Saul had picked at the battleship and out tossed it at a second one smashing both ships to pieces.
"What's going on?"
"It's Vice-Admiral Saul!"
"He ran away with Oswald Owson, and now he is attacking us? He's lost his mind."
"What's he doing on Draknar?"
"Hell, if I know!"
Heather watched as Saul approached the wreckage of the ships and glared down angrily at the Marines.
At the same time, the scholars were trying to save as many books as they could. However, the Tree of Knowledge was burning down, and there was nothing they could do to douse the flames.
"The whole island is done for!"
"They're going to burn it to the ground!"
"Don't give up yet; even if the library burns, we can still save the books!"
One of the scholars and smashed one of the nearby windows. "From another window and drop them into the lake! They're better off wet than burn to ash! Hurry up!"
No one disagreed with him and immediately began tossing all the books they could gather out the window and into the lake.
"Get all the books out of the library!"
"Don't give up on a single book! Don't give up on a single sentence!"
"These words have been passed on for thousands of years," said Oswald.
"They must reach the future," said Professor Clover.
Saul was still glaring down at the Marines when another cannonball struck him in the head.
"Fire!" a marine yelled, and they fired their rifles.
More cannonball shot out from the smoke hit Saul.
"Calm down, don't do this!" Heather pleaded. "It's not like you!"
Saul looked back at Heather. "Heather, get out of here! The evacuation ship is going to leave without you! Don't worry about me, just run!"
All the battleships were now concentrating their fire at Saul; considering that he had just destroyed a fifth of their force in the space of a few seconds, it wasn't unexpected. Heather then sought cannonball headed straight towards her. Clearly, they were just firing on Saul; they wanted a hit as much of the island as possible. She ran, and a few seconds later, a cannonball hit the ground where she had been standing, and she was knocked off her feet by the explosion.
Heather looked up and saw that the Tree of Knowledge was now completely covered in flames; if the scholars were still trapped inside, there was no way they could escape. She cried, thinking about her father, the two of them had finally found each other, and now they had separated once again.
"Daddy!" Heather cried.
The Marines were still focusing on Saul.
"Shoot him down!" said the commander.
"Come on, go!" Saul yelled at Heather, who just stayed there. "Get moving! Don't you remember what your dad told you?"
Heather did remember what her father told her, and she was going to do that.
The townspeople finally made it to the evacuation ship, which was just about to set off.
"Attention evacuees, the ship is leaving!" the captain announced.
"Wait, someone is coming!"
Heather was racing towards the ship as quickly as she could, but unbeknownst to her watching the shoreline was Spandine.
"It's her!" he said, shocked.
"Isn't that the monster girl?" said one of the bullies that picked on her.
"Yeah, it is! Go away, your creepy!"
"Hey, now is not the time for that," a Marine scolded.
"No way that kid's father Oswald was in the newspaper just the other day," said a passenger. "That means she's the daughter of a criminal."
"You're right if we let her on the ship in my call this trouble. Just leave her."
"Don't be ridiculous; she's just a child. Hurry up and help her!" said the Marine.
"Everyone stop!" said Spandine's voice over a speaker. "Don't let that brat onboard! She may be a child, but she's still an archaeologist. That means she's a criminal like the rest of them."
"A little girl like that?" the Marine blinks. "If you say so, chief."
"See, I told you, good thing we did let on board."
Heather realised that the people would never allow her to board the ship immediately ran away from it. Additionally, she didn't want Spandine and his agent to capture her; she was now really regretting admitting she was able to read Runeglyphs
"Heather!" Saul yelled as he saw her running away. "Must be CP9. Damn, I'll show them."
He then immediately charged towards the battleship where Spandine was on board.
"Uh, Chief!" said a Marine noticing Saul charging towards them. "Vice-Admiral Saul is coming this way!"
"Is that so?" said Spandine. "Then there was known need to question Oswald about him after all. Fire now! Shoot him down!"
The Marines began firing their cannons at Saul, but he merely shrugged them off and continued advancing towards them.
"Ice Block: Partisan!" said Asmund's voice.
Saul was then struck in the side by two ice spears causing him to collapse.
"Saul!" Heather yelled, looking back.
Asmund stood there with cold steam burning off his skin.
"It's Asmund!" said Spandine.
Saul looks back at his former friend. "You…"
"My, my, my…" said Asmund. "This just won't do. If we let her former Marine stop the Buster Call, we would look like damn fools."
"Asmund…" said Saul getting up. "…wake up. You can't tell me that this nonsense is justice. Pull back, now! You know this ain't right; they're just making an example out of Draknar! Come on, please! You're better than this!"
"If it's for the good of the world, it has to be done," said Asmund. "You can't deny that those scholars are breaking the law, can you? I won't criticise your sense of justice; there are many rights and wrongs as there are viewpoints in the world. However, if you insist on getting in our way, I can't sit back and do nothing."
Then suddenly, the evacuation ship exploded, much to everyone's shock.
"Argh, the evacuation ship was blown up!"
Spandine stared in shock. "What happened?"
"It looks like fire from one of our ships."
"It was Vice-Admiral Asger!"
Asger had indeed ordered his men to fire upon the evacuation ship, and he didn't look as if he regretted it in the slightest.
"That idiot," said Asmund, shocked.
"If we're doing this, we have to be further," he said without remorse. "If even one of those scholars managed to sneak on board that ship. Then all the sacrifices we make today would be in vain. However small, we cannot let any evil thrive."
Heather just stood there in shock; it was ironic that if the townspeople hadn't hated her that much, she would have been on board that ship. Despite how cruelly the people were treated her, Heather never wanted this to happen to them.
"Is this what you call justice!" Saul roared at Asmund. He then swung his fist down at him. "Can you take pride in something like this?"
Asmund jumped out of the way in time and avoided his blow. "He went too far! I would never do something like that!"
Saul then quickly picked up Heather. "We got a go Heather, this fella is way too strong for me to fight."
"Saul is escaping!"
"He's taking one of the scholars with him!"
Saul then began running to the other side of the island, but Asmund wasn't going to let in a getaway that easily.
"Ice Time Capsule!" Asmund yelled.
A tray of ice then erupted across the ground heading towards Saul, and the moment it touched, he slowly became encased in ice. He felt the ground the moment his lower torso was completely covered in ice.
"Oh no!" Heather cried. "Saul, you okay?"
Saul was absolutely freezing from the burning ice. "Heather, you got a get out of here. Don't look back; just go. If you stay on this island, you'll die. Take my raft and go out to sea."
"But what about you?" Heather asked.
"He's got me, little lady; I'm afraid this is the end," he said. "Hurry!"
"No, everyone I care about is here!"
"Now you listen to me, you may be lonely at first, but one day you'll find true friends."
"True friends?" said Heather looking up at him with tears in her eyes.
"Yeah, the sea is a vast place, so I guarantee Sunday you will find friends who will never leave you. No matter who you are, there ain't no one born in this world to be alone!" Saul saw that Asmund was approaching them slowly. "It's time to go, Heather. This is goodbye; when things are bad, do what I taught you. You remember the last, don't you?"
Heather then saw Asmund grabbing hold of his ice-covered lake. "Look out; he's behind you!
Saul and began laughing with a smile on his face.
"Ice Time!" said Asmund.
His eyes then slowly began making their way across Saul's body.
"Saul, no!" Heather cried.
Saul didn't appear to care that he was slowly being covered in ice and continue to laugh with a large smile on his face. 'Your friends are out there in the sea waiting for you, Heather. All you got to do fine them.'
Saul was now completely encased in ice, and Heather began running into the forest with tears in her eyes, not looking back.
'Share your life with them and never let them go,' said Saul.
Asmund just stood there adjusting his glasses.
The remaining battleships continued to fire, and now the entire Tree of Knowledge was being burned to the ground. Oswald and the rest of the scholars had rescued as many books as they could, but now they were trapped inside.
"This is it; we're done for."
'So this is the history that mankind has chosen,' said Professor Oswald with tears in his eyes. 'Shall we ever learn the errors of our ways?'
'Forgive me, Heather… Dagur… I can even leave the two of you with any parting words,' said Oswald. 'Neither as a scholar or a father.'
The Tree of Knowledge then began to collapse and hit the ground hard.
Heather was making her way to the other side of the island towards Saul's raft, not looking back. However, when she got there, she found Asmund waiting for her, but what was more surprising was the fact that he was sitting next to a boat with a trail of ice spanning across the sea.
"The concept of absolute justice can sometimes drive a man to madness," said Asmund. "I've decided that you escape; I'm curious to see what kind of flour will sprout from the sea that Saul protected. You can bear a grudge against whoever you like for this, but at least you're still alive. However, I do suggest that you keep a low profile. I've drawn a path for you on the sea with my ice; if you take the boat and go straight ahead, you'll meet land eventually. Oh, one last thing…" He then rose to his feet and then began walking past her. "…I'm not your ally. If you do cause any trouble, I'll be the first person to come after you."
"My dad is here; can't you help him?" Heather asked.
"No one will be saved; if that pain is too great for you to bear, then you may join them."
Heather had lost everyone she cared about, her father, Saul, Professor Clover and the scholars. However, she remembered what Saul had said about laughing when you were down and took that advice to heart. She climbed into the boat and began to row, laughing as she did, but it was all too much. She could see that the island had been completely burned to the ground, and everyone she knew was dead.
After the flames died down, the Marines began to explore the place to see if there were any survivors, though that wasn't very likely judging from the devastation. Every tree and building had been burnt to the ground, and the cannon fire created a massive crater.
"Survivors?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Hey! Come here, look at the lake!"
All the Marines then immediately gathered around the lake, and they were astonished because they found thousands of books had been dumped in it.
"What? That's insane!"
"How did all those books get here?"
"It can't be a coincidence."
The scholars knew there was no way they would survive the onslaught, but in their last moments, they had saved what amount of history they could.
Meanwhile, at Marine headquarters, Sander, Asmund and Spandine had just received word of Heather's survival.
"Yeah, this is her," said Spandine as some Marines handed him a photo of Heather. "That's definitely the girl. Where did you find her? Is she captured?"
"No, we were told to keep watch of a suspicious girl. We eventually found her on a passenger ship northeast of Darknar. Unfortunately, she knew what we were after, so she slipped away before we could capture."
"Argh, she's got the devils luck," Spandine cursed. "Back then, I'm sure I saw her leaving Draknar. The island was burning ash, but she somehow made it alone on a little rowboat. Of course, I tried to chase her, but all of a sudden, the helm of our boat got stuck like it was frozen in ice."
Asmund just remained silent as he looked at Heather's photo. He had told her to keep a low profile, now that was all but impossible, and he was having a second thought of letting her go.
"Either way, Saul probably helped her escape before he died," Spandine continued.
"A scholar with the ability to read the Runeglyphs is dangerous no matter how young she may be," said Sander. "I don't care what methods you use; if we don't capture her immediately, then this entire mission would have been for nothing."
Heather then spent the next 10 years running, unable to find a place she could call home. The Government had already issued a wanted poster with a very high warlord as well as false stories about what happened at Draknar.
"79 million Gil? Why is an eight your child has such a high bounty?"
"They say that she is one of the Devils of Draknar. You know those scholars who were plotting to end the world."
"Really?"
"I heard that she sunk six Marine battleships too. She must have some kind of weird power."
"Well, that explains the bounty."
"The Government forces and Navy leaders are searching for her too."
"She probably wants to carry out the same plan as the scholars that were executed. If she is out for revenge, then no one is safe. We can't let the child of the devil run wild."
Heather began wandering from place to place, trying to find those friends that Saul promised were out there. She once helped an old lady clean her barn in order to get some money.
"Such a kind girl," said the old woman. "Thank you for helping me out."
"Sure, I'm grateful for any work I can get," said Heather.
"By the way, before we have our dinner, some men are here to see you," she said.
Then suddenly, stepping out of the house were several agents holding rifles.
"Don't let her get away!"
"Now give me my money!" the old woman demanded. "I told you where she was hiding didn't die?"
Fortunately, Heather was able to escape and make it to another island; a kind couple took her in and gave her room for the night.
"She may be small, but she still works hard," said the woman.
A man entered her room and found that she had not yet fallen asleep. "What's wrong? Having trouble sleeping? We have to get up early tomorrow to go to work, so rest well."
"Okay," she said.
However, Heather did not fall asleep and listened to their conversation, knowing it was about her.
"She's sweet, but if we keep her around, we could get into serious trouble," said the man looking at a wanted poster. "Besides, just look at this bounty."
Heather didn't waste any time and immediately escaped that night, and it was only until the morning that his wife noticed she was gone.
"Honey, she isn't in her room!"
"Dammit, she must have overheard us talking."
With no other choice, Heather had to join a pirate crew, and they were a lot more welcoming than any of the civilians.
"Hahaha, it seems we're both wanted by the law Heather," said the pirate captain. "I know all about you. Works for me, and I'll make sure you'll never go hungry."
Unfortunately, that generosity did not last long as the Marines had caught up with them.
"The Marines are after us!" the pirate captain yelled at his crew. "Where did Heather go? Hand her over, dammit! Hurry! That girl is bad luck!"
Heather managed to escape the pirate ship before they grabbed her, and the Marines closed in on them. However, no matter where she went, no one welcomed her with open arms.
"A devil-like you shouldn't even exist!"
"What? Heather Owson is here? Where?"
"Hunt her down and turn her over to the Government!"
The only good thing about her charming from island to island was that she could encounter Runeglyphs.
'I can't believe it,' she said as she managed to stumble upon one. 'A Runeglyph…'
However, the harassment that she suffered from continued.
"Stay away!" said Baker as she tried to purchase some food. "I have not been to sell to the likes of you!"
When Heather turned 13, she began working in the black market, as it would be harder for the Marines to track down.
"Look, I'm 13; I'll do anything just please allow me to join your group," she pleaded.
However, the Marines soon closed in on her once again, and she had to make a run for it once again, leaving her employer high and dry.
"You betrayed me, you damn witch!"
Two years later, she began working with Viggo, one of the Seven Warlords, meaning she had much better protection than any of her previous employers.
"Heather Owson, I would like you to assist me," said Viggo. "I've been told you can read Runeglyphs."
Everything had now gone full circle, and Heather was now facing against the second Buster Call.
"If you call a Buster Call, everything will be destroyed, that including all of Enies Lobby and most likely you as well," Heather warned.
"Nonsense!" said Spandam dismissively. "What are you saying? They wouldn't kill a VIP like me; I am not falling for your bluff."
"10 years ago, everything was taken from me, and many innocent lives were lost," Heather continued looking down at the Dragon Riders. "With one push of a button, they summoned a terrible daemon, and now it rears its head again. Aiming its sights on the friends I searched for so hard to find, the more that I wish for us to be together, the more my ugly fate bears its fangs are you.
Even now, no matter how far we sail, there's an enemy that haunts me at every turn because I'm facing the world and all of its darkness. First, it was Asmund, and now CP9; I have drag you into my troubles twice already. If it goes on and on like this, no matter how kind you may be, someday you will see me as a burden! Someday you will be forced to betray me and throw me away! That is what I'm most afraid of! Understand now? That's why I didn't want you to rescue me; if that's the only future I have, I'd rather die just to save me the pain!"
Everyone just looked up at Heather.
"Heather," said Chopper softly.
"I never knew," said Ragnar.
"Oh, Heather," said Astrid.
"I see, so that's it," said Toothless.
Spandam then began to laugh. "There you have it. Yep, right on the mark!" He then looked towards heaven sneered. "What a tragic case; even if you make friends, all you can do is drag them through the mud with you. You can't win pirates; look at this flag!" Spandam then pointed up towards the flag on top of the tower. "This symbol represents the unity of over 170 nations! A power that spans the four seas and the Grand Line, this is the world itself! No matter how loud you bark, maybe you can't stand up to an enemy like that. Just face it already! Do you realise how strong our organisation is? Do you realise how devoted we are to capturing her?"
Hiccup looked up at the flag and knew there was only one way to save Heather, but it would bring the entire world down upon. He looked at the others, and clearly, they were all thinking the same thing and nodded.
"Then there's only one thing to do," said Hiccup. "Ragnar… shot down that flag."
"You get it," said Ragnar and pulled out his pistols and immediately formed them into the shape of a sniper rifle. Spandam watched, confused as Ragnar aimed his rifle up at the flag. "Phoenix Shot!"
Then shooting out of his rifle was a viable would you instantly took the form of a bird. It then flew up towards the flag and burned it to a crisp much to the horror of the Marines and agents.
"No way," said Heather stunned.
"Now they've done it."
"Those idiots, you can't fire upon a government flag. That's crazy!"
"Those pirates have just declared war against the World Government!"
"You're all going to die!" Spandam yelled at the Dragon Riders. "You morons can't challenge the entire world and expect to win!"
"Then bring it on!" Hiccup challenged.
Spandam then screamed, but no one knew it was out of fear or shock.
Heather looked up towards the burning flag with tears in her eyes.
"Heather!" Hiccup yelled. "There's still something I want to hear you say! Tell me that you want to live!"
Heather was too stunned to speak as she looked down upon the Dragon Riders. 'I can live?'
'Face it, your whole existence is nothing but a crime!'
'The whole world is against you Heather, you can't be allowed to live!'
People had been telling her that her entire life, but now things have changed.
'I never dared to wish for something like that,' she said. 'The world had denied me that hope.'
She had been ready to die, but then she remembered Saul's last words to her, and they shone like a beacon in the darkness. The friends he had promised were out there were now standing in front of her just like Snotlout said they would.
'But now, I'm allowed to say my wish just this once,' she said with tears in her eyes and then she looked down at the Dragon Riders. "I want to live! Take me with you! Take me away from here!"
Hiccup looked at her and smiled, and all the others did the same.
"Let's go," said Hiccup cracking his knuckles.