After using my laser eyes to carve the crew's emblem on both sides of the tunnel, directly into the rock of the Red Line, I went to look for the others.
We quickly regrouped on the ship, except for Meumeuh, who stayed near the island to keep the giant Heartless of Arlong company.
Everything happened naturally… even though a small, unexpected event didn't fail to unsettle the crew.
Elise, whom everyone thought was with Koby, was actually nestled in Charyzax's arms.
The attitude was tender, fully assumed, and above all… obvious.
I glanced at Koby.
He showed no sign of jealousy or discomfort.
That detail made me smile.
"Don't worry, Koby. I know Alice will be very happy to see you again."
He turned bright red, like a tomato, as he looked away from me.
"Y–you really think so?" he asked hesitantly.
"Of course. I just need to unlock the advanced versions of the dungeons.
When the worlds are freed from darkness, I'm sure we'll earn the right to spend time with our friends."
Koby smiled shyly.
"I can't wait… Miss Alice is so kind… and so beautiful."
He had changed a lot after that month of intensive training.
Every trace of fat had disappeared, his body had grown leaner, and even his posture had improved.
He seemed taller. More confident.
Luffy clapped his hands enthusiastically.
"All right, let's go! I can't wait to explore North Blue!"
I teleported the ship to the entrance of the tunnel.
Silence settled for a moment.
Everyone stared at the colossal passageway, the perfectly cleared walls, and above all the crew's symbol carved high into the rock.
"You little sneak…" Nami said, giving me a light nudge with her shoulder.
"You finished all this during our month of training."
"Not really," I replied calmly. "It was more him."
I pointed at Krieg's Heartless, who was still carving secondary alcoves with his Heartless pirates, refining the structure.
Charles frowned.
"Why does he look so much like Don Krieg?"
"Probably because he's his Heartless," I replied with a shrug, as if the thought had just occurred to me.
We crossed the tunnel.
On the other side, the air was noticeably cooler.
Not freezing, but enough to be felt.
Merry reacted immediately.
The little phoenix flew above the deck, spreading a gentle, constant warmth.
Kaya shivered slightly.
"We'll have to think about buying warmer clothes…"
She partially transformed into a little rabbit and naturally curled up against Usopp, who wrapped his arms around her without hesitation.
Kuina looked down at her own outfit.
"I agree. I haven't really gone shopping since I joined you. I hardly have anything to wear besides training clothes," she said, avoiding any mention of her resurrection.
She said it without real concern, not particularly sensitive to fashion.
Zoro silently stepped closer and hugged her from behind.
"I think you look great just like that."
Kuina blushed shyly.
We all looked away out of sheer politeness.
Sanji, meanwhile, was gazing at the horizon.
"Anyway, we'll need to find an island to discover the ingredients of this sea.
I can't wait to cook new dishes with unfamiliar products."
He lit a cigarette…
which was immediately taken by Kazuki.
"You told me you'd cut back, my love."
Sanji smiled, embarrassed, and bowed slightly.
"Sorry… you're right."
I watched them all for a moment, amused.
« I'm starting to feel a bit lonely with all these couples around, » I said with a smile, half serious, half teasing.
Luffy nodded with conviction, as if it were a universal truth.
Koby agreed as well, even though he was clearly not entirely sure why he was agreeing.
Nami, on the other hand, looked at me for a long moment.
Her gaze was hard to read, a mix of amusement and reflection… then it changed.
Her smile became bolder, almost provocative.
"Would you like me to be with you to ease your loneliness?" she dared to ask, without beating around the bush.
I felt heat rush to my cheeks.
I absolutely hadn't expected such a direct proposal—especially not in front of everyone.
I took a step toward her, ready to ask if she was serious.
But she immediately slipped past me, stuck out her tongue, and let out a light laugh.
That gesture, as teasing as it was, hurt me more than I would have thought.
For a brief moment, our eyes met.
I saw guilt in her eyes when she noticed my disappointed expression.
She looked slightly away, and we both returned to a more neutral attitude, as if nothing had happened.
Nami cleared her throat and pulled out a map of North Blue.
"Alright. Back to business."
She unfolded the map with confidence.
She had obtained it on the Lamini black market—in fact, she now owned a map of every sea, and even fragments of the Grand Line, though those were still imprecise.
She had already completely redrawn the nautical charts of East Blue, except for a few uninhabited islands we had bypassed.
Nothing irreversible: she would update them later.
"The nearest island belongs to the Kingdom of Flevance.
At the Merry's current speed, we should get there in about eight hours."
She paused, then added:
"Five hours if Kazuki uses his fruit to assist us."
I nodded, then turned toward Luffy.
"Luffy, permission to scout discreetly before we arrive?"
He looked at me seriously.
"Go ahead. But try not to start a fight with a demigod before we get there."
I smiled.
"I can't promise anything. You know that if I see an injustice, I'll intervene.
But I promise to be careful."
Without waiting for a reply, I jumped overboard.
The sea swallowed me, and I immediately transformed into a crocodile, cutting through the water at high speed toward Flevance.
On the Merry
Charles watched the surface of the sea, puzzled.
"Why is Jordan leaving alone?" he asked.
He wasn't yet used to our way of exploring islands.
Koby answered without hesitation, with an almost admiring confidence.
"He's scouting.
When he's in human form, with just a cloak, he can blend in anywhere.
And since he obtained an invisibility accessory in a dungeon, he's become the best spy possible.
Thanks to him, we identify key points before landing and avoid unnecessary trouble."
Charles looked impressed.
Luffy crossed his arms, a proud smile on his lips.
"That's right.
He's the strategist, the spy… and the vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.
And above all, he's a good person.
He always thinks of others, even when it nearly cost him his life."
Kuina and Zoro exchanged a distant look.
"Without his intervention, we'd both be dead," Kuina said calmly.
Zoro nodded.
"He nearly lost his skin.
We didn't expect to run into a monster like that in East Blue."
Charles frowned, worried.
"Who could have put him in such a dangerous situation?
A renowned pirate?"
Luffy shook his head.
"No. A nameless pirate, Zachary. He had obtained a very peculiar Devil Fruit, which made him extremely difficult to defeat. But he also drew Baggy's attention…"
Luffy gave a crooked smile.
"And as you saw in the newspaper, he was dangerous enough to manage to escape my grandfather."
Kingdom of Flevance
Thanks to Ariel's gift of swimming and the support of the aquatic Heartless, I reached the shores of Flevance in an hour and a half.
I could have gone faster… if I hadn't run into that monster.
A gigantic Sea King, nearly five hundred meters long, with a serpentine body like an abyssal eel. It took advantage of a brutal change in depth between two underwater layers, slipping into the currents leading toward North Blue. Its mere presence warped the water around it.
I had no choice but to confront it when it mistook me for its meal, despite my ridiculously small size compared to its own. I managed to use my speed and the current it generated to dodge its gaping jaws while launching about fifteen Torpilots straight into its mouth.
I activated my ice magic at full power. The temperature dropped violently, freezing the water around its spine. The added weight and the cold made it sink. Its mobility dropped almost to zero.
I rushed to the top of its head. My fists, reinforced with Armament Haki, came down like divine hammers, mixed with lightning that raced across its flesh. Each impact echoed through the abyss.
When it finally collapsed, unconscious, I hesitated.
Its power would have been extraordinary to absorb.
But I refused.
Fortunately, my dilemma didn't last long, because the Torpilots it had swallowed took advantage of its unconsciousness to transform it.
I didn't want to corrupt my soul any further. I knew that a single crack, a single indulgence toward darkness, would one day be enough for someone to exploit that weakness.
The Heartless born from that Sea King was… sublime.
Imposing. Elegant. Terrifying.
I retrieved it into my shadow, along with the Torpilot, and immediately felt a massive strengthening of my body. A new energy flowed through my veins. Sharper. Denser.
When I finally set foot on the beach, the sight of the kingdom took my breath away.
Everything was white.
An immaculate white, almost unreal.
Purer even than snow.
I immediately donned my Preacher outfit, lowered the hood… then became invisible.
And I understood.
Flevance was not a magnificent kingdom. It was an open-air cemetery.
Souls wandered everywhere. In the streets, in collapsed houses, in narrow alleys. Ruined homes.
Deserted squares.
A heavy silence.
I systematically freed every soul I encountered.
With each purification, a gentle light passed through me, soothing both their burden and mine.
Until I stopped dead.
An alley.
And there…
my blood ran cold.
The soul of a nun, surrounded by about twenty children, holding them close, reassuring them even in death.
A brutal flash drilled into my mind.
Memories I had not lived, yet knew all too well.
The massacre.
The fear.
The truth about Flevance.
"No wonder…" I murmured.
"No wonder there are so many souls unable to depart. Good people.
Shot down like dogs… even though Saturn Lead Disease isn't even contagious. Only the royal family escaped the massacre, taking all the wealth with them."
At my voice, the souls slowly turned toward me. I canceled my invisibility and faced them.
I surveyed the surroundings one last time, checking with my Observation Haki.
No living person in the city. Pushing my Haki farther, I saw hundreds of men digging in a mine two kilometers away.
I then removed my mask, revealing a calm, almost gentle smile.
The nun immediately stepped in front of the children, her gaze anxious yet fierce, ready to protect them even in her state as a soul.
"What do you want?" she cried, terrified by the idea that I could see her.
I bowed slightly.
"Hello. I am the Preacher."
My voice was soft, almost enveloping, like a blanket placed over shoulders that had been exposed to the cold for far too long.
"I am here to free the souls trapped in this horrible place.
Do you wish… to be freed?"
Silence fell at once, heavy, laden with fear and mingled hope.
A slight movement disturbed the air.
A young boy, his face pale, timidly leaned out from the shadows, still half-hidden behind the nun.
"C–can we be free…?
Can we really leave?"
I knelt slightly so I would be at their eye level.
"Yes. I mean you no harm.
I've already begun freeing the people of this kingdom…
and you are among the last."
A murmur rippled through the group of children.
Then a young girl stepped forward, her hands clasped in front of her, her gaze surprisingly calm.
"Please free me, Mr. Preacher," she asked politely.
The nun reacted at once, her voice trembling but firm.
"Anaïs, wait! We know nothing about him! The last time I trusted someone… we were killed."
The girl turned toward her, without anger—only immense weariness in her eyes.
"Marie Neesan, we're already dead. What do we still have left to lose?"
I didn't answer.
I simply smiled.
With a slow, precise motion, I severed the invisible bond tying her soul to Flevance with my Keyblade.
Light burst forth instantly.
Anaïs's body was bathed in a warm, golden glow. Her face lit up in turn, freed from all pain, all fear. She let out a small laugh—sincere, almost surprised.
She turned one last time toward the other children and gave them a small wave.
"Goodbye…"
Then she gently rose into the air, carried by the light, before disappearing completely.
A sacred silence followed.
Marie brought a hand to her mouth, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
But these were no longer tears of despair.
They were tears of relief.
She took a deep breath, then nodded.
"…Alright. Please, free them."
"Thank you… Preacher.
But your work is not finished yet."
She raised her hand and pointed toward the old hospital.
"There is still a family over there.
They are still being held inside.
Find them… and free them as well."
I nodded respectfully.
"I promise you."
Light enveloped her in turn, gentle and peaceful, before she joined the other souls.
(Author's note: For those who don't know Flevance, I invite you to look up Law's backstory on YouTube for a summary—it's quite heartbreaking TT. As usual, I'm including two AI-generated images. Thank you for your support.)