The Tenshū glided silently into a secluded cove, its hull bearing scars from past battles yet remaining whole. The island was modest in size, a vibrant tapestry of green with an air of serenity. A small fishing village snugly situated between towering cliffs and vibrant coral reefs. As the ship neared, the villagers gathered at the shore, their eyes filled with suspicion, though their apprehension softened at the sight of children onboard.
Lila was the first to step off the boat, carefully holding the youngest girl against her chest. The child's deep, dark eyes, which had whispered her mother's name in the night, blinked slowly in the daylight. The village elder, a man whose hair was laced with silver and whose face bore the lines of many lived stories, approached her at the dock. His eyes widened with a mix of disbelief and hope as he asked, "You brought them from the labs?" The words seemed to tremble in the air.
Lila nodded, a shadow of the journey's burden lingering in her eyes. "They're free now," she replied, her voice steady yet tender. "But they need to feel free." Her gaze shifted to the children, their skin marred by bruises, their bodies frail and slight. Despite this, a spark of spirit flickered within each of them, defiant and alive.
The elder took in the sight of the children, his expression softening into one of determination. He turned back to Lila, his voice firm with promise. "We'll raise them like our own."
Lila lowered her head, a flood of gratitude and relief welling up within her. "Thank you," she murmured, her heart swelling with emotion.
The Driftborn crew busied themselves unloading crates of supplies. Vexa, a healer with gentle hands, checked the children over one last time, pressing small vials of medicine into their palms with reassuring words. Milo, with a warm smile, distributed steaming bowls of food that filled the air with comforting aromas. Gorran, his hands rough yet skilled, carved whimsical toys from pieces of driftwood, infusing each with care. Even Riven, typically stoic, allowed a rare smile to surface as a child imitated his sniper stance with playful precision. Juno demonstrated her various tools to the children and explained their names.
Standing slightly apart from the bustle, Lila watched the scene unfold.
Buzz, a figure solid and steadfast, approached her. "You did well," he said, his voice carrying the weight of acknowledgment.
Lila remained silent, her thoughts tangled.
"You saved them," Buzz continued, gesturing toward the children's laughter floating on the breeze. "That matters."
Lila's voice was soft, almost lost to the wind. "I don't know how to be anything but a weapon."
Buzz followed her gaze to the children, their joy a stark contrast to the lives they had escaped. "Then be a weapon that protects," he said, his words a gentle challenge.
***
Juno tossed a crumpled newspaper onto the sun-bleached deck of the Tenshū, its pages rustling wildly in the steady sea breeze. "Sky gull dropped this. You're gonna want to see it," she announced, her voice cutting through the air with the urgency of an impending storm.
Lila snatched up the paper, her eyes racing over the ink-smudged headlines with a mix of dread and disbelief.
"STRIKE ON FISH-MAN ISLAND — STRAW HAT LUFFY DECLARES WAR ON MARINES"
"Celestial Dragon Trade Route Disrupted — Tenryuubito Demand Retaliation"
"Marines Defeated — Straw Hat Sighted Near Ryugu Palace"
Her jaw tightened like a drawn bowstring. "Of course it's him," she muttered, her breath escaping in a sharp exhale through flared nostrils.
Zin, lounging nearby on a wooden crate with an air of casual curiosity, raised an eyebrow. "You know him?" he asked, his voice tinged with intrigue.
Lila folded the newspaper with a deliberate gesture, the creases sharp and exact. "We share blood. That's all," she replied, her tone clipped and final.
Buzz, who was leaning languidly against the ship's rail, his eyes lost in the distant horizon, added, "Didn't grow up together?"
Lila's voice was as flat and cold as the steel blade at her hip. "He was raised by our grandfather. I was with our mother. Until the World Government took me," she revealed, her words laced with a bitterness that echoed like a distant thunderclap.
Silence stretched between them, tense, like a wire pulled to its breaking point.
"We don't know each other really. And I don't want to." Her words lingered in the salty air, weighted with uncertainty. Was she speaking the harsh truth, or were these words a fragile tapestry woven from threads of denial? She couldn't tell
***
The Tenshū hovered above the massive bubble encasing Fish-Man Island, a spectral silhouette against the glowing sea below. The ocean's ethereal light shimmered off its hull, casting an otherworldly glow that danced across the ship's surface. At the helm, Lila stood firm, her fingers deftly gripping the wheel as the wind curled around them like eager tendrils of a living entity.
"We're going in," she declared, her voice cutting through the salty air with steely resolve, her eyes fixed on the turbulent waters below.
Vexa stood nearby, her brow furrowed, uncertainty etched across her features. "You sure? This isn't our fight," she questioned, her voice tinged with concern.
Lila's gaze hardened, determination flaring in her eyes like a flame reignited. "It is if the Marines are sending reinforcements," she insisted, her words leaving no room for doubt.
Buzz, a hulking figure with muscles taut as steel cables, cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing like distant thunder. "You want to save him?" he asked, his eyes searching Lila's face for a hint of her true intent.
Lila hesitated, her eyes drifting to the distant horizon as if searching for answers. "I don't care what happens to him. But I won't let the World Government take another D," she declared, her voice a mix of defiance and uncertainty, leaving her to wonder if she was speaking truth or weaving deception.
The crew sprang into motion, each member a cog in the well-oiled machine of determination and skill. Juno, with precision born of experience, meticulously sealed the ship's hull, ensuring it could withstand the crushing pressure of the deep sea. Her hands moved swiftly, each motion deliberate and practiced.
Gorran, his strong hands capable of bending steel, reinforced the keel with thick stone plating. He shaped the material as if it were clay, his focus unwavering as he ensured the ship's integrity against the ocean's might.
Veyra, her fingers weaving through the air with ethereal grace, cast an ice move that enveloped the outer bubble in a delicate frost. The ice formed a shimmering barrier, masking their descent as they slipped beneath the waves.
Riven, agile, and sure-footed, he climbed to the crow's nest with the ease of a seasoned sailor. His rifle slung confidently over his shoulder, he scanned the horizon, eyes sharp and vigilant. "If I see a Marine flag, I drop it," he promised, his voice steady, his resolve as unyielding as his aim.
In the galley, Milo stirred a pot that hissed and bubbled ominously, the aroma of spices wafting through the air. "Hope Luffy likes spice. I brought enough to blind a Sea King," he chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he added another pinch of fiery seasoning.
Lila stood at the ship's bow, her cloak billowing wildly in the pressurized air. She was a solitary figure of defiance, her silhouette stark against the encroaching darkness. "We're not here to make friends. We're here to make sure the Marines don't win," she declared, her resolve as steadfast as the ship's hull beneath her feet.
The Tenshū descended through the ocean's embrace, slipping silently into the phosphorescent waters that surrounded Fish-Man Island. Below, the city shimmered like a hidden treasure, coral towers reaching skyward, whale-shaped ships bobbing amidst the chaos erupting in the streets.
Smoke curled ominously from the palace, a dark signal of conflict already in motion. Lila's eyes narrowed, her heart steeling for the battle that lay ahead.
"Brace for impact," she commanded, her voice ringing with the certainty of a leader ready to face whatever lay beyond the glowing waters.