"You really didn't touch my things?" Hathaway frowned at Rosen. Truthfully, even she didn't believe it—he didn't look like a thief, and doing something like that would be incredibly reckless.
"Do I look that dumb? Even if I did, I'd put it back where I found it." Rosen glanced around Hathaway's room. Nothing stood out, and he found no clues.
"Then ruling that out, is there anyone with special abilities on your ship?" Hathaway asked, puzzled. Having something like this happen on her first day aboard didn't exactly put her at ease.
"No. I know every crew member with powers. And do you think a typical ability user could slip past your perception?" Rosen paced the room again but still found nothing.
"Could it be some kind of creature in the skyway? I've heard stories—strange figures sometimes appear above the clouds," Robin offered.
"That's probably just the Sky Islanders' shadows. Still, we can't rule out unusual lifeforms. Tell everyone to stay alert," Rosen replied, clearly troubled.
"Got it."
"But that might not help much. If something—or someone—can get close without us noticing, we won't be able to stop them. And we don't even know what their intentions are yet. Judging by the fact they searched my things, they might've been watching us for a while—maybe even trying to sow discord." Hathaway's words left Rosen and Robin stunned.
If such a person truly existed, Hathaway's guess made a lot of sense. Only someone who had observed for some time would notice she wasn't fully integrated with the rest of the crew.
Otherwise, with stealth like that, they could've easily stolen something—but instead, they specifically searched her things and left traces behind. What if those traces were left on purpose?
If so, their goal might be more than theft—maybe to cause conflict among them. It seemed possible, but for now, it was just speculation.
"Whatever it is, it's not from our ship. Probably came with that pirate ship. Tell everyone to return from it, and don't let anyone stay there overnight until we sort this out."
"Understood, I'll go right away," Robin nodded.
"No need to cause panic. That would only alert whoever it is," Hathaway said, staring at the closed window. Her eyes caught a snowflake drifting down freely.
"If we do flush them out, even better," Rosen replied. A visible enemy is easier to deal with than an invisible one.
"Did anyone open the window just now?" Hathaway suddenly asked.
Rosen and the others looked at each other and shook their heads. They'd only just arrived—no one would've touched the window.
Just as she finished speaking, both she and Rosen sensed a fleeting presence—light and almost non-existent.
"Who's there?!" they shouted in unison. Hathaway swung her sword at the drifting snowflake, releasing a slash of energy, while Rosen transformed his arm into a giant sand hand and grabbed the area.
Boom!
The sword slash burst through the wall and flew outside, vanishing from sight.
"Nothing? Was that just an illusion caused by the altitude?" Rosen said, finding no trace. Hathaway felt the same.
The room was intact aside from a hole in the wall. Even Haki couldn't detect anything. It was as if their earlier sensation had been a mistake.
"I don't know," Hathaway admitted. She had clearly sensed something, but after the attack, it vanished entirely—no presence left behind.
That was why Rosen had doubts. Sometimes the thin air can make people feel unwell. Though if they were fully adapted, it wouldn't be an issue—but this was their first day in the skyway. Saying everyone had adjusted already was obviously a stretch.
"Call the ship's doctor."
…
"You're not hallucinating. All your vitals are normal," the doctor concluded after a quick check.
When someone hallucinates, it usually shows physically. But both of them were perfectly healthy. Even the thin air had little to no effect on their strong bodies.
Rosen and Hathaway exchanged looks. Both saw the same serious expression in each other's eyes—there was something on the ship. This wasn't their imagination.
"Boss, one of our watchmen was attacked and injured," Daz Bones reported, rushing in.
"Have the doctor go with you."
"Right."
…
"So it's confirmed—something unknown is on this ship. Our earlier attack likely forced it to retreat. Which means it didn't hear what we just said. Listen up…" Rosen quickly briefed Hathaway, Lia, and Robin, who had just returned.
Then Rosen followed Hathaway outside and saw the injured crew member—stabbed in the chest with a fatal blow. Had Rosen not arrived in time, the ship's doctor wouldn't have been able to save him.
Only Rosen's intervention kept him alive in those critical seconds.
"Judging from the wound, it was a sharp weapon… huh? That's his own weapon…" the doctor observed, looking at the injury, then noticing the fallen weapon on the ground with a puzzled expression.
"Understood. Take him to the medical bay for recovery. He's not in danger for now."
But as Rosen finished speaking, another crew member screamed and fell from the mast.
"Bones!" Rosen called, and Daz Bones rushed to catch him. Meanwhile, Rosen teleported to the lookout post at the top of the mast in a flash.
All he found were bloodstains. No enemy in sight. He frowned, then exploded into a sandstorm—spinning violently to shred anything hidden.
Rosen was sure—even an invisible man from the Clear-Clear Fruit wouldn't escape injury in that area.
But nothing happened.
"I don't care what you are, but if any more of my crew get hurt, you'll regret ever coming into this world," Rosen shouted coldly, hoping to provoke a response—but none came.
"Aah!" another scream came from the ship's stern. The voice echoed painfully in the vast sky. Snow had begun to fall harder. Though they were in the skyway, a cloud layer still floated above them.
The snowfall grew heavier. The wind howled louder. Waves rose on the sky-river. Wind passed through the ship's hollow sections, creating eerie whistling sounds.
"Gather everyone together." Rosen sensed the situation spiraling out of control. This was bad—possibly the worst he'd ever faced without even seeing the enemy.
"Boss! Robin was just attacked in her room—she's injured!"
"What?!" Rosen's expression changed instantly. His aura turned savage. This unseen entity seemed determined to throw their entire ship into chaos.
If this had happened to a typical pirate crew, paranoia from the earlier search alone might have led to infighting. But Rosen's crew wasn't so fragile.
Still, the fact that it dared to attack a key officer meant it was either desperate to incite panic—or had another goal altogether.
(End of Chapter)
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