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.