"Wealth, fame, power. The man, who once owned everything, the Pirate King, Gold Roger. The words he said before his death sent all the people of the world out to the seas."

"My treasure? If you want it, I'll give it to you! Find it! I left everything in that place."

"Men, searching for romance, pushed forward towards the Grand Line. The world is now in the Grand Age of Pirates!"

Chapter 16: Airtopia's Prophecy, Black Wings of Omen

Twenty years ago...

"Valdivina!" Eris glanced towards the stairs of her quaint Airtopian home, awaiting a response from her daughter. As her young ten year old daughter reached the top of the steps, she smiled down to her mother. Before she could even pipe up, Eris beckoned her down. "There you are, come on down now. Your father's ceremony is happening shortly, you know!"

"Yes mother!" As the young Valdivina bounded down the stairs, Eris watched her daughter's black wings for a moment and sighed.

"Valdivina..." Eris motioned towards her daughter's black wings. "Where are your wing coverings? We can't leave without them."

"Oh, right!" Valdivina jumped in surprise before running back up the stairs, thumping to her bedroom and returning with her wing coverings that Eris had made for her. Made from salvaged feathers from various birds, the white wing coverings slipped over Valdivina's black wings effortly and hid them from sight. As Valdivina worked the coverings on, she looked at Eris curiously. "Mom? Will I ever have to not wear these?"

Eris swallowed hard before glancing down at the floor. She had been over this before, but... Valdivina never gave up hope. She glanced back to her daughter and shook her head. "No dear, not until we can make your wings white."

Valdivina frowned in response. "B-But... I like my wings! I don't care if they'd scare people!"

Eris' eyes widened as her voice suddenly rose several levels. "Valdivina, nobody in Airtopia other than your father and I can ever see your wings! We would all be forced to leave our home forever, we cannot have that! Especially after today when your father is appointed to his new position!"

Frowning, Valdivina's eyes fell to the ground. "Okay..."

Eris had told her daughter all about why her wings were such a bad thing to Airtopians. It was prophecized hundreds of years back that a child with black wings would one day be born and lead to Airtopia's demise. It was a loaded story to unleash on a child's mind, and the young Valdivina didn't truly understand why her wings were a bad thing for several years. Her wings were supposedly an ominous sign of Airtopia's apocalypse and needed to be hidden from everyone. Of course, Eris and her husband never saw it that way. They simply saw Valdivina as their beautiful young daughter, refusing to believe the prophecy regarding the black winged child.

"Okay, Valdivina, take my hand. Let's go see your father!" Eris smiled warmly to her daughter, extending her hand out towards her. Fighting her frown off, Valdivina managed to smile in return as she took her mother's hand and moved to head outside.

"People of Airtopia!" The elderly sage Momubo, who stood at a podium before the gathered mass of Airtopians, extended his hands towards them. "We are gathered her today to not only commemorate the life of the previous Protector of Airtopia, Shindo, but to also join in celebration of the appointment of the new Protector!"

Everyone who had gathered applauded wildly, arms in the air as Momubo motioned towards his side. "Please, people of Airtopia, welcome our newest Protector! Kazuya!"

Eris and Valdivina cheered louder than everyone as Kazuya approached the podium. Kazuya, wife to Eris and father to Valdivina, took the podium and smiled to everyone before him. "Family! Friends! Fellow Airtopians!" More cheers erupted from the crowd as Kazuya laughed modestly, shaking his head at the level of support he received. "With all my heart, I am eternally grateful to accept this position that you have all selected me for! I will do my utmost to protect Airtopia from harm for the rest of my days, for the sake of our children and our children's children!"

Momubo's old face smiled tiredly as he shuffled over towards Kazuya, who inclined his head. Momubo gently placed a circlet onto Kazuya's head, prompting more cheering from the gathered Airtopians. As Kazuya stood back up straight, Momubo turned to face the crowd. "With the donning of the Sacred Circlet of Air, Kazuya is now the six hundred and thirty fifth Protector of Airtopia! Rejoice!"

Everyone, again, cheered for their new Protector. Eris and Valdivina exchanged euphoric smiles before looking back towards the podium as Momubo waved to them. "Kazuya's family! Come, celebrate the ascension!"

As Eris shuffled to move past everyone, Valdivina broke out into an excited run as she made a bee-line for the podium. However, halfway to the podium, she accidentally tripped over the foot of one of the Airtopians who had gathered and went tumbling to the ground. Everyone's excitement turned to sheer shock and terror as Valdivina's wing coverings sprung off as she tumbled, exposing her black wings. An eerie silence fell over the gathered masses at the sight of Valdivina's true wings. Kazuya stood stone-faced and horrified as his wife, Eris, ducked her head in shame.

As whispers started to loudly spread throughout the masses of the prophecy and the black winged child, Momubo stepped towards Kazuya slowly. "Kazuya... your girl..." He glanced off towards Valdivina, who was now sitting up and looking at every around her recoiling in fear. "She is the black winged child, the one that the prophecy spoke of?"

Kazuya's eyes rested solely on his daughter, his gaze not leaving her once. "It would appear so, Momubo."

For a moment, not a word was exchanged between the two until Momubo spoke up loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Kazuya, if your daughter is the black winged ill omen that the prophecy speaks off, then we cannot in good conscience appoint to as Protector of Airtopia unless... you remove your daughter from Airtopia at once."

Kazuya glanced at Momubo with wide eyes, Eris doing the same from the crowd. "Elder Momubo..." Kazuya furrowed his brow as he glanced back towards Valdivina, a look of despair on his face as he lingered on her for some time before reaching up and removing the circlet that rested on his head, handing it to Momubo. "I will do no such thing. I love my daughter, and I will never sacrifice her for my own personal gain!"

Valdivina could do little else but stare up towards her father, eyes beginning to blur with tears. Were her wings really that terrible!?

"Kazuya..." Eris put her arm around her husband and hugged him lightly as he sat on their couch, staring at the floor in thought. "Momubo will be here soon. They won't rest until some form of action is taken against..." Her voice trailed off, becoming quiet. "... our daughter."

Just as Kazuya spoke the words, there was a knock on the door. He furrowed his brow and let out a long sigh before standing, letting Eris' arms drop, as he walked towards the door. He stared at it for a long moment, long enough for another knock to come, before he opened it and peered down at Momubo. "Elder Momubo."

Momubo nodded in response. "Where is your daughter, Kazuya? We must... do something about this. You know this?"

Kazuya had no intention of surrendering his daughter, but nodded and allowed Momubo in. "She is in her bedroom. Sleeping, I hope. Do you want to see her?"

Momubo shuffled idly, almost impatiently. "Before we decide on a course of action, I must see the black wings for myself. Take me to her, Kazuya."

Nodding, Kazuya began to escort Momubo to their stairs, Eris in tow behind them. "There must be a way, Elder Momubo? For no action to be taken? She is my daughter."

"I am aware of this, Kazuya. Valdivina is a wonderful little girl, but you know what the prophecy states. Airtopia, as a whole, is more important than the fate of one little girl."

As they reached the door to Valdivina's bedroom, Kazuya glared slightly towards Momubo as he pondered how he was going to get his daughter out of this unharmed. Swallowing hard, he turned the doorknob and pushed the door open gently... to reveal an empty bedroom. The eyes of all three opened wide as Eris shot into the bedroom. "Valdivina! Where did she go!?"

Kazuya growled as he turned and grabbed Momubo by the collar, lifting him and staring him in the eyes. "Momubo! What did you do with her? Where is my daughter!?"

"I-I did nothing! Kazuya, please!" Momubo squirmed helplessly as Kazuya dropped him, letting him stumble as he backed away slightly. "This is not my doing! I swear to you!"

As Kazuya and Eris ran into the room and looked around frantically, Momubo pointed towards the open bedroom window. "E-Eris! Kazuya!"

As the two looked towards the open window, Kazuya ran towards it and stuck his head out, looking around wildly. "Valdivina! Where are you? Valdivina!"

Little did anyone know that the young girl was already well on her way to fleeing from Airtopia, not only to protect herself but to allow her father to rise to the position he rightfully deserved.

Through tear-stained vision, Valdivina sighed and readjusted her dress to make sure that her black wings were both hidden underneath it and her flowing red hair. It was, at that moment, that there was a sharp knock on the door as Juzo's loud voice boomed through the door. "Valdivina! Sabrina returned with urgent news! Captain Krieg wants us to assemble immediately!"

Valdivina swallowed hard before glancing towards the door and doing her best to speak in a composed voice. "O-Okay! I'll be there in a moment!"

With one final glance back at her reflection, Valdivina sighed quietly. She had, in the end, been the doom of Airtopia by bringing Don Krieg to her former home. That was in the past now, and there was no undoing it. For her sake, and for the sake of the purest of emotions in her heart, she had to protect her secret.

TO BE CONTINUED