Chapter 5: Evanescence


"Oh, Luffy, my love! I've come to see you!"

Hancock raises her arms towards the tiny dot ahead that was the Sunny-Go, a lovestruck grin adorning her blushing face as she calls out the name of her beloved Pirate King. Her giggles are contagious, and the Kuja pirates are quick to follow her lead, excitedly pronouncing their greetings towards the infamous crew aboard Luffy's ship as they drew closer.

"Luffyyyy!" the Empress crows. "Did you miss me, my beloved? I've brought you lots of food!"

"Hime-sama, nyou must present a more dignified presence for both your crew and the Pirate King's-nyo!" Gloriosa admonishes, tapping her snake staff on the deck. "Can't this wait until we're able to see them-nyo?"

"Oh, give it a resssst, Elder Nyon," Sandersonia sighs. "It's been ssso long since we've seen that sssmile."

"Indeed," Marigold says warmly. "We're all looking forward to meeting Luffy and his crew again, but the princess has been preparing for this a whole week in advance."

"I knyo," Elder Nyon sighs, regarding the Snake Empress with a slight pity in her gaze. "That's what I'm afraid of. It seems she has forgotten the purpose of this trip-nyo..."

"Luffyyyyy!" Hancock continues to call out happily, oblivious to their conversation. "I've-"

A sudden burst of saltwater to the right of their ship cuts her off, rocking the Kuja pirates's battalion to the side and subsequently stumbling half the crew off their feet. Not a second later, a dark shape shoots out from the waves and lands heavily on deck.

The Kuja don't miss a beat, daggers and spears up in retaliation, bows and arrows taut and aimed. The Pirate Empress whirls around to the intruder, teeth gritted, ready to turn to stone whoever has dared to-

Hancock blinks as she's met with the sight of a familiar blue whale shark, wearing a sheepish grin on his scarred face. Rivulets of water drip down from his kimono as he holds his webbed hands up in a universal gesture of surrender to the pointy spearheads surrounding him.

The Empress drops her guard and narrows her eyes in clear annoyance.

"Oh, it's you," she deadpans.

"Jimbei!" Marguerite is the second to recognize the Fishman and hastily lowers her bow and arrow. The rest of the Kuja do the same, chirping a similar welcome to their ally.

"The Saga of 'It's been a long time, dear friend,'" Sweet Pea announces, warmly slapping the former warlord on the back as Aphelandra shyly nods.

"My apologies for the abrupt intrusion," Jimbei gruffs.

"Why are you here?" Hancock snaps, crossing her arms tightly against her bosom. She looks back at the growing dot of red and yellow before glaring down at Jimbei. "Where is Luffy?"

"H-hime-sama…" The Gorgon sisters start hesitantly while sending apologetic glances at Jimbei. But the Knight of the Sea doesn't seem at all perturbed, bowing low before speaking to the Amazon Empress, his tone serious.

"I am pleased you were able to travel here safely, Empress Boa Hancock. I know this is sudden, but I must discuss an urgent matter with you." His gaze lands on the army of women still holding their weapons and scratches his sideburns ruefully. "Preferably in private."

The scowl on the Empress's face deepens. She waves a single hand and at her silent command, all the Kuja warriors draw away, albeit reluctantly.

"Did something happen to Luffy and the others?" Marguerite whispers to Kikyo, to which the latter shushes before ushering the group down the stairs to below the deck.

Sandersonia and Marigold send worried glances to their sister and the fishman before also leaving for their quarters, dragging a reluctant Elder Nyon along.

There were still lookouts positioned on deck, so Hancock motions for Jimbei to follow her towards a wooden door that leads to the dining area.

"Actually," Jimbei starts, "I'd rather discuss things on Luffy-kun's ship if that's alright with you. It won't take long, so your crew may continue sailing towards Sunny."

"Are you implying that my crew is not trustworthy?"

Hancock stalks back to him, heels clicking on the wooden deck, an air of natural authority surrounding her statuesque form as she stops just short of the Fishman. "Who are you to step onto my ship and demand my presence elsewhere?"

"Th-that was not my intention, Hime-"

"No matter," she just as quickly waves off, and Jimbei sweat drops at the abrupt dismissal. A light blush appears on her face. "I wish to meet quickly with Luffy, anyway, so I will overlook your arrogance."

Her frown turns pensive, squinting towards the ship then back at Jimbei.

"But how exactly do you expect me to get to Luffy's ship when we're still yards away?" she huffs. "Have you forgotten I cannot swim? Or do you expect me to ride on your back the rest of the way?"

The Fishman once again rubs his sideburns in a manner that could only be described as sheepish. "Well..."

If looks could kill, Jimbei would be a sushi dinner.


"What do you mean she's gone?!"

The occupants of the dark green ship cringe as their captain's enraged voice fills their ears, each member pausing in their mundane activities to listen to the altercation inside the former guest room.

"Where is she?!"

"N-now, now, captain," came the muffled, weaker voice of the ship's doctor. "It's not all-"

A crash from inside the room had the crewmates all tense before the door slams open, a man with dark hair and an equally dark gaze stalking out, strides long and angry. A second later, a round, bespectacled man follows after him, white coat flapping behind him.

"Please, captain," he pleads. "You must stay calm-"

Said captain whirls on him and the rest of the doctor's sentence is lost in a squeak.

"Calm?" The raven-haired man seethes, towering over the smaller man. "How could I possibly be calm when you imbeciles let go of the only card we had towards-"

He pauses abruptly, taking in a deep breath as fingers press down on his nose bridge. "I thought you said you had everything under control?"

"W-well I-, uh, I-," the scarred gray-haired man stuttered out.

The captain raises both arms in a gesture of absolute exasperation, turning away. "You're telling me she just strolled out and nobody saw anything? In the middle of the damn ocean?!"

His last question echoes across the wide and open sea around them, unanswered.

His hands close into fists, his next words a growl. "Does she know?"

Behind him, the doctor clears his throat, anxiously loosening his tie. "We still have the upper hand in this, Yuuto. I'd say the process was near complete before-"

In a flash the smaller man was pinned to the open door, the round glass of the port window shattering behind his head.

"Near complete?" Captain Yuuto repeats.

Nearby, the slap of Jiro's facepalm sounds loudly.

"I-I mean," the doctor hurriedly tries to rectify, his face losing all color. "The ch-chances are very unlikely that she'll re-"

"Chances?" He cuts in again, his tone dangerously low.

The skin around the doctor's face starts to considerably tighten, his cheeks terrifyingly hollow as he gasps for air.

"I don't think you understand, Doc," Captain Yuuto continues, his muscles growing larger, grip unrelenting. "We can't take any chances with this. We don't get a second chance."

"W-wait-," comes the doctor's hoarse pleads, weakly pulling on his captain's hand.

"So tell me why you deserve another one," Yuuto declares coldly, his black hair glimmering with an imperceptible green. "Para-Exoskelet-"

"Enough, Yuuto."

A soft but firm voice stops the captain in the middle of his rage-filled attack. The doctor is already unconscious, grayed out eyes staring up towards the sky, his body a little less than skin and bones.

"You're letting your anger get the best of you again," Ran chastises.

Her statement is enough to make the captain turn around, dark green eyes flashing to the woman approaching them. He doesn't let go of the doctor.

"Excuse me?" he all but growls.

"We need him, remember?" she reminds him, stopping just short of the pair. "He's the closest thing we've got to Vegapunk and killing him would just bring us back to square one."

"She's right, Cap," Jiro's lazier voice adds, having been safely watching the scene from the taffrail. He hiccups. "Your green guy is starting to show up-"

"Shut up," Captain Yuuto snaps. He fixes a glare at Ran, who coolly meets his gaze. "Who's to blame, then, Ran?"

"You can't think in that state," she responds calmly. "And we need to make a plan."

"We had a plan," Yuuto bites out, turning back to the corpse-like form of Dr. Alexander. "And now that plan is in shambles. If he had just done as he was told-"

"Were you not on the same ship as we were?" she points out. "You're just as much to blame for her disappearance as-"

"Careful now," he chuckles darkly. "Don't put me in the same category as you lot."

"No, you're right," she clips. "You're definitely more of a fool than we are."

With a furious cry, Yuuto flings the limp form of the doctor across the deck and faces his daring subordinate.

"Mutiny?" he growls. "Is this what I get for saving your ass?"

"And is this what we get for having your back?" she counters, glancing at the now-conscious doctor, cradled in the quiet Penelope's arms, coughing and gasping in relief, the color slowly coming back to his cheeks.

"This was a risky plan to begin with," she continues. "Libra already tried to explain the situation to you but you didn't want to believe it."

Yuuto's eyes shifted to the red-haired girl a little ways behind Ran, who quickly bows her head and shuffles her feet.

"We're wasting time arguing when we could be making another plan," Ran states. "As long as we find her, nothing has to change."

"If we can find her," Jiro grumbles. He stiffens when the slim woman sends him a piercing glare.

"What?" he whines defensively. "We lost her during a storm. She could be dead for sure this time."

"Exactly," Libra suddenly interjects. "So, what does it matter anyway?"

Ran frowns, looking back at the girl.

"I mean," Libra starts, wringing her clawed hands, feet pawing at the ground. "They already believe she's dead. And now she's gone, or dead, or whatever. So technically…we still win, right?"

"Wrong." The captain's voice is a steel cold snarl. "We don't win."

He strides past them to grip the railing of the open deck. The rest of his crewmates watch as he takes in deep breaths, his eyes closing as he forces himself into a calmer state. When he opens them, they're a hazel green.

"This isn't some kind of game, Libra. You think we spent all that time and effort just for fun? Maybe you've all forgotten who we're dealing with, but I haven't."

Libra frowns, pouting. "I don't get it, then. Wasn't the whole point to mess up their feelings a bit? They're broken now. They don't have a navigator to take them anywhere. We can strike now, while they're-"

"Don't," Yuuto interrupts, his tone scathing. "Underestimate them."

Ran sighs after his silence.

"They may be hurt, but they'll also be angry," she explains to the younger girl. "Even if they never figure out that it was us, they'll still have to direct that anger somewhere."

She looks towards the room of the broken door, observing the thick wires that jut out from the wall and lie on the wrinkled sheets of the unoccupied bed. "The point of keeping her with us was to use her as a trump card. The Pirate King thinks he's lost his crewmember once… he wouldn't want to lose her twice. We'd have the element of surprise on our side."

"Scary stuff," Jiro comments, sneaking a glance at his still captain before sighing. "But right now the situation is what it is."

He jumps off the taffrail and shrugs. "If you ask me, this was a blessing in disguise. Dead or alive, that woman won't be able to tell anyone who did this and we'll be in the clear. I say we high-tail it while we still can or- uh, Cap? You listenin'?"

The captain doesn't hear him, his attention riveted on a familiar silver chain he had dug out of his pocket. It shines against the glare of the setting sun, the damning locket spinning slowly against the evening breeze.

"Whatcha got there, Cap?"

"It wasn't just about revenge," the captain murmurs to himself. "She was special. We could have afforded her skills to find One Piece. Now…"

He places the locket in his palm, tracing the intricately carved case with his thumb before gliding a nail over its side.

The locket opens.

A disbelieving chuckle escapes his lips.

"You gonna tell us what tickles you so about this situation, Cap?" Jiro asks dryly.

Captain Yuuto barks out an incredulous laugh before closing the locket with a click, shoving the jewel back into his pocket. He turns to his crew, a grin bordering on mad spreading across his face.

"Plan B."


"This won't do at all," the Pirate Empress states quietly, placing her cup of tea back down onto its small plate, the square-cut cake beside it untouched.

Her expression is dark, a deep scowl on her beautiful visage as she whispers, "Luffy..."

So this explains why she was met with such poor fanfare when she had arrived on the Thousand Sunny that evening.

As the most beautiful woman in the world, she expected nothing less than people throwing themselves at her feet, showering her with proclamations of love and compliments of her beauty. She had gotten what she wanted from one blond, heart-eyed man, albeit it seemed almost half hearted, but the rest gave her strained grins and short welcomes. She had frowned, not sure to be insulted or worried at their less than forthcoming behavior. But even more worrisome, she could not find Luffy among them.

A manicured hand suddenly clutches at her silk-clothed chest as the Empress tilts backwards, jet black long strands of hair hovering just above the floor, her other hand to her forehead. "Oh, my darling…! How this must pain you!"

She suddenly straightens, a small frown taking form on her striking face. "Wait. The navigator. Wasn't she the one-"

Jimbei nods.

"Then the island where we're supposed to sail to-"

Jimbei nods again.

There is a pause where Hancock bites her lip, suddenly uncertain of how she should react. Of course, anything that concerns her beloved immediately concerns her as well. And thinking of how Luffy was in pain only brought her own heart to clench with that feeling.

But the navigator, she also remembers, was a formidable rival for Luffy's heart. Being the most beautiful woman in the world, Hancock didn't think she had a reason to worry at first, until that blasted news coo had delivered a written message that effectively put an end to all of her future plans with the newly crowned Pirate King.

Now that rival was dead, but even if she had wished for something terrible to befall the orange-haired cat burglar, Hancock would never have actually wanted such a thing to happen if it meant hurting Luffy. Right now, the Pirate Empress felt anything but joy. With a shake of her head, she decides to focus for now on her loved one's well-being.

"Luffy," she starts. "Where is he now?"

"It might be best if you give him space at this time. He is still processing much of his feelings. As you can probably feel, Nami's death has been hard for him." He sighs heavily. "As it's been on all of us."

Hancock nods and a silence comes between them.

"But you all still plan to go to that island?" she asks after a minute. "In spite of everything?"

Jimbei looks down at his own cup of tea. "It is the only sure destination we know of, and changing anything right now will only cause more harm than good."

Her blue eyes narrow, not quite convinced. "And what role do you expect me to play in all this?"

Jimbei looks down at his own cup of tea. "It is at your discretion whether or not to tell your crew, but we would like to keep the information about Nami secret. The less people that know, the better."

He paused, his next words a bit strained. "For now, the eternal pose will take us to our destination but the journey there… It simply does us no good to keep wandering these seas like we've been doing so far. Our supplies will run out, and we are already on limited time. I know I am asking for a lot, but any help you can offer us in that time-"

Two hands slam onto the table in front of them, effectively halting his speech.

"Hmph." Hancock stands with born grace, meeting the Fishman's eyes with careful indifference. The glow of the fish tank behind her matches the deep blue of her eyes, slightly shadowed by her bangs.

"As always, you take too long to get to the point, Jimbei," Hancock reprimands. "I will lend my assistance, but only if this attempt to grovel ceases. It disgusts me."

She straightens, pinning him with one last glare before walking to the door leading back to the outer deck, heels clicking against wood.

"Thank you, Hancock," Jimbei bows after her.

"Save your gratitude," she states briskly. "I am only doing this for Luffy's sake." She pauses at the door, hand to the doorknob.

"... And you're still hiding something," the Empress muses.

At Jimbei's silence, she sighs loudly. "No matter the reason, my beloved wishes to still go to that island and I have no choice but to lead him there safely, you see. In exchange, I would like a room on this ship so that I can at least be of close aid to him."

"That can be arranged," the helmsman quickly assures.

"I know," she responds, before stepping out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her.


She's awoken by the soft murmur of voices and the rhythmic patter of rain.

Something warm and heavy lies on top of her, and she blinks away the grogginess in her eyes. Her mouth feels like sandpaper, and she swallows past a dry lump in her throat. The air does no good and she turns abruptly to her side as she hacks out a croupy cough, eyes shut tight.

The voices stop and something warm comes to rest on the back of her head, lifting her slightly up while something else settles on her lips.

"Here, have this," a woman's voice directs.

She parts her lips and allows the warm flow of thick liquid to bring her relief, coating her mouth with its savory taste.

"It's a special remedy for dehydration," says the voice. "Honey-coated water to help the inflammation in your throat."

She swallows the drink with greed, barely hearing the woman's words. Some of it slips down her cheek and down her neck but she pays it no mind.

When she's had her fill, she collapses back onto her side, breathing hard. Her eyes tiredly roll up to see a woman with kinky brown hair and soft hazel eyes looking down at her. The flickering candlelight illuminates her bronze skin and sharp, pixie-like features.

"Thank you," she croaks out.

The woman shakes her head. "No need. It is only my duty."

"Is she awake, Franny?" a younger voice suddenly pipes up from behind her. Not a second after, a young boy sporting curly dark hair appears over the woman's shoulder. A large grin spreads across his face.

"Hey! She's awake!" he answers himself.

Another head pokes out from behind the brown woman's other shoulder - a girl this time, braided pigtails littered with fly-aways and a splattering of freckles across the brdige of her nose. "Ah-! Don't be so loud, Kai, it looks like she just woke up."

'She' blinks slowly at them, eyebrows lightly scrunched as her pupils move from one curious face to the other, her wordless confusion apparent.

The woman in between the two teens opens her mouth but the boy beats her to it.

"My name's Kai, and this is Franny, our awesome nurse, and next to her is my sister, Mina," he introduces.

She nods in understanding, but their names don't sound familiar - it is the first time she is hearing them, the first time she is meeting them. Her head feels like it's been stuffed with cotton and put into a fishbowl.

"My sister didn't believe me when I said I saw a foreigner floating on a piece of wood on the sea monster water," the boy - "Kai" - continues almost giddily, "but then she also saw what I saw and then we ran out to save you but then this huge wave came out of nowhere and-"

"Kai." The woman - "Franny", the nurse - places a hand on the boy's mouth and throws him an exasperated smile. "Will you do me a favor and bring in Grandmama? She'll want to see our guest."

His eyes light up above her hand and he disappears from behind her just as fast as he had appeared.

"Don't mind, Kai," Franny sighs, her smile now apologetic. "He's always like that."

The girl beside her - "Mina" - nods in silent agreement, but wide sparkling blue eyes betray her own tightly-lidded excitement.

"But we are glad you're awake - you've been asleep for three days," the nurse reveals, plugging the empty skin flask in her hand and setting it to the side. "We were starting to get worried, but Grandmama said you would be alright. Your condition has stabilized and you've tolerated thick liquids so far. It won't be long before you can get back up again. You can continue to rest for now, though, and take it slow. You're safe here."

"Safe?" she echoes, her body tensing under the covers enveloped around her, the word somehow making her feel anything but.

Franny notices, scowling in return. "Is there… something you remember?"

She doesn't answer, eyes squinting past the nurse to make sense of her whereabouts. The glow from the candlelight helps her make out what looks like a spotted brown tarp stretched out above their heads, the drizzle of rain thrumming against the animal skin. Her eyes roam around what she slowly realizes is a large hut, strong, flexible bamboo beams providing a coned shape for the warm abode.

Nothing strikes her as familiar.

Her palms smooth blindly against the material she is laying on, fingers curling against soft fur. With a small grunt, she resolves to sit up, pushing against the cushioned ground. The motion is too much, and her surroundings start to tilt.

Franny is quick to support her with a hand on her back and Mina scurries over to her other side, hands hovering uncertainly.

She closes her eyes and waits for her head to stop spinning.

"Your blood pressure is low from dehydration," Franny murmurs, rubbing circles around her back. "You'll be dizzy when quickly changing positions, so you'll have to-"

"Ahh?! So the sleeping beauty wakes-hm?!" a voice suddenly booms.

She blinks away the spots in her vision to see a large, dark-skinned man with an equally large wide smile stroll into the hut from an opening behind the nurse. An older gray-haired woman holding a long wooden stick follows after him, Kai at her side.

"See? Told ya!" Kai chirps proudly.

"Doc... Obaa-chan..." Mina greets the two with a bow, Franny following suit.

"So it is as the boy says," the old woman says. Her smile reaches her eyes. "Welcome to the world of the living, young one."

She stares at them in response, unsure of how to react.

The large man wastes no time to approach her and she leans back uncomfortably as he bends down, inches away from her face. He lifts an eyebrow as his eyes roam about her face and physique.

"Hmmmm," he begins, then whips back up to a stand and nods in apparent satisfaction. "Fantastic! Tomorrow, have her up and walking around so she gains back some strength-hm?"

"A tour of the village!" Kai suggests.

"Yes!" the doctor booms in agreement. "That'll do! We can't let those lean muscles waste away-hm! After all, they're what holds up her amazing-"

"Doc!" Franny speedily cuts in, seemingly knowing his next choice of words and clapping her hands. She reaches up to take him by the shoulders and ushers him back to the entrance of the tent. "Thank you for the clearance! I'll make sure she starts her physical therapy tomorrow."

"Hm? Was that all?" The Doc can be heard asking, going along with the nurse.

"Actually, I also need you to check on Yui today... I heard she's been having daylight hallucinations again…"

As their voices fade out, the old woman moves forward to take the doctor's place, appraising their guest with a pair of startling aquamarine eyes.

"How do you feel?" the old woman - "Obaa-chan", she heard the children call her earlier - rasps warmly, the crinkles around her eyes deepening.

She relaxes under her gaze, answering the question sincerely. "Exhausted," she replies hoarsely.

The old woman chuckles, and for some reason it sounds wrong for her - high and cheerful and bell-like. "I can imagine. You've gone through quite a lot."

Her words bring back a sense of emptiness in her. She hangs her head, bangs shadowing her eyes as she clutches at the covers bunched up on her lap. "... It certainly feels like it… but…"

"You don't remember," the old woman finishes, kindly cocking her head.

Her grip on the covers tightens for a split second before she lets go with a sigh, shaking her head. "I… I don't know…"

The end of the wooden staff suddenly touches her chin, gently nudging her head back up. The old woman nods to something to behind her. "Perhaps…?"

But when she tries to turn and look, another bout of dizziness overtakes her. She groans, squeezing her eyes shut once more.

"Mina, will you please?" she hears the old woman ask.

There's some shuffling, a small grunt as Mina seems to struggle with the object, then a light thump as she places it down in front of her.

"There, now," the old woman says. "See for yourself."

She opens her eyes.

Her breath hitches.

"Do you-" she hears Kai start, then stop abruptly.

The room is silent but for the sound of rain on the tarp above and the tears that plop onto the covers bunched up around her waist.

"I'm sorry," she finally whispers.

She is not sure if it's to herself - to this unrecognizable woman in the mirror - or to the strangers around her. She swipes at her tears but there's a heat behind her eyes and the drops build until they fall one after the other.

"I-I can't remember," she sobs quietly. "I don't know who I am, or where I am, or why I'm here. I'm thankful for being saved, for all of your kindness, but I don't know how I got here, and I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

"Oh, come now, my child," the old woman's voice soothes, and she lowers herself down to the ground to wrap her in a warm embrace. "Do not let such things burden you. You have just fought long and hard for your life. For now, let that be enough. Finding out who you are might take time, but no longer than those who were given a name but who have never found out who they truly are."

She only buries her face further into the old woman's shoulders, silent tears streaming down her face and moistening the fur beneath her cheeks.

"D-don't cry, Lady," Kai tries. "You'll remember something eventually..."

"..." Mina bites her lip, eyes downcast as she places the mirror against the hut's wall.

The room is quiet once more, save for some sniffling and the thrum of rain.

"How about-!" Kai suddenly exclaims. He pauses, mulling on the idea some more. Then-

"Yeah! Obaa-chan was talking about people who have names and stuff, right? So... let's just give you a new name!"

The young woman draws back from the old woman's embrace, teary eyes shining. "A-a name?" she hiccups.

"I think that's a great idea, Kai," the old woman says. "A name is a good start. Even if you don't remember who you are yet, it doesn't do any good to keep calling you by the titles of 'Lady' or 'foreigner.'"

"Yeah," Mina adds. She pumps her fists up then down in a gesture of determination. "And a name might help trigger something, too! What do you think?"

The young woman looks down for a moment before giving them a nod. "Alright then."

"Oh-kay!" Kai grins, then puts a hand on his chin pensively. "It's gotta be pretty, right? So something like, umm, Faye! Orrrrr Lucy? Or... Mikasa…! Or… something… girly," he quickly gives up.

"Sakura?" Mina attempts herself. "No? Then maybe... Uraraka? Or… Rukia? Or, maybe… ah! Asuna?"

The young woman purses her lips, feeling out each name that's being called out but not quite resonating with any of them.

Her name…

She assumes it's something simple. Short, but meaningful. She closes her eyes in thought, groping for something, anything, but there's an unexplainable blank space in her mind where her memories have been emptied out.

The frustration of it all starts to build up in her chest.

Amnesia, of all things.

It's the word they kept skating around, all of them, but it couldn't be more glaring.

It'd be fine if she could remember her name, or where she came from. Even the last few moments before she ended up here - wherever here is - could have provided her a clue. But her story - from birth until now - was wiped clean, and her sense of self gone with it.

Her hands bunch around the fur blankets.

If she was found alone, hanging on for her life in the middle of the ocean like the boy had mentioned, how was she even sure she had people out there who cared about her? Missed her? ... Remembered her?

Hadn't she been left for dead, only barely clinging on to life?

(And maybe that's what should've happened).

(Maybe she should have died. Maybe the person she was before deserved it).

And she feels herself descending into a deep sort of darkness, the ground below her dipping into a dark hole, the alternating voices of Kai and Mina fading. Shadow-like hands reached for her from below, gripping her head and arms, ready to swallow her -

"How about…" she hears the old woman distantly murmur, "Umiko?"

A flash of white light. (The darkness recedes).

She blinks rapidly, dumbfounded. "...What?"

"Hmm?" The old woman lifts her eyebrows. "Do you like it?"

She raises a wrinkly finger and taps it on the nameless woman's nose. "I think it is fitting for you. They found you in the ocean, no? Umiko. A child of the sea."

"...!" Another flash.

She grips her head, eyes shut tight. Then-

The roar of waves, crashing against the bottom of a cliff. A tombstone sits on top, the name of the buried covered by a bouquet of flowers and a tangerine. A pinwheel spins lazily against a sea breeze.

"Ungh!" She braces herself on the fur ground, a sheen of sweat lining across her forehead.

"That must be it!" Kai exclaims excitedly. "It's pretty, too, Obaa-chan! We can call you Umi, for short!"

"Are you okay… Umi?" Mina tentatively asks.

The name definitely triggered something, but she isn't sure what to make of it. So far, it's the only one that seems to fit.

The newly named young woman - Umiko - breathes heavily, staring at the unfamiliar woman across from her.

The woman looks back, pale face flushed a light rosy red, snow white tresses flowing like foamy waves across her shoulders, tumbling graciously down her back. Overgrown bangs lightly brush against long dark eyelashes. The candles' flames flicker orange against the stormy gray of her eyes.

A blank canvas of a person.

"Umiko," she watches herself mouth the name, testing it on her tongue. "Umi."

Her reflection smiles.


To be continued...

or will it?!

:P

I debated a lot about this chapter's title because I wanted to keep the little unplanned one word, two word alternating thing I had going there for the titles but this title was so fitting! Whatever!

"Lost" has become a very special story to me, and I don't think I'll ever let it go without it having an ending. So hang in there, bigail, Majestade, Girls in Car, clario1999, Smiley 108, Roasted Chicken, rerungirl, toni1116...

And I'll try not to disappoint you Merizo, Nami4life, Just a fan (guest), onepieceloverforever, Mr. Angst, great story, Dr Calculus, eletedaccount, deletednumber, Crebain, A-chan-sama, Uranus Girl, 90s Wheelah Aespeciales...

And of course, all the OG LuNa fans... y'all know who you are...

Thank you all for your support!

Please continue to let me know your thoughts and comments! I go back to them and they boost me better than any caramel lattes ever could! Any constructive criticism is also appreciated!

X.

A/N if you want to know why I've been MIA: I had long breaks in between writing stories mainly due to school and work. Life really does get in the way :/. I started writing back in high school and now, five years later, I still am, thankfully. Idk, having to write essays for my classes always felt like they just... sucked all the creativity out of me and took my imagination with it. All I wanted to do was rest my brain with Netflix and YouTube and Reddit browsing rather than actually engage it with more writing. But writing stories I want is different than forced research topics, obviously, so I came back around. Thankfully, I am on my LAST semester of college, (whoop whoop!) so maybe now I'll have the time and energy to let my imagination run free! (Is this how Oda always feels? O.o).

(Additional side rant that you may skip: The last few chapters of OP have been INSANE, and they've been giving me some new story ideas that I HAVE TO PUT ASIDE IN WORD DOCS BC I HAVE YET TO FINISH MY INCOMPLETE ONES AHHHH THE SELF-CONTROL. The weirdest part is, the story ideas that I generally have, I kid you not, Oda later puts them into his next chapter, and then of course make those ideas BETTER like the true master he is. I'm not saying our minds are *sometimes* in sync, but that's exactly what I'm saying. All jokes aside, I am always hesitant to post something like an adventure story cuz I know it will require large-scale world-building [RIP "Nami"]. The perfectionist in me says I need to get exact details right or it's no bueno. Not sure I'm cut out for that kind of stress.

If anything, I want to write a simple adventure story [with the OTP of course] and try not to sweat the details so that i can update quickly and just let my ideas run free. [Then MAYBE go back and fix it later]. I want it to be popular, too, so that LuNa can get up there with the legends. Gah, I strongly dislike all the harems up there. Feels like a lot of people just imagine OP girls as side pieces that all want a piece of their (*overrated, OOC, self-insert, overpowered version*... I said what I said v.v) of Luffy. Makes me sad sometimes, cuz Oda's Luffy would never treat women like prizes to have at the end of a fight... I'm certain of it! I'm sure there are good stories mixed in but MAN it just turns me OFF idk... Oh well, ig that's why FF will always be FF. [And I'm sure there are people out there can't stand LuNa, those losers (jkjk :P)]. At least Oda never disappoints in the real OP story. Props to him - tons of respect for the guy. ...Yes, I guess this did turn out to be an Oda appreciation post.)

X

Anyways. Hope you enjoyed the long awaited chapter 5 (the prologue as "Chapter 1" always messes that up dang it :P)!

Ja ne,

forgottensongs (Sunny) ^^