They'd barely been sailing for a few hours, and the Grand Line was already running them ragged, throwing unmanageable weather and unforgivable elements their way. Nami learned the hard way that looking away from the Log Pose for a single minute could result in their ship getting turned around, caught in a whirlpool, or even sunk outright.

A snowstorm had marked the beginning of their troubles. Then, through Usopp and Luffy's antics and Mister Nine and Miss Wednesday's whining, thunder roared, and lightning streaked the snow-filled sky. And then spring was upon them, the heavy wind chasing away the dark clouds, and straight ahead appeared an iceberg. What followed was a chaotic, never-ending cycle of tornadoes, fog, storms, and at one point it even started raining electric eels – that had been a pain to manage. And through it all, numerous leaks had sprung in the bowels of the poor ship, the sails had been ripped in three or four different places, and the entire crew was soaked, panting, and overall exhausted.

"Nami! Incoming!"

They barely had the time to catch their breath that a violent wave unexpectedly hit their ship and, suddenly, the storm was starting all over again. Everyone immediately sprung into action – saved for Zoro, who was somehow managing to sleep through it all despite their numerous attempts to wake him – and Brynlee grabbed the nearest rope to try and furl the sail tighter, so it wouldn't rip any further.

The wind was howling, rain was falling so heavily it created a thick curtain of water, and Brynlee could barely stand upright as the ship violently rocked sideways—

"WHOAAA!"

Mister Nine violently slammed into her, thrown off-balance before he could get a grip, and it took Brynlee half-a-second to realize she was now falling – and then her body hit the water, the waves swallowing her whole and dragging her into the cold and the oblivion. As she started sinking, Brynlee belatedly realized two things: one, she'd never learned how to swim in this life – and two, for a reason she couldn't fathom, her body simply wasn't budging.

I can't move at all. She couldn't hear anything, see anything. My body won't respond… Why can't I even lift a finger…?

She was quickly running out of air, the pressure on her lungs too much to bear. But then, something strong wrapped around her and started pulling her right back up, until her head abruptly breached the surface and light completely blinded her. She could faintly hear her friends shouting in the near-distance, too busy hacking and trying to inhale as much air as possible while her lungs burned.

She barely even noticed as she was pulled out of the water and right back onto the deck, still heaving from shock and admittedly a little fear. Something warm and soft fell over her shoulders, and she instinctively pulled it closer against her. She could feel the concealing cloak sticking to her skin but managed to remember not to take it off just yet.

"Bryn? Brynlee, are you okay?"

"… what the fuck," she croaked out.

Nami let out a watery laugh, pulling her into a hug, and Brynlee only then noticed that her sister had been crying. She glanced around, finding the rest of her crew standing nearby, clearly worried. Even Zoro had woken up! Sanji was dripping wet, a blanket wrapped over him as well, and she offered him a weak smile.

"Thanks for the save, Sanji."

"Of course. Are you alright?"

"Shaken," she admitted.

"Why didn't you tell us you couldn't swim?" asked Zoro, eyes narrowed.

His arms were crossed over his chest, and he was tense. To anyone else, it might sound like he was blaming her, but she could tell he was worried – he'd probably been scared shitless, waking up to everyone panicking because she'd been thrown overboard.

"I never learned – never had to, with my… condition," she replied, looking down at her hand. "But also… I couldn't move. It's like- it's like I didn't have any strength—"

"Like the water was getting straight into your veins and weighing you down?" She shot a startled look toward Luffy, who shrugged. "That's how I feel when I sink. Bryn, you never told us you ate a Devil Fruit, too!"

"… I didn't know."

"How can you not know!?" protested Usopp, slumping against the railing.

"Okay, enough!" cut in Nami, helping Brynlee back to her feet. "I'll take her inside, help her get warmed up. The weather seems to have settled for now, and I've gotten a good grasp of how it seems to work. You guys keep an eye on our heading and surrounding in the meantime."

"Oi, oi! You're the navigator! You can't just leave us to our own devices!" snapped Mister Nine. "She can take care of herself—"

Without hesitation, Brynlee crossed what little distance separated them and swung her fist, barely remembering not to coat it in Armament. Her flesh and sheer strength alone were enough to send her message across – and send him flying, too. His body violently collided with the mast, something in him distinctly breaking as he collapsed with a whimper.

"Mister Nine!" cried out Miss Wednesday, rushing to his side.

"That's for almost killing me, asshole," grunted Brynlee, repressing a violent shiver. "Mark my words: I'm a vindictive bitch, so you better watch your back from here on out."

Nami gently squeezed her shoulders, urging her inside without sparing another look for their unwelcomed guests. The moment they reached their shared cabin, Nami mindfully locked the door, before quickly helping Brynlee strip out of her soaked cloak and clothes. Brynlee's wings occupied most of the space, and she instinctively brought them closer to warm herself up. Brynlee sniffled a bit as she quickly changed into her pajamas, thankful that the pocket dimension in which she stored her wings apparently protected them from the water – that was one less thing to dry.

"Are you alright?" asked Nami.

"I'm fine," smiled Brynlee. "A little shocked, but nothing I can't handle."

"Good. Don't scare me like that ever again. I'm going back outside, get some rest, alright? Sanji will come by soon with something to warm you up."

"Thanks."

Nami quickly headed out, worried about their heading, and Brynlee slumped into her small bed, her wings closing into a protective cocoon around her.

If I have a Devil Fruit… then which one is it?

So there it is! To the few who've noticed something was a bit amiss with Brynlee's [CHARACTER PROFILE], good eye!