Chapter 13

Laura steeled herself for the impending battle as Shona's request pierced her ears. She knew their standoff would be difficult, especially considering Shona had yet to reveal the extent of her abilities. Still, Laura hoped her efforts would be enough because she would fight a hundred marines if it meant ensuring the safety of her new friends. Shona was the first to engage, her steps swift as she advanced towards Laura with an unnatural speed. However, Laura remained firm, her stance unwavering as her mind worked to formulate a plan. She needed to figure out what the Commodore was capable of before making any rash decisions. She had been in this position before, fighting against someone who had more experience than she did. Her fight in Yukana had been short-lived, but it had taught her valuable lessons. The first was to never underestimate a foe and the second was to always identify an advantage.

As Shona drew closer, she appeared puzzled by Laura's lack of reaction. "What are you waiting-?"

"Rock Slide!"

Another barrage of rocks came barreling towards Shona as Laura slammed her foot onto the ground. She had waited until the last minute to catch the Commodore by surprise. Shona was prepared for her attack though and evaded it by calling out a move of her own.

"Wind Tunnel!"

The powerful breeze that followed Shona's command knocked her into the air and out of the path of the rocks. Even though she had missed her target, Laura watched in awe as Shona floated back down, her Marine coat billowing behind her. Soon her opponent's feet were on the ground again, seemingly unaffected by the maneuver.

That was incredible! Laura thought to herself, ashamed that she was impressed by the display.

"Did you think I would allow you to strike me with the same attack twice?" Shona's sudden remark brought Laura back to reality, reminding her of the dangerous situation she was in. "I also ate a Logia Devil Fruit, the Kaze Kaze no Mi."

Laura swallowed hard as she tried to ignore the knot forming in her stomach. The Commodore's powers were much like hers, meaning that she probably had a wide variety of elemental attacks at her disposal. While Laura had never encountered another Logia user before, she knew that the wind could be a devastating force.

"Laura, no!"

Laura turned to see Remi rushing towards her with Akali close on his trail, his face contorted into an expression of panic. He knew what Shona could do and he was afraid of what would happen if Laura continued to fight her. Shona took advantage of the distraction, sending a burst of gust at the trio with her right palm.

"Wind Shot!"

Remi quickly pushed Laura and Akali onto the ground before covering them with his body. As the blast passed over, the three could hear the sound of the wind tearing through the outpost's wooden structure. Shona adjusted her aim, now directing her attack to hit them directly, but Laura hurried to touch the earth beneath them.

"Rock Wall!"

A large barrier of rock rose from the ground, successfully shielding the trio from harm. The wind collided with it at a high velocity, but it was currently too sturdy to break. Shona however was not deterred as she continued her assault.

"You won't be able to hide forever!"

Akali noticed a crack forming on the wall as they all stood and realized that the Commodore was right, "What should we do?"

"We can't fight her," Remi responded, knowing that they were no match for the officer, "She's too strong for us."

"Then how do we get out of here?" Akali asked while peering around the edge of the rock formation, "There's no way to get past her."

Laura paused from maintaining the barrier and turned to her companions, a smile returning to her face. "Do you guys trust me?"

Although the question was unexpected, Akali and Remi glanced at each other and nodded in unison. In all honesty, neither even had to think about it. They had no issue putting faith in Laura, especially after everything she had done for them. Laura's smile grew wider and she launched the wall forward, forcing Shona to halt her attack. As the barrier sailed towards the Commodore, Laura grabbed ahold of her companions and stomped a foot onto the ground.

"Rock Cannon!"

Elsewhere...

A man in tuxedo attire with dark, slicked-back hair and an olive complexion was seated at a table in his ship's galley as it sailed across the West Blue. His fingers were wrapped around a half-empty bottle of rum and his attention was glued to a newspaper that was resting in his lap. After he downed another swig of liquor, he roughly wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his jacket and frowned as he continued to skim through the article. Beside his feet was a large cage that contained a small, furry creature with a long tail. It cowered inside its enclosure, shaking as it watched the man with wide, fearful eyes.

"What's up with you?" A short woman asked as she entered the room, noticing his displeasure. Her sun-kissed skin glowed against the red dress she was wearing and she tossed her curly, chestnut hair aside. "You're brooding again."

The man grunted in response and turned away from her, hoping she would leave him alone. Instead, she walked over, her heels clicking against the floor, and snatched the bottle away.

"You're not supposed to drink this stuff on the job," She chided while taking a sip, "You know that."

"Then what the hell are you doing, huh?" He questioned as he tried to reach for the liquor, but she moved it out of his grasp.

"I'm making sure it won't go to waste."

He rolled his eyes and folded his arms, frustrated that she always had to ruin his fun. She smirked at his reaction and eyed the paper, knowing it was the reason for his bad mood.

"So, who is it this time?" She inquired, though she already knew the answer.

"Looks like the Marines are causing problems for the family again," He replied as he pointed to a picture in the article, "They've been intercepting a lot of our shipments lately."

"As long as they don't interfere with this one, I don't care," The woman responded dismissively while looking at the cage, "All I know is that animal had better be worth the trouble we went through to capture it."

The man followed her gaze and kicked the cage, making the scared creature whimper. "It's going to make us a lot of money, don't you worry."

Laura, Akali, and Remi were catapulted through the air and the wind whipped past them as they ascended. It took a few moments for the three to gather their bearings and once they did, they realized they were far from Shona's range. The group was almost above the clouds and the only thing other thing visible around them was the moon.

"Not that I'm not thrilled to be free, but what happens now?!" Remi questioned with a hint of fright in his voice.

Akali looked over at him with an amused expression. "I thought you'd be used to this by now."

"We're not going to make it," Laura realized, her voice full of dread. Her target had been the ship, but she had yet again miscalculated the force behind her ability.

"Quick, Akali, grab onto Laura!" Remi directed as their descent began, "She can't swim!"

Akali immediately complied with his order and she clung to Laura tightly as they fell towards the ocean. The girls hit the water first and they were plunged into its ice-cold depths. Remi soon followed and he quickly swam to the surface, gasping for air once he did. Akali reappeared next to him after a minute with an incapacitated Laura in tow. The ship while not far was still a distance away and once they reached it Elsie helped them climb aboard. It had taken every one to haul up Laura due to the effects that the sea had on her. They collapsed onto the deck, trying to recuperate as they lay on their backs. Adrenaline had fueled them throughout their entire ordeal, but it was fading and exhaustion was starting to settle in.

"You guys took your time," Elsie teased as she stood over them, "I was beginning to worry that something happened."

"Is everyone alright?" Remi managed to ask, his voice strained.

"I think so," Akali replied, a hint of weariness in her tone. "Laura?"

"I'll…be…fine," She was slowly regaining her stamina now that they were out of the water, but she was struggling to speak.

"We should probably dry you off," Remi suggested as he went to check on her.

Akali rung the moisture from her hair and went below deck to retrieve a blanket. Once she returned she handed the cloth to Remi and he carefully wrapped it around Laura. She closed her eyes as he began to gently pat her with it, allowing herself to relax under the gesture.

"Elsie, can we get the ship moving again?" Remi inquired while still tending to Laura, "I want to put as much distance between us and this place as possible."

"Way ahead of you," Elsie responded with a grin, already heading back to the helm, "We'll be out of here in no time!"

"Do you think she'll follow us?" Akali questioned, voicing her concerns about Shona.

"Not yet," Remi answered as he turned to face the islands they were departing, "She won't sail after us without a plan. I'm sure she will send word to headquarters though. We'll be alright...for now."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Looks like there's going to be more trouble coming up so stay tuned!