"R-Rear Admiral Zephyr… what do we do?" a young Marine's legs trembled, despair in his voice.
Zephyr patted his shoulder, eyes fixed on the tsunami. "Leave it to me! I swear I'll bring every last one of you home safe!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldier straightened, courage flooding back.
Zephyr strode to the bow, his white justice cloak snapping in the wind. He stared at the towering wave, fearless.
"An anomaly…"
he murmured. "But as long as I'm here, Sabaody won't be threatened."
His legs bent slightly; even the loose Marine uniform couldn't hide the explosive, angular muscles beneath.
Bang!
The bow lurched downward, the sea around it sinking. In the next instant a white silhouette rocketed from the deck straight at the tsunami.
"Shatter—"
High above, Zephyr's arms were sheathed in jet-black Armament Haki, black lightning crackling at his wrists.
"Burst!"
He punched. The colossal fist tore the air with an earsplitting boom.
BOOM!!!
Fist met wall of water; the impact ripped the tsunami apart, billions of droplets bursting into a brief rainstorm.
"I-incredible!" The Marines gaped, scarcely believing their eyes.
Zephyr stepped lightly back aboard via Moonwalk, breathing evenly, uniform still dry—as if he'd done nothing of note.
"Status report? Have we found what caused the tsunami?" he asked calmly.
"Reporting, Rear Admiral!" The signaller clutched the transponder snail, voice shaking.
"Intel just in from HQ: Barnett, Mate, and Warhammer's crews have joined forces to trap the Kuja Pirates!"
Zephyr frowned. "Why only now?"
"The agent had no chance to transmit. This morning the three crews' elites vanished; only a few officers remained. That opened a window."
Zephyr's face darkened. "Tell our comrade: well done."
The signaller snapped a salute. "For justice!"
Zephyr returned it, eyes hard. "For justice!"
He turned toward the wave's origin. "Full speed to the site!"
Outwardly calm, Zephyr wondered: those pirates alone couldn't raise such a tsunami. What unknown factor was at play?
"There!" On the white dragon's head, Gloriosa pointed excitedly at a tiny speck below.
Using her status as Empress—and the irrefutable need for a lookout—she'd claimed the prime spot atop the dragon.
"That's Number Nine Barren Isle! Perfume Yuda must be nearby!"
Charlotte Linlin's draconic eyes swept the island. A familiar Sea King skeleton glinted in her vision.
This… the same isle I stayed on? We've circled back.
She pushed the thought aside, dragon-sight scouring the surrounding sea.
Found it.
Two ships lay side by side: one bearing the giant serpent figurehead of the Kuja's Perfume Yuda.
The other was classical, a huge Mermaid prow, battle-scarred and freshly patched, no flag—unknown to her.
Besides Perfume Yuda, she could name only Whitebeard's Moby Dick and Rocks's gibeck on sight.
But now wasn't the time to dive in.
"Gloriosa," the dragon rumbled.
"We'll set your crew ashore first, then approach."
"Understood!" Gloriosa nodded—while, aboard Perfume Yuda…
A blond man wearing glasses seemed to sense something. He froze mid-motion, sharp eyes behind the lenses fixed on the distant sky, fingers soundlessly settling on his sword hilt.
"What's wrong? The poison's gone?" Shakky asked, pushing herself up from the deck.
"Pretty much. Roger, something's coming." Rayleigh didn't look back, his gaze locked on the sky.
Roger, also on deck, wiped away his usual grin. His face was uncharacteristically grave as he stared at the blue heavens.
"Yeah, I feel it... and whoever it is... is strong! Everyone, get ready—we might have a fight on our hands!"
"Heh-heh, didn't expect uninvited guests way out here!" Gaban tightened his grip on his twin axes, every bit as wary.
"Hold it! Don't jump to blades!" Shakky massaged her still-aching neck and called out quickly, "That might be our Captain!"
On the other side of the island, Charlotte Linlin—now back in her dragon-human form after seeing the wounded settled—tilted her head toward Gloriosa perched on her shoulder.
"Know that unfamiliar ship below?"
Seated on Charlotte Linlin's soft, comfortable shoulder, Gloriosa felt the faint warmth of the woman's neck and the intoxicating scent drifting from pink hair; her mind wandered uncontrollably.
(Lady Linlin smells so good... so fragrant...)
(Am I sitting too close? So embarrassing...)
(What if—what if Lady Linlin suddenly confesses? Should I play hard-to-get first or just say yes?)
"Huh? Oh!" Startled by the question, she snapped back, cheeks flushing crimson, and hastily looked down. After a careful look she said,
"No, never seen it. The ship looks battered, like it just came out of major repairs. No pirate flag—no telling what crew it belongs to."
She added with clear disdain, "Hmph, serves them right. Sailing straight into the Calm Belt—lucky they weren't torn apart by Sea Kings."
"In that case, let's take a closer look."
At her words, Charlotte Linlin's huge Dragon Wings beat once. Carrying Gloriosa like a white meteor she plummeted, landing amid the Perfume Yuda's deck; the gust made the whole ship shudder.
Her gaze locked instantly on the straw-hatted, carefree-looking man opposite her.
"Oh? Roger?"
Noting the signature Straw Hat, Charlotte Linlin arched a brow. She rarely paid attention to other Pirate Crews, but she had bothered to glance at the bounty poster of the man who would one day usher in the Great Pirate era.
This Roger was still very young, his face bright and handsome, nothing like the wild, untamed visage Charlotte Linlin would remember decades later—certainly no long nose-hairs.
"Oh~"
Roger echoed her tone exactly, sizing up the suddenly arrived, overwhelmingly beautiful woman.
The air between them turned instantly delicate and tense; Rayleigh and Gaban reflexively tightened their weapons again.
Then, picking his nose without a shred of dignity, Roger casually tilted his head toward Rayleigh.
"Who's she?"
Thud!
Gaban and Rayleigh nearly face-planted, the tension shattered in an instant.
Charlotte Linlin wasn't particularly surprised—she even found it amusing; the future Straw Hat would probably act the same way.
"You idiot Captain!" Gaban bellowed, grabbing Roger by the collar.
"This is the woman whose first bounty hit five-hundred million Berries, one of the Rocks Pirates' top officers, the 'Dragon Swordsman' who single-handedly wiped out a New World Marine branch—Charlotte Linlin!"
Ranked by the World Economic Journal as the world's third greatest beauty—though plenty of people name her number one!"
With that roar Gaban let go, turned, straightened his collar like a perfect gentleman, and flashed Charlotte Linlin what he clearly thought was his most dashing smile.
"Isn't that right, lovely Lady Linlin?"
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