"Ah, how could this happen!?"
Watching the priest and nuns get easily defeated by Ashen, Annika's faith completely shattered. The sheer shock of the scene overwhelmed her, and she fainted on the spot.
Of course, the collapse of her faith was only the final straw. The real cause was the excessive blood loss from prolonged self-flagellation.
"Mother, are you okay?"
Enel moved quickly, catching his mother in his arms and carefully checking her condition.
His heart had finally begun to heal. He now understood the hardship his mother had endured and regretted how cold and distant he had been all these years.
"She'll be fine. She just lost too much blood. A few days of rest and she'll recover."
Seeing Enel flustered and unsure of what to do, Ashen offered a reminder.
"Really? That's a relief!"
Upon hearing that his mother was out of danger, Enel's eyes lit up. Then, as if remembering something, he quickly added, "Thank you... for saving both me and my mother!"
"No need for thanks. I just can't stand trash like them."
Ashen waved his hand dismissively, ignoring Enel's gratitude, and walked into the church with Tesla.
His intervention wasn't born of conscience, it had simply been convenient.
On one hand, when Ashen saw those so-called priests and nuns, he knew immediately that they would never let an outsider into the church willingly.
To these people, faith was everything. There was no way they'd allow someone like Ashen to step into what they believed was sacred ground.
On the other hand, Ashen had come to appreciate something in Enel, the courage to rebel, the strength to take responsibility.
So, he stopped the blade that Enel was about to bring down. If they really did find the Rumble-Rumble Fruit this time, that would be his way of making it up to him.
After Ashen and Tesla entered the church, Enel quickly carried his still-bleeding mother to find a doctor.
. . .
Dressrosa – Underground Port Entrance
By now, the sky was darkening as evening approached, with heavy clouds hanging overhead, casting shadows across the sea.
Several large, tarp-covered vessels lay anchored on the water. From their shapes, it was clear they were ships, still without their masts installed.
Splash!
A large hand suddenly emerged from the sea and grabbed one of the tarps. Following this first hand, more began to rise from the ocean.
Seconds later, a man with a finely trimmed mustache surfaced. Cautiously lifting the tarp, he climbed aboard the vessel.
Afraid to make any noise, the man pressed his back tightly to the ship's hull, using only his hands to slowly inch his way up along the tarp.
The others followed suit. Their synchronized movements made it clear they had undergone rigorous training, no untrained group could act so uniformly.
"Complete the mission quickly. Don't let anyone find out."
The mustached man was clearly the leader. Once they were all aboard, he gave his instructions in a low, firm voice.
Including him, there were five infiltrators. Upon hearing his command, the others immediately fanned out.
The ship was enormous, and they had to split up. Despite the pitch-dark interior, their sharp eyes let them move effortlessly.
Thanks to the tarp shielding them, the four agents moved around the ship with Den Den Mushi cameras, snapping photos of various structural components.
Seeing everything proceeding in order, the mustached man felt more at ease. He made his way to the cabin door, ready to check out the ship's internal layout.
Creak!
Just as he opened the door and stepped halfway in, a cold edge touched his throat.
A blade, sharp and steady, rested against his neck.
"Heh heh! Dan was right, there really are rats trying to sneak in."
A light flicked on. A massive figure, more than three meters tall, stood before the mustached man. It was Walton.
On deck, the four agents taking photos instantly realized the mission had failed when they saw the light from the cabin and heard Walton's voice.
Splash...!
Without even sparing a glance toward their captain, all four leapt overboard.
To them, the mission came first, always. Even if it meant abandoning their leader.
Though they hadn't collected much intel, now that they'd been discovered, their priority was getting what they had out.
Inside the cabin, a loud thud echoed. The mustached man had been knocked out cold and was now slung over Kyros's shoulder.
"We're just letting those four escape? Are you sure about that?" Kyros asked with a frown.
"What else can we do? We're Devil Fruit users, we're not going diving. Let Dan and the others handle the sea."
Wiping blood from his hands, Walton casually pulled out a jar of honey and began munching noisily, completely unbothered by the potential escapees.
Sure enough, just minutes after the two men dragged the unconscious leader ashore, Dan and a dozen fish-men surfaced, dragging the four agents from the water.
"Haha! Told you I was right, Kyros." Walton laughed heartily.
Meanwhile, far off the coast of Dressrosa, a merchant ship that had left port earlier that afternoon sat anchored.
"Useless fools! And they failed so quickly!"
An old man, dressed like a merchant, spat in fury. No one around him dared make a sound.
"Commander, should we proceed with the operation?"
One man, dressed as a dockworker, asked cautiously. In his hand, five Vivre Cards had begun to yellow.
"They've been exposed. The Underworld Pirates will be on alert now. We won't get another shot anytime soon."
The old man narrowed his eyes and continued, "We're pulling out. This place is no longer safe."
"Yes, Commander!"
. . .
Birka – Anscar Church
The church was now in ruins. The tall cross that once stood proudly beside it had collapsed onto the main building.
"Captain, is this what we came here to find?"
Tesla watched as Ashen pulled a small box from beneath the base of the cross.
"That's right. This is it."
Opening the box and peeking inside, Ashen's face lit up with excitement.
Earlier, as they made their way toward the church, Ashen had used Observation Haki to scan the buildings across Birka in a wide sweep.
But he hadn't sensed what he was looking for. Nor had anyone in town mentioned it, leading him to suspect it either hadn't appeared yet, or someone had hidden it.
After thoroughly searching the church, Ashen turned his attention to the cross. Aside from the church itself, it was the only structure old enough to be worth checking.
Sure enough, he found it beneath the cross. As for who had hidden it there, Ashen had a pretty good idea, it had to be that woman.
"Eat it, Tesla."
"This is...!" Tesla's eyes widened as he took the item from Ashen.
"This is what I prepared for you, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit."
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