When everyone wakes, the sides of the ship are being drug through the water by stingrays. Everyone's shackles have been removed and piled to the side along with the pieces of the gas masks that had been dismantled. Karmen sits atop Parvati with Pierce on her back, using his wings to shield her from the sun. Lying in front of her is a large wooden plank that says The Heralder and in her hands is her impaled gas mask.
Her face is unreadable as she looks at the gaping hole. Her mind pours over her few sightings of Mihawk, Zoro's promise to Luffy, making her aerosolized poisons to hunt down Franky, Enies Lobby, traveling on Merry and then losing her, all the time Kudra had trapped her on Batoidea, and so much more. This mask had been with her through the first half of the Grand Line. She hadn't been able to predict the slaver's plans. She had been nearly defenseless against them and Pierce had spent his strength to protect her. She needs to get stronger.
Pierce shifts his wings a fraction, a sign that he's getting stiff from shielding her this long. She strokes her thumb over the hole in the mask one more time before directing her attention to him. "So. Which part are we talking about first?"
There is an assessing pause and she can feel him shake his head against her back. "You're upset. We can talk later." He pauses for a moment. "Or… we could talk to Dr. Saaresto together."
"If that' the way you want to do it," she says. "Just keep in mind that there's an explanation for everything that happened back there, and I know it's the same for you. We'll go home, get everyone settled, and then we'll talk."
He gives a small nod. "Karmen? I'm sorry about your mask. It seems… important to you."
Kamen leans her head against his. "I appreciate you saying so, but I can get another," she says softly, though she knows no other mask will be quite the same. "The important thing is that no one was hurt." But that isn't true either. The Heralder had sacrificed herself to keep the slavers from continuing their work and had asked Karmen to finish the job so that they would have to swim to the nearby island or wait to be rescued from the sandbar.
She rests the mask on the name plaque and stretches to her feet. She turns around and gives the confused men a warm smile. "Hello, dearies," she greets. "I know you're probably wondering where you are and who we are. Rest assured, all of your questions will be answered shortly. My name is Karmen W. Valentine and I'm taking you to a secure location where you can recuperate until we know it's safe to get you home."
The word home puts most of the men at ease, some even cheer, but they still watch her carefully as she steps onto the ship siding and over to the fishmen who sit slightly apart from everyone else. "You got a problem with us, lady?" the lungfish asks.
Karmen gives a soft chuckle. "Not at all. I simply thought you'd like to know that Aladine wanted to check in on you two. Here." She places a call on a transponder snail and extends it to him while it's still ringing. He takes it warily, but without comment. "I'll let you take your call in relative privacy." She moves back to Parvati and pretends not to listen to them talking as she stares out intently at the horizon.
"Ghost? Are they safe?" Aladine asks.
The lungfish Fishman gives a soft chuckle. "I thought for sure that lady was pulling some kind of trick, but it's good to hear your voice."
"So they did it? They rescued you?"
"Well, everyone that had been on their way to the auction house is here and out of their chains," he says. "I couldn't tell you how it happened, we were all unconscious."
"Did she knock you out?"
"No, the slaver Captain did. He had a devil fruit power."
"And they still beat the slavers? I guess I had nothing to worry about."
"You're working with a human?"
"It's a long story, but I think she's trustworthy. Jinbe seems to think so."
"How does Jinbe know her?"
"He wouldn't say, but he was really happy to know she was safe and had Demon."
"Who's Demon?"
"The man with the wings and horns. I guess you haven't been introduced yet."
"I don't really care for introductions. When are you picking us up?"
"Actually, I was hoping you could stay with her for a little while and try to verify her story. She says she takes people to some sort of facility for treatment. I want you to make sure that's not just some cover story."
The Fishman lets out a heavy sigh. "Well, the chains are off at least. How long do you want us to lay low?"
"I'm not sure yet. It depends on what you find."
"Alright. I guess I can keep my eyes and ears open."
"Thank you. We'll be in touch. I need to speak with Ghost, if you don't mind."
"Yeah, sure. Here." He raises the snail. "Hey lady. He wants to talk to you."
Karmen looks over, her face still an unreadable mask, and returns to retrieve her snail. "Safe and sound, just like I promised," she drawls in a subtly viperous voice.
"I don't know how you did it, or what your history is with Jinbe, but it seems I can trust you. A deal's a deal. We'll help you get your patients home when they're ready."
Her emotionless mask breaks into a warm smile. "Thank you, Aladine. You're a good man. I'll let you know when our first group is ready. Say hi to Jinbe for me, from both of us." She hangs up and puts the snail back into her pocket and returns to her devious position.
"Aren't you going to finish your introduction?" the Fishman asks.
"Hm?" Karmen asks innocently. "Oh, yes. Pierce, dear, you've shaded me long enough. Give your wings a rest and stretch your legs."
"If that's what you'd prefer," he says, though she knows his subtle undertones enough to know that he doesn't trust her not to get sunstroke before they reach the Calm Belt after she just spent half a day talking to the voices in her head. She pats his claw as he dismounts and transforms back, instantly wrapping himself in wings and turning his head in the direction of the slaves to give a curt nod. He makes a show of stretching, transforms back into a bat, and returns to his position. Instead of raising his wings to shield her, he settles for placing his hat on her head and tucking his horns against her back.
She gives a small sigh, but it's more to channel her amusement into something other than a laugh. "As you wish." She turns to the fishmen. "Sorry. He tends to be antisocial. You'll have plenty of time to get to know him while we prepare you to go home." Pierce's only response is a slightly stronger exhalation on his next breath.
She moves through the rest of the men, reassuring them, checking on their general well-being, and promising them food and water once they reach their destination. Everyone seems to be in good health, as to be expected of people expected to be sold. The chief complaint is hunger and sore wrists, though most of the men aren't willing to grumble too loud about either. A few of them had been slaves for a while and have hoofprints or other slave identification markings and scars on their backs. Others were fresh captures, never before subjected to the cruelty that had been awaiting them. These men look at the others with dumbfounded and disgusted expressions as the former promise Karmen that they'll behave themselves, grinning and bowing and begging her for mercy. She is gentle with them, reassuring that they don't need to worry about trying to please her, that they need only rest and recover from their ordeal.
When she reaches Parvati again, she pulls out a different transponder snail and dials a number. When the person on the other line picks up, Karmen puts in an earbud to listen to them while she traces her fingers over the letters on the plank by her feet. "Hey, it's Ghost. I have an odd request. Could you look into the history of a ship for me?… Yes. Something about it isn't sitting well with me. The name's The Heralder… She was a Gallowcomb slaver ship until last night… How's Sunny?… Give her my love, would you? And thank you all for taking care of her for us. I know it can't be easy… Thanks. You're a dear."
They don't move for a while. Karmen ends up lost in thought and trying to get her drying hair into something more manageable than a ball of frizz. She feels Pierce shifting on her back as he adjusts his head to listen to a conversation, horns supportively set between her shoulder blades. She closes her eyes and searches for what's caught his attention. It doesn't take long. The fishmen are having a private discussion. She doesn't have to use Haki to feel their eyes on her, but she uses a little to read the movement of their lips.
"I heard the guards talking about it. The people who were taken from the complex didn't come back."
"That could mean anything," the shrimp says. "Would you even want to go back?"
"Not there," the first one says, "but no one heard anything after."
"I don't know about you, but I don't care where I go as long as I'm out of those chains," shrimp says. "You and I just have to jump into the ocean. We don't have to stay with them. Aladine would understand."
The other Fishman shifts as he looks around at all the rescued slaves. "If she's got something bad planned, then I don't want to leave these starry-eyed humans with her. We could kill take her out and let Aladine decide what to do with them after."
"What about what Aladine said?"
"The first step in verifying her story is going to be making sure she can fight."
"Maybe if we find out she's a fraud, we could get the rays to help us get these men somewhere safe. They're all around us."
They lean over the side of the raft to converse briefly with the rays pulling it. "What do you mean by taking them home? This is the Calm Belt!"
"He said she has a bond. Do you think that's true?"
"There's no way a surface dweller like her has a life bond. Not with a whole pod of ray. I won't believe it until I see it."
"So what do you want to do?"
"Let's test her. If she's strong enough to withstand a few punches, then maybe I'll believe she's the one who took out the slaver captain."
"What about the zoan? It might have been him."
"We'll get them both in a surprise attack, that way we'll know for sure." They both slide into the water.
Pierce groans. "I haven't gotten enough sleep for this."
Karmen gives a small smile. "Are you ready, Par?" Parvati gives an enthusiastic flip of her fins. She considers any challenge to her bond-mate a challenge to her, and she loves a good challenge.
"Want help?" Pierce asks, despite already knowing the answer.
"These boys are just concerned. I think I can diffuse the situation on my own. Why don't you go sit on Raja while we have our fun?" His claws instantly unhook and he moves to the other ray. He stays curled in a tight ball with one ear towards her, ready to spring into action if needed.
Karmen rolls her neck and shoulders, flexing her arms while she amps up her haki. Parvati swishes her tail in anticipation, slicing it through the waves in fluid motion. "Sync." The Fishmen erupt out of the water on either side of them, somewhat surprised to find Pierce had dismounted.
The lungfish directs a webbed hand at her head while the shrimp moves to sweep her legs with three of his. Their movement might as well be in slow motion for Karmen. She leaps into the air, bending backward and spiraling gracefully between their attacks. She lands lightly on one hand and foot, sweeping out the other for balance, stroking Parvati's spikes as she does. "Hello, dearies," Karmen says, eyes twinkling up at them. "If you have a disagreement about the lack of provisions, I could arrange a quick snack." They move simultaneously to uppercut her. She pushes off the ray into a more vertical backflip and lands on the tip of her bond-partner's barbed tail. "Usually talking is the first step, but I don't mind entertaining your methods for the time being."
Parvati springs her tail and propels Karmen into the air before diving into a flip. It's all the fishmen can do to remain on her back as she straightens out and resurfaces. Karmen lands lightly on her nose as the ray raps both the Fishmen on the back of the head from behind. They exchange a look and dart back toward their target.
"You are aware that you are free to leave at any time you wish, aren't you?" Karmen asks as she ducks another punch. She comes up with a steaming pot of tea and an empty teacup that hadn't been there before. "If you have any grievances, I'd prefer to calmly talk them out over a cup of tea." She dodges the webbed fist of the other. "No? More for me then."
She pours herself a cup while dancing around them with ease. The other men stare dumbfounded and a little angry. A few start to get up and come to her aid, but Pierce transforms and bars their path. "Please don't disrupt her fun." The other men can't really argue with him or insist, seeing the pleased grin on Karmen's face as she flaunts her ability to dodge. After a few tense seconds of gritting teeth and clenched muscles, they settle back down to see what she does against the two creatures who should be able to crush her frail frame without any trouble.
The fishmen are tiring and the cup has been drunk not long after. "I'm not going to attack you if that's what you're trying to get me to do," she says, pouring herself another cup. She wiggles the teapot at them. "There's enough in here for two more. It's a very good blend. I'd hate to let it get cold."
"Why don't you tell us the truth?" the first one says.
Karmen quirks an eyebrow at him while she takes a long sip. "And what would that be, dearie?" she asks.
"That you plan to take us to a place just like we just came from." This got the attention of several people around them who had lost interest in the one-sided fight.
"I won't say that because it isn't true," Karmen says, turning her attention back to her tea.
"You have some grievance with the Gallowcombs and you're destroying their revenue by attacking their facilities and taking their slaves."
"Well, that much is true. Good job for figuring it out all on your own."
"The people you took never came back," the lungfish growls at her.
"Those who haven't left my care are still in treatment," Karmen says with a shrug. "They have the option to go home to what family they have or to stay with me, but they need to remain on the island for a while," she says.
"Treatment for what?" the shrimp asks.
Karmen hands the lungfish her tea and kettle before back springing off Parvati's back and landing on the raft behind them where a couple of smiling men sit. She kneels behind one and pats his head gently before pulling on one of his unmoving cheeks. "Smiling all the time like this is unnatural and the result of inhumane conditioning. These men and those like them are afraid they'll be killed if they so much as frown." She lets go of the man, patting him apologetically before standing. "Where we're going we will be doing our best to reverse this and teach them to defend themselves so that they can eventually return to the world and lead normal lives."
The lungfish gives her a skeptical look and tosses her tea to the side. Pierce quickly catches it before it can fall into the ocean. "Frankly, I don't believe you. I'm not leaving until I know they're safe."
"And that's perfectly fine and honorable… what is your name?" she asks. "I think we skipped introductions."
"I'm Cabezon Julimes," he says before pointing to his shrimp friend. "And this is Opae Ulah."
"A pleasure to meet you," she responds as she walks back to them. "I believe you also wanted proof of my bond with Parvati?"
Their eyes widen with shock, wondering how much of their conversation she was aware of. She shrugs out of her diving jacket and folds it gently, laying it over her arm. As soon as the fabric pulls off her shoulders, letting them see the pair of teeth scars dyed red in their circular pattern, they gasp.
"You can compare them to Parvati's teeth if you want," she tells them. "I assure you they match." She lets them examine the tattoos a little longer before shrugging her jacket back into place. "As for the rest of the pod, they're either Parvati's children or relatives. I won the respect of Grandmother Kudra, which is why we get to live on the island these dears use as their breeding grounds. Ask her yourselves if you're still not satisfied."
She points to the empty waters ahead. They turn and squint. Soon the water begins to bow upwards. The giant ray moves slowly, but she still causes massive disturbances to the otherwise still waters. The ocean rolls off her back in waterfalls for several minutes. Karmen waves. The fishmen stare. The new patients stare. "Kudra?"
"Yep." Karmen rocks on her heels cheerfully. "Just so you know, she's really protective. The first few times I tried to get out to the ocean, and brave the Calm Belt after coming to Batoidea, she broke three of my ribs. Now I can pick up mermaid purses and she doesn't even flick her tail in my direction."
"You're friends… with a sea king," Julimes says in disbelief.
She glances at him. "Is that odd?"
"It's rare, even among fishmen," Ulah explains.
"Really? Well, it did take me three months, even with me being friends with her daughter."
"Three months?" Julimes' mouth gapes open, eyes bulging.
"Is that a long time for your race?" she asks. "It usually takes humans a year just to be able to ride one without it trying to eat them."
"Tamed a sea king in three months," Julimes repeats breathlessly. "We were rescued by the Fish Whisperer."
This gets a small smirk from Pierce. He steps over in full bodyguard prowess. Karmen is presented with a full cup of tea that she sips cordially. "Kudra! Is the way clear?" she calls. There is a deep rumbling as the island-sized fish answers, turning slowly and sinking beneath the water, sending out another spray of waves. "Thank you!"
"You can understand her?" Ulah asks.
"Well enough." Karmen shrugs. "You two can probably translate better than I."
She lowers her cup and gives them a Robin-worthy smile. "I can understand not trusting me, but I hope you stick around long enough to spar a few more times. I could use the exercise."
"You have me to spar with," Pierce says, indignantly.
"Yes, but I'm used to you. You're predictable."
"Your observation haki is hypersensitive. Everything's predictable."
"Oh, you didn't know I stopped using my haki when we spar?"
"You did not."
"Three weeks ago." She finishes her cup. "Well, Mr. Human-Lie-Detector? Am I Usopping you?"
"That's not a proper term."
"I don't hear a no."
"Hrmp."
Karmen giggles as he pouts. "We've been together for eleven years. I know your fighting style, even if you have new training."
"Thirteen."
"I wasn't there for the last two."
The two fishmen look between them, feeling promptly forgotten. "Are you two an item?" Julimes asks.
Pierce's pale cheeks instantly flush and Karmen gives him a blank look. "Hm? He's my bodyguard, if that's what you mean."
"That's not what he meant," Pierce and Ulah say in the background.
"You need a bodyguard?" Julimes asks.
"Of course I need him. He's my best friend."
"That's not what he meant either," Pierce and Ulah say.
Karmen shakes the remaining drops from her cup and tucks it away in her bag before doing the same with the now empty kettle in Pierce's hands. "Oh, there's the island," she says, giving a vertical stretch. "It's good to be home."
All the rays that had stayed behind begin breaching in greeting. Some of the men still don't slacken their wide smiles, causing brine to splash against their teeth. Karmen steps to Parvati's tail and trains a burst of haki on her hand, slapping the water with it. Instantly the rays stop jumping and resort to swimming circles around them instead.
"I'd say she has an official life bond with the pod of rays," Ulah says. Julimes frowns at him but Karmen gives him a wink. He seems to be warming up to her a little faster than the lungfish.
Karmen had barely set foot on sand when she's tackled by a tiny girl in a hijab. "Karmen!" it's obvious that the woman had sensed her coming, but she let herself be tackled anyway, hugging the girl gently to her.
Pierce catches them both. "Anayah, please don't be so rough with her."
The girl looks up at him shyly. "Hi, Pierce." He gives her a small nod. She turns her attention back to Karmen. "Mr. Winston and Dr. Saaresto said I could be the first person to say hi to you. Camilla was pouting, but I don't think she wanted anyone to know." Her eyes finally look past the pair to the group of men stepping hesitantly onto the beach and instantly hides behind Karmen. "Who are they?"
Karmen rests her hand gently on her shoulder. "It's ok, Anayah," she says gently. They're like you and the other patients. They'll be staying with us for a little while. Is that ok?"
She hesitates but gives a slow nod. She looks down toward the water and sees something black in the water. "One of the monsters!"
Karmen looks over and stifles a giggle. "It's not a monster, dear. Here, I'll show you."
She wades into the water and is met by Parvati who strokes the black shape lovingly with her tail. Karmen gently lifts it to the surface without removing it from the water. It's a black pouch with two horn-like protrusions on each end.
"Look closely where the light hits it. See the baby ray inside? It's called a mermaid purse," she explains. "It's like an egg for a stingray. The stingrays lay them here, and when the babies are big enough to survive in the ocean on their own, they come out. They stay here for a few months until they get bigger and then they migrate with the pod to another island on the other side of the Red Line called Chiyome island. Try not to step on them when you play in the water, ok?"
Amayah nods seriously.
Julimes' eyes widen. "These are the rays that migrate past Fishman Island?" he asks.
"It's a similar event to us as… is it cherry blossom viewing? Anyway, Fishmen like to gather and watch them pass through twice a year," he says.
Karmen thinks it sounds more like birdwatching, but she doesn't correct him. He may mean it's more of a seasonal thing for them. "That sounds like a wonderful event. I must have met Parvati on one of the migrations," she says. "Have you ever seen a cherry tree in bloom?"
He shakes his head. "We'd never seen the sun before we came up," Ulah admits. "We were captured pretty quickly when we did, so we didn't have the chance to explore."
Karmen gives him a sympathetic smile. "Well, I can promise you that not all surface-dwellers are like those men. We don't have a cherry tree here, but I do have an apple tree. It makes beautiful white flowers in the spring. You're welcome to come view it when it does." She strokes a few of the camomorphic squids living along the cliff wall before pulling back the vines over the entrance. "Come on, we'll show you around."
The men file inside, curious, scared, and some a little suspicious. They're run through the same check-in procedure: meeting the veterans, an explanation of the rules, a rundown of the island's layout, the steps they need to meet before going home, new clothes, a bath, food, Karmen taking information about their home island, and being asked if they would like to contribute a skill to the island while they recuperate.
Julimes and Ulah are the last two in line. "Is there a skill you'd like to teach or implement before you go home?" she asks them. "You don't have to, but I'd be interested to know your hobbies."
Julimes looks at her in silence for a while, then shakes his head. "No."
She gives him a soft smile. "That's fine. What about you, Ulah?"
The shrimp Fishman looks between them hesitantly, then pointedly ignores Julimes' glare. "I can teach the kids how to swim, I guess," he tells her. Julimes' eyes widen with disbelief and anger, but Ulah smiles. "We might be a while, and I don't want to be far from the ocean. It seems a good use of my time."
Karmen smiles warmly as she marks down his contribution. "Thank you. I think they'll enjoy that, and it will make leaps and bounds to root out any stigmas early," she says. "If you ever change your mind, let me know." Despite his soured mood, Julimes doesn't say anything as the two depart to be shown their new sleeping quarters.
Throughout the process, some of the patients had carried the chains inside while Pierce had dismantled the sides of the ship. Now he all but paces at the edge of the room, waiting for her to finish. His hands are red and splintered, a sign that he'd worked quickly so that he would be ready when she was. Now, his tense muscles indicate that it's all he can do not to drag her to Saaresto. "Mistress."
"Of course, Pierce," she says gently. "We'll go as soon as I tidy up."
Before she gets half the papers organized, her pocket starts ringing. She puts the ear bud in her ear. "That was fast." Her face falls as she listens to the voice on the other side. She hangs up after a long silence. "Pierce, could you have Winston and Saaresto gather everyone in the mess hall cavern, please?" she asks. "I'll give everyone the full story there."