The blazing sun above Mary Geoise beat down on the courtyard, the air heavy and still. Kuma struggled under the weight of crates stacked in his arms, his small frame trembling. Tears streaked his cheeks as he worked.
A Celestial Dragon with a strange, bulbous head barked furiously.
"Don't cry! Or I will kill you-eh!" He fired his pistol into the sky for emphasis. The sound cracked like thunder.
One guard hurried forward, dropping to one knee. "Saint Stevie! You have a visitor..."
"Eh?" Saint Stevie grunted in annoyance.
Later, Kuma sat apart from the others, still chained, tears quietly running down his cheeks. The other slaves kept their heads low. Footsteps approached—heavy, slow, and unsteady. Clapp, his father, emerged into view, his body battered and bound.
"H...hey... Kuma..." Clapp's voice was rough but warm.
Kuma's head shot up, eyes wide. "Fa... father?"
Clapp smiled despite his bruises. "Yeah... you've grown up so much! Are you doing okay?"
Kuma quickly wiped his tears. "Yes... my master is very kind... I am very lucky..."
"I see..." Clapp nodded, the lie unspoken between them.
Kuma's voice wavered. "How is Mom doing?"
Clapp's smile faltered, a shadow crossing his face. "Your mother... is..." He exhaled deeply. "She is safe. She met a benevolent lady."
Kuma's tears welled again. "I miss her..dad... I miss Mom... ."
"I know," Clapp said softly. "But don't worry. If we endure... the Warrior of Liberation will come one day! Save us all.... The Sun god Nika! He will come with drums like this: Don Don Don...do..to..to.. Don...do..to...to.. Don... Don Don..don don...DON....do..to..to...Don...DON...don...do...DOn...DON...."
Kuma's lips curved in a small laugh at his father's optimism and his weird dance moves.
BANG!
A gunshot shattered the moment. Blood splattered across Kuma's face. Clapp staggered, a bullet lodged in his shoulder.
"Shut up—eh! If I hadn't sold you already, you'd drop dead, filthy Buccaneer!" Saint Stevie's pistol smoked in his hand.
Heavy steps approached. Donquixote Valquier appeared, eyes narrowing. "Why is he bleeding—eh?? I bought him intact! Saint Stevie! I expect something in return—eh!"
Saint Stevie raised his hands defensively. "Ack...! He did it himself! Stupid Buccaneer! It's not my fault—eh!"
Valquier's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Screw your arguments! I want that boy too, as compensation—eh!"
Stevie's expression hardened. "I already bet a billion berries on him for the next hunting competition—eh! So NO!"
Valquier ground his teeth, swallowing his anger. Without another word, he seized Clapp's shackles and dragged him away.
Saint Stevie muttered to himself, shaking his head. "Stupid, weird Donquixotes... every one of them is crazy..."
Later, at the Valquier Mansion, Clapp glanced around the grand hall, still in chains. His eyes narrowed slightly. "There's... something strange around here," he murmured.
Before he could say more, Valquier's hand shot out, smacking him against the wall with one effortless strike. Clapp, even as a strong Buccaneer, couldn't break the crushing grip around his neck. His eyes widened in astonishment.
Valquier's voice was sharp. "You are a believer of Nika, am I right?..... HOW COME YOU ARE THAT STUPID?! TO ACTUALLY ADMIT THAT AND SPEAK ABOUT THAT NAME HERE IN THIS DEN OF DEVILS?!"
Clapp's breathing grew uneven. His thoughts swirled—Will he kill me for my faith? He closed his eyes, bracing for death. "Kuma... Maku... I am sorry." A few tears slipped down his cheeks.
But the blow never came.
Clapp opened his eyes to find Valquier staring at him, thoughtful. The Donquixote's voice lowered, and the words that followed sounded almost unreal.
"No believer of Liberation will suffer under my watch," Valquier said plainly.
Clapp stared, speechless. Is this real? Or just another deception? Still, he smiled faintly, relieved.
"My wife... my son... Could you buy them too, please? We will do anything. Please! Just save my wife Maku and my son Kuma..." he begged, tears falling freely.
Valquier's expression softened slightly. "I will do what I can with your wife... but your son. I am afraid others will not release him, no matter what. I am sorry..."
The words hung in the air, strangely sincere.
Clapp's vision swam as Valquier approached, the shadow of the Donquixote looming over him.
"You've been through enough," Valquier said quietly, almost kindly. "This will be faster..."
Before Clapp could respond, a sharp pressure touched his neck—something like a needle or pressure point—and his consciousness slipped. The last thing he heard was Valquier's calm, almost amused voice.
"See ya."
Darkness.
Then—light.
Clapp's eyes fluttered open, expecting the cold stone walls or the oppressive air of the Holy Land. But instead, the air was warm, scented with delicious food and strange flowers. His body felt lighter, almost... free. He was no longer shackled.
He blinked up at the sky. Clouds drifted lazily above, golden sunlight breaking over what looked like... an island suspended in the heavens? Is he in the afterlife?
He sat up, bewildered. "Where... am I?"
A cheerful voice cut through his shock.
"Welcome to Angel Island State! Part of the USSR!"
Clapp turned toward the sound—and stopped.
Standing before him was a beutiful woman with delicate wings, her purple hair catching the sunlight in gentle waves. She wore a neat green suit, a warm smile curving her lips.
"My name is Amazon," she said, holding a small ledger close to her chest. "And I will be your guide! Just for 30 000 000 Extol - Hihi~"
Clapp could only stare, his battered mind struggling to keep up.
„May the god of liberation shine eternally. Heso!"
….
…..
Clapp's mouth opened, words spilling out before his thoughts could catch up.
"USSR...?" he muttered, still dazed.
Amazon tilted her head, her wings fluttering lightly in the breeze.
"Yes!" she said brightly. "United States of Sky Realm!"
Her laughter rang like bells, but Clapp's expression darkened. His hands clenched slightly, the ache in his chest replacing the brief awe of the floating island.
"My... family," he said softly. "They aren't here."
Amazon's smile softened, her voice lowering.
"They aren't. But you are safe now. And that... is the first step."
Clapp swallowed hard, looking down at his calloused hands. Safe. The word felt hollow without Maku and Kuma beside him.
.....
.....
.....
.....
meanwhile, somewhere on Grand Line.....
The incense in the room burned slowly and sweetly, its smoke curling lazily toward the low ceiling. The crystal ball sat in the centre of the table, cradled in black wood carved with strange symbols.
"Look into the crystal, Mr. Customer," the fortune teller said, her voice a blend of silk and smoke. "It will tell you your future."
The man seated across from her was cloaked head to toe in black. His hood cast his face into shadow, his gloved hands folded loosely on the table.
"...Proceed," he said, his tone unreadable.
The fortune teller's slender fingers brushed the surface of the crystal. A pale mist stirred inside, twisting and swelling until the interior became a rolling fog.
The customer leaned slightly forward, eyes narrowing beneath the shadow of his hood.
The haze shifted. Black smoke formed within the fog like storm clouds rolling in. The first figure began to take shape.
A fishman stood at a podium, tall and dignified. His voice was steady, measured—the voice of a diplomat.
"The settlement of the Fishmen's relations has been achieved. Achieving peace for our time.
This morning, we had another talk between the Grand Commodore and the World Government delegation with our majesty Triton, with his son Neptune, as Mediators.
And here is the paper—signed by both parties. They agree and recognise that the question of Merfolk and Human relations is of the first importance for the whole world.
For the desire of our species... never to have conflict ever again."
His lips curved into a faint smile as the vision dissolved back into haze.
...
The smoke thickened and twisted. A new figure appeared—human? voice thunderous with conviction.
....
„Quiet in the hall, please! President Gan Fall.... You may begin."
A person with wings on his back and a formal suit approached the podium.
"Yesterday—the 7th of September, 1491—a date which will live... in infamy...
The United States of Sky Realm...
was suddenly and deliberately attacked …...
by the Naval Air Forces of the World Government.
No matter how long it may take us!....
to overcome this outrageous invasion—
WE WILL WIN AND DEFEND OUR PEOPLE!
WITH ABSOLUTE VICTORY!
FOR NIKA! FOR LIBERTY AND OUR UNITY!
HESO!"
...
Clouds rumbled in the vision as the smoke churned again.
...
The haze cleared to reveal a massive fishman, surrounded by tens of thousands of his kind. Banners of coral and gold waved in the current as his voice roared across the gathered crowd.
"They speak of peace! They speak of justice!
And yet—what do we see? HATE!
They condemn us. They enslave us!
BUT WE WILL STOP THEM!
MARCH WITH ME!
Our Merfolk Empire will thrive! Glorious! Honourable! Strong!"
The crowd behind him roared as the vision blurred once more.
...
This time, the Grandmaster appeared, standing before a shadowed assembly. His obsidian mask caught faint light as his voice rang like a war drum.
"We shall fight until the end.
We shall fight on the Red Line.
We shall fight on the seas and under oceans.
We shall fight with great confidence, honouring the legacy of our saviour!
We shall fight and defend our home.
We shall fight on our cloudfish carriers.
We shall fight on the beaches.
We shall fight in the towns and the streets...
We shall fight in the hills.
WE SHALL NEVER SURRENDER!"
...
The black smoke pulsed violently before fading again.
...
The final vision took shape—the same massive fishman from before, now standing with the sea at his back, the Merfolk Army arrayed in perfect ranks behind him. His voice was a thunderclap.
"Before us lies Our Merfolk Sea!
Within us is the Merfolk Spirit!
And behind us—the Merfolk Army, rallying!
They give us no choice...
THEN A TOTAL WAR!"
The crystal ball's mist collapsed suddenly, fading to black.
The cloaked customer's fingers tapped lightly on the table.
The fortune teller tilted her head, trembling... "...Did you see what you needed to see?"
The customer gave a low chuckle from beneath the hood, then stood and stepped quietly toward the door.
„Fuck yeah, bucko!" and silently killed the fortune teller without even looking.
"My prediction was fucking better than yours.....also....you folk with special haki will fucking not warn others about this future."
And he left....