Over the ocean, Four Days prior to the destruction of the Spade Pirates.
The wind was loud, and cold.
Yamato scanned her eyes over the ocean below, looking for somewhere to set down. They had been flying all day. The last one had been a small island named Tolkien, an island of tall and dense mountains as well as lush forests. Even more impressive were the enormous birds that made the mountains their home, flying just a few hundred yards below them.
She would have liked to land and explore; or at least get some rest. But they were in a hurry, so they had decided to keep going; confident that there would be something on their route.
But there was nothing.. Nothing but the roiling sea and the distant horizon.
And she was starting to get hungry.
"Izuku!" she called down. "Are you sure we're going the right way!?"
"Just a second!" Izuku called back, slowing down a little. He brought up the Eternal Pose Lawson had given them. Yamato leant down, and saw the needle pointing straight ahead.
"Yeah, we are!" yelled Izuku, his voice barely audible over the wind. "Are you getting hungry?"
"A little!" yelled Yamato. "But what about you!?"
"I'm fine!" insisted Izuku, glancing back at her; a confident grin just visible. "But we should set down the next place we see!"
"Right!" Yamato nodded, though she was starting to worry. Izuku seemed okay, but the empty ocean was starting to worry her; and while the sun was high and bright, it was past mid-day. She didn't know how long Izuku could keep this up, not with her and two full backpacks; and she didn't want to find out, not for this.
And then…at last.
"There!" she called out, pointing towards a small shape on the horizon off to the right. "Land!"
"I see it!" Izuku banked slightly, aiming them towards it and speeding up. Little by little, the tiny shape grew and grew. A little atoll, with some palm trees and what might have been a lagoon with some brush.
"Nice place to stop!" Izuku called, beginning his descent. Down and down they went, then finally, they touched down.
"Ahhhh!" Izuku sighed, stretching his back and arms as he set Yamato down. "Another happy landing!"
"I'll get firewood, if you set up camp," Yamato replied, relieved to be down safely.
"Sure thing, just be careful, we don't know what could be on this island."
Thankfully it took her only a few minutes to find and make firewood and kindling from the palm trees and brush, and to bring it back to where Izuku had set up their camp. It took only a few more minutes for her to assemble the fire, and get it going; while Izuku shared out some food. They sat for a while, wolfing down the food Judith and the maids had left for them, and enjoying the heat of the fire.
"I've been wondering," Izuku said suddenly. "What do we do when we meet Whitebeard? What do we say to him?"
"What do you mean?" Yamato asked, confused.
"Well, we've never met the guy," Izuku went on, looking dubious. "We only know him from Whitey Bay and Oden's journal, both of which say he's an extremely influential and powerful pirate. We should probably think through what we're going to tell him."
Yamato furrowed her brow. He was right, now that she thought about it. Whitebeard had been less than amused to find Oden hanging on to his anchor chain, and it took him a while to earn the great pirate's trust; almost to the point it cost the samurai his life. What would Whitebeard think of an old friend turning up with two strangers? What reason would he have to trust them beyond that?
Especially when he found out that Kaido was on the hunt for them, or that Oden was dead?
"We should tell him everything we know," she said. "About everything that's been going on."
"That was what I was thinking." Izuku's eyes were down, brow furrowed. "Let's see…Kaido's got his hands on some artificial Devil Fruits called SMILEs, and he's getting them from someone called Doflamingo in Dressrosa."
"Donquixote Doflamingo," Yamato cut in. "He's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"Really?" Izuku looked surprised. "But isn't he supposed to be working with the World Government?"
"He is, sort of," Yamato grinned, happy to play teacher again. "The Warlords are more or less granted immunity by the World Government, in exchange for helping them when called upon and keeping their own acts of piracy to a minimum. If Doflamingo really is sending SMILEs to Kaido behind their backs, then Whitebeard will want to know."
Of that, Yamato was certain. Kaido's Gifters, once there were enough of them, would make him powerful beyond measure. Even Big Mom might struggle to oppose him, let alone Whitebeard.
"I guess that's true." Izuku frowned. "But…"
He trailed off. Yamato watched him as he sat there, frowning at the fire. Something was clearly bothering him, and she had a sneaking feeling she knew what it was.
"Are you worried about meeting Whitebeard?" she asked cautiously.
"Since you mention it, yes, I am," admitted Izuku. "Well, not so much meeting him, it's what to do afterwards. Do we join him, or do we warn him and move on? I'm not exactly crazy about the idea of being a pirate."
Yamato's heart sank. She had half-assumed that they would be joining Whitebeard, just as Oden had done. But clearly her friend was having second thoughts.
"But where would we go if we did move on?" she asked. "The Marines?"
"That's just it." Izuku looked straight at her; and there was sorrow in his eyes. "I want to believe that the Marines are all like Doll and her comrades, or like that Aokiji fellow Mr. Bach mentioned. I know Baker doesn't really count, but…"
He trailed off again, and he seemed very lonely all of a sudden. He looked…haunted.
"Because of what Malice said?" Yamato asked, thinking back to the fallen Marine's words.
"If what he said was true, the Marines are corrupt," Izuku replied. "Or the World Government is corrupt, and they just mindlessly obey; or maybe both. At first I thought maybe he was lying, or twisting the facts. But Oden said similar things in his journal, and then there was Baker, and that Warlord showing up."
Yamato shivered at the mention of Bartholomew Kuma, who was dreaded even among the Seven Warlords of the Sea. And she shivered again, as she remembered the look in Bach's eyes that night.
Absolute Fear.
"I don't know Malice well," she admitted. "But I believe he was telling the truth. My father and his subordinates have said the same things many times. Even if they aren't the most trustworthy, it's fairly clear the World Government is far from noble; and the Marines are bound to obey it, regardless of morality."
Izuku nodded in agreement. But he still looked unhappy.
"But I believe in Whitebeard," she insisted, smiling. "Oden believed in him, and so does Whitey Bay. If there's anyone we can trust in this world, it's him."
Izuku nodded, forcing a smile. But Yamato could tell he was uncertain. In his world, from what he had described, working with pirates would have been unthinkable. He still wasn't quite used to her world, and its realities.
So she'd have to do everything she could to reassure him.
"And if not him, there's always Red Hair!" she went on cheerfully. "He's the fourth Emperor, but he used to be Roger's chore boy. Oden said he was bright and cheeky, a cheerful fellow and from what little I've heard about him, he's fairly honorable."
Izuku's smile widened a little, and there was a twinkle in his eyes. "Well, least we have some options, hopefully everything should work itself out."
Yamato nodded eagerly at his renewed faith, before the young hero let off a yawn.
"Do you mind if I take a nap, Yamato? I'm exhausted."
"Not at all!" Yamato grinned. "I'll do some writing while you're asleep."
"Great."
(X)
Izuku let out a yawn, and arched his back.
He had needed that nap. Flying for eight hours was a trial at the best of times; but Yamato, it had to be said, was heavy.
In the back of his mind he could feel Nana glaring at him.
Ignoring that, there was no sign of Yamato, but her sleeping bag and backpack were still there, just as they had been before. The fire had gone down, settling into a deep glow. To the west, the sun was setting; painting the horizon orange and red. How long had he been asleep?
Taking another look, he spotted Yamato's sandals not far from the fire, and footprints heading off towards the ocean. He stood up, stretched his stiff limbs, and followed the footprints onto the beach.
And there she was, moving around the beach in a strange, back-and-forth motion. He blinked and rubbed his eyes; but they were not deceiving him.
She was dancing.
Izuku watched, both bewildered and amazed, as she twirled across the sand; in the arms of an invisible partner. Her footwork was just barely off, the movements almost right; almost like the dancers in Lawson's ballroom. It wasn't elegant or graceful, not the movement of an experienced dancer. But there was nothing ugly or lumpen about it, nothing that made him want to look away.
"Considering her limited experience, she's quite impressive," En noted. Izuku nodded in agreement as he watched her dance, wondering what made her want to…
"Uwahh!"
Izuku jumped, and realized that Yamato had stopped dancing. She was staring at him, face red, frozen stiff.
"I…I …um!" She started to fidget. "I wasn't…I mean…"
"You wanted to dance?"
Yamato let out a long, heavy sigh.
"I was just practicing what Judith taught me," she said, with weary sadness. "I never danced before. I've never done anything remotely like it, besides fighting. I wasn't pretty like those other ladies, or graceful."
Izuku felt sad for his companion. He wasn't much of a dancer himself. It just wasn't his thing; even after Mina had drilled what she could into his head. But at least he'd had the option if he'd wanted it.
Onigashima didn't seem like the kind of place to inspire or appreciate dancing; unless it was drunken moshing on the Live Floor. She'd never had the chance to do something like this. There had never been any room in her life for anything delicate, or refined, or gentle.
"Well, I wasn't much of a partner," he replied, smiling awkwardly. "Being so much shorter than you and all."
"No, you weren't…" stammered Yamato, looking hurt. "I…it's not your fault. You can't help the way you were made. No one can."
"If it makes you feel any better, dancing was never really my thing either," he went on. "I never cared for it much."
They stood there in silence, for an awkwardly long time.
"So…why don't we…practice together?" suggested Izuku, blushing. Yamato looked up at him in surprise, her cheeks still pink.
"You don't mind?"
"Some of us do!" snapped the Second User. "Since when do we dance!?"
"Since right this instant!" retorted Nana.
"No, it's fine." Izuku smiled and stepped up to her. "Though it might work better like this."
He activated Float, and levitated upward until he was looking her in the eyes. Yamato grinned and stepped forward, taking his hand in hers. Izuku's heart pounded as he put his other hand on her waist.
"Okay, on three."
And so they danced; Yamato on her feet, Izuku on thin air. One two three, one two three, chasse and whisk and natural turn; whatever they were supposed to be. Around and around, to a tune only they could hear.
"How am I doing?" Yamato asked, a little nervously.
"Great!" insisted Izuku. "You're getting the hang of it."
And she was. Her steps, once stiff and formulaic, were becoming graceful. Her movements, once plain and blunt, were becoming easy, and lively.
"Oh wow." Yamato smiled a smile that made his heart leap. "Thanks Izuku!"
So they danced on, in a dream world of their own making. And then at last, when the time was right, they stood apart; and bowed.
"Thank you for that, Izuku," Yamato said earnestly. "That was wonderful. Like nothing else I've ever done before."
"D-don't worry about it." Izuku knew his cheeks were pink, but he didn't care. "You've got the moves down just fine. All you need to do is some practice."
"You could use a little practice yourself," commented Daigoro.
"Like that's ever gonna happen," the Second User muttered.
"Are you sure you've never danced before?" Yamato asked. Izuku faltered, and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, not much," he admitted. "We had to learn back at the academy, for formal occasions and such. There was the School Festival . But we didn't do all that much."
"Nowhere near enough, in my humble opinion," declared Nana, arms folded. "Refinement and sophistication are just as important as combat training."
"Like any of us had time for fancy-pants parties or balls," grumbled the Third User. "Heroes need to do their jobs, not show off."
"And that is why you will never catch a woman," retorted Nana. "Even if you weren't dead for over a century!"
"In fact it was only once," Izuku went on, trying to ignore the voices. "It was a fancy party at the WHA building in Tokyo, after the Otheon mission."
"Oh yes, I remember!" Yamato slapped her fist into her palm. "I haven't got as far as writing it yet, though. I'm just up to the academy festival, when you and your classmates were performing for little Eri."
Izuku remembered. All the hours spent practicing, Ashido teaching them to dance, Kyoka arranging the song. The bright lights, the amplifiers, the thrill of it all. The students who had come to cause trouble, all singing and dancing like it was about to be banned.
And down there in the crowd. Eri, sitting on Mirio's shoulder, smiling the biggest smile she had ever smiled.
Eri…
"Peace, Izuku," whispered Yoichi. "Don't dwell on it."
Sadly, those words did little to help. He would never see her again. He would never see any of them ever again. He had promised them he would come back. He had promised his mother he would come home to her. He had promised Eri that he would never abandon her. He had promised Uraraka…
"I'm sorry." Yamato's voice drew him out of the darkness. "I shouldn't have brought it up."
"No, it's okay," Izuku replied, smiling through his pain. "I just miss everyone, that's all."
Everyone. His parents, All Might, all the friends he had left behind. And Kacchan, who was gone forever.
"Do you want to go back?" asked Yamato. Izuku looked her in the eyes, and saw in there a fear, and a longing. She was afraid, he could tell; afraid that if he got the chance he would go, and their adventure would be over. "To your world?"
"A part of me does," he admitted. "But, Yamato, I seriously don't think I can. And I wouldn't want to go unless you could come too."
She brightened, her face lighting up again.
"Kid's as innocent as they come, but he sure has a way with his words," En chuckled, "Could use a few pointers when it comes to wooing the ladies."
"If you asked me to go with you, I would," said Yamato, her eyes sparkling once again. "To meet your family and friends, and see your world."
Izuku felt better for her words, and that sparkle in her eyes. Yes, he was lonely, and he missed his old home. But things were what they were; and it could have been a lot worse.
"With how crazy this world is, we could've landed anywhere. Like an island made entirely of lava," Daigoro muttered.
"Or one with completely insane weather, like constant lightning storms or something," Hikage noted.
"Or even an island that'd just up and eat us," Yoichi added; making them all shudder. After everything they had seen, it couldn't be ruled out.
"In the meantime, why don't we check out this island?" he suggested brightly. "It's only a little island, but we've got some sunlight left."
"I'd love to!" declared Yamato, and fell in beside him. They strolled along the beach, as the sun began its descent behind the horizon. The waves lapped gently against the sand, and the palm trees rustled in a soft, warm breeze. A flicker of movement caught Izuku's eye, and he saw a crab scuttling sideways across the wet sand as he smiled lightly.
Just a nice warm walk on an island in the middle of nowhere against a setting sun, with his friend by his side.
(X)
The next day
It was cold; again.
Yamato shivered as she scanned the horizon; just as she had done the day before. They had been flying for ten long hours, and there had been little to see. They had evaded a storm, and a tornado that touched the water and formed a massive water spout; but aside from that, there had been nothing but sea, and sky, and clouds.
It was peaceful…but painfully dull.
She didn't want to be bored. She couldn't stand the idea that something so wondrous could be boring. But it had been ten hours, with little to see and nothing to do. Izuku didn't seem to need or want her help; though she was sure she had heard his stomach growl. He just kept on following the Eternal Pose, over the vast and empty ocean. It made her wish she had powers similar to her father or King; so she could carry him for a while.
She never would have imagined the world could be so big, or so empty. She had heard of the Grand Line, even seen it on a map, but never seen it for itself. Apart from that vast edifice, there seemed to be little in the world but ocean and a few islands.
It was…lonely, somehow.
Yamato shook her head. She couldn't afford to dwell on such feelings. Izuku was bound to be getting tired, and they needed a place to land. A quick look at the Log Pose showed two needles pointing away and one straight ahead; the same as the Eternal Pose.
So, they were on the right track, at least. Something was ahead of them, and that something might be Isla Rubikan. But how far? And how long?
Yamato put the Log Pose away, and lifted her binoculars to her eyes, praying for a sight of land.
Nothing. Nothing but ocean, and more ocean.
Yamato half-sighed, half-hissed. She wished she had taken the time to check out the Finalems maps, or checked any map before they started. They were going to have to plan these flights more carefully; or one day, Izuku would wear out over the empty ocean, and it would be the end for both of them.
Perhaps they should have claimed the Finalem ship after all. Yes, they would have needed a crew, and neither of them knew the first thing about sailing; but it would have been easier on Izuku, at least. Even her father, who could transform himself into a dragon, used ships to travel any distance.
And then, mercifully, a blip on the horizon.
"Land ahead!" she called out, staring through her binoculars. It was indeed an island, and considerably larger than that little atoll from the night before. Izuku didn't need telling twice; settling onto a course for the island, and starting his descent.
Yamato kept on watching the island. It was wreathed in fog, but she could make out what looked like a mountain range, and a forest below it. There was a plateau just beyond, with what might have been a castle on it.
Her brow furrowed. Isla Rubikan was supposed to be a pirate outpost. But she couldn't see any ships, let alone pirates. It looked… peaceful.
Not that it mattered. An island was an island. Once there they could eat and rest, and maybe find out more about the region; see if there were any more islands on the way to Isla Rubikan. That way they could plan out a route, and maybe not strain Izuku quite so badly.
And she would feel a lot better for it.
(X)
"Ahhhhhhh!" Izuku stretched his arms, glad of solid ground under his feet. "Lucky this island was here. That was heavy going."
"Sorry." Izuku turned to Yamato. She was looking sad, guilty even. "You do all the work when we fly. I couldn't do anything to help."
"Don't worry about it." He flapped his hand dismissively, grinning. "I'll be fine after a good meal and a good night's sleep."
"Sounds good to me!" Yamato's smile returned. "There's a castle over that way." She pointed towards a plateau to their right, where Izuku could just make out a tall building of some kind. "We could ask in there, or see if there's anywhere else."
"Then let's get going," Izuku agreed, looking around. The sky above had been bright and blue, but the forest itself was damp and foggy, the haze partly blocking the sunlight. He didn't want to camp there if he didn't have to.
They made their way through the forest, picking their way carefully over the undergrowth. There wasn't much to see, beyond some interesting trees.
"Hey, look at this."
Izuku paused, as Yamato pointed at something. He looked down, and saw a muddy track worn through the undergrowth. He glanced at Yamato, who shrugged, and they started along the path. No sense in getting lost.
"I wonder where it leads," asked Yamato aloud.
"Maybe they like to go hiking around here," mused Izuku. "Or it leads somewhere."
"I think we're heading towards the edge of the forest," replied Yamato. "From there, we can…"
She trailed off, and stopped suddenly. Izuku stopped in turn, wondering what the matter could be. She was staring straight ahead, brow furrowed, as if she could see something he couldn't.
Then he heard it. A sound, only faint, but not one that belonged in a forest. It sounded almost musical.
He glanced at Yamato, who nodded. They made their way along the track, moving carefully and quietly. The sound grew slowly louder. It was a voice…a beautiful voice, singing a gentle song.
They followed the voice along the trail, until they reached the edge of the forest. Before them was a cliff.
And standing upon it was a young girl. She wore a simple black shirt and lilac slacks, and white headphones covered her ears. Her long hair was gathered at the top like a pair of bunny ears, and hanging down in twin tails. Her hair was red on one side and white on the other, just like Todoroki Shoto's hair.
And she was singing. The voice had been hers. Izuku watched, entranced. He had never heard anything quite like it.
A crack cut through the air. The girl yelped, and spun around to face them. One purple eye stared at them in fear and bewilderment; the other covered by her white bangs.
"Oh! Uh…hello," Izuku greeted her, awkwardly. "Sorry, we didn't mean to disturb you."
"It was my fault." Yamato raised one foot, and Izuku saw a snapped twig. "We were just listening to your song. It was beautiful!"
The girl glanced from one to the other, clearly afraid.
"Who…who are you?" she stammered. "How did you get here?"
"Wait!" Izuku called out, as she backed away. Her foot touched the edge, and she stopped, trying to steady herself. But then the wind whistled, and Izuku cried out in horror as her legs gave way. The girl yelped, and toppled back over the cliff.
Izuku leapt after her, plunging down over the cliff edge. He flew straight down, past the plummeting girl, catching her in his arms.
"You saved me…" The girl stared up at him in mingled terror and amazement. Izuku grinned, and flew up and over the cliff, depositing her gently by the tree line.
"Are you all right?" asked Yamato, trotting up to them.
"I'm…I'm fine," gasped the girl. "You saved my life! Thank you!"
"It's fine, really," insisted Izuku gently, falling back into Hero mode. "Just relax, breathe."
The girl obeyed, breathing slowly, and gradually settled down.
"How did you come to be here?" she asked, looking from one to the other; her fear replaced with wonder. "Have you come to see Gordon?"
Izuku faltered for a moment. She couldn't have seen them land, but how to explain about his Flight power?
"We just arrived," he said, hoping that would suffice. "We've come from far away, and were hoping to rest here."
She blinked at him, and Izuku's heart sank. Clearly she was wondering how they had got there, and hadn't just assumed they had arrived by ship. Was this island really that isolated?
"Oh, uh, I'm Hisashi, and this is Anna," he introduced the two of them. He felt strangely bad about lying to her, all of a sudden. But it was as much for her sake as for theirs.
The girl looked from one to the other once again, and then straightened up.
"My name... is Uta."
POW RIGHT IN DA KISSER UTA'S HERE
So yeah, the Doyle Arc is behind us, and we are reaching the last segment of the Hunt for Whitebeard Saga. Before that, given how large the New World is, might as well take a breather on an island.
That of course, being Elegia.
While I wasn't a fan of Film Red's "triple twist" Goro Taniguchi employed(trying to catch lightning in a bottle after Code Geass. Seriously dude, stop), I liked aspects of the film, and Uta has enough to work with that I wanna include her in. Plus this gives us much needed lightheartedness after the last chapter. Just Izuku and Yamato traveling and enjoying each other's company. If they traveled in one of the Blue Seas I can guarantee they would encounter more islands along the way. But hey, it's the New World. What can ya do.
But yeah, Juubi-K wrote this up quick and big thanks to him, and WildJoker000 and IKnowNothing for their edits and polish. I just gave the outline. Originally we had a Pirate Battle scene in the middle buuuuut it added nothing and was just bloat at the end of the day.
Hope you all enjoyed this! Time for me to whip up an outline in the coming weeks, but I need to focus in on FFESS...
See yall in the next one.