The Tidebreaker cut through the Shattered Sea's gray waves, its runes glowing faintly as it approached a jagged island, its cliffs marked by a towering blue rune—the first Void Anchor, as the World Eater had taunted. Echo stood at the bow, their blade pulsing in time with the whisper in their mind: "Unbind the sea." The air grew heavy, the sea's hum a low growl, but Raiven's grin was infectious as he clapped Echo on the back. "Let's break some cosmic chains, yeah?" he said, his voice brimming with excitement, echoing Luffy's reckless determination: "If I have to die fighting for it, then I die!" Echo managed a small smile, the captain's energy a spark against the looming dread.
The crew disembarked, their boots crunching on the island's black sand, the air thick with void echoes that whispered betrayal. Shadows coalesced around them—echoes of Echo's past crew, their forms translucent but achingly familiar. The woman with Echo's eyes, the man with their jawline, the child clutching a broken blade—they all glared, their voices a chorus of accusation: "You left us to the void! You abandoned us to save yourself!" Echo froze, their heart pounding, the guilt they'd carried since the Driftmaiden surging like a tidal wave. Their hands shook, the blade nearly slipping from their grip as the shadows closed in, their whispers a knife in their soul.
Veyra's voice snapped them back, sharp and commanding: "They're not real—fight!" Her Starfall Veil flared, burning away a shadow, her eyes blazing with a fierce resolve that echoed Mikasa: "This reality is ruthless... yet its shards gleam." Zeyn's Calm Echo faltered as a shadow struck him, sending him sprawling, his cry raw with fear: "I just can't face the silence of being forgotten," echoing Shinji. Korran stepped in front of him, his storm-blade crackling as he slashed through a shadow, his voice a growl: "I won't let my brother's echo fade with them!" His words carried Sabo's protective vow, his stance unyielding as he shielded Zeyn, his own past loss fueling his strength.
Echo's Memory Slash burned blue, cutting through the shadows, their own words a desperate plea: "I'll unbind your pain—I won't let you fade!" The shadows dissolved, their whispers fading, but the anchor loomed ahead—a glowing obelisk at the island's heart, guarded by a void wraith, its form a mass of writhing tendrils and glowing blue eyes. The crew fought as one, Raiven's Eternal Pause slowing the wraith's strikes, Veyra's light creating openings, and Korran's lightning carving through its defenses. Zeyn's lyre sang a defiant Chaos Note, bolstering their spirits, his earlier fear replaced by a shaky determination.
Echo reached the anchor, their blade trembling as they struck, the obelisk shattering in a burst of blue light. The island trembled, the sea's hum softening as the whisper in their mind spoke: "One chain breaks." But the victory was bittersweet—the World Eater's shadow loomed closer, its white eyes unblinking, its voice a snarl that echoed Light Yagami: "This reality is decayed, and those who twist it must vanish." The threat hung heavy as the crew returned to the ship, their resolve tested but unbroken, the first anchor's fall a small step in a larger war.
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