The navigation room was painfully quiet.

It had only been a day since they'd left, but the vigor had been drained from all but one of them. Namely Ace. Although, that wasn't all that unusual on such a small boat, especially on the Grand Line, even if they were only in Paradise. Because there were only four of them, it was all hands on deck for most of the day and they'd have to be ready to get up at a moment's notice during the night.

And well… it probably didn't help matters that Ace was still a bit annoyed with Marco for the shit he pulled when they were deciding whether or not to go save Deku. It wasn't as if he was giving him brother the full silent treatment. He was just… making his displeasure known by hiding out in Navigation for most of the day.

But to be fair, that was his specialty. The New World was a bit trickier to navigate than Paradise, but he figured out a trick long ago. All he needed to get around was two eternal poses and a log pose. The eternal poses to two specific islands acted as a psuedo-North and South, though not exactly. It was specifically the angles the needles were pointed in alongside the direction the log pose was pointing which he could use to triangulate his position. A map was always useful, but he had long since memorized which major islands were close by others.

As long as he had those three things, he generally knew where he was at all times. It was a skill he taught himself back when he was the captain of his own crew and one he nearly perfected after being sent on so many solo missions as the Second Division Commander in Striker.

"Anything changed?" Jozu broke up the silence that had been lingering ever since they had finished breakfast, yanking Ace out of his sorry thoughts.

"We're a day out from Deku's location," Ace replied, stealing another glance at the Vivre card that rested in a glass case, "It hasn't changed directions even once since we left."

"I suppose that confirms they were not bluffing," Izou surmised.

"Or at least that he's still in the same location, who knows if he's really captive."

Ace scoffed at Marco's attempt at being the voice of reason. He wasn't wrong, exactly, but he didn't particularly appreciate the reminder. He was well aware this could be a trap, he wasn't stupid.

Marco, however, didn't seem to take kindly to the sound of annoyance, "It's a genuine concern. I'm not saying he started out wanting to betray us or lead us into a trap. But the Marines might have cut him a deal in exchange for his freedom. Look, all I'm saying is that the timing of it all is a bit suspicious."

"You know as well as I do that coincidences happen all the time in the Grand Line! What's one more?" Ace retorted.

Marco averted his eyes for only a second before giving Ace the most stern gaze he had ever seen on the man, "We're in a precarious situation here. We can't take any unnecessary risks. Especially with the Marines involved."

Yeah, this was why Ace was not so subtly avoiding Marco.

"I understand where you're coming from," Jozu interrupted before Ace could start a yelling match, "But I would hardly call this mission unnecessary."

"That's not… what I meant," Marco acquiesced, shooting the Second Division Commander an apologetic look, "I just meant that we need to keep in mind that this might not be so straightforward."

"And we are more than aware of that, I assure you," Izou soothed, "But even if a deal took place, I'm sure Deku could be convinced to abandon his side of the bargain. The Marines are never trustworthy, so who is to say they will keep their end of whatever deal they theoretically made."

"Sorry, you're right. I don't know what's gotten into me," Marco mumbled, rubbing his forehead tiredly before shooting Ace an apologetic look.

"You are dealing with the fact that you lost and almost lost so many people you care about in such a short time frame. A little overreaction is understandable," Izou huffed.

"But if we could get back on topic that would be nice," Jozu groaned.

"Right!" Ace jumped in, just glad to put that topic behind them, "Based on the movement of the needles, it looks like we're headed towards Lulusia."

"Lulusia?" Marco frowned, as though trying to recall anything he knew about the island.

"Or well, if I had to guess, it's more likely that the Vivre card is pointing towards the G2 Marine Base which is nearby."

Jozu sighed, "That would make more sense. Although given the strength he displayed at Marineford, I'm still curious how he managed to get himself caught."

"Actually," the First Division Commander turned toward Ace, "I want to know, how do you know about the G2 Base, Ace?"

Ace immediately averted his gaze. He knew it made him look suspicious, but he was more than a bit embarrassed. He knew he would never hear the end of it if he admitted the truth. But given the three firm, worried looks and the sweat beginning to bead up on the back of his neck, it didn't take long for him to give in.

"I may or may not have been there."

"When the hell was this?" Jozu groaned.

"It might have been… when I was out looking for Teach…"

The playful mood they'd built up immediately shattered, returning them all to the down-trodden, awkward silence they'd been stuck with just minutes prior. He knew this would happen, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to them.

"And how, pray tell, did you end up there exactly?" Izou raised an accusatory eyebrow.

Ace glanced away, licking his lips nervously, "...I think that's a story for another time. All that aside, I know a bit of the layout inside, so if we need to stage a breakout it won't be too difficult."

"You? Trying to be stealthy?" Marco laughed, "I thought you would have wanted to go in guns blazing."

"I can be stealthy!" Ace whined.

Izou simply smirked at him with a knowing look. Ace could tell he clearly siding with Marco even if he didn't say it in so many words.

"Then we should get to planning," Izou offered instead of continuing the teasing, "Shall we?"

"Right. Last I remember, there were two old geezers in charge. Some Vice Admiral and a Rear Admiral. Not too big of a threat with all four of us, but aside from them, the base is a bit of a mess. I managed to sneak in just by stealing a guard's uniform."

Jozu chuckled, "If I had to guess, the Base Commanders probably fought at Marineford. It's possible that they're still recovering or dead. There might be someone else in charge, which means your information might be out of date."

Izou frowned, "I'm not so sure. As far as we can tell, the Marines are still a bit of a mess at the moment. It's possible they haven't found a replacement yet."

"They're all too busy trying to save face. You're probably right," Marco muttered.

"This might just be the easiest mission I've ever done," Ace remarked.

Jozu snorted, "Well, let's hope whoever they sent to take Deku to prison doesn't make you eat your words."

Midoriya's heart had been hammering in his chest during the entire conversation he'd had with that Marine. He almost couldn't believe his own audacity when he called the man out on whether he was truly serving justice or some warped idea of it. But he had always felt strongly on the topic, so he shouldn't have been surprised when those words had tumbled from his own lips without permission.

He had always felt too strongly for his own good and it had always made his life miserable. It wasn't that he had ever been unwilling to bear it all, but rather that it had always gotten him into trouble.

All of his mentors scolded him for it on the regular; his heart sank with the realization that none of them were here now to remind him again.

He shook his head to try to derail that line of thinking. He didn't need reminders like that, he was fully capable of handling himself. He had already learned his lesson on spreading himself too thin, he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Right?

People were counting on him and he couldn't fail them. Which meant that he had to get the hell out of here.

It was certainly a new experience to be on the other side of the law. Even though he technically hadn't done anything wrong, it was upsetting to be chained up and left to rot in a cell. And well… how he ended up here was more than a bit embarrassing. It made him feel even more useless than he had felt when he watched everyone get hurt trying to fend off Shigaraki… no he couldn't think about that.

But even if he was as pathetic as he felt, he refused to give up, to give in. That was his only redeeming quality, in his eyes. It was that determination and unwillingness to give up on helping people that inspired All Might to choose Midoriya as his successor, so there was no way that he would be able to bring himself to hate that part of him.

Even so, his little… blunder was something he wasn't looking to repeat. As for how he ended up here… he supposed it was a series of decisions where he was forced to choose between the lesser of two evils.

He had left Rayleigh and Luffy behind once he felt that he'd gotten himself back into a decent enough fight shape. Rayleigh was a tough opponent, even more so since he had been holding back, but that only convinced Midoriya that he should stick to this half of the Grand Line. Luffy had only just begun to make progress with his Observation Haki and, although Midoriya had been somewhat invested in the other teen's progress, he knew he couldn't stay.

He had made an attempt at giving Luffy advice, but he wasn't all that sure it had helped. He'd had absolutely no luck in unlocking Haki and he was basing everything off of his experience with Danger Sense. Neither of the other two seemed to have picked up on the fact that Danger Sense wasn't Haki, which was a plus, but it left him at a disadvantage in this world. He'd just have to count his blessings that at least his cover wasn't blown.

Rayleigh had said that unlocking Haki is a bit of a long and unreliable process. Midoriya hadn't stuck around long enough to give it a full attempt, but it wouldn't surprise him if it turned out he couldn't unlock or use it at all. He was from another world, after all.

In all honesty, he hadn't planned to leave from the start.

Originally, it was a spur of the moment decision which he justified because it was an opportunity to truly gauge his own power level compared to others in this world. Haki was no longer a completely unknown variable, but it wasn't something he wanted to face head-on. But outside of figuring out more about this world, he had been at an utter loss for what to do. There was only so much he could ask Rayleigh before the man would have started getting suspicious. That lie about losing his memory would have only carried him so far.

There was no clear options for him to pursue after he slipped away from the Whitebeards. He knew they would hold him back in some pointless attempt to protect him, so getting away from them had been necessary. Luffy had been equally as clingy, but he hadn't worked up the nerve to leave until it happened.

During his weeks on the streets back home, Midoriya had grown used to the presence of the Vestiges. No, not just used to them: reliant on them. From the moment he woke up in this new world, their absence had been wearing down on his confidence. Even though he had started ignoring them when they expressed their displeasure with his… well, with his self-destructive decision of which he now knew had been doing more harm than good and he now sincerely regretted and would not do again (or so he told himself), he missed their reassuring presence.

But now? He was truly alone. He had tried everything he could think of in the dead of night to contact them, to no avail.

Until one night, he woke up back inside One for All where he had come face to face with Second. The man had been silent and disapproving for most of the time he'd been on the streets. It was only after his fight with Lady Nagant that he had opened up to him. Even then, he'd been extremely calm and collected.

But that time, he had looked disheveled and panicked.

"Ninth! You're alive!" Second had exclaimed.

Midoriya hadn't been able to get a word in edge-wise as the Vestige had rambled that they wouldn't have much time and informed him about his quirk.

Gear Shift. Midoriya had yet to unlock it, but based on the sudden run-down, he could only assume he would soon. Their exchange had ended with a firm, yet nervous look and an ominous warning:

"He is coming. Be careful."

And then Midoriya had woken up, wondering if it had all been a desperate dream rather than reality. He would never have imagined Second in such a state, so it hadn't taken much thought to realize that had been real. He wasn't sure why he had been able to show himself at that moment, but the boy knew better than to take such a warning lightly.

That day, he challenged Rayleigh to another fight and managed to unlock Gear Shift. He took another day to get the hang of it before packing up what little he had and leaving before morning.

If he was truly coming, then Midoriya was no longer safe anywhere. All for One or Shigaraki would know his location and anyone around him would be in danger. It would be just like before, only the chase would be slower with large distances of water between them.

He had the advantage here, since he could psuedo-fly. While All for One could float and Shigaraki had the strength to launch himself high into the air, neither of them truly had the capacity to fly via propulsion the way he did. It would be exhausting, but he knew what he had to do.

Midoriya had no reliable methods of navigation, but he had pilfered an odd looking compass that seemed to point towards a single destination from Whitebeard's ship. He didn't know how long the journey would be, but so long as he knew for sure that there was a destination, he had figured he could make it.

The journey had been long and arduous. Even going at high speeds, the trip took him around a day and a half. There hadn't been a landmass in sight since he left Rusukaina, so he had forced himself to push through until the needle began tilting downwards. He had been a bit worried about being spotted since it was the middle of the day, but it seemed that it still held true that people in general always forgot to look up.

The town had been bustling, though it looked a bit on the poor side. The architecture was reminiscent of some older European cities, though he'd had no clue which country it mirrored. The minute he had touched down in a—thankfully empty—alley, he had changed out of his hero costume and into civilian clothes. He stuck with his hero-grade footwear, since he had no other shoes, but he wasn't going to complain. They were very comfortable, even as broken and out-of-place as they were.

He'd asked around a bit, earning a few odd or dirty looks for his trouble, but he had been quick to find out this was the Lulusia Kingdom. Not that that meant anything to him, but he tucked away the information none-the-less.

Despite the state of the place, the country seemed to be filled to the brim with people, all working hard. They were generally kind, or at least, kinder than those which Midoriya had come across while patrolling the ruined streets of Japan.

Midoriya had no idea where All for One or Shigaraki would be at the moment, but given how exhausted he was from flying for so long, he had no choice but to try to find a place to rest. He had no money to rent a room, but even then he had a feeling that his young appearance would only raise suspicions as well. He had no idea whether there was anything like child protective services here and he wasn't keen to find out the hard way.

He had experience sleeping on the streets, but he also didn't want to rack up any more of a criminal record than he already had nor did he want to chance being noticed by a Marine. So his top priority was looking for somewhere to stay. While wandering (and eavesdropping), he'd heard that there was a Marine Base nearby. From what the conversations had been about, it was obvious that the people here were incredibly discontent with the nobility and the Marines. The gossip going around was all about the absolutely disaster that was Marineford.

He figured that could have potentially worked to his advantage—maybe even if he was recognized, these people might not turn him in to the Marines—but he hadn't been willing to hold his breath. These were the poor and desperate. he knew that people who were desperate often wouldn't hesitate to compromise their morals to survive. Plus, there was a good chance that those that didn't hang around the seedy parts of town wouldn't hold the same opinions.

Regardless, he wouldn't blame them for it. That just meant that he had to be more careful.

As he wandered around town, however, he hadn't seen a single Marine soldier. One would think that as law enforcement, they would be ever present in crime-ridden areas, but he supposed that given how corrupt the World Government apparently was, he shouldn't have been all that surprised. It just left a better taste in his mouth if nothing else.

By the time evening had rolled around, Midoriya had been no less close to finding a place to rest. He hadn't found something to eat either, but he figured he could go another day without, considering how long he'd managed before he wound up here. He just… wouldn't do this perpetually. It was only for today, since he was so tired.

But a loud commotion had pulled him out of his wandering thoughts. Purely out of habit, he had rushed to the sit of the yelling, only to find a group of pirates pillaging and harassing the citizens. Where were the damn Marines? Nowhere to be found, of course.

Midoriya had known he couldn't have risked getting into a fight there. The Marines would have probably shown up before he could've make his exit, given his luck. But even so, he couldn't have stood around and done nothing in good conscience. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily, in hindsight), some Marines showed up not a minute later, taking care of the pirates easily.

This group must have been far less capable than the Whitebeard pirates, given how easily they went down. If Midoriya'd had to guess, he would have said they were hoping the Marines were too busy with the aftermath of Marineford to bother with them. And like the overconfident fools they were, they went down easy.

But then Danger Sense had flared in his periphery and he dashed forward to protect on pure instinct. A man yelled out in terror and it was only once his mind caught up with the situation that he realized the foolish mistake he'd made.

He'd protected a civilian from a stray bullet. A marine had fired at a pirate, but utterly and horribly missed, accidentally firing towards the fleeing crowd rather than the criminal. Midoriya had stepped in, raising his forearm instinctively to block the bullet. It hadn't been his greatest idea, since his bracers had already gone through quite the ordeal from Lady Nagant's sniper rounds. But he figured they could handle a little more from a weapon that looked to have lower shot velocity. He could handle a few bruises and slight more busted bracers.

Or at least, that would have been the case if he had still had his Mid-Gauntlets on his wrists instead of in his backpack, where they had sat ruined, in their compressed form.

He had glanced down at his wrist in surprise, noting that the pain was only a relatively light pinch. Rather than a bullet lodged in the flesh of his forearm, it had been a dart. Midoriya had glanced around in a daze, finally taking in the lack of blood on the pirates and quickly realizing that these must have been tranquilizer rounds.

And then he'd blacked out. He was about fifty percent sure that he'd woken up at least once in a feverish daze, probably in some infirmary before passing out again.

Yeah, that wasn't a mistake he would be making again, considering that this was only the second time he'd woken up since then and found himself in a damn cell, chained to the ground.

Given how sluggish and, for lack of a better word, ick he felt, he probably had some kind of allergic reaction to whatever had been in that tranquilizer. Which wasn't a surprise, considering he was in a completely different world. It was probably a miracle that he had yet to pick up any foreign pathogens. Actually, he probably shouldn't skip any meals at all so his immune system could keep up with it all. He couldn't afford to be bedridden or even winded from one of this world's common colds.

But at the moment, that wasn't his biggest issue. Getting sick wouldn't matter if he was stuck in prison.

The conversation he'd just had with that Marine was… enlightening, even though it left him breathless and more than a bit confused. That man was apparently Ace and Luffy's grandfather, yet the man had almost let them die because of the very organization he was a part of. Midoriya couldn't understand that mindset at all. He couldn't imagine just standing by and letting such terrible things happen just because he was told to stand down. While he had never been one to let rules dissuade him from doing what he knew was right, he knew he had never truly gotten in trouble with the law.

Although, what he had been doing before he ended up in this world, especially once he cut contact with the pro heroes… it had certainly been toeing the line of legality. But what good were laws when the world was falling apart? This world was so clearly on the edge of pure chaos and anarchy, much like Japan had been for so long without realizing it.

But everything he was doing was of his own volition. Endeavor, Hawks, Best Jeanist, and All Might may have enabled him, but would he have stood down if they had told him to?

He knew the answer was no. He would never be able to relate to that man and his indecision. Midoriya had spent enough time stewing in uncertainty and guilt. It came time to act and so he did. That man simply let the world pass him by, let the bad things happen and surrendered every ounce of his autonomy in service of a Justice that brought more suffering than good.

Even though a part of him knew that he had almost done the very same, their world had hit that breaking point. He could no longer serve the HSPC in good faith, would no longer blindly follow their rules after finding out what they did to Hawks, to Lady Nagant, to all the people they ordered dead supposedly for the greater good.

But he didn't have time to worry about any of that. Not the confusingly indecisive grandfather, nor the future of his own future heroic career (or more likely, the lack thereof). Ace and Luffy were alive and this man clearly had no intention to hunt them down and Midoriya had a villain to defeat at any cost and he wouldn't let this man get in his way. Hell, the man looked old enough to retire, so hopefully he would do just that. Had that man been on the battlefield that day? Had he been at Marineford, forced to watch the attempted execution? Or had he watched it on the livestream that Midoriya had only found out about after the fact from Rayleigh?

Midoriya had been far too out of it to be sure whether the man had been there at all. Given how much of a threat everyone there had been, aside from the Marines present only to be cannon fodder, it was possible that if the man had been there. And if he had, he could be a real threat, which put a damper on the boy's potential break-out plans.

Though it wasn't as if Midoriya had another choice. At the rate he was going, he'd be sent to prison and be a sitting duck until Shigaraki or All for One caught up to him. Then they would potentially release other dangerous prisoners in their attack and it would be all Midoriya's fault.

So things weren't looking great.

At the very least, the conversation they had, no matter how nerve-racking it had been, was helpful. Apparently he was getting a full course meal before they leave, which meant he would have some warning before being shipped off to prison. His plan would have to hinge on that opening. After that man left, no guards showed up to watch the boy, so it was possible this base was short-staffed.

It might be a better idea to try leave before getting the meal, but given the way his stomach squirmed uncomfortably, his utter lack of money, and his unwillingness to steal, he'd probably be better off taking food where he could get it. That meant his window of opportunity was very brief. He assumed someone would watch him during that time and after.

Midoriya frowned, shifting a bit as the cuff chafed at his skin. He would have to fight his way out, which was the last thing he wanted to do. But he was fresh out of options. He would just have to put in the effort to incapacitate with as minimal harm as possible. That was what heroes were supposed to do regardless, so it would be fine. (It had to be.)

Timing aside, he would have to remain in the base until he found his backpack. All of his supplies were in there and he really didn't want to leave any of them behind. He had already been packing light, he couldn't afford to have even less than before.

So stealth would be a must. He had no idea where the cameras in this place were, however, so he might be fresh out of luck. Still, he would have to at least try.

The most pressing issue, however, would be these cuffs. Just from tugging at them, it was clear they were incredibly sturdy. Probably harder than steel if he had to guess. The chains themselves were as tough as the cuffs, so they were probably made out of the same material. His boots were steel-toed, so he could make at attempt at shattering them that way, but with how worn out they were, he had a feeling the chains wouldn't be the first thing to break.

Midoriya bit his lip as he stared down at the cold concrete-like chains. The man had said these were Sea Stone, which should cancel out any Devil Fruit abilities. It was possible that there weren't any guards because they assumed these cuffs would stop his abilities rather than a shortage of manpower.

That might be a problem during his escape.

But for now, Midoriya had only one question; would Sea Stone cancel out his Quirks or was he entirely unaffected?

With a deep frown and a heavy sigh, he let his head dip down and concentrated. He felt the familiar wriggling feeling of Black Whip begin to form, writhing out from the exposed skin of his forearms. He let his eyes slip open as a grin stretched across his cheeks. It looked like he was set after all.

Voices echoed from down the hallway, startling Midoriya out of his focus and causing Black Whip to fizzle out. Though it turned out to be for the best despite his slight annoyance. Two guards meandered their way down the corridor, setting up watch right outside his cell, only sparing him a quick glance once they noticed that he was awake and staring at them.

Not long after that, however, they seemed to forget that fact. The two gossiped and confirmed a few of the things he had been wondering about. They were both overconfident because of the Sea Stone and understaffed because of Marineford. Given how poorly that battle had turned out for them, he wasn't all that surprised that they were lacking in manpower. But to hear that the base commanders had yet to return? Well, that eliminated a few variables.

That meant all the soldiers at the base would be more disorganized, especially since the Marines stationed here were actively swapping duties off the roster. There was a good chance several people wouldn't be where they were supposed to be.

The only problem was the discovery that the man he'd talked to was a Vice Admiral. But there was no getting around that, he would have to finish dinner quickly and hope that the old man would take his time. Maybe if he was stealthy enough, nobody would notice his absence until he had already taken off.

All he had to do now was wait and hope for the best.