Yuma winced as he tried to stretch his left arm, pain shooting through his side and face. The alliance was quieter now, most of the others either resting or recovering after the battle. He could barely move his arm, and every breath felt like it sent shockwaves through his chest. The left side of his face still throbbed, and the pounding in his head made it hard to think clearly. His injuries had worsened, but there was still so much to do, so much to plan.
"Yuma!" Cani's voice cut through the room, sharp and unmistakably furious. Yuma turned—or at least tried to. His left side barely responded, sending a jolt of pain down his body. Before he could even process what was happening, Cani stormed up to him, her eyes blazing with anger.
"What were you thinking?!" she shouted, standing over him, her hands on her hips.
"Do you have a death wish? You should be resting! You're nearly immobile on your entire left side, and you still tried to fight like that?" Yuma winced again, this time not from the pain but from the sheer force of her frustration.
"I had to," he muttered, trying to avoid her gaze.
"Ikati had to be stopped."
"And you thought you were the only one who could do it?" Cani's voice was louder now, laced with disbelief.
"You were already half-dead, Yuma! Look at yourself!" She pointed at his arm, the one that hung limply by his side, barely responsive.
"Your entire left arm is almost useless now, and don't even get me started on the trauma to your chest and head. You're lucky to even be standing!"
"I know, but what happens to me doesn't matter as long as-" Yuma started, but Cani wasn't done.
"As long as you take down the World Government my butt!" she interrupted, her eyes narrowing.
"Do you know that you've got chest injuries, head trauma, and who knows how much damage to your muscles and nerves? Your entire left side is wrecked—your face, your chest, and your arm. You could've gotten yourself killed, Yuma!" Yuma clenched his jaw, trying to steady his breathing.
"I didn't have a choice, Cani."
"There's always a choice!" Cani shot back, her voice breaking slightly.
"You didn't need to push yourself like that. We were all here, ready to fight with you. But you just—" She took a breath, trying to calm herself.
"You can't keep doing this. You're not invincible, Yuma. You need to stop pretending like you are." Yuma fell silent, her words hitting harder than the pain in his body. Cani's anger wasn't just frustration—it was fear. Fear of losing him.
"I didn't mean to worry you. But Ikati… he needed to be stopped. I couldn't let him hurt anyone else… and I had the opportunity to get one step closer to my goal, so I took it" Cani sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.
"I get it, Yuma. I do. But you can't do this alone. You can't keep throwing yourself into the fire like this. One day, you won't come back from it." Her words hung in the air, heavy and sobering. Yuma nodded, feeling the weight of what she said. There was silence. Cani stood up, her hands dropping to her sides.
"Now, for the love of everything, please rest... Or so help me, I'll tie you to a bed until you heal." Despite the pain, Yuma chuckled softly.
"I'll take it easy…" Cani gave him one last look, a mixture of relief and lingering frustration, before walking away. Yuma watched her go, the weight of the conversation settling over him. He knew she was right. He needed to be smarter. Stronger, yes, but smarter too—because the next battle was coming, and he couldn't afford to keep fighting like this.
Kinsha runs across the deck. Cani stumbles back to dodge her.
"Something wrong, Kinsha?" Kinsha stumbles back and looks up at Cani. Her ears drooped. Boombox shouting from the crows nest.
"Island on the horizon!" Cani looks up. A massive island with tall bright blue trees, with glowing blue leaves. Massive sweeping near black mountains with pure white snow on top. Cani looking at Kinsha. Kinsha gulps in nervousness.
"M-my… homeland…" Cani looks up.
"Boombox, Moon!" Boombox jumps down from the mast. Moon walking over.
"Boombox, keep an eye on Yuma, make sure he actually rests like he's supposed to be" Boombox nods.
"Moon, keep a watch for any World Government or Demon Lords' ships since you know what they look like… spin the ship for the island" Moon nods, turning to walk away but stopping.
"What about you, Cani?" Cani rubs Kinsha's hair.
"I'll go with Kinsha to confront her family about their wrong doings" Kinsha gulps as Moon nods and walks away. Cani looks on the horizon. Near one of the mountains is a small stone castle with purple thatched roofs. A tall flag on top. A black flag with a red eye in the middle.
"That's… Demon lord Buki's flag…" Cani takes a deep breath.
"We don't plan on fighting… so we should be fine if we go in and come straight back out"