7.
Wind Of Change

.

The wind of change blows straight into the face of time,
 Like a storm wind that will ring the freedom bell for peace of mind.
 Scorpions, Wind Of Change

Aurora wakes slowly.

Her mind was an endless pit of tar, and it was wearisome to trudge through. She could not make heads of anything; all her senses had been drowned and not a murmur made it amongst the muck to tear her from the shadows.

She toys with the idea of her being dead. With an endless darkness set before her and her body continually pulled under by shade, she feared Níðholmr had claimed her. An eternity steeped in her regret and guilt, where no other could reach her, where she could reach nothing, where she stayed exactly as she was with no progress made—Aurora panics at the concept.

It is fear that causes her heart to pound against her ribcage until it circulates to the rest of her body. She can feel it in the tips of her fingers, throat, knees, and she knows that she is alive. Níðholmr would have rid her of the sensation all together.

She's able to open her eyes, but they are heavy and she struggles to keep them open, so she closes them. She reaches out with her other senses, trying to grasp an understanding of her surroundings. Underneath her is hard, but just on one side, and her wrists and calves are pressed tightly together.

So, she was tied up then.

She concentrates on the sounds next, and the waves lapping greet her like a gentle lover.

Least she was still on the sea.

Still, she continues to listen, particularly for anything that may give away how dire her situation truly might be. Aurora could feel that there was another, flipping through pages of a book. There's a deep chuckle and another page flip.

Scoff. Flip.

Hum. Flip.

A soft exhale through the nostrils. The book is shut and soft rustling follows after it.

"I'm surprised you're not awake yet, Redrum."

Ah. Aurora's sinking feeling had been correct, though what good did that do her now? I should have killed him when I had the chance. Too late for regrets now. I won't give him a another chance.

The darkness pulls her under once more, and she welcomes it.

She's able to open her eyes fully the next time she breaks the surface.

"Welcome to the world of the living, Redrum!" Percival claps as he yells this statement, which further irritates the pounding behind her eyes. She watches as he flips some sort of meat in a skillet over a hotplate. "I might have overdone it with the diazepam. I was startin' to get worried you'd die asleep like that."

She works her jaw, but her tongue feels too heavy to move. Come on, body, cooperate with me here. It still refuses to obey her pleas.

"But I had to make the dosage high, ya know? Yer just too strong to take in without it." He continues to ramble as he shuts the hotplate off and lifts the skillet from it. He procures a fork from thin air and begins to shove his food into his mouth.

Mustn't be all that good if he doesn't give himself time to taste it. The sight of Percival eating caused Sanji to come to mind and the last words she spoke to him. Her last words to anyone of importance, and they were used to hurt him. Surely this was her karma.

"Yuh've ben out fer free daysh," he says around a mouthful of food, not paying mind to the spit that lands on her cheek.

Get up and kill him. Kill him now.

He gulps from a waterskin, water dripping down his chin and trailing down his neck. Aurora envisions her hands wrapping tight around it.

"I'm actually surprised that you let your guard down like that. That argument with that blond guy must have really affected you."

Aurora breathes deep and forces the air out of her mouth, forming her tongue and mouth around the exhaling air. "Kill you." Already she could feel the energy seeping from her body.

Percival grins down at her. "I'd like to see you try, Redrum, but you can barely keep your eyes open. What makes you think you have a chance against me?"

The redhead wills her body to stay awake, to stare him down. She can keep her eyes open… she can keep her eyes open, she can force herself to talk, and she can find a way to gain control once more and kill him. She attempts to wiggle her left big toe, just to prove him wrong, but the shadows around her eyes start to grow and they whisper for her to fall back to sleep, to meld into them and disregard her own identity.

It was hard to argue against them.

Percival doesn't tell her how long she was out when she comes to once more. Instead, he tilts her head and pours water into her mouth.

He steps back and settles on the edge of the sailboat. "You've got a knack for writing, ya know? Too bad yer a pirate and all."

Aurora finds that talking comes easy this time. "Those journals are private."

He rolls his eyes and scoffs. "I don't think yer the one to be clamorin' for privacy as a pirate now. It's not like it matters, right? You'll be in the Marine's custody and won't be able to write about yer precious travels."

"I'm not a pirate." It was useless arguing about the technicalities of her career path, but she was bored and she likes engaging in heated debates to pass the time.

Percival barks a laugh. "And I'm a magical fairy who trades beri for teeth. You ain't foolin' me. You've stolen, lied, and murdered just to get your way—that sounds like a pirate to me. You disregard people's lives all for, what? So you can do whatever you want without any consequences?"

Aurora raises a brow. "Sounds personal."

He scowls. "It is. I'm just like everyone else. I'm sick of people like you ransacking this world."

She chuckles. "And it's just us criminals doing the ransacking?"

"I don't see any Marines burning villages down all for a good laugh."

His statement was enough to send her into a full blown laughing fit. It was loud and rough, and it all tapered into silent wheezing. Her belly aches in response at the force of her laughter, and her lungs practically beg for her to take a breath. She coughs.

"Oh gods, you're a dumbass!" She exclaims, upper body curling inward as more laughter escapes her. "You're so far gone in whatever you're trying to prove, you can't see past your own wants! You don't care about justice or about innocent people being hurt, you're just trying to avenge somebody you love." She's able to pick herself up and straighten herself so that she's sitting, bound legs straight in front of her. She grins at Percival, eyes wide. Both tinged with hysteria. "No matter how many of us you turn in or kill, you'll never be free from that anger, and any love you had, any sense of nobility your cause had, it'll all fade and you'll become what you hunt."

The two stare at one another for a long, silent moment. Aurora's legs prickle, like needles stabbing into her skin. Her arms ache from being tied so tightly together, yet she refuses to move under Percival's stare. She wouldn't be the first to break the silence with anything.

He must have decided that her stubbornness wasn't worth the aggravation of trying to outdo her, because soon he gulps from his waterskin and looks towards the horizon. Then, he looks back to her, edges of his lips tilted but his eyes remained dark. "You say a lot of shit for someone who's about to reap what they've sown. Scared?"

There's been a weak wind as long as she's been awake, but after his question, a forceful burst pushes against the sail—against her back. She leans into it, back meeting the edge of the sailboat. She lets her face relax into an easy going smile as the wind continues to ruffle through her hair.

"Do you know what a man does when he's hungry?"

Percival raises a brow. "That a trick question?"

She shakes her head from side to side. "He eats until he's full."

"How insightful."

"What all will you consume before you're full, Percival?"

Aurora is awake to witness day turn to night turn to day. I know it's been at least four days since he drugged me… If I'm going by what he said, that is. I'm still missing a portion of time, but how much, I can't be certain.

Percival stayed awake as well. He had watched her throughout the night carefully, passing the time by disassembling-cleaning-reassembling his revolver. A silent threat. He isn't as subtle as he thinks he is. Or maybe he isn't trying to be.

Since their little heart-to-heart yesterday, neither have spoken. Aurora shifts, tucking her knees to her chest with as much force as she could muster, popping her joints in the process before relaxing them. She cracks her neck, back, shoulders and fingers as well, relishing in Percival's disgusted expression as each crack rang out. It's the little things.

He hasn't given her any water since then either, which was fine. Aurora's body is more resilient than most—besides, a whole week passed where Buggy had left her out in Orange Town without food or water, and she still had the energy to keep going. Unlike Buggy's agenda, Percival's plan hinged on her survival, so she wasn't worried about him starving her or leaving her dehydrated; she was lucky in that regard.

She was curious, however, what their destination was. She had an idea. Before her capture, she had examined the Baratie's coordinates and checked those with her own notes. If she was right, then Loguetown was their destination. The largest Marine base in the East Blue was stationed in Loguetown and it was the closest to the Baratie.

She sighs and sinks lower into the small dinghy, absentmindedly watching as her captor hopped over to her sailboat trailing beside them and disappeared into the hut, presumably to the porta-john compartment. She looks down at her clothing, longing to change out of the hostess uniform and into her comfortable linen shirt and cotton pants.

Aurora looks upward, watching as the clouds pass by. She ignores Percival when he reappears.

She decides to take a nap.

The jostling of the dinghy is enough to rouse her once more. The harbor was close, and both Percival's dinghy and her sailboat were riding the ripples of other bigger ships that sailed past.

Her earlier musings had been correct. Loguetown stood before her, growing ever closer, and despite her confidence of yesterday, Aurora can't help but feel nervous as Percival ties the boats to the harbor.

The bounty hunter turns to her, a knife glinting in his hand. "I'm gonna cut the bindings around your legs. One wrong move and I'll carry you the rest of the way, understand?"

"Crystal," she purrs with a smirk.

He gives her a look similar to how a parent would give a mischievous child. He still cuts the ropes around her legs, careful not to nick her and hauls her to her feet by her bicep. He grabs his satchel, slinging it over his chest. He climbs onto the pier, turns and helps her.

It all felt chivalrous, especially with the firm gentleness that he grasped her with. Most lawmen wouldn't free her legs or help her stand. If they did, they always made it a point to dig their fingers into her flesh, to leave a reminder that they had caught her.

She stumbles and he catches her, the worn pads of his hands warm. She looks up at him, brows furrowing. He matches her expression. She schools her face and he lets her go before they continue to the Marine base.

She fights against the urge to run; she was outnumbered, and if she attempted an escape and failed, she would be punished far worse than even Percival's imagination could concoct. It was best to comply for now—wait and listen.

Aurora spends her time looking around her, taking in Loguetown. This was her first time here. Goosebumps rise on her arms and she shivers at the implications of being in such a town. Gold Rogers himself started the Great Pirate Era with his last words here in this town. She can feel him and the excitement of all those that were here before her as her feet beat against the cobblestone.

The Beginning and the End.

They arrive at the base with no incident and Percival guides her to a woman behind a desk, black pen practically burning a hole in the paperwork below. She glances up at them briefly and her hand becomes a blur as she starts to scribble faster.

The bounty and the hunter exchange a look before the woman finishes, sets her pen aside and crosses one of her hands over top the other. Her smiling lips are full and painted red, matching her red blouse.

"How may I help you?"

"My name's Percival Colt, I contacted—"

"Oh yes!" She interrupts cheerfully. "We have already prepared everything in anticipation for your arrival. Let me check if Captain Smoker is in his office." She picks up the receiver of the transponder snail beside her, wide smile still in place. "Captain Smoker? Percival Colt has arrived with Redrum Aurora… they're on their own now, sir."

She hangs up and stands. "Follow me, please."

She leads them upstairs (Aurora counted a hundred and twenty-one) and down a long hallway. She stops at a very important looking door with smoke escaping the crack under the door. The receptionist knocks three times and a voice beyond barks for her to send them in.

"Have a wonderful day, Mister Colt!" Then she turns and retraces her path back to her station.

Aurora's heart skips a beat when Percival opens the door. A cloud of gray smoke escapes and hits them in the face as they cross the threshold. In the haze, there is a silhouette of a hulking man, red eyes piercing through the fog and into her own.

As the smoke disperses, Captain Smoker stands to a towering height and his appearance becomes clearer. His white hair is spiky and sticks upwards and out of his face. He's muscular, which he shows off by leaving his thick, fur lined jacket open. Is he hot or cold? Aurora notes the two cigars clenched between his teeth and the twelve, from what she could see, strapped to his jacket. Is he Smoker because he smokes, or does he smoke because his name is Smoker?

A tower of rocks are balanced perfectly to the side of his desk.

Aurora didn't think it was possible for anyone to find enjoyment in a hobby like rock balancing. Maybe that's why he looks so unhappy. She didn't think this Smoker guy was all that old, but the wrinkle between his brow was deep and the bags under his eyes were dark. All the smoking couldn't be good for his health either.

"Long time, no see, Colt," Smoker greets. Somehow, his speech isn't affected by the cigars in his mouth. His gaze, which had only left her for the moment he greeted Percival, shifts back to her. She watches as they travel downward. "What's with the get-up?"

"I just got off from my shift," she says nonchalantly. Orange and red clash as his eyes dart to her face again.

"Anyway," Percival interrupts, clearing his throat, "shall we?"

The Captain sighs, smoke billowing from his mouth. "We have to wait for an official from Silberhafen to arrive. He should be here in another minute or two."

An awkward silence ensues. Aurora turns her head and sneezes into her shoulder. "Think you can open a window? This smoke reeks."

The line between Smoker's brow deepens as the smoke grows heavier. "You should be more concerned about what you did to end up in my office, not the smell of my cigars. I won't tolerate any disrespect from a brat like you, so watch your tone or I'll make sure your stay here is unpleasant."

"Sooo," she drones and raises her brows, "is that a no?"

His voice drops an octave lower as he practically exhales, "One more word, Redrum, and you'll be sent to the brig to wait."

She wishes she could make a motion to zip her mouth, but alas her hands were tied. Instead, she gives him a shrug and occupies her time by looking around his office. From little of what she could see, there was nothing defining that this was his office. Nothing hung on the walls; no pictures or decor. Even the furniture was standard. All he had were his stupid rocks.

This guy must be the life of the party.

No sooner than the thought rang through her head, the door opened. She doesn't spare a glance at the newcomer.

Whoever-they-are coughs as they walk into the office. "Do you mind opening a window? This fog is trifling!"

She can't help but smirk in amusement as Smoker glares at her— as if she said it! —as he walks over to the window and opens it with a little more force than necessary.

The official doesn't even say thank you. Instead, they walk in front of Aurora and it is here she looks at them. Tall, with a lean but muscular build. His light hair was cropped close to his head, a bronze laurel wreath crowning his temple. His eyes were hazel, a stark ring of green around the pupil. He was clean shaven, as all Romarii are. The lorica segmentata he wore had intricate patterns inlaid with gold and it reflected like a mirror.

A cloak of deep red is attached to his armor and fastened with a golden brooch. His long tunic matched the deep red of his cloak, the bottom embroidered with gold filigree like designs. His feet were adorned with beautiful sandals, straps wrapping around the entirety of his calves.

The Romarii grabs her under the chin and forces her head upwards. Her eyes follow naturally and stare hard into his face. He lifts the sleeve of her shirt, showing the room her tattoo. He then starts to unbutton her blouse.

"What're you doing?" Percival grabs the Romarii's wrist to stop his movements.

The Romarii scoffs and shoves him away. "Put your hand on me again and you'll lose it." Percival shoots a look towards Smoker who looks on with piqued interest.

"He's gotta make sure I'm the real deal," Aurora supplies, paying no mind to the official unbuttoning her shirt. "Better hope I am or he'll kill us both." She gives him a sardonic grin.

The Romarii moves behind her. Smoker and Percival turn away, giving her some semblance of privacy. The official pulls her shirt down her arms, as much as he could, to see an arrow pointing upwards between her shoulder blades. It was small and thin. He runs his fingers lightly over the symbol, feeling the raised skin.

He fixes her shirt and buttons it back.

"Satisfied?" She asks.

He smirks. "Aurelius will be most pleased to see you again." He spares Percival a look. "And her claymore?"

"Hidden on a sailboat we arrived with."

He nods. "Good."

When he turns to address Smoker and her façade drops. The beating of her heart hastens at the thought of seeing that man again. Smoker pulls a recorder from his desk and presses a button.

"I, Septimus Moros, confirm the woman before us is Aurora Volksstern and will be taken into the Romarii's custody immediately. Percival Colt will receive fifteen million beri in full, which will be distributed by the World Government as previously agreed upon."

"CAPTAIN SMOKER!" A Marine barges into the room, startling the four occupants. "Pirates are causing a disturbance at the execution platform!" At Smoker's raised brow, the officer salutes, gulping nervously. "I-I beg your pardon, sir. I… I didn't mean to intrude."

"Pirates on the execution platform, eh?" The captain grabs a jitte. "Send Squadron One to the port and have Squadron Two surround the area from the road to the square. Any remaining soldiers will take up positions within firing distance of the square. Moros—" the Romarii snaps his head towards Smoker— "our business is finished. You're free to start your journey back to Silberhafen with Redrum."

The Captain is out from his desk and halfway out of the door, leading his officer out.

He forgets to close the window.

Aurora bolts and, before anyone can react, leaps headfirst through the window. She's able to shift her weight and flip. She falls hard and fast, feet slamming against the cobblestones. She stumbles from the force before running. She couldn't waste a single second. She had to get out of this town, off of this island, away from Moros and Percival and the Marines.

This might be my only chance to escape.

Aurora turns down an alley, then another, not knowing where she was going. She sweats profusely, the air hot and sticky. The sky began to darken. An awful storm is coming. Right, left, left, right— shit! Where the fuck am I going?!

She looks over her shoulder, relief flooding her system to see that no one was tailing her yet, but she has to keep pushing. She has to make it to the harbor first—"Ah!"

The redhead collides with something hard, and at first she believes it to be a brick wall. She ends up on her back, staring up into a sky of blue.

Wait, no. The sky's not blue at the moment.

She blinks and there's blond hair hanging forward, mouth agape in shock. The smell of cigarettes hits her.

"Aurora-tan?"

She furrows her brows. "Sanji? What're you doing here?"

"Me?! What are you doing here? Why are you still in a hostess' uniform?"

She presses her lips into a thin line. "Percival Colt drugged and brought me here to turn me in." Sanji bends down to help set her in an upright position. "We've been on the sea for at least a week. I was out for a while, so I'm still a little fuzzy on the timeline."

"Can you watch where you're going next time?!"

Aurora whips her head around to see Roronoa picking himself up off the ground, rubbing at his head. She looks between the cook and samurai. "Okay, I'm confused. Do you two know each other?" She finally notices the other two, eyes widening at the sight of familiar ginger hair. "The thief from Orange Town?" The other was dark skinned with black kinky hair and a long nose. "Pinocchio? What the fuck?"

"Who are you calling Pinocchio?!" The dark skinned boy screeches, almost toppling to the ground under the weight of the fish he balanced on his shoulder.

Sanji pulls Aurora to her feet. "Make yourself useful and cut Aurora-tan loose, mosshead." Roronoa glares hotly at the chef, but slices through the redhead's bindings nonetheless. "Are you alright?"

Aurora stretches her arms above her head, popping the joints and releasing a long breath. "I've had better days. So, what's going on? How do you know shitty samurai and gingersnap?"

"I'm a part of their crew," is his answer, short and sweet. Aurora could tell he didn't know what else to say. She didn't blame him; she hadn't left their relationship on the best of terms.

"We'll chit-chat later. Luffy's in trouble!" At Roronoa's statement, Aurora follows his eyes and there the fool was.

On top of the execution platform.

Restrained by a pillory.

And was that Buggy the Clown? Shit.

"Nami, Usopp," Sanji says, "go back to the ship and get everything ready."

Gingersnap and Pinocchio follow the chef's orders. "Get back to the ship quick," Nami snaps as she leaves.

Usopp? Aurora stares after the boy's head as he follows Nami. Could he really be…?

"What's the plan, mosshead?"

"We have to get that idiot down from there."

Aurora snorts. "Solid plan, chief."

Roronoa sneers. "You got a better idea?"

"No," she pauses, watching as the clouds grow impossibly black, "but least I'm honest about it."

The three could only watch on, helpless.

"Any last words, Monkey D. Luffy? You have quite the audience!" The clown laughs.

Aurora can practically hear the deep breath Luffy takes. "I AM... GOING TO BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

There's a silence that engulfs the square as the pressure swells. Chills run down her spine. Luffy had stated his goal before; his declaration was nothing new to her. But… Aurora's fists clench at her side, nails biting into the skin of her palms. The execution platform groans and whispers from the crowd erupt.

"Did he say King of the Pirates? Doesn't he know where he's standing?"

"Ha! What a dreamer!"

Sanji and Roronoa sprint forward. She hears the samurai unsheathe his swords. "Stop the execution!" One of them says, maybe both, as they rush through the crowd.

Aurora's feet stay, eyes fixated on the platform. The wind's howls grow deafeningly loud, clogging her ears. The hair on her arms and neck stand. Her eyes widen.

Buggy raises his sword high above his head.

"Zoro! Sanji! Usopp! Nami! I'm sorry… but I'm a goner!"

Luffy's smile flashes in the glare of the bolt of lightning as it strikes the platform, and his laugh echoes in the wake of the explosion. Aurora squints her eyes against the sudden deluge of rain. I can't believe it! He smiled thinking he was dead… He had no fear! He accepted his fate, no matter the outcome.

The redhead runs towards the fallen platform, bypassing Sanji, Roronoa and all of Buggy's henchmen, who all stand in shock. She stops before the rubble, spotting Shanks' straw hat and picks it up. As she straightens, Luffy dusts himself off, beaming.

"Ha! I'm alive, lucky me!" He notices Aurora then, his smile stretching impossibly wider. "Shishishishi! I knew we'd meet again! Now you gotta join my crew, Rory!"

She swallows hard and grips the hat tight between her fingers. Before, their deal was just a ploy to make him leave her alone, and she had prayed for Eidra to keep their fates from tangling again; their deal wasn't supposed to come to fruition. She thought, if this day ever came, she'd turn tail and run. She swore she'd never keep her end, and she'd fight to keep her freedom— but now…

She smirks as she places Luffy's hat back on his head, lingering. Long before their paths had crossed, Eidra had already braided their destinies together, she realizes. Her hand falls to her side, her own lips mirroring Luffy's. The same warmth she felt at the Baratie with Sanji fills her stomach and she laughs.

I never want to lose this feeling again. "You better be glad you're rubber or that lightning would have left you like Buggy." She nods to the charred clown.

Luffy doesn't even spare a glance in the other pirate's direction, dark eyes holding steadfast to hers. "Will you join my crew, Aurora?" He holds his hand out between them.

Despite their deal, despite him wanting her to come with him, despite his earlier tactics in Orange Town—the choice was still hers. She was free to go with him or keep sailing (running) on her own.

Her hand clasps his. "We made a deal, didn't we? I keep my promises."

He laughs and his hand becomes firm around hers.

"Surround the square and capture the pirates!"

"Come on you two, time to go!" Roronoa calls out to them. Luffy and Aurora follow after the cook and swordsman as chaos ensues. The storm rages on despite the Marines and Romarii scrambling to round them and the remaining pirates up.

"Apprehend Redrum alive!"

"What direction is the port in?"

"West!" Sanji answers the samurai.

Aurora cackles despite the danger closing in around them. "We've got the wind pushing us, boys!" Thundrak's winds will push us right outta of here! She hadn't felt this giddy since the Red-Haired Pirates visited her island ten years ago.

Roronoa looks over his shoulder. "These guys sure are persistent."

"Wanna stop and fight 'em?" Luffy asks.

Bullets whiz by. One burns as it grazes her bicep. Still, she grins.

"We don't have the time! Nami told us to hurry back to the ship!"

It was here that Aurora realizes that this street was familiar to her. "When we get to the port, I've gotta make a detour for my stuff, Capt'n."

"I'll go with you—hey, who's that?"

She rolls her eyes. "She looks like trouble."

"I like trouble."

"Roronoa Zoro!"

"Seems she likes Roronoa more."

"You made a fool of me! I won't let you leave here with Wado Ichimonji! I will arrest you and take that sword away from you!"

Aurora glances at the man out of the corner of her eye. His expression twists into a bloodthirsty grin. "Yeah? Let's see you try!" Roronoa and the woman clash in a flurry of swords. "Go on ahead!"

Luffy keeps running, grabbing the scruff of Sanji's suit jacket— like he's a misbehaving kitten —when the blond explodes over Roronoa attacking the Marine. The three make it another half mile before another figure appears.

"Who's this guy?"

Shit. "Captain Smoker of the Marines."

"So, it is you!" Smoker's voice carries over the wind, rain and thunder perfectly. "Straw Hat Luffy, I'm not letting you get away!" He widens his stance and his arms turn to smoke, the plumes wrapping around both Luffy and Aurora.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you how to treat a woman?!" Sanji aims a kick at Smoker's cheek, but, predictably, his leg juts through.

"I ain't got time for small fry. White Fist!" Sanji is forced back by a pillar of smoke to his stomach.

"Sanji!"

Aurora clenches her teeth and focuses her will into her knuckles, punching with all her might into the smoke holding her. She drops to the ground and watches as Smoker shakes his hand before she turns and retrieves Sanji.

"You alright?"

"How'd you do that?"

"I'll explain when we're off this damn island! Come on!" She helps him to his feet and holds his hand tight as she drags him back towards Luffy and Smoker. She doesn't let go, not even when he starts running beside her. She sees a hooded figure up ahead, standing over a seated Smoker, who's ass was keeping Luffy pinned to the ground.

Before she and Sanji could reach the boy, a gale storm swept the two off their feet. Aurora lets out a surprised yell, unable to control the weight of her body as the wind carries her away. When the wind dies and she begins to fall, she tucks her body and rolls, protecting her head. The redhead looks around, seeing the harbor straight ahead.

She doesn't waste any time. If she was going to join Luffy and the others, she had to be quick. She scans the port for her sailboat. Please let it be this way, please let it be this way, pleaseletitbethiswayplease— "Thank Brynja!" She hops onto her sailboat, buckling her belt around her waist, strapping her claymore around her chest, and looping her knapsack over her shoulders.

She's on the pier again in a blink, and standing at the end was Percival Colt.

She grins as she unsheathes her karambits. "I was hopin' you'd seek me out. We got a score to settle."

He checks his revolver and rears the hammer back. "You know I can't let you leave."

"That's fine. I can't leave here without killing you." Aurora advances first, slashing at his shoulders. He moves out of the way in time, aiming his gun and pulling the trigger. She dodges and aims for his legs. She gets him in the thigh, and he retaliates by slamming the butt of his gun into the side of her head.

She follows through with the hit and rolls to the side. She pushes against the ground and stabs at his side. The karambit slides through his skin like a butter knife through margarine. He gasps and shoots her in the shoulder. She bares through the burning and aims her other karambit at his neck. He blocks her path, so she twists the karambit in him and pushes upwards.

He coughs and blood spurts from his mouth, spraying her in the face. She yanks her left karambit out of his side, adjusts the position of her right, and pierces the bounty hunter in the chest with both. His blue jewel eyes widen, revolver clattering to the ground. He gasps for breath, knees buckling from under him. Aurora pulls her blades from him and steps back.

"I was a fool to let you live the first time. I'm not one to make the same mistake twice." Her eyes soften around the edges. "You should have never looked back."

Aurora grabs a handful of curls and shoves her karambit through his throat. He gargles, choking, and he falls forward when she removes her karambit and steps away. You fought well. May your soul find its way through Vættvand. She sheathes her karambits and looks up and down the harbor.

She had no idea what Luffy's ship even looked like. How was she supposed to find it?

"There she is! Seize her!"

Either way, she couldn't stay here until Luffy found her. She runs back to her sailboat, cutting its anchor and unfurling the sail. Come on, come on, come on. She fights against the shake in her hands by gripping the rope to the sail tighter. Her shoulder screams and she clutches it to find some sort of relief.

She tries to control the direction of her boat, leaning against the rudder with all her wait, but the winds are too strong and the waves are too big. It took all her effort to keep her vessel from capsizing.

"RORY!"

Aurora's head snaps in the direction of the voice, wiping sea water from her eyes. Just to her right, about two miles away, a small caravan rocks against the waves. The ram figurehead smiles through the darkness.

She stands to her feet, stumbling. She steadies herself to the mast. "OVER HERE!" She yells above the tempest, though she doubts she was heard.

"RORY!"

A wave crashes against her boat, breaking the vessel apart and sending her into the violent waves. She swims to the surface, gasping before another wave forces her under, then another and another and another—

Is this how I die?

Okay, straight to it! A lot of original content in this one, so let's break it down! PS: Everything is inspired by Norse mythology unless started otherwise. Also, a lot of it was some guesswork and twisting words to fit what I wanted them to.

Níðholmr - realm of punishment for those who lived treacherous, cowardly or dishonorable lives. A realm of nothing but the person's deepest/unconscious fears. It is here that they are tormented by their own guilt and regrets, and depending, by creatures that dwell there as well. It is inspired by Niflheim where souls who did not die a noble death reside. Níðholmr is a combination of "Níð" - roughly meaning dishonor, and "holmr" meaning "isolated place".

Romarii - heavily inspired by Rome/Romans. The Romarii specifically are soldiers.

Eidra - goddess of fate, destiny. She weaves the Threads of Life.

Thundrak - god storms, thunder and battle.

Brynja - goddess of protection, strength, and guardianship.

Vættvand - flows through all three realms of the afterlife, acting as a border and passage between life, death and the afterlife. Souls travel the river and their destination is determined by their deeds and judgement of the gods. It is also a guide and test. Inspired by the river Gjöll. Vætt roughly meaning spirit/soul and vand meaning water.

Helmund - was mentioned a few chapters back and he is the god of protection, called to aid people in various situations. He is also the protector of the dead.

Whew! There we are! Alright, y'all know the drill already. Hoped you liked the reunion (i actually planned for it to go one way, but the characters really have a mind of their own sometimes)! See ya next chapter! ◝(ᵔᵕᵔ)◜