The Grand Line was uncharacteristically calm.
No raging tempests. No monstrous sea kings.
Only a steady wind, pushing the Oro Jackson across sunlit waters.
It had been months since their captain left.
When a small dark speck appeared on the horizon, Fisher Tiger was the first to spot it. "There," he said, shading his eyes against the glare. "That's no mirage."
Lilith's mechanical lenses whirred softly as she zoomed in. "One passenger. Alone. No sail emblem. But the energy reading…" Her voice softened with recognition. "It's her."
Perona floated higher, pink parasol tilting. "She's late. Typical."
Enel, lounging lazily on the mast, grinned. "Finally. Thought she went soft playing house in the East Blue."
Mihawk closed his book, his sharp eyes narrowing toward the distant figure. "She never goes soft."
Perona floated up, parasol twirling. "Still, she could've at least sent a message! We've been drifting like bored ghosts for weeks."
Bullet snorted, crossing his arms. "Speak for yourself. Some of us train."
Hiyori sighed softly. "And some of us actually missed her."
Tesoro leaned on the railing, smirking faintly. "Missed her? Sure. But I also miss money, and at least money shows up on time."
That earned a few chuckles, just as the small boat drew closer — and the woman at its helm came into view.
Ada climbed aboard the Oro Jackson quietly, the wind catching the edge of her black cloak. The moment her heels touched the deck, every voice fell silent.
Mihawk inclined his head slightly — an acknowledgment, not a greeting. "Captain."
Bullet grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Took your sweet time, Captain. Was the peaceful sea too boring for you?"
Ada gave him a small, knowing smirk. "You'd be surprised what peace can teach you."
Ada's eyes then swept across them, soft but commanding. "Mihawk. Bullet. Everyone."
Fisher Tiger stepped forward, smiling. "Welcome back, Captain. Did you find what you were looking for?"
Ada's expression gentled. "I did."
Okiku's gaze softened. "How is he?"
Ada looked toward the sea. "He's strong. Reckless. Just like his father."
Enel floated down beside her, lightning crackling faintly from his drums. "Hah! So the brat takes after you, then."
Ada chuckled quietly. "Unfortunately, yes."
Perona smiled faintly. "He must be something if even you sound proud."
Ada chuckled softly, brushing stray strands of hair from her face. "I am."
Bullet stretched, cracking his neck. "So what now? We been sittin' here waiting for orders."
Before Ada could answer, the den-den mushi on her belt began to hum
purupurupururu… purupurupuru…
Mihawk raised a brow. "Dragon?"
Ada nodded, answering the call. "Dragon. What's wrong?"
The snail's face morphed into Dragon's, tension etched deep into his eyes.
"Ada," he said sharply, "we've lost Ginny."
The deck fell silent.
Ada's hand stilled. "What do you mean 'lost'?"
Dragon's voice was clipped, restrained by fury. "She was resting on an island near the East Blue after a mission. Ambushed. Celestial Dragons took her."
A low growl rumbled from Bullet's chest. "Those damn pigs again—"
Fisher Tiger's voice cut in, heavy and dark. "You sure it was them?"
Dragon nodded grimly. "Witnesses saw the insignia on the ship. We tracked it until they entered Marie Geoise's route. After that—nothing."
Lilith clenched her fist. "No signal… their jammers must've wiped all traces."
Dragon's voice then cut through, sharp. "I've sent agents to every route they use. Nothing. It's like she vanished."
Perona floated closer to Ada. "Captain… what are we going to do?"
Ada's voice came quiet, controlled. "We can't do anything yet. Not without knowing where they took her."
Enel's eyes flashed with irritation. "You're saying we sit here and do nothing while those gods play with her life?"
Mihawk's calm voice cut through the rising tension. "If we move blindly, we'll only expose ourselves. Ada knows that."
Ada nodded faintly. "He's right. If they realize we're involved, they'll bury her where no one can reach."
Tesoro scoffed bitterly. "That's what they always do. People like us aren't meant to have happy endings."
Hiyori turned to him sharply. "Don't say that."
"Why not?" Tesoro's tone was hollow. "You think they don't still own us? Even out here, we're still just the ghosts of their greed."
Bullet stepped forward. "Then we burn their greed with them."
Ada's crimson eyes flickered, the faintest glint of heat beneath the calm. "We will. But not yet."
Dragon's voice echoed faintly through the den-den. "We'll find her. I promise."
Ada stared out at the sea. "…You'd better."
The line went dead.
When the call ended, silence stretched across the deck.
Perona spoke first, softly. "Ginny… that sweet pink-haired woman from the Revolution, right?"
Lilith nodded. "One of the founding members. Commander of the East Army."
Fisher Tiger muttered darkly, "Celestial Dragons… always taking what doesn't belong to them."
Bullet clenched his fists. "So we just wait?"
Ada turned away, the sea breeze stirring her cloak. "No. We don't wait. We remember."
————————
The next few months passed like a long breath — too quiet, too heavy.
The Oro Jackson sailed the Grand Line in patient silence, its monstrous crew uncharacteristically subdued. Even Enel's usual arrogance dimmed to occasional murmurs of thunder.
One evening, Lilith called down from the crow's nest. "Captain! Small vessel ahead — about 400 meters out. Minimal energy signature, one life form."
Mihawk looked up. "A wreck?"
Lilith frowned. "No. It's moving… slowly. Someone's still alive."
Ada looked up immediately. "Bring us in."
Fisher Tiger took the helm, steering them closer. As they approached, they saw the outline of a small lifeboat drifting aimlessly across the waves.
When Ada leapt down to it, the crew leaned over the railing, tense.
What they saw made even Bullet's hardened face soften.
A thin woman, slumped against the boat's side — her skin faintly glittering blue, scales catching the dying light. In her arms, a small baby slept soundly beneath a worn cloak.
Ada froze, her voice breaking softly. "Ginny…"
The woman stirred, blinking through tears. "A… Ada?"
Ada crouched beside her, brushing hair from her face. "You're safe now."
Ginny gave a faint, trembling smile. "You… always say that…"
Ada's eyes dropped to the infant. "And this child?"
Ginny looked down, her smile fading into heartbreak. "Mine."
Ada's jaw clenched. "Ginny… were you—"
Ginny nodded silently, tears falling down her cheeks.
Ada felt something inside her break — not the hot rage she was known for, but something deeper, colder.
She leaned forward and then pulled her into an embrace, careful not to hurt her. "You did nothing wrong. You're home now."
Ginny's voice trembled. "I… I tried to escape. Thought I'd die out there. But I saw your sails, and… I knew it was you."
Ada's eyes softened. "You found your way back."
Behind her, Mihawk called down, "Ada?"
Ada looked up, her tone sharp and commanding. "Get her to the infirmary — now!"
The crew jumped into motion.
Bullet climbed down first, lifting Ginny's small boat with one hand. "She's lighter than a sack of rice…"
Perona floated beside him, clutching a blanket. "She's freezing — oh god, look at her skin…"
Lilith hurried over, her mechanical limbs transforming into a medical kit. "Captain, it's Sapphire Scale Disease — advanced stage. The crystalline infection is spreading fast."
Fisher Tiger's expression hardened. "There's no cure for that."
Ada glared at him. "We're not giving up on her."
Enel's usual arrogance faded into unease. "That glow… it's like she's turning into glass."
Okiku knelt beside Ginny as they carried her onto the ship. "Rest easy. You're among friends."
Ginny smiled weakly at her. "Such… kind faces… I missed that…"
Lilith moved efficiently, directing them toward the lower infirmary. "Keep the child warm. She's malnourished but stable."
Tesoro stood in the corner, silent for once. When Ada glanced at him, he muttered, "This… this is what they do. They break beauty to remind the world who's in charge."
Ada's voice was quiet but sharp. "Then let's remind them what happens when beauty fights back."
—————
Hours later, the Oro Jackson was wrapped in silence.
Inside the infirmary, Ginny lay beneath soft sheets, her child sleeping beside her. The faint shimmer of blue scales crept across her neck and collarbone — cruelly radiant.
The crew gathered outside, leaning against the walls and railing, tension thick in the air.
Fisher Tiger's expression hardened with grief. "Those bastards…"
Perona hovered closer, holding out a blanket. "Poor thing… she's freezing."
Enel broke the silence. "She doesn't have long, does she?"
Lilith shook her head. "Her body's crystallizing. The disease eats from the inside out."
Bullet growled low. "They did this. Those bastards did this."
Perona frowned, her usual sarcasm gone. "And the baby? What's going to happen to her?"
Ada looked toward the door. "She'll live. I'll make sure of it."
Okiku's gaze was soft. "You always carry others' pain, Captain."
Ada gave a small, weary smile. "That's what a captain does."
Enel leaned back, arms crossed. "So what now? We just… wait for her to die? That's not your style, Captain."
Mihawk's golden eyes narrowed. "You think there's an alternative?"
Enel smirked, but his tone was bitter. "I think if it were me, I'd burn Marie Geoise to the ground."
Ada turned toward him. "And I will — but not today. Not until every name, every ship, every noble responsible for this has nowhere to hide."
Fisher Tiger looked up. "You mean to go after them directly."
Ada's tone darkened. "I mean to erase their bloodline from history."
The crew exchanged glances. None of them doubted her.
Tesoro gave a humorless laugh. "That's the thing about you, Captain. When you speak like that, the world actually trembles."
Ada turned to him, her eyes glowing faintly under the lantern light. "Then let it."
————-
Later that night, Ada sat alone in her cabin, staring at the den-den mushi. She hesitated, then lifted the receiver.
"Dragon."
The snail's face formed instantly — tired, worn, desperate.
"Ada?" His voice was ragged. "Tell me you found her."
Ada closed her eyes briefly. "We did."
Dragon's voice caught. "And?"
"She's alive. Barely. Sapphire Scale Disease."
Silence. Then, faintly, behind Dragon's voice — soft sobbing.
"Kuma," Ada said quietly.
Dragon nodded. "He hasn't stopped crying since I told him."
Kuma's voice trembled through the line: "Thank you… thank you, Ada… thank you…"
Ivankov's voice rang in the background, loud and emotional. "Ohhh, Ginny! My poor sweet baby! How could those monsters do this to someone so radiant!?"
Ada's voice softened. "She's resting now. And… she has a child."
Dragon's eyes widened. "A child?"
Ada nodded. "A girl. She looks healthy. But Ginny…" Her voice faltered. "She's running out of time."
Dragon's eyes softened — pain, fury, and sorrow all at once. "I see…"
Ada looked down. "She's sleeping now. I'll make sure she gets care, but… you know as well as I do what that disease means."
Dragon's jaw tightened. "…Do whatever it takes to make her comfortable. I'll send what resources I can."
Ada nodded. "We'll take care of her."
Dragon's voice lowered. "Ada… thank you."
From the background, Kuma's voice broke through again, trembling. "Tell her… tell her she's loved."
Ada's voice softened. "I will."
——————-
That night, the Oro Jackson sailed under silver light.
Mihawk joined Ada by the railing, his cloak rustling in the wind. "You've gone quiet."
Ada's eyes were fixed on the stars. "There are no words for this kind of cruelty."
Mihawk nodded slowly. "No. But there will be for vengeance."
Ada's lips curved faintly — not a smile, but a promise. "Vengeance is for the living. What I'll do… is for her."
Fisher Tiger's voice called from behind. "We'll follow you anywhere, Captain. You know that."
Ada turned to face them — Mihawk, Bullet, Fisher Tiger, Enel, Lilith, Perona, Tesoro, Okiku, and Hiyori — her monsters, her family.
"I know," she said quietly. "That's why I'll need you more than ever."
The sea whispered around them, calm for now — but beneath the waves, the storm was already building.
And inside the infirmary, Ginny slept peacefully beside her child, unaware that her final days had already begun — and that the woman watching over her would make the world itself pay for every tear she'd shed.