"Wow! This upside-down mountain was more exciting than a roller coaster! Let's do it again!"
"Do it again? Spare me, Miss Erza!"
"Hmm… I think I could handle another round~"
"Oh no, not you too, Miss Mira… have mercy!"
The laughter of the girls—bright, youthful, unrestrained—drove away the heavy atmosphere that had lingered over the Twin Capes.
The storm clouds parted, the warm sunlight spilled across the waters, and after the rain, the sea gleamed beneath a clear, boundless sky.
Sugisawa Yuuto, however, did not join their banter.
From the moment they arrived at the cape, his eyes had been fixed elsewhere.
On the shore stood a girl, one he recognized instantly.
After completing a summoning ritual two days ago, he had wondered who the fourth companion would be. Now, the mystery was answered—and, as always, the answer brought him pleasant surprise.
"I've kept you waiting, Juvia. We've come to take you aboard," Yuuto said with a gentle smile.
"Mm…" Juvia pouted, lips trembling. "Master, you finally came. Juvia thought… you had abandoned me."
In the next instant, she leapt into his arms, clinging to him with a whimper that carried both relief and affection.
Like Erza and Mirajane, her feelings toward Yuuto ran deep—but Juvia, unlike the others, did not hide them. With her bold, straightforward heart, she attacked head-on. She pressed against him shamelessly, clinging close, pouring out her emotions without hesitation.
The sudden display left Nami frozen, completely stunned.
"Wait—President, who is this girl…?" she asked, wide-eyed.
Before she could continue, two voices cried out at once.
"Juvia!"
"Is that really Juvia?"
Erza and Mirajane rushed forward, their faces bright with recognition and joy.
"Eluza, Mira!" Juvia greeted warmly, though she still remained plastered against Yuuto's chest.
Nami: "???"
What was going on here?!
She had always assumed she was the fourth member of Fairy Tail. But now, out of nowhere, Juvia appeared—clearly having joined long before her.
Why hadn't Yuuto, Erza, or Mira ever mentioned her? And why had she been waiting here, at the very gateway to the Grand Line?
Yuuto, noticing Nami's confusion, stepped in smoothly.
"Nami, let me introduce you. This is Juvia, a member of Fairy Tail. There are many others like her, scattered across the seas. You'll meet them in time."
"Ah… I see…" Nami nodded vaguely, though her mind was still spinning.
She forced a polite smile. "Hello, Juvia. I'm Nami."
But no sooner had the words left her lips than Juvia leaned in—so close their faces nearly touched, their breaths mingling in the narrow space between them.
Nami stiffened, caught off guard.
"W-What is it?" she stammered, unnerved by Juvia's piercing gaze.
"What is your relationship with the President, Nami?" Juvia asked bluntly.
"My… relationship?" Nami blinked. "We're companions, of course. Partners. And… well, technically, I'm also his creditor."
"Do you like him?" Juvia pressed, her voice low, unwavering.
"W-What? Like him? Don't be ridiculous! Absolutely not! Impossible!" Nami's voice jumped an octave as she flailed her hands, denying it again and again.
"Mm. In that case, we're not rivals," Juvia declared suddenly, her expression brightening.
"From now on, let's get along well, Nami!" She clasped Nami's hands with sisterly warmth, smiling like they had been lifelong friends.
Nami: "???"
What on earth just happened?!
"Ahem."
An old man's cough cut through the lively atmosphere.
Yuuto turned, smiling. "Old Master, thank you for looking after Juvia these past two days. If you don't mind, why not join us aboard?"
"Then this old man will accept your hospitality," Crocus replied casually.
From the moment he had seen them, the lighthouse keeper had already recognized Yuuto and his crew. The infamous Fairy Tail guild that had shaken East Blue. And their captain—Sugisawa Yuuto, a man with a bounty of eighty million from the start.
Ordinarily, Crocus avoided entangling himself with outsiders. But when it came to Juvia, curiosity gnawed at him.
Within minutes, he had learned much about them.
Fairy Tail was not a pirate crew, but a guild of wizards—a guild that specialized in solving the troubles no one else could handle.
"So the rumors don't match the truth," Crocus said at last.
"It doesn't matter how the world talks about us," Yuuto replied calmly. "What matters is that we live with a clear conscience."
He smiled faintly, then asked, "Speaking of which, Mr. Crocus, is there anything you'd like to entrust us with?"
Yuuto already knew the truth of the Twin Capes—the whale named Laboon, and the vanished Rumba Pirates. If he could, he wished to help heal that wound.
Besides, story-linked quests gave him more than just satisfaction—they offered greater rewards, too. He had learned that much back in Cocoyasi Village. To right regrets and grow stronger at once—two birds with one stone.
Crocus shook his head. "Entrust? I am just the keeper of the lighthouse. What could I ask of you?"
He paused, then muttered, "No… it's been too long. I searched once, long ago. There's no hope left."
"No hope?" Yuuto shook his head firmly. "On these seas, there are always possibilities. That's what makes them endless."
Crocus froze.
Those words… he had heard them once before, from a man he had called captain.
Moved, Crocus straightened.
"…Very well. There is something I will entrust to you."
He strode to the bow and raised his voice.
"Laboon! Come out, Laboon!"
The waters shifted violently.
From the calm surface, a mountain rose—a colossal form erupting from the depths.
The island whale Laboon burst forth, its cry shaking the air.
"Gyaoooo!"