The night enveloped Sky Island, with brilliant starlight and bonfires intertwining to create a dreamlike scene for the evening feast. The flickering flames illuminated the smiling faces of the crowd, while laughter and the aroma of roasted meat filled the air.
This was the Straw Hat crew's tradition after defeating a formidable enemy—a raucous banquet where no one left sober. Naturally, Bahr and his group had joined in the festivities.
Zoro tilted his head back and took a large swig of strong liquor. His gaze traveled through the firelight to land on Mr. 1, who was silently drinking across from him. Carrying his wooden cup, Zoro strode over and slammed it down onto the stone table with a loud "thud." "Never thought you'd follow that guy," he remarked.
Mr. 1 lifted his eyes, his tone calm and even. "I need stronger opponents. The boss can provide me with a broader battlefield."
Zoro fell silent for a moment before suddenly grinning and raising his cup. Mr. 1 wordlessly accepted it, tilting his head back for a deep drink. The two wooden cups clinked together midair, the crisp sound blending into the surrounding clamor.
The firelight reflected the same sharp glint in their eyes—an unspoken understanding between swordsmen. No words were needed to convey their shared obsession with battle.
Bahr casually glanced at the two by the bonfire before turning his attention back to his conversation with Miss. Valentine, Paula, and Nico Robin. Occasionally, he twirled his wineglass, his posture relaxed.
Just then, Conis took a deep breath, tightly gripping her cup as she approached Bahr with slightly hesitant steps, her wings trembling faintly behind her.
She gave a small curtsy. "Mr. Bahr, once again, thank you for saving my father. I'd like to toast you."
Bahr raised an eyebrow as he studied the young woman before him. Her fitted white gown perfectly accentuated her slender waist, while her wings shimmered with a pearl-like glow under the warm firelight. Her deep blue eyes were filled with gratitude and shyness.
"I could never refuse a toast from a beauty," Bahr replied, his lips curling into a perfectly measured smile as he slowly drained his cup with an elegant yet casual motion.
At his compliment, Conis' fair cheeks instantly flushed pink. Flustered, she quickly tipped her head back and downed her drink in one go. The graceful curve of her neck flickered in the firelight, her delicate skin glowing with an almost translucent radiance.
Bahr set his cup aside casually, as if suddenly remembering something. "Miss Conis, now that Sky Island has been destroyed, what are your plans?"
Her expression visibly dimmed, her wings folding slightly as she lowered her head. "After discussing it, we've decided to settle here on God's Island."
"What a shame," Bahr mused, glancing toward the ruins of Sky Island with a hint of regret. "I was really looking forward to seeing your Floating City in the Clouds. I heard the houses were built from glowing clouds, and the streets were paved with singing shells. I wonder if that was true."
Honestly, since he was already here, he had wanted to see Sky Island's wonders for himself. But Enel's "Lightning Advent" had obliterated everything in an instant.
Admittedly, the destructive power of "Lightning Advent" was staggering—an entire island wiped out in one move. Just thinking about it was mind-boggling.
Such formidable power, wasted on a haphazard defeat by the Straw Hats. If only he could have taken Enel down to the Blue Sea and thrown him into the New World—those veteran powerhouses wouldn't have slept soundly again.
His words seemed to unlock a flood of memories for Conis. Ripples of nostalgia shimmered in her blue eyes as she unconsciously clutched her skirt, her voice tinged with longing. "It really was like that... The wind chimes in Yapa Ya City would chime together at sunrise, and the waves of the White Sea were the color of pearls..."
Her smile suddenly froze, her voice trembling as her wings drooped helplessly, her face overtaken by unmistakable sorrow.
Bahr immediately noticed the shift in her expression and deftly changed the subject. "The Blue Sea may not have cities in the clouds, but its wonders are enough to leave anyone in awe."
Conis' eyes instantly sparkled with curiosity, her body leaning forward slightly. "Like... like what?"
"Ever heard of Reverse Mountain?" Bahr grabbed a wooden skewer and quickly sketched a twisted mountain outline in the sand, lowering his voice. "Four great rivers flow upward from the ocean floor. Ships have to ride waterfalls straight into the sky—if you're unlucky, you'll get caught in a whirlpool and end up wrecked..."
His deliberately tense tone made the atmosphere around them grow heavy.
"Th-that's impossible!" Conis gasped, her eyes wide. Yet, drawn by the amusement in Bahr's gaze, she unconsciously leaned closer, scrutinizing the lines in the sand as if searching for proof that it was all a lie.
"Why not?" Bahr's lips curled into a bewitching smile as he continued enticingly. "Then there's the City of Seven Waters, submerged beneath the waves, or the breathtaking Fish-Man Island deep under the sea... The world is vast, full of endless marvels."
"It's unbelievable..." Conis murmured, her blush deepening. Her gaze drifted to the flickering bonfire, her eyes brimming with longing—as if she could already see those distant wonders in her mind.
People always yearn for unseen sights. The more mysterious the marvel, the more it lingers in their hearts.
As the fire crackled, Bahr and Conis grew more engrossed in their conversation. He sketched images in the sand with the skewer, vividly describing the breathtaking sights of the Blue Sea, while Conis rested her chin in her hands, her eyes sparkling with fascination. Every now and then, she couldn't resist asking another question, her voice brimming with youthful excitement.
Unnoticed, their conversation gradually led them away from the bonfire's glow, their figures slowly melting into the gentle embrace of the night.
Not far away, Miss. Valentine's knuckles whitened around her cup, her pink heart-shaped hair accessory swaying as she stomped her foot in irritation. Glaring in the direction the two had disappeared, she muttered under her breath, her words lost in the crackling fire. "The boss is really..."
"Isn't it obvious?" Nico Robin swirled her glass lightly. "Our BOSS has never been able to resist a pretty face."
She glanced at the fuming Miss. Valentine, her lips curling into a faint smirk. "Just like you back then."
The words struck a nerve. Miss. Valentine jumped as if scalded, her cup clattering to the ground, her face burning red. Even the lemon-shaped accessory on her head trembled with indignation. "I—I just admired the boss's strength back then! It wasn't like this... like this..."
Alright, she admitted it—she had been utterly awed by Bahr's power and had thrown herself at him. Compared to this angelic girl, her approach had been far less graceful.
Paula bent down to pick up the fallen cup, deftly brushing off the sand before handing it back to Miss. Valentine. She patted her shoulder consolingly. "Don't take it so seriously. Once we leave Sky Island, the boss will snap out of it."
Miss. Valentine froze for a second before suddenly throwing her head back with a loud laugh, her golden curls bouncing wildly—as if she had just had an epiphany. "You're right! I'm the boss's exclusive partner!"
"All these little flings are just passing distractions for him!" She planted her hands on her hips, chest puffed out, her earlier gloom completely vanished as she returned to her usual bold, confident self.
Robin watched Miss. Valentine's dramatic pose, her hair flying as she laughed boisterously, and silently took a sip of wine, thinking to herself: This woman is truly beyond saving.