Author's Note; Why hello there. o3o I typically don't update this fast, but I had this chapter all ready to go and just had the urge to post it. So don't expect such speedy service all the time! D:

I would really appreciate comments on this chapter. I would really like to hear what people think about the end of this. (Hmm...although I'm not sure if I will get any reviews...though just know that I'm actually looking for some. x3 So don't be scared to click that "Add a Review" button.)

That's about it! Thanks for perusing and I'll see you whenever I update next. (:


I woke up in a daze, staring up at the blotchy sky. As if someone spilled their warm-color pallet, the sky was streaked with reds, pinks, purples, and oranges. It must already be sunset.

I sat up, head spinning and eyes aching. I didn't know what I was going to do. I felt so lost that it took all of my selfcontrol not to breakdown. I stayed in that position, sitting, until the half moon was far above my head. It was strange how things continued on even though your entire life was ruined. The sun would still rise in the morning, the sun would still set in the evening. The birds would keep singing and the wind would start up again eventually, never dying. That's what I spent the first half of the night wondering about.

For the second half, I tried coming up with ways to hunt down these pirates with the moon-flag.

When I had woken up yesterday on the ground, my wound was still fairly fresh, so I calculated that their ship would be about two, maybe even three days ahead. Where were they heading? Maybe the Grand Line? Perhaps this was their last event before heading off to the treacherous sea, to prove to themselves they were ready to take on the untamable?

Think like a pirate, I urged myself. Where would a pirate go after a huge plunder? Well, maybe to the nearest island and into a bar to celebrate. I remembered a story my mother told me, about a pirate crew by the name of The Drunkards. After every plunder, they scurried off to the bar to celebrate, spending more than they had originally stolen. A small smile tugged at my lips at the story. Chances are there was never a crew by that name, but no doubt that that surely happens in real life. So, a pub was on the possible list of places they could've wound up.

But, would they of stopped at a local island? Or one farther away near the Grand Line? Oh, I didn't even know if that was where they were headed. But it seemed like everyone nowadays was heading towards the pirate's dream; One Piece was what every pirate wanted, and the only way to get it was to conquer that terrible stretch of ocean. Only fools with their heads screwed on loose would dare set foot in such a place. But, then again, only fools would slaughter an entire village for no apparent reason. Grand Line…that, too, was a possibility.

…No, no way was I going to Grand Line. There was nothing that could make me leave the peaceful enough Red Line. Grand Line, I nodded to confirm, was off limits.

These "moon pirates" still had to be in the Red Line. They must only be a few days ahead and it would take more than a few days to reach the Grand Line. Yes, I would catch up to them before the thought of Grand Line even touched their minds.

…But what would I do when I found them? There was no way in hell I could take them all on just by myself. I may have the power of a Devil's Fruit, but still; we were talking about a ruthless crew who would kill anything it set eyes on. My power couldn't take on that.

I grasped the makeshift chain around my neck and nervously played with the ring entrusted to me. Logic explained that there was no way I could fulfill my promise, but my mind and heart were telling me that I'd have to. In the end, I had to avenge my life somehow. Yes, that was what I was doing; avenging my life. They destroyed it along with all the people in it.

I lifted my head and listened as a new day begun, the night spent entirely on thinking.

I suppose, I thought, that the real question was where to start. Obviously, I'd need a boat of some sort, but there's no way there'd be one here now since the crew demolished everything. But, it'd be worth a shot to look, at least for parts and such. A boat was essential, as well as supplies. I could get those at the abandoned stores, as long as the pirates didn't ransack them all entirely. I'm sure the storekeepers wouldn't of minded.

I stood up, wincing at the discomfort, and started walking to the main road. As I walked, I felt as if I were walking through memories. It's an odd thing that I had been in this area, walked this same path, so many times, and all those times I didn't once think of the time I scraped my knee near that tree over there. Or that time when I hid in that exact clump of bushes while playing hide and seek with the local kids.

And I remembered, approaching the main road, the first time I came there by myself. I was scared and confused at all the bustle and haste. Now…it was empty, as well as all those memories; nothing but empty bottles with the slowly fading reminisces trapped within them. I guess it's true what they say, that you don't know what you had until it's gone. Or, maybe you knew what you had, always knew it was there. But you never thought it'd get taken away.

I was already half way down the main road, distracted by my thoughts. I shook out of it and concentrated on the goal of locating some sort of boat, but I had little hope.

The docks, where pretty much all the boats were, would be where the pirates should've come from. With their destructive intent, I doubted they'd leave the boats unscathed. But it was still the first place to look. Though I bet all the acceptable boats would be long eradicated, leaving just the "small-fry", measly sail boats that wouldn't even make it to the next island.

No, enough with the negativity. I was going to get off this island and set things straight.

I stomped towards the docks with a new swagger..but quickly seized the proud walk, my side demanding it.

It absolutely sucked being injured like this. I couldn't move efficiently, and for who knew how much longer. This would be a difficult journey if I was disabled like this. Perhaps I'll be able to find some more medical supplies in some of the shops to treat my wound more properly.

I reached the docks and was not surprised to find slabs of boat in whichever way; thrown and discarded as if they were nothing more than twigs. I gulped and took a few more steps forward, analyzing the area.

No boats were docked; they were all scattered about the land, a few scraps floating pitifully in the ocean nearby. Some pieces were more intact than others but there was nothing I could sail with. I swallowed any hope I had whole.

I walked down the dock, gently flipping pieces of boat over with my foot. Some could be useful in the making of a ship..but I was no shipwright. It would take me forever to build a boat and even that probably wouldn't float one bit. I know some people who had boats at their places, but those probably met the same fate as these.

I faced the fact that it was either build a boat or bust.

I feebly walked back up the dock, observing the damage once more without a choice. The dock used to flourish with fishermen and their catches, as well as little children running up and down the same path I was currently walking. Laughter. This village used to be filled with it. Now a mere ghost town, I made my way back up to the road without catching a single trill of the beautiful sound.

…..But I heard something else.

I stopped dead in my tracks, making a sharp right turn, my side screaming in pain. But I ignored it, only paying attention to the grasses I head the humanly sound from. I shook with the agony of my hopes rising rapidly. I did my best to suppress them, but when I heard it again, a cough, they sky rocketed and I staggered as fast as I could to those grasses.

When I approached them and looked down, a smile stretched my lips to their full capacity as I stared down at Skylar, alive.

I was not alone, and would not go through this alone.

Hopefully.