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 woke 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 toyed 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 panicked at the concept.

It is fear that caused her heart to pound against her ribcage until it circulated to the rest of her body. She could feel it in the tips of her fingers, throat, knees, and she knew that she was alive. Níðholmr would have rid her of the sensation altogether.

She was able to open her eyes, but they were heavy and she struggled to keep them open, so she kept them closed. She reached out with her other senses, trying to grasp an understanding of her surroundings. Underneath her was hard, but just on one side, and her wrists and calves were pressed tightly together.

So, she was tied up then.

She concentrated on the sounds next, and the waves lapping greeted her like a gentle lover.

Least she was still on the sea.

Still, she continued 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 was a deep chuckle and another page flip.

Scoff. Flip.

Hum. Flip.

A soft exhale through the nostrils. The book was shut and soft rustling followed 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 pulled her under once more, and she welcomed it.

She was able to open her eyes fully and keep the open the next time she broke through the surface.

"Welcome to the world of the living, Redrum!" Percival clapped as he yelled the statement, which further irritated the pounding behind her eyes. She watched as he flipped 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 worked her jaw, but her tongue felt too heavy to move. Come on, body, cooperate with me here. It still refused to obey her pleas.

"But I had to make the dosage high, ya know? Yer just too strong to take in without it." He kept rambling as he cut the hotplate off and lifted the skillet from it. He procured a fork from thin air and began 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 said around a mouthful of food, not paying mind to the spit that landed on her cheek.

Get up and kill him. Kill him now.

He gulped from a waterskin, water dripping down his chin and trailing down his neck. Aurora envisioned 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 breathed deep and forced 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 grinned 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 willed 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 attempted to wiggle her left big toe, just to prove him wrong, but the shadows around her eyes started to grow and they whispered 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 came to once more. Instead, he tilted her head and poured water into her mouth.

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

Aurora found that talking came a little more easy this time. "Those journals are private."

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "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 liked engaging in heated debates to pass the time.

Percival barked 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 raised a brow. "Sounds personal."

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

She chuckled. "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 ached in response at the force of her laughter, and her lungs practically begged for her to take a breath. She coughed.

"Oh gods, you're a dumbass!" She exclaimed, upper body curling inward as more laughter escaped 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 was able to pick herself up and straighten herself so that she was sitting, bound legs straight in front of her. She grinned 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 stared at one another for a long, silent moment. Aurora's legs prickled, like needles stabbing into her skin. Her arms ached from being tied so tightly together, yet she refused 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 gulped from his waterskin and looked towards the horizon. Then, he turned 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 had been a weak wind as long as she's been awake, but after his question, a forceful burst pushed against the sail—against her back. She leaned into it, back meeting the edge of the sailboat. She let her face relax into an easy going smile as the wind continued to ruffle through her hair.

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

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

She shook 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 was 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 had spoken. Aurora shifted, tucking her knees to her chest with as much force as she could muster, popping her joints in the process before relaxing them. She cracked 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 hadn'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 sighed and sank 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 looked down at her clothing, longing to change out of the hostess uniform and into her comfortable linen shirt and cotton pants.

Aurora looked upward, watching as the clouds pass by. She ignored Percival when he reappeared.

She decided 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 tied the boats to the harbor.

The bounty hunter turned 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 purred with a smirk.

He gave her a look similar to how a parent would give a mischievous child. Still, he cut the ropes around her legs, careful not to nick her and hauled her to her feet by her bicep. He grabbed his satchel, slinging it over his chest. He climbed onto the pier, turned and helped 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 stumbled and he caught her, the worn pads of his hands warm. She looked up at him, brows furrowing. He matched her expression. She schooled her face and he lets her go before they continue to the Marine base.

She fought 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, instead, spent her time looking around her, taking in Loguetown. This was her first time here. Goosebumps rose on her arms and she shivered 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 arrived at the base with no incident and Percival guided her to a woman behind a desk, her black pen practically burning a hole in the paperwork below. She glanced up at them briefly and her hand became a blur as she started to scribble faster.

The bounty and the hunter exchanged a look before the woman finished, set her pen aside and crossed one of her hands over top the other. Her smiling lips were full and painted red, matching her red blouse.

"How may I help you?"

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

"Oh yes!" She interrupted cheerfully. "We have already prepared everything in anticipation for your arrival. Let me check if Captain Smoker is in his office." She picked 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 hung up and stood. "Follow me, please."

She led them upstairs (Aurora counted a hundred and twenty-one) and down a long hallway. She paused at a very important looking door with smoke escaping the crack at the bottom. The receptionist knocked three times and a voice beyond barked for her to send them in.

"Have a wonderful day, Mister Colt!" Then she spun on her red bottomed heels and retraced her path back to her station.

Aurora's heart skipped a beat when Percival opened the door. A cloud of gray smoke escaped and smacked them in the face as they crossed the threshold. In the haze, there was a silhouette of a hulking man with red eyes that pierced through the fog and into her own.

As the smoke dispersed, Captain Smoker stood to a towering height and his appearance became clearer. His white hair was spiky and stuck upwards and out of his face. He was muscular, which he showed off by leaving his thick, fur lined jacket opened. Is he hot or cold? Aurora noted 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 greeted. Somehow, his speech wasn't affected by the cigars in his mouth. His gaze, which had only left her for the moment he acknowledged Percival, shifted back to her. She watched as they travel downward. "What's with the get-up?"

"I just got off from my shift," she retorted nonchalantly, not caring if he was asking her or not. Orange and red clash as his eyes dart to her face again.

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

The Captain sighed, 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 ensued. Aurora turned her head and sneezed into her shoulder. "Think you can open a window? This smoke reeks."

The line between Smoker's brow deepened as the smoke grew 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 droned and raised her brows, "is that a no?"

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

She wished she could make a motion to zip her mouth, but alas her hands were tied. Instead, she gave him a shrug and occupied 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 coughed 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 glared at her— as if she said it! —as he walked over to the window and opened it with a little more force than necessary.

The official doesn't even say thank you. Instead, they walked in front of Aurora and it was here she looked 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 grabbed her under the chin and forced her head upwards. Her eyes followed naturally and stared hard into his face. He lifted the sleeve of her shirt, showing the room her tattoo. He then started to unbutton her blouse.

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

The Romarii scoffed and shoved 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 supplied, paying no mind to the official unbuttoning her shirt. "Better hope I am or he'll kill us both." She gave the bounty hunter a sardonic grin.

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

He fixed her shirt and buttoned it back.

"Satisfied?" She asked.

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

"Hidden on a sailboat we arrived with."

He nodded. "Good."

When he turned to address Smoker, her façade dropped. The beating of her heart hastened at the thought of seeing that man again. Smoker pulled a recorder from his desk and pressed 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 barged into the room, startling the four occupants. "Pirates are causing a disturbance at the execution platform!" At Smoker's raised brow, the officer saluted, gulping nervously. "I-I beg your pardon, sir. I… I didn't mean to intrude."

"Pirates on the execution platform, eh?" The captain grabbed 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 snapped his head toward Smoker— "our business is finished. You're free to start your journey back to Silberhafen with Redrum."

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

He forgot to close the window.

Aurora bolted and, before anyone could react, lept headfirst through the window. As she fell, she was able to shift her weight and flip. She landed hard and fast, feet slamming against the cobblestones. She stumbled 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 turned down an alley, then another, not knowing where she was going. She sweated 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 looked over her shoulder, relief flooding her system to see that no one was tailing her yet, but she had to keep pushing. She had to make it to the harbor first—"Ah!"

The redhead collided with something hard, and at first she believed it to be a brick wall. She rolled onto her back, staring up into a sky of blue.

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

She blinked and there was blond hair hanging forward, mouth gaped in shock. The smell of cigarettes hit her.

"Aurora-tan?"

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

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

She pressed her lips into a thin line. "Percival Colt drugged and brought me here to turn me in." Sanji bent 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 whipped her head around to see Roronoa picking himself up off the ground, rubbing at his head. She looked between the cook and samurai. "Okay, I'm confused. Do you two know each other?" She finally noticed the other two, eyes widening at the sight of familiar ginger hair. "The thief from Orange Town?" The other was dark skinned boy with black kinky hair and a long nose. "Pinocchio? What the fuck?"

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

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

Aurora stretched 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," was 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 followed 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 said, "go back to the ship and get everything ready."

Gingersnap and Pinocchio followed the chef's orders. "Get back to the ship quick," Nami snapped as she left.

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

"What's the plan, mosshead?"

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

Aurora snorted. "Solid plan, chief."

Roronoa sneered at her. "You got a better idea?"

"No," she paused, watching as the clouds grew 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 laughed.

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

There was a silence that engulfed the square as the pressure swelled. Chills ran down her spine. Luffy had stated his goal before; his declaration was nothing new to her. But… Aurora's fists clenched at her side, nails biting into the skin of her palms. The execution platform groaned and whispers from the crowd erupted.

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

"Ha! What a dreamer!"

Sanji and Roronoa sprinted forward. She heard the samurai unsheathe his swords. "Stop the execution!" One of them said, maybe both, as they rushed through the crowd.

Aurora's feet stayed, eyes fixated on the platform. The wind's howls grew deafeningly loud, clogging her ears. The hair on her arms and neck stood. Her eyes widened.

Buggy raised his sword high above his head.

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

Luffy's smile flashed in the glare of the bolt of lightning as it striked the platform, and his laugh echoed in the wake of the explosion. Aurora squinted her eyes against the light, tongue heavy. A sudden deluge of rain fell as the platform collapsed. 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 ran toward the fallen platform, bypassing Sanji, Roronoa and all of Buggy's henchmen, who all stood in shock. She stopped before the rubble, spotting Shanks' straw hat and picked it up. As she straightened, Luffy dusted himself off, beaming.

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

She swallowed hard and gripped 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 smirked as she placed Luffy's hat back on his head, her hand lingering on top the straw hat. Long before their paths had crossed, Eidra had already braided their destinies together, she realized. Her hand fell to her side, her own lips mirroring Luffy's. The same warmth she felt at the Baratie with Sanji filled her stomach to the brim until a soft laugh escaped her.

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 noddrd 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 held 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 clasped his. "We made a deal, didn't we? I keep my promises."

He laughed and his hand became firm around hers.

"Surround the square and capture the pirates!"

"Come on you two, time to go!" Roronoa called out to them. Luffy and Aurora followed after the cook and swordsman as chaos ensued. The storm raged 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 answered the samurai.

Aurora cackled 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 looked over his shoulder. "These guys sure are persistent."

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

Bullets whizzed by. One burns as it grazed her bicep. Still, she grinned.

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

It was here that Aurora realized 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 rolled 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 glanced at the man out of the corner of her eye. His expression twisted into a bloodthirsty grin. "Yeah? Let's see you try!" Roronoa and the woman clashed in a flurry of steel. "Go on ahead!"

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

"Who's this guy?"

Shit. "Captain Smoker of the Marines."

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

"Didn't your mother ever teach you how to treat a woman?!" Sanji aimed a kick at Smoker's cheek, but, predictably, his leg jutted 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 clenched her teeth and focused her will into her knuckles, punching with all her might into the smoke holding her. She dropped to the ground and watched as Smoker shook his hand before she turned and retrieved Sanji.

"You alright?"

"How'd you do that?"

"I'll explain when we're off this damn island! Come on!" She helped him to his feet and held his hand tight as she dragged him back toward Luffy and Smoker. She doesn't let go, not even when he started running beside her. She saw a hooded figure up ahead, standing over a seated Smoker, whose heavy 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 let out a surprised yell, unable to control the weight of her body as the wind carried her away. When the wind died and she began to fall, she tucked her body and rolled, protecting her head. The redhead looked 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 scanned the port for her sailboat. Please let it be this way, please let it be this way, pleaseletitbethiswayplease— "Thank Brynja!" She hopped onto her sailboat, finding her weapons quick and buckled her belt around her waist, strapping her claymore around her chest, and looping her knapsack over her shoulders.

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

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

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

"That's fine. I can't leave here without killing you." Aurora advanced first, slashing at his shoulders. He moved out of the way in time, aiming his gun and pulling the trigger. She dodged and aimed for his legs. She got him in the thigh, and he retaliated by slamming the butt of his gun into the side of her head.

She followed through with the hit and rolled to the side. She pushed against the ground and stabbed at his side. The karambit slid through his skin like a butter knife through margarine. He gasped and shot her in the shoulder. She bared through the burning and oriented her other karambit at his neck. He blocked her path, so she twisted the karambit in him and pushed upwards.

He coughed and blood spurts from his mouth, spraying her in the face. She yanked her left karambit out of his side, adjusted the position of her right, and pierced the bounty hunter in the chest with both. His blue jewel eyes widened, revolver clattering to the ground. He gulped for breath, knees buckling from under him. Aurora pulled her blades from him and stepped back.

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

Aurora grabbed a handful of curls and shoved her karambit through his throat. He gargled, grabbing his throat as he fell forward when she removed her karambit and stepped away. You fought well. May your soul find its way through Vættvand. She sheathed her karambits and looked 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 ran back to her sailboat, cutting its anchor and unfurling the sail. Come on, come on, come on. She fought against the shake in her hands by gripping the rope to the sail tighter. Her shoulder screamed and she clutched it to find some sort of relief.

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

"RORY!"

Aurora's head snapped in the direction of the voice, wiping sea water from her eyes. Just to her right, about a mile and half away, a small caravan rocked against the waves. The ram figurehead smiled through the darkness.

She stood to her feet, unsteady. She leaned against the mast. "OVER HERE!" She yelled above the tempest, though she doubted she was heard.

"RORY!"

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

Is this how I die?

Oh my GOD another late post! 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)◜