Note:

So this will be my biggest project so far.
This story is a huge learning exercise for me.
Working with different characters, switching POVs and places.
Actually I wrote it in german (and it is almost completed) and now I am translating it myself into english (so if you want to read it in german you can find it under Fanfiktion . de ;-) It's called "Ein würdiger Traum")
That means I am open for critics and suggestions for improvement
Thank you all^^
Sharry

Prologue

With all the strength she had, her hands pushed against the arms holding her.

"No! We have to go back! We cannot leave without them! They are still inside!"

Panic filled her loud voice, her eyes stuck on that giant gate; they had just passed seconds ago. Like the muzzle of a beast it had thunked shut, gulping down everything within.

But the hands of the young man kept pushing her, forcing her to go on.

"Stop fudging. You heard what they said. We must reach the ship! The others are already waiting on us."

Still she tried to fight against the determent grip of the man, but she could not help to move farther and farther away from the huge building out of could stone, which slowly began to dissolve behind thick walls of fog. Desperate she held onto the shoulders of her comrade.

"But…"
"No Buts! You have to trust them. They have a plan, I'm sure of that. The longer we stay here, the more we're in danger. It's just a matter of time until the marines will show up."

He was right, she knew but still the fear made it almost impossible for her to breathe. As if he could feel it, he smiled weakly.

"You know both of them. They gonna be alright. But we would only be in their ways, if we went back. Just trust them, okay?"

She did not fight anymore, started to run on her on, even though she did not know where to go, just clinging desperate onto that one hand, adrenaline pushing her tired muscles, just to keep running, not stopping, not slowing down.

"There!" Her friend called out, as the blackness of night parted to let big white sails pass like silent ghosts. She could hear the whispering waves of the ocean, slapping weary against the prow.

"It's the Sunny!" The man next to her whispered almost unheard. Before he could raise his voice to the people onboard a rope ladder fell down to them.

"Okay, hurry up with you!"

Like being led by unseen strings, she watched as her very own hands grabbed the wood without really holding onto it. She had no strength left, allowing her friend to slowly shoving her upwards to the rail, where two strong arms were already waiting for her.

Trembling she stumbled on deck of the Thousand Sunny, ship of the strawhat-pirates, which moved almost soundless through the cold water, away from the small wooden rack, where she and her friend had been standing just a few seconds ago. Away from the danger, they still were not safe from.

But now here, she could sense the well-known safety, knew that she was at home and seeked for her bed inside of the cozy ship. She was tired, so tired.

She could hear the men in her back discussing deeply, while taking the rope ladder back inside.

"So? What's now to do?"

"To be honest, I have no idea. We have to trust the plan."

"Super, you got a plan! What does it say?"

"How am I supposed to know? It's not my plan! We were just told to run outside and wait at the harbor for you guys to pick us up. I thought you knew what was going on."

The voices behind her were filled with concern and worry, but she ignored their words, ignored everything happening around her. Her eyes were fixed on the ground, where two members of her crew cowered in the fog-moist grass, one of them obviously passed out and completely covered with bandages. The other one noticed her, stood up, half a smile on his lips.

"No worries, he's just unconscious. His wounds are treated well and he is not in more danger than any of us. I'm sure he will wake up soon."
"If we are able to come out of this alive, that is." Another voice added cold.

"As far as I can tell there is no possibility, we can get both of them out of the base alive. Not even talking about escaping countless soldiers. A fight would be a loss for us of course. We are all tired and exhausted, if not worse." The person added, looking down to the crewmember on the ground.

"None of us knows anything about the surroundings. Unknown Water within complete darkness is not the best condition for a runaway. And the only one of us, who had something similar to a strategy, which at least got all of us here on our beloved Sunny without being followed, as it seems, is still inside the base with more than thousand marine-soldiers. So is there anything at all we can do?"

No one specific was asked, as the words were still directed to the unconscious crewmember on the ground. It was quiet between them, as they were hit by the brutal truth of those words.

They had no chance!

They had been able to come this far, but it was just a matter of minutes until the first ships of the Marine would be looking for them. They could not run, because there were still some of them missing and none of them would leave without being complete.

In a combat they would lose, as they had already done days ago, when they had been captured by their enemies, when they had been healthy and well, maybe a little unalert, but even then they had been chanceless.

Her hands were running through her messy hair, while she was searching for that one solution, possible. What should they do?

Not being even so far away the stronghold of the marines was not more than an unclear shadow in the dark. The silent kept lingering around, telling them, that there were still no followers coming close.

Slowly she looked up to count how many they were. She already knew that they were only seven. Not enough, not enough at all. She saw at every single one of her comrades. All of them were groggy, dirty and without any energy left. None of them would survive another come-together with the marines.

But that meant they had only one way left, with or without the others, they had to run!

And with one heartbeat she also realized, that she was the one in charge for escaping successfully, because only she could know what to do, for she was the navigator.

Slowly she kept breathing and closed her eyes.

She knew that there was only this one possibility and all the other unrealistic options would cost too much time, even just thinking about them.

"Okay, listen up…" she said cold and quiet. Grateful other eyes met hers, thankful that she broke the silence, that she made that one decision.

Her heart was racing her breath, but it was already too late.

"I know what we got to do. This time, we have to…"

BOOM!

The world collapsed. Everything went into slow-motion and all the noises existing vanished. For a heartbeat an unbelievable force pushed every bit of air out of her lungs, pushed her forward, pushed her down on the ground, and pushed her to fall.

A high tweet kept ringing in her ears, inflicting her thoughts. Her head was pounding like it wanted to explode. Suddenly the world came back to life. Screaming, glaring, shrill.

Uncontrollable heat flew through her body, took away her air to breathe.

She could hear people calling, screaming; the ground was still shaking even though she was already on her knees. All she was able to notice was that innocent, calm face, she looked down to.

For half a second she believed she would die, but then she saw the unconscious one.

The unbearable noises faded slowly, but the harsh light stayed, painting grotesque shadows over her and her crewmate.

Slowly she followed those shadows with her eyes, over the body of the other one to the far away darkness of the night. But then she grabbed the hand, somebody offered her and pulled herself up.

Fearful she turned around.

A picture of disaster greeted her.

The marine base, the harbor, the marine-ships, the little wooden rack where she had been running not so long ago, everything was drowning in flames!

The fire reached further and further, destroying anything on its way. The flames licked the waves of the ocean, passing over them like deadly ghost lights. Even the high mountains could not withstand such a destructive enemy.

But neither the loud and dangerous crackling of the fire nor the hustling fizzle of the ocean could cover up the moaning choir of dying men. Ghostlike their horrible song of helpless last lifebreaths reached out to those being safe. They were doomed to die.

Frozen she covered her mouth, as a silent cry broke through her throat.

"There!" One of her friends yelled, pointing at something in the far distance. There, on top of the burning castle, at the highest tower, two shadows showed their contrast to sea of flames, almost unrecognizable but it was them without any doubt.

"What can we do now?!"

"We have to get them!"

"But how? Even the water is burning!"

All of her friends were screaming, wanting to help, had to help, but she was just standing there, looking up to the other two.

After a moment she saw what they were doing.

"Look out!"

The others shut up immediately and listened.

Faster than lightning! Almost next to the ship something crashed into the waves, just like an arrow.

She could feel hands pushing her aside, could hear the sound of skin on water. Seconds later she heard happy cries and rejoicing as one more of their crewmembers was pulled on deck, coughing, hurt but alive. But she could not turn around, could not help.

"Where is he?" The one coughing demanded.

"Up there," She whispered. There he was, one fist raised to the sky like a greeting. Being one everlasting statue in the ocean of flames, shimmering like bronze. Slowly she raised her own fist, as high as she was able to, tears running down her cheeks.

In her back people were crying.

"You can't do that!" Screamed the wet, young man, scrambling to his feet, rushing to the rail.

"You can't just do that!" But his broken voice was drowned by rumbling noises, when the old building gave up to the power of fire and collapse.

Just like a small pawn in a game their friend fell with the broken pieces of the tower, consumed by the mad flames.

He made the plan, the plan to free them all from prison, to save them from the marines, all of them. He guarded them all, protected them and their dreams with his very own life.

And now he was dead.