Halia's form pulsed with a slightly brighter cerulean light as she prepared her report, the gentle aquatic flow of her lower body slowing to a standstill.
"I am happy to inform you," she began, her voice a melody of calm efficiency, "that our overall operational capacity is currently at eighty-one point nine-six percent. The following systems have been restored to functional status or upgraded." Her large, whirlpool eyes scanned her internal data. "The holographic training system, Aegis Mirage, is eighty-six point two percent operational and fully capable of supporting combat and technical simulations. The Medical Bay systems are fully functional and have received a comprehensive diagnostic override and update. Navigational Systems: Temporal Navigation sub-routines are at ninety-three percent functionality. The World Sphere projection matrix is at ninety-six point two percent functionality. The Integration Platforms on the Aetherium Terrace are structurally sound and powered, though most modular attachments remain absent or under repair. The Crew Neural Integration network remains dormant, requiring a specific key component to initiate."
She gave a slight, formal nod, indicating her portion was complete.
Telchines materialized a step forward, his stocky, amber-glowing form radiating impatience. He cleared his throat with a sound like grinding gears. "My department," he announced, his voice gravelly. "The critical failures. The Teleportation System' phase coupler is shattered. The 'Sea's Wrath' primary armament has a ruptured energy conduit the size of your leg. And the Singularity Core…" He paused for dramatic effect, crossing his arms. "It's languishing at fifty-five point nine percent output. It's starving. It needs specific, high-density power crystals to replenish its heart. That's not a repair; it's a transfusion. Make it a priority. Everything else is just lights and whistles without the juice."
Galit's emerald eyes, which had been darting across imaginary tactical maps, locked onto the holograms. "Do you have any data on where we might source these resources?" he asked, his long neck curving forward with interest.
"I do," Halia replied. Her hands moved in a graceful, sweeping gesture.
The air above the center of the wooden table dissolved.
It wasn't a flat map that appeared. It was a planet. A magnificently detailed, slowly rotating holographic sphere materialized, glowing with soft internal light. The Red Line coiled around it like a colossal, barnacled serpent. The four blues and the Grand Line were clearly defined, and millions of islands, from pinpricks to sprawling landmasses, dotted the seas. But there was more. Faint, translucent layers overlayed the surface, showing shifting atmospheric pressure zones, deep ocean currents that moved like slow-motion rivers in the abyss, and even subtle, pulsing ley lines of something that looked like spiritual energy.
Galit, Marya, and Bianca shot out of their seats as one, the chairs screeching on the ancient floor. Their jaws hung open.
Mikasi, who had been sitting with regal calm, let out a yip and launched himself straight upward, all four paws leaving the table, his feathered headdress fluttering. He landed in a crouch, a low growl rumbling in his throat at the sudden apparition.
Sanza froze, his chase with Jelly forgotten. Jelly settled into a wobbling mound, his starry eyes wide. "Bloop… pretty ball…"
"What is that?" Sanza breathed, stepping closer, his earlier arrogance replaced by pure, unadulterated wonder.
Bianca leaned in so far she almost tipped over, her goggles reflecting the swirling continents. "Is that… like, what I think it is?"
Halia floated closer to the sphere, her silver-blue hair drifting as if in its own private sea. "This is a multi-layered rendering of the planet's geophysical and metaphysical state, based on the Dreadnought's last full scan, updated with real-time environmental data," she explained. "The rising sea levels over the past centuries have had a direct impact on the continental shelves and the flow of the—"
Marya shook her head, a slow smirk spreading across her face. She let out a quiet chuckle.
Bianca blinked, tearing her eyes from the mesmerizing display. "Like, what?"
Marya glanced at her, the golden rings in her eyes catching the hologram's light. "Just thinking about Charlie's reaction when he learns about this."
Bianca's face broke into a huge grin. "Like, yeah! His head is gonna, like, explode clean off his body! He'll be reciting, like, the entire history of cartography until he, like, passes out!"
Halia nodded serenely. "Noted. I will ensure the Medical Bay is on standby upon his return."
Galit, recovering his analytical composure, stepped right up to the sphere. He pointed a finger at a location in the New World where several data layers converged in a complex knot. "I assume this chaotic signal cluster is our current location?"
"Correct," Halia said. With a thought, the view zoomed in dramatically, rushing towards the cluster. It resolved into a swirling archipelago of twenty-two islands arranged in a vast, slow-turning spiral pattern, like water draining from a colossal basin. The Dreadnought's icon, a tiny, sleek black arrowhead, pulsed in the watery corridor between two landmasses. "We are currently navigating the territory of the Genroshi, the overseers of one of the twelve Hitotsume."
Bianca cocked her head. "The hit-what-now?"
Halia nodded, as if the term were commonplace. "Hitotsume. Upon reviewing recent local auditory communications captured by our external sensors, the current Sovereign of this territory is Grutte Pier Dorian." The view zoomed again, swooping towards a large, central island in the spiral. Its topographical details sharpened, showing mountain ranges, forests, and the distinct geometric layout of a major port city. "You mentioned Agashima. As you can see, it is the central hub of this territory." The view panned to a smaller, rugged island not far away, surrounded by dozens of smaller, angular icons that looked like offshore rigs. "Also within this sovereign's domain is Kamaten Island, which possesses a high-probability repository of raw crystallized energy deposits compatible with our Singularity Core's requirements. If you wish, I can also plot possible trajectories for the Vivre Card's bearing against this geographical model."
Bianca nodded dumbly, still absorbing the scale of it. "Like… yeah. Cool. Like, do that."
Marya's smirk had faded, replaced by her customary observant calm. "What can you tell us about this territory? The islands? This 'Grutte Pier Dorian'?"
Halia's graceful form dimmed slightly. "My historical knowledge matrices for this region is not current. I have only been able to ascertain information from intercepted, local communications. What I have gleaned is fragmented: Agashima is populated by a society referred to as 'Ogres.' Kamaten is described in these communications as 'heavily fortified.' Beyond those designations, data is incomplete."
Galit glanced sideways at Marya, one eyebrow raised. "What was it you were saying about a 'simple retrieval'?"
Marya sighed, a short, soft exhale through her nose. "It's a retrieval. The complications are just part of the terrain."
Galit turned back to the sphere, his sharp eyes noting the dozens of other tiny, moving icons scattered around their position and near the islands. "Halia, these other signatures… other vessels?"
"Correct. Those are vessel traffic signatures within sensor range. As you can observe, there are many. Their movement patterns appear erratic because the gravitational fields within the Genroshi territory are skewed. This warps the local sea currents and creates navigational hazards."
Marya studied the paths of the tiny ship-lights, which curved in unnatural, looping arcs instead of straight lines. She muttered, "Sounds like it's going to be a bumpy ride."
Bianca was squinting at Kamaten. "So, like, 'heavily fortified.' You said, like, rigs around it?" The view zoomed in further on the island's coast, revealing the angular rigs in more detail, along with a massive, dark structure at the island's heart. "Is that… is that, like, a giant screw in the middle? Like, in the mountain?"
"That is also correct," Halia affirmed.
Bianca waited, expecting more. When Halia remained silent, she prompted, "Like… why?"
Halia looked at her with an expression of mild, patient condescension, the way one might address a child who asked why the sky was blue. "The answer is simple. The eighteen Genroshi are the overseers of one of the twelve Hitotsume, Era."
Bianca stared. She opened her mouth, closed it, and after a long moment of waiting for a translation that didn't come, she just nodded slowly. "Like… yeah. Like, of course." She shot a wide-eyed glance at Marya that screamed, 'Is she for real?!'
Marya just shook her head, a faint, amused glint in her eye. "How long until we arrive at Agashima?"
Halia's gaze turned inward, her eyes displaying rapid flickers of data-stream script. "At current velocity, accounting for the gravitational drag, we should make landfall in approximately eighteen point four hours."
The number hung in the air of the wardroom. Eighteen hours. Eighteen hours until they sailed into the heart of Ogre territory, under the watch of a mysterious sovereign, to snatch their friends from a fortified pirate stronghold, all while needing to raid a different, even more fortified island for crystals to keep their own miraculous ship alive. The glowing planet before them wasn't just a map; it was a web, and they were flying straight into its most tangled, perilous strand.
On the floor, Sanza finally found his voice, pointing a reverent finger at the holographic world. "Big Sis… can I have it?"
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