around his snack.

Ben looked down at the bento boxes and the absurd amount of care Sanji was putting into arranging them, and the two most elegant ones were obviously meant for Nami and Robin.

"Is now really the time to be decorating leftovers?" Ben asked.

"These are Nami-swan and Robin-chwan's boxes," Sanji snapped, returning to his work. "So of course it is."

Luffy nodded sagely. "I still think food is food."

Sanji's foot lifted an inch off the floor.

Luffy immediately leaned away. "I didn't say it was bad food."

"That is the only reason you still have teeth."

Sanji then noticed the bags on Ben's shoulder. His visible eye narrowed.

"Wait," he said slowly. "What are you doing with Nami-swan's bag?"

Ben glanced at the strap. "She said to get it for her and Robin. Remember?"

"That was supposed to be my job!"

"Dude, she literally said, 'don't forget mine and Robin's stuff.' Pretty sure she doesn't care who brings it back." Ben rolled his eyes and shifted the bag slightly. "But if it means that much to you, you can have it before we get back. Maintain your knight-in-shining-apron status and all, cinnamon-roll brow."

Sanji's mouth twitched dangerously. "Is there a reason you're here, or are you just committed to being annoying? Why didn't you stay on the ship to help?"

The question cut through the room more cleanly than Sanji intended.

Ben's smirk faded. He looked from Sanji to Luffy, then toward Pagaya and Conis. The older man was still standing near the table. Conis sat upright, her blue eyes on him with quiet confusion and a little unease.

Ben lowered the bag from his shoulder and set them near the couch. "Actually," he said, voice much quieter now, "I do have a reason."

Luffy stopped chewing.

Sanji's expression sharpened. The flirtation and irritation both vanished, replaced by the alert stillness of a man who had realized a joke was no longer a joke.

Ben turned fully toward their hosts.

"Conis. Pagaya." He swallowed once. "I have something I need to confess to you both."

Pagaya blinked. "Confess?"

Conis's hands tightened in her lap. "W-what is it, Kevin?"

The wrong name hit him hard enough that his fingers twitched.

Luffy's face turned unusually serious. Sanji looked between Ben and Conis, then went silent. Even the soft sounds from the kitchen seemed to disappear.

Ben reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the folded paper Robin had given him.

"I can't really say it out loud. So I need you to do your best to control yourselves."

Conis stared at the paper.

Pagaya's brows drew together behind his glasses.

Ben unfolded it and before he could write the first word, a shout came from outside.

"Guys!"

Everyone turned.

Usopp was on the balcony. When he got there, Ben didn't know. He had one hand gripping the railing as he leaned out. "There's a ruckus on the ship!"

Luffy sprang up. "A party?"

Ben shoved the paper back into his pocket and rushed to the balcony with Sanji close beside him. Luffy crowded behind them while Conis and Pagaya hurried after them. Sanji pulled a small monocular from inside his jacket and snapped it open.

Below, the Going Merry was no longer sitting where they had left her.

The ship was sliding backward across the White-White Sea, away from Angel Beach. Her sails were not set. The anchor had been raised halfway and hung awkwardly, and from this distance, Ben could see figures moving frantically on deck.

Sanji's face hardened. "Nami and Robin are in trouble!"

Usopp threw both hands up. "Zoro and Chopper are there too, ya know!"

Luffy leaned dangerously far over the balcony rail. "Huh? The ship's sailing backwards! Why?"

Usopp pointed so hard his finger shook. "It's not sailing backwards. Look under the ship!"

The sea-clouds beneath the Merry bulged.

A massive shape rose from below, pale and enormous, its shrimp-like body dwarfing the ship as long feelers whipped through the air. Its huge claws clamped onto either side of the Going Merry, lifting her cleanly from the sea-clouds as if she weighed no more than a toy.

Ben's eyes narrowed. "The giant lobster thing. Same one that brought us to the island."

Pagaya adjusted his glasses quickly. "The Special Express Lobster. A famous inhabitant of the White-White Sea."

…

Down below, the Going Merry lurched across the White-White Sea on the back of the Special Lobster Express.

On deck, chaos had already taken hold.

Nami had been tying down a loose line when the ship jerked backward hard enough to nearly throw her off her feet. She caught the railing with one hand and snapped her head toward the stern.

"What's going on?!"

Chopper stumbled across the deck, hooves scrabbling for balance. "The ship moved by itself!"

Zoro stood near the anchor line, one hand already close to his swords. His eyes narrowed as the Merry lifted higher, the deck tilting beneath their feet. Robin steadied herself near the mast, one hand pressed lightly to her hat as the sea-clouds dropped away beneath them.

The ship rose.

Nami's stomach lurched with it. Then the enormous lobster's claws appeared on both sides of the Merry, clamped around the hull with terrifying ease.

Chopper's jaw dropped. "It's huge!"

Zoro stepped to the railing and looked down. "It's carrying us away."

Nami grabbed the opposite rail and stared at the massive creature beneath them. "You've got to be kidding me!"

The Special Lobster Express surged forward, carrying the Going Merry away from shore with frightening speed.

Zoro's eyes flicked back toward Angel Beach. "Jump overboard. There's still time."

Chopper spun toward him. "But what about the Merry?! Without the ship—"

"Don't worry." Zoro's grip tightened around his sword hilt. "I'll stay with it."

Nami whipped toward him. "What can you do by yourself?!"

He shot her a flat look. "Cut something."

"That is not a plan!"

Robin's gaze had shifted to the wake behind them. "They've made sure that we can't abandon ship."

Nami followed her eyes.

The sea-clouds churned in the lobster's wake. Monstrous sky-fish rose through the white surface one after another, their long bodies twisting as they followed. Their mouths were lined with needle-like teeth, wide enough to swallow a person whole.

Chopper's ears shot up. "Those are gigantic sky-fish!"

Nami's face tightened. "So if we jump overboard, they'll eat us for sure."

"Can't we just beat up the lobster?" Chopper asked.

"It probably wouldn't do us any good," Robin stated. "It's already begun."

The Merry lurched again as the lobster adjusted its grip.

Nami grabbed the mast to keep her balance. "Already begun? What does that mean?"

Robin's eyes lifted toward the dark green mass of Upper Yard ahead.

Zoro clicked his tongue. "Well, we were going to Upper Yard anyway." His expression hardened. "Guess it makes no difference if they bring us there."

Nami rounded on him. "It absolutely makes a difference! We were supposed to go there prepared!"

Zoro's mouth curved faintly. "Then prepare fast."

"You are impossible!"

The ship surged forward again, the wind snapping through Nami's hair. Her grip on the railing tightened until her knuckles whitened.

Those morons better come rescue us, she thought sharply.

…

On Conis and Pagaya's balcony, the group watched as the Going Merry grew smaller across the White-White Sea.

"Luffy, this is bad! What do we do?!" Usopp panicked.

Luffy leaned over the railing, eyes fixed on the ship. "Where is the lobster taking them?"

Ben's jaw tightened. "I have an idea." He turned back toward Pagaya, who stood just behind them with Conis beside him. "Upper Yard? Am I right?"

Pagaya's face tightened.

That was answer enough.

"Yes," he said, nodding once. "The Special Lobster Express is one of the Kamis servants. Everything it carries becomes an offering to Kami Eneru."

Usopp slowly turned toward him. "Offering?"

Pagaya adjusted his glasses. "It is headed to the northeastern part of Upper Yard… to the sacrificial altar."

The words seemed to chill the air.

Sanji's cigarette nearly snapped between his teeth. "Sacrificial?" His voice dropped, low and dangerous. "You mean Nami-swan and Robin-chwan are going to be sacrificed? To that Kami guy?" He stepped forward, one hand curling into a fist. "He had better not hurt them."

Conis flinched at the intensity in his voice.

Pagaya lifted both hands quickly. "Wait! You do not understand. It is all part of Heaven's Judgment. You either become sacrificial offerings… or you undergo a challenge. Or so I have heard." His mouth pressed into a thin line. "They are in Kamis hands now."

Ben's eyes narrowed. "So what? They're hostages?"

Pagaya hesitated, then nodded grimly. "Yes. Exactly."

"Hostages?!" Usopp and Sanji shouted together.

Luffy's face went still.

Pagaya continued, "The ones being punished right now are you four."

Luffy blinked. "What do you mean?"

Pagaya looked toward the distant shape of Upper Yard, then back to them. "If I had a map of the island to show you…"

Usopp froze. Then his eyes lit up with sudden, desperate pride. "Actually, I just happen to have a map of Skypiea in here."

Ben turned to him. "Where'd you get that?"

Usopp dug into his bag with frantic energy. "From that ship that almost fell on us."

He pulled out an old rolled map with a flourish and unrolled it across the table in the main room. The edges were worn and brittle, the ink faded in places, but the shape of Skypiea remained visible: Angel Island, the White-White Sea, and the great mass of Upper Yard marked in old lines and symbols.

Pagaya leaned over it, his expression thoughtful. "This is very old, but it is accurate enough." He pointed to a location near Angel Beach. "This is our present location." His finger moved northeast, tracing a route away from Angel Island, across a large cloud bridge, and toward the thick forest drawn across Upper Yard. "The sacrificial altar lies here, to the northeast."

Usopp swallowed. "That looks far."

"It is. And there is only one way to get there. You must find a Dial boat and follow the Milky Road through the forest, where the Kami's priests are."

Ben nodded once. "I was just at the wharf today. Plenty of those boats we could use."

Usopp whipped toward him. "You were at the wharf?"

"Long story."

"Why is every answer from you a long story?"

"Because my life is ridiculous."

Usopp pointed at the map before Ben could say more. "Wait. Instead of crossing the island, couldn't we sail around to the coast nearest the altar?"

Pagaya shook his head. "No. The altar cannot be reached on foot, even from the nearby coast. There is one important detail of Upper Yard missing from this old map."

Sanji leaned closer, eyes narrowing. "You mean this cloud river?"

"Yes," Pagaya replied. "There are several hundred Milky Roads in all. The only way to reach the altar is to follow the Great Milky Road."

Sanji's face hardened. "So no matter where we land, we'll run into the river."

"Yes." Pagaya's voice grew heavier. "And it is teeming with man-eating sky-fish."

Ben looked up from the map. "Of course it is."

Usopp's face drained of color. "Man-eating sky-fish. Great. Perfect. Exactly what this day needed."

Luffy grinned. "We'll just beat them up."

"You can't beat up a whole river!"

Luffy frowned. "Why not?"

"Because it's a river!"

Ben rubbed his forehead. "That argument is not going to work on him."

Usopp suddenly turned toward him, eyes wide with hope. "Hey, Kevin! Can't you just fly us over there?"

The room went quiet as Conis and Pagaya both looked sharply at Ben.

Conis's lips parted. "F-Fly?"

Pagaya blinked behind his glasses. "Y-you can fly?"

Ben forced a loose shrug. "I could," he said carefully. "But I doubt this Eneru guy will let us take the easy way in."

He kept the answer vague on purpose.

Pagaya's frown deepened. "You are not wrong. This is part of your challenge. Eneru will not allow anything he perceives as cheating."

Sanji straightened. "So if we want our friends back, we have to face these priests, eh?"

"Our challenge…" Usopp's voice trembled. "Heaven's Judgment."

Luffy's grin widened.

Then he laughed.

"Then we just have to clobber those guys!"

Ben looked at him.

A second later, his own smirk returned, sharp and restless. "Works for me."

Usopp looked between them in horror. "Why are you both so happy about it?"

Ben folded his arms. "Because 'impossible death trial' sounds a lot worse before someone punches the guy running it."

Luffy nodded hard. "Yeah!"

"That is not comforting!" Usopp shouted.

Pagaya stepped closer, alarm rising in his voice. "Please, you mustn't let your guards down. The four priests are unimaginably strong. And above them all, Kami Eneru awaits."

Ben's expression hardened, fists clenching at his sides.

For one moment, Kevin Levin's borrowed face looked cold enough to cut.

…

The group walked down Lovely Street with Conis a few steps ahead of them.

The bright, cheerful road from earlier had changed. The shops were still open, their painted signs swaying gently in the breeze, but the people had pulled back from the street. Skypieans who had smiled at them that morning now stepped into doorways as they approached. Conversations died mid-sentence. Curtains shifted. A vendor busied himself with rearranging fruit he had already arranged.

Usopp hunched his shoulders. "They're avoiding us now."

Sanji's mouth tightened around his cigarette. "They must know we're outlaws."

Ben walked with one hand in his pocket, the other holding the strap of Nami's bag slung over his shoulder. "Word travels fast."

Luffy looked around the emptied street, then broke into a delighted grin. "This is great! The town center is totally empty!"

"That is not great!" Usopp shouted.

Sanji's shoulders slumped with deep, personal sorrow. "Now all the angel girls are avoiding me…"

Ben gave him a sideways look. "Truly, the greatest casualty of government persecution."

Sanji glared at him. "You wouldn't understand a wounded romantic heart."

"I understand it's making the rest of us suffer."

Luffy laughed and kept walking like the strange silence of Lovely Street did not bother him at all. Usopp looked bothered enough for everyone, glancing left and right with every whisper that followed them.

Ben's gaze shifted to Conis, she had not turned back once.

Her hands were folded tightly in front of her, and though her steps remained neat and careful, her shoulders were stiff. Every so often, her fingers trembled against each other. She kept her face angled forward, like looking back at them would make something inside her crack.

Ben's eyes narrowed slightly, something was wrong.

"Man, I wish we had money," Luffy said, looking longingly at a shop display full of strange shells and exotic plants. "They sell a lot of weird stuff here."

Sanji snapped toward him. "Luffy, now isn't the time! Nami-swan and Robin-chwan are about to become sacrificial offerings! Don't you care?"

Ben cocked a brow. "What about Zoro and Chopper?"

Sanji waved one hand. "Yeah, them too I guess."

"Wow. Guess Zoro and Chopper got demoted to side quests."

Usopp's expression softened into worry as the street sloped gradually toward the harbor district. "I just hope the ship doesn't get damaged any worse than it was. We've been pretty hard on her lately."

Ben glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

He had not retained everything from Juryrigg after changing back.

That was the frustrating part about some of his smarter forms. The instincts, the skills, the impossible clarity all faded once he was human again, leaving only scraps behind like half-remembered dreams. Azmuth had once told him it was because his human brain could not fully retain the higher functionality and understanding of more intelligent species. Human intelligence had limits, and Juryrigg possessed a complete, instinctive understanding of building, dismantling, and reassembling machinery that an entire factory crew could not hope to match.

But Ben remembered one thing from when Juryrigg had reattached the Merry's damaged bow.

That ship was on her last legs.

The keel was breaking apart. Metal could be melted down and reforged into its original shape, but wood was different. Once wood cracked and splintered, there was no truly putting it back the way it had been. You could patch it. Reinforce it. Maybe squeeze a little more life out of it. But eventually, broken wood had to be replaced or discarded.

The thought sat heavy and uncomfortable in his chest. Usopp was looking ahead now, jaw tight, probably thinking about tools and repairs and how much punishment one ship could take before it stopped forgiving them.

Ben said nothing though. Now was not the time.

The road widened as they reached the wharf. Cloud-docks stretched out over the White-White Sea, with ropes tied to posts and small Dial boats bobbing gently against the thick pale surface. A few larger rental boats rested along the far side, and one in particular immediately caught Luffy's attention.

It was a red bull-shaped gondola with a long neck, curled horns, and a green-roofed passenger cabin trimmed with dangling white fringe. Its painted eyes looked dramatically fierce.

Luffy's eyes lit up. "Wow! Look at that gondola!" He pointed at it with both hands. "Let's rent it!"

Ben looked at him. "With what money?"

Luffy froze. "Oh right." Then his grin returned. "Well, think they'd mind if we borrowed it?"

"Doubt they take IOUs."

Conis stopped near a smaller dock. "Actually, your boat is over here."

Luffy blinked. "Huh?"

She gestured for them to follow.

Before Ben moved after her, his gaze caught on a Waver stand nearby. Several compact craft and accessories were displayed under a canvas awning, and a few sets of strange boot-like devices sat on a lower shelf.

"Give me a second," he said.

Usopp turned. "Where are you going?"

"Shopping without money. Apparently that's the theme today."

He crossed to the stand.

The shopkeeper, a thin Skypiean man with square glasses and nervous wings twitching behind him, went rigid when Ben approached.

"H-Heso," the man said.

"Heso," Ben replied, glancing over the display. "You carry board Wavers?"

The shopkeeper swallowed. "Board Wavers?"

"You know, Dials on a board. No seat. More balance than comfort."

"No," the man said quickly. Too quickly. "We do not have that brand."

Ben's eyes sharpened. "Brand?"

"I mean type. That type. We do not carry that type." The shopkeeper fumbled beneath the counter and pulled out a pair of skates with small fittings under the soles. "The closest I have are shooters. For riding along Milky Roads or suitable cloud trails."

Ben looked at the skates, then at the shopkeeper. The man was sweating.

"Right," he said slowly. "How much?"

The shopkeeper pushed them into his hands. "Please take them."

Ben blinked. "Take them?"

"Yes. Take them and go."

"What about money?"

"No need."

"You sure? Because I've got a pretty bad credit history in this town."

The shopkeeper shoved the stand's front shutters closed so fast the wooden panels nearly caught Ben's fingers.

Ben stared at the shut stand.

From behind the shutters, the man's voice came muffled. "Good luck!"

Ben turned back toward the others, holding the skates up.

Usopp stared. "Did you just get free stuff?"

"Guess IOUs are acceptable payment."

Sanji's eyes narrowed. "That man looked terrified."

"Yeah," Ben said, glancing back once. "Noticed that."

Conis had led them to a small black Dial boat tied off near the edge of the wharf. It was narrow and simple, barely large enough for a few passengers. Its figurehead was shaped like an open-mouthed crow, and a small helm sat near a single wicker driver's seat. A short central pole held a parasol instead of a sail, while two Breath Dial housings rested toward the rear.

Conis placed one hand gently on the side. "This is the Little Crow."

Luffy stared. "Huh?! That's crazy!"

Sanji leaned closer, unimpressed. "A crow? Why not a seabird?"

Conis looked a little embarrassed. "I used to use it all the time before I learned how to ride a Waver. It's not as fast as a Waver, but it has two Breath Dials. Please use it."

Luffy looked back at the bull gondola. "But I like that one better!"

Conis's face tightened with panic. "You… don't like it? I'm sorry, but I don't have the money to rent that one for you."

Ben lifted a hand. "Maybe they'll take an IOU?"

Sanji's foot slammed into Luffy's face. "Luffy, you ingrate!" Sanji barked. "Apologize! Tell Conis dear you're sorry and mean it!"

Luffy's voice came muffled from beneath Sanji's shoe. "S-sorry!"

Conis shook her head quickly. "No, it's alright."

"It is not alright," Sanji said, grinding his heel once before removing his foot.

Luffy popped back up with a shoe print on his face. "I said sorry."

"Sound more grateful next time."

Conis pointed toward the cloud-channel beyond the harbor. "The way out is through Gate 2. You'll come out onto the Great Milky Road, which will lead you to Upper Yard. Then just keep to the road."

Ben looked at her with a straight expression.

Before he could say anything, Luffy beat him to it.

"Conis," Luffy said, "ever since we left your house… you've been shaking. How come?"

Ben turned toward him. So he saw it too? For all of Luffy's noise, maybe he picked up on more than Ben gave him credit for.

Conis went still. Her face paled and sweat formed near her temple. "Huh? I…I have?"

The Skypieans lingering around the wharf shifted uneasily. A few looked away. Others stared at Conis with anxious, pleading expressions, as if begging her not to speak.

Luffy frowned. "Yeah. It's like you're scared of something."

Sanji's face softened at once. "You're worried about us, huh, Conis?" He practically melted. "That's so sweet!"

Usopp looked around, less easily reassured. "But… are you and your dad gonna be okay? The people in town are obviously avoiding us now, but you're lending us your boat and helping us. Won't you get in trouble?"

Conis did not answer immediately. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. Her hands clenched tighter against the front of her dress, and her face turned even paler.

Luffy watched her quietly. "Conis, if you're that scared, you should have said something."

"No," Conis whispered. "I…I'm not." She lowered her head and swallowed.

Ben glanced away.

The Skypieans on the wharf were watching her like people standing near a lit fuse. One older woman shook her head faintly, eyes wide. A man beside a mooring post clenched his jaw and looked toward the sky as if expecting lightning.

Ben's stomach sank.

Yeah. Something was definitely up.

The way Lovely Street had emptied. The free skates. The shopkeeper telling him to go. Conis shaking. Everyone watching.

Then the pieces clicked.

Ben's expression softened, just a little. "Conis, it's alright."

She looked up at him, startled. "Huh?"

Sanji and Usopp followed Ben's gaze around the wharf. Slowly, they began to understand what he had noticed.

Sanji's eyes narrowed. Are they all in on it?

Ben gave the smallest nod, not taking his eyes off Conis.

"We'll be okay," he said. "Thanks for lending us your boat…and everything else."

Conis's lip quivered.

Then she collapsed to her knees.

"No!" she sobbed, both hands pressed to the ground beneath her. "Please! Just run away! I…I can't bear to lead any more friends to their deaths!"

The nearby Skypieans panicked.

"No, stop!" one bystander cried.

"What are you saying?!" another hissed.

Conis bowed her head lower, tears falling freely now.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I was the one who summoned the Special Lobster Express!"

…

Several days earlier…

Conis had cried until her throat hurt.

She lay on the couch with her face buried in the cushions, her sobs muffled but still shaking through her shoulders. Su curled against her hip, whining softly, while Pagaya sat beside her with one hand resting on her shoulder.

"My dear," Pagaya said gently, "you must breathe."

"I forgot," she whispered.

The father's face tightened.

"I forgot to warn him properly." Her fingers curled into the couch cushion. "I did not tell him enough. I left him alone…" Her voice broke.

Pagaya lowered his eyes. "Oh Conis…"

"He was so kind, Father." Tears spilled down her cheeks again. "He was strange and loud and reckless, but he was kind. He was sad and I wanted to help him. Instead, I led him here."

"You did not lead him to Upper Yard."

"I did not warn him either."

Pagaya had no easy answer for that. He only kept his hand steady over hers.

Then three firm taps came at the front door.

Conis looked up, her breath catching as her eyes shifted toward the sound.

When Pagaya opened the door, the room seemed to lose what little warmth it had left.

Standing outside was a tall man with a sharp, contemptuous face and a thin mustache that split into two points. An aviator's cap decorated with small wings sat on his head, goggles fixed across the front, while a purple scarf hung at his neck above an orange, fur-lined jacket and loose matching pants. Downturned wings rested at his back, and one hand lingered near the Heat Javelin at his side. Behind him, on the street, Fuza waited like a living shadow, the giant bird's long neck bowed just enough to peer toward the doorway with one cruel, impatient eye.

This was Shura, the Priest of the Ordeal of String.

"Heso," Shura said, without warmth.

Pagaya gasped and immediately bowed. "H-Heso, Priest Shura."

Conis rose from the couch, feeling her blood run ice cold. If one of Kami Eneru's priests had bothered to come here, that could only mean one thing.

Judgement.

Shura's eyes moved past Pagaya and settled on her. "So this is the house."

Pagaya's hand tightened on the door. "Priest Shura?"

"The house that harbored an illegal Blue Sea intruder." Shura stepped inside without waiting for permission. "A boy who not only entered Skypiea without proper tribute but had the gall to trespass upon Upper Yard."

Conis's breath caught.

Pagaya bowed lower. "P-Please, we did not know he would go there. He was lost and confused when we found him, and we only wished to help."

"Help," Shura repeated, the word curling with disdain. "How noble. How foolish."

Conis lowered her head, trembling. "Are we… to be judged?"

For a moment, Shura only looked at her. His mouth then curved.

"If it were left to me, you would already be ash."

Pagaya stepped in front of Conis before he seemed to realize he had moved. "Please."

Shura's hand settled more firmly near his Heat Javelin. "Do not mistake my presence for a negotiation, old man. Our ruler Kami Eneru has already listened. He knows what passed through this house. He knows what the Blue Sea brat said, where he went, and how carelessly you allowed it."

Conis squeezed her eyes shut.

"But Kami is merciful," he continued, though his voice made mercy sound like another form of cruelty. "This once, judgment will be withheld."

Pagaya lifted his head slightly. "Withheld?"

"On conditions." Shura's gaze sharpened. "Any illegal tourists are to be reported immediately. No delay. No hesitation. No charming little acts of kindness."

Conis flinched.

"You know your duty as a citizen," he said, stepping closer. "All criminals are to be reported immediately…or else. Understood?"

Pagaya's voice came quietly. "Yes. Yes, of course, Priest Shura."

Shura smiled. "Good." Outside, Fuza rustled, claws scraping against cloud-stone. Shura turned toward the door, already bored with their fear. "Remember this mercy. It will not be offered twice." He left without another word.

The door closed behind him.

Only then did Conis realize she had stopped breathing.

Pagaya remained standing for several seconds, one hand still on the door. When he finally turned back, his face looked older.

Conis whispered, "Father…"

Pagaya crossed the room and took her into his arms.

…

Half-an-hour earlier…

Conis had not stayed at Conache Café.

She had meant to. She had meant to finish her shift and hope their Blue Sea visitors could make it through the rest of the day without causing any more trouble. For a little while, it had even seemed possible. Luffy and Zoro had returned to settle their respective tabs, and the uneasy knot in her chest had loosened by a fraction.

Just as she was about to return to work, however, the group suddenly rushed toward Angel Beach in a frenzy.

Conis followed from a distance. By the time she reached the top of the grand staircase leading down to the beach, the White Berets were already there, gathered near the Blue Sea people's ship.

That was when everything fell apart.

She saw the Beret captain point toward the Going Merry. She saw Usopp step forward, shaking but refusing to move. She saw Luffy's arm stretch impossibly far and send the captain crashing into the pavilion. She saw swords, kicks, Milky Arrows, and Kevin's arm turn into purple sludge before lashing through officers like a whip.

Conis clapped both hands over her mouth. Her stomach twisted so hard she could barely breathe.

"Oh no…" she whispered.

Assaulting government officials was a serious crime. One of the worst a person could commit against the servants of Kami. Her knees nearly buckled as she realized what she was expected to do next.

She turned and ran.

By the time she reached home, her breath came in sharp, broken gasps. Pagaya, who had been in the middle of taking a tea break, looked up from the table at once.

"Conis?"

She gripped the doorframe, trembling so badly she could barely stand.

"They…" Her voice cracked. "They fought the White Berets."

Pagaya's face went white.

"They defeated them," she continued, tears already gathering in her eyes.

He closed his eyes. "Oh dear…"

For a moment, neither of them moved.

"I can't," Conis whispered before her father could say anything.

Pagaya's voice was soft and broken. "My dear… if we do nothing, Kami Eneru will know."

Conis shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "But they're so kind, Father. They trust us." Pagaya looked away as it hurt to see her like this. "And Ben," she whispered. "I already failed him."

The name sat between them like a wound.

Pagaya remained seated on the couch, his head lowered. "I know." His voice tightened. "But we do not have a choice. You remember what the priest told us, we will not be extended mercy a second time."

Conis's fists trembled at her sides.

She lowered her head and took one unsteady breath.

"Eneru," she whispered, her voice heavy with regret, "there are criminals from the Blue Sea on Angel Beach…"

Her throat closed. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Execute Heaven's Judgment on them."

After making the prayer to Eneru, Conis fell to her knees and broke into silent sobs.

…

Sanji stared at Conis, his cigarette frozen between his lips. "You summoned that thing, Conis?" he asked, shocked.

Conis stayed on her knees, both hands pressed against the wharf as her shoulders shook. Around them, the Skypieans who had been pretending not to watch now stared openly, their faces pale with fear.

A harsh voice cut through the wharf.

"Foolish girl!"

The White Beret captain stepped out from behind a stack of moored cargo crates. His uniform was scuffed, his nose was still swollen from Luffy's punches, and his eyes burned with fury as he glared at Conis.

"Do you want to die?!"

Usopp jolted. "He was hiding here?!"

Ben's head snapped toward the captain, then back to Conis.

Conis lifted her tear-streaked face. "If a citizen of Skypiea knows that someone is a criminal and doesn't lead them to the punishment site…" Her voice cracked, but she forced the words out. "That citizen will be killed!"

The words struck the dock harder than any weapon.

Usopp's mouth fell open. "Killed?"

Sanji's expression darkened at once.

The bystanders erupted.

"Stop it!" one man shouted, his face tight with terror. "Do you realize what you're saying?!"

"It's blasphemy!" another cried. "You'll bring judgment down on all of us!"

Conis clapped both hands over her mouth, but the dam had already broken. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks as she looked from the bystanders to the sky above them, her breathing ragged and uneven. "It's the duty of every citizen," she said through a sob. "Please forgive me!"

Then her face twisted with guilt too large for her to keep inside anymore.

"Ben was right…" she whispered.

Ben went still.

Conis looked up, her voice rising, trembling with grief and terror. "This place is insane. Not the clouds, not the Dials… this. All of this!"

Ben stepped forward sharply. "Dammit, Conis! You weren't supposed to say that out loud!" His jaw clenched, panic flashing behind his eyes before he forced it down. "I told you we got the message!"

Luffy's face tightened. "He's right, you dummy! You had no choice, right?! So why…"

"Did you just tell us that?!" Ben, Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp shouted at once.

Conis blinked through her tears. "Huh?"

Luffy pointed at her, his voice rougher now. "Now you're in trouble!"

"It's all over!" a bystander cried.

"It's too late for her!" another shouted.

A third backed away with both hands raised, horror plain across his face. "Don't go near that girl! The judgment is coming!"

Thunder boomed across the sky.

The sound rolled over Angel Island like the growl of something enormous waking above them. The bright afternoon seemed to dim for half a breath, and the air prickled with a pressure Ben knew too well.

His stomach dropped. He had felt this before.

Ben's eyes widened and he looked up to see light gathering above them. "CONIS!"

He moved just as the lightning came down.

A pillar of white-blue force split the sky and struck the wharf where Conis had been kneeling. The flash swallowed everything. The world vanished into screaming light.

KA-BOOM!

Angel Island shook.

The wharf buckled beneath the force of the impact. Boats slammed against their moorings. Skypieans dove for cover, shielding their heads as the shockwave threw loose crates across the docks and knocked people off their feet.

Usopp hit the ground hard. "Unh…"

Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp lay sprawled across the ground, smoke rolling over them in thick white-gray waves.

Usopp pushed himself up on one elbow, shaking. "W-what happened?! What was that?!"

Luffy's head snapped up. "Levin!"

Sanji sprang to his feet, eyes wide with alarm. "Conis!"

The smoke began to thin.

Where Conis had been kneeling, there was no girl.

There was only a gaping hole punched straight through the island-cloud, its edges smoking and ragged. Pale vapor curled from the crater as the wharf hissed around the wound, the blast having bored cleanly through the place where judgment had landed.

Luffy stared. "Where'd they go?!"

Usopp scrambled upright, panic flooding his voice. "Kevin! Conis!"

The Skypieans who had recovered enough to look were silent now. Some stared at the hole with clenched jaws. Others bowed their heads like they had seen this too many times before.

One bystander whispered, "It's no use. Almighty Eneru sees everything."

"Forgive me if I'm skeptical," a raspy voice answered from the thinning smoke.

Everyone turned.

Enough smoke drifted aside to reveal a blue-and-black semi-armored, velociraptor-like alien standing several yards from the crater, holding Conis carefully in both arms.

The wharf went dead silent.

The White Beret captain's face drained of color. "What… what is that?"

A woman near the dock covered her mouth. "It moved before the lightning."

"But… no one outruns judgment," another bystander breathed.

Sanji exhaled sharply, relief cutting through the fury on his face. "Conis dear…"

Luffy's grin snapped back like sunrise. "Good save!"

Usopp sagged where he stood. "They're okay… They're okay!"

Conis blinked slowly. Her eyes were wide and unfocused, her body still trembling from the force of what had almost happened. One second, she had been on her knees, staring up at the sky. The next, she was across the wharf, the place where she had just been standing reduced to a smoking hole. She looked up at the creature holding her. His arms shifted carefully beneath her, one braced behind her shoulders and the other supporting her knees. Conis's sandals touched the wharf, and her legs wobbled almost immediately.

XLR8 kept one clawed hand near her arm, steadying her without holding too tightly. "Easy. I've got you."

Settling on her knees due to how shook up she felt from what just happened, Conis looked up at the Kineceleran in shock. "W-who…" she stammered fearfully. "Who are you?"

XLR8's expression softened as much as his face could manage. "Conis… it's me." He shifted one hand and pointed to the green hourglass symbol on his chest.

Conis stared at it. The symbol. The same one she had seen before. Her eyes slowly widened. "B-Ben…?"

Luffy blinked. "Ben?"

XLR8 tapped the Omnitrix dial on his chest. Green light flashed across the wharf. When it faded, Ben Tennyson stood in his human form, no disguise anymore, just his true self.

The bystanders recoiled.

"It changed!"

"He… he looks different. Is that the same person?"

"Another Devil Fruit user?" the White Beret captain snarled, grinding his teeth.

Usopp stared, eyes wide as the pieces rearranged themselves in real time. "He changed back…" Then his face twitched with sudden realization. "W-wait, what about his incognito plan?"

Sanji took a slow drag from his cigarette, eyes still on Ben and Conis. "Pretty sure that's kinda pointless now."

Ben ignored the noise, lowering himself onto one knee in front of the girl. "Yeah, it's me. I'm sorry. Really. I didn't mean to deceive you," he said quietly. "I was trying to keep you and your dad safe—"

Conis threw herself into him before he could finish his words.

Ben froze for half a second as her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her face burying against him.

"You're alive!" She cried, clutching him as if he might vanish again if she let go. "Ben, you're alive! I thought—I thought you—"

"Yeah… I know." Ben's voice came out rougher than he meant it to.

He closed his eyes, one hand settling gently against the back of her head while the other rubbed slow, careful circles against her back. His stealth plan was ruined. The disguise was gone. Whatever advantage he had hoped to keep over Eneru had just been blown apart in front of half the wharf.

But as Conis sobbed against him, Ben could not bring himself to regret it. At least the truth was out. At least he did not have to stand there wearing someone else's face while she grieved a death that had never happened.

"It wasn't your fault, Conis," he whispered.

Conis only sobbed harder, relief breaking through the fear and guilt until she could barely breathe. She held onto him with everything she had, the way someone held onto proof that the worst thing she believed was not true after all.

Usopp's expression slowly shifted. The fear remained a bit, but something else settled over it now. Understanding.

"I get it now," he said quietly. "The two Skypieans who took care of him…"

Sanji's face was serious, the anger still there but held tightly in check. Whatever flicker of jealousy he might have felt at seeing Conis cling to Ben disappeared the moment he saw how broken with relief she was.

"Were Conis and Pagaya," Sanji finished.

Luffy did not say anything. He simply stood there, staring. Not with confusion and not with his usual grin. His face had gone still in the way it did when he saw a friend suffering.

A memory surfaced.

"You want to go back to help your friends?" Luffy had asked.

"They showed me kindness and hospitality when I was lost and alone. I'll be damned before I allow them to continue suffering under that asshole's cruelty." Ben's voice had been fierce then. "I made a promise to myself in Mock Town that I would find a way to get back there and save them from Eneru's tyranny, no matter what."

The memory faded.

Luffy's eyes returned to the present, to Conis sobbing into Ben's shoulder.

His hand rose to the brim of his straw hat, tilting it forward until shadow fell across his eyes.

The Straw Hat captain did not say a word. He had already made his decision.

Eneru was going down.

"Is everyone alright?!"

A voice called from above.

The rush of wings cut through the stunned silence. A tall, elderly knight descended from the sky on the back of a large, pink-spotted Pegasus-like creature. His helmet and visor framed a weathered face, and a long spear rested in his hand.

Usopp pointed up. "Hey! It's that strange old man!"

The old knight bristled. "Strange? Hmm… Please call me the Sky Knight."

Sanji's eyes narrowed as Pierre landed ahead of Ben and Conis. "What are you doing here?"

Ben looked up.

The Sky Knight's gaze lowered to the girl in Ben's arms first, and the teen hero did not miss the flash of recognition that crossed the girl's tear-streaked face when she saw him. It was not the look of someone seeing a stranger. It was surprise, fear, and something almost like hope tangled together.

"Young girl," the Sky Knight said, his voice gentler now, "please come with me. I promise I will not allow Eneru to harm you."

Still seated on Pierre, he extended an armored hand toward her. Conis lifted her face from Ben's shoulder, trembling. Her hands were still clutching his shirt. Ben eased back first, keeping one hand steady at her shoulder. Then he stood and offered her his hand.

"Conis, go with him."

Her eyes widened. "B-but what about Father? He'll be targeted too."

The Sky Knight nodded once. "He may come with us too."

Conis looked between him and Ben, still breathing unevenly.

Ben gave her a small nod. "It's okay. You and your dad get somewhere safe."

Conis swallowed, then took a shaky step toward the Sky Knight.

The Sky Knight took her hand and gently helped her onto Pierre's back, steadying her until she was seated.

Only then did he turn his attention to Ben, Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp. His gaze lingered on Ben for a heartbeat longer than the others, as if the transformation he had just witnessed had only added one more impossible thing to a very long list.

"Now you know the true nature of this country," the Sky Knight said. "And of the Kami's power. Heed it."

Luffy lifted his head. "I couldn't care less about this country," he stated. "My friends are in Upper Yard. So that's where I'm going."

Ben's eyes hardened. "And I have a score to settle with your country's so-called Kami. So I'm not running away."

Conis gasped softly.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him. "Ben, you—"

He looked up at her. "It's fine, Conis. Remember what I told you I was?"

She blinked twice, still shaken. "A… superhero?" Her voice trembled with confusion. "But I still don't know what that is."

Ben's mouth curved faintly. "Then I'll show you. Just wait."

Conis stared at him, tears still clinging to her lashes.

The Sky Knight studied both Luffy and Ben. Then his face settled into solemn understanding.

"I see… May luck be with you, then."

He took the reins. "Let us be off, Pierre!"

Pierre lifted his head. "Pi-e!"

With a strong beat of his wings, Pierre rose from the wharf, carrying Conis into the sky. He circled toward the opposite side of Angel Island.

Several Skypieans gasped as they watched him go.

"Hey," one bystander whispered. "It's Gan Fall!"

Another stepped back, eyes wide. "But what's he doing here? Wasn't he banished?"

Ben's gaze followed Pierre until the Pegasus and his riders began shrinking against the sky.

Then he turned back to Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp.

The three Straw Hats were looking at him now.

Ben rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardness hitting him all at once. "So, uh… about the fake name thing."

Usopp waved both hands quickly. "Don't worry about it! Really! Completely understandable! Suspicious, terrifying, and confusing, but understandable!"

Ben blinked. "But I lied to you about my name."

"Yeah," Sanji said, taking a slow drag from his cigarette. "That part's annoying."

"Really annoying," Usopp added.

Sanji exhaled smoke through his nose. "But if that lightning bastard can hear everything people say, using your real name would've been stupid."

Usopp nodded hard, still pale from everything that had happened. "Exactly! A secret identity only works if people don't shout the secret part!"

Ben looked between them, caught off guard despite himself.

Luffy grinned widely. "No problem, Ben!"

The Omnitrix bearer stared.

Luffy had actually gotten his name right that time. More than that, Ben was caught off guard by how casually the three of them were taking the fact that he had lied to their faces for two days.

He blinked. "That's it?"

"Yeah." Luffy adjusted his hat, his grin simple and certain. "You're Ben now."

For a second, Ben did not know what to say. A real smile then slipped through. "Thanks," he said, quieter than usual.

Sanji turned toward the Little Crow, his expression sharpening again. "Sentimental stuff can wait. Nami-swan and Robin-chwan need me!"

Ben gave him a dry look. "Good to know your rescue priorities come alphabetized by crush."

Sanji stepped into the boat. "Well get the others too if they're alright."

"The fact you said it like that somehow makes it worse."

Usopp climbed in after Sanji, clutching the side. "I would like it known that I am entering this suspiciously tiny crow boat despite my powerful survival instincts screaming at me not to."

Luffy hopped in last, nearly tipping the whole thing. "Whoa! It rocks!"

"Don't make it rock!" Usopp screamed.

Ben grabbed the skate Wavers he had gotten earlier off the ground and placed them in the boat before stepping aboard. He untied the rope and gave the Little Crow a firm push away from the wharf.

The boat drifted out onto the White-White Sea.

Luffy stretched one arm forward, grabbed the small steering wheel near the crow figurehead, and planted one foot dramatically at the front of the boat.

"Alright!" he shouted, grin fierce beneath his straw hat. "To Upper Yard!"

The twin Breath Dials activated, and the Little Crow surged toward Gate Two at a steady pace.

Ben stood near the side; one hand braced against the boat as the Great Milky Road opened ahead of them.

Just wait, Eneru. His eyes narrowed. Round two is coming…and this time, I'm not alone.