It was a faster flight than Yamato had expected.
After taking off from Brew Island and reaching the Red Line, they had angled right and flown straight on; following the seemingly immerserable stone mountain. It had been hard going, buffeted by wind and waves, though they'd long grown used to such things on their journeys.
However, the harsh winds and waves suddenly ceased. The weather had, quite suddenly, become serene; the ocean tame below them, and the wind warm and gentle. They had reached the Calm Belt.
It was a place where neither the wind nor waves ever moved, a death sentence to any ship. Yet, for one capable of flight such as Izuku, it enabled the pair to properly enjoy the serenity.
Yamato had even dozed off, so gentle had it been, an idea most sailors would've considered maddening. Though this proved brief, finding herself suddenly awoken, chilled to the bone despite her jacket.
"We made it!" Izuku called out as Yamato opened her eyes, body shivering ever so slightly.
Before them was a great blue ocean, as far as they eye could see; the sky gray and foreboding. This, surely, was the North Blue.
"The islands seemed to be a bit closer together than in the New World…" Yamato mused, looking around. She could see one up ahead, and another just on the horizon.
"Got the compass?" Izuku asked. Yamato rummaged in her jacket pocket and pulled it out. Back at Brew, it had been going haywire; now it was pointing true. She fiddled with the tool, moving the dial into position. North.
"It's working alright. How long was I napping for?" she asked.
"About an hour," Izuku replied, slowing and dropping down under the clouds. "We should make camp and then make a plan."
"To get back at Germa, right?"
The wonder she had felt at this place, at islands even Oden had never seen, faded as she remembered their purpose. They were not here to explore, but to fight; to destroy the Germa Kingdom in retaliation for its countless crimes.
Most recently on Brew Island.
"Yeah. How about…" Izuku paused, looking around. "That one?" He pointed down at the nearest island. It was small and rugged-looking, covered in trees.
"Looks good to me!" Yamato agreed. Izuku blasted off with Fa Jin, and they reached the island in a matter of minutes; setting down on a beach. Yamato looked around as they detached. Out towards the sea, there was a rocky sandbar and shoal. Inland, jagged mountains jutted up from dark forests.
She shivered, in spite of herself. There was something hard and cold about this place; just as they had warned her on the Moby Dick.
"Okay, let's set up camp," Izuku said as he hoisted his pack. Yamato followed him up the beach towards the trees; to a patch of soft grass, where they set down their packs and checked their supplies. Plenty of good nonperishables from Thatch, some medical supplies, some clothes and rags; and her heavier coat, socks and boots in case of snow.
"Hungry?" Yamato looked up, seeing Izuku offer her a banana bread wrapped in a napkin.
"Thanks." She took it.
"Alright." Izuku had his own bread to munch on. "We have about forty million berries to spend if need be. So if I keep my mask up." He tapped on his metal mask and his scarf. "And we don't use our real names, we can rest in hotel rooms on any islands we come across."
"I got my mask too." Yamato rummaged in her bag, pulling out her Hanya mask, complete with the blue haired wig. "We can be like the heroes of your world, Izuku. Running around wearing masks!"
"That's the main gameplan," Izuku mused. "We shouldn't draw attention to ourselves while we're here. "
"Agreed." Yamato took a bite of her banana bread. "And there's Kaido too. If he learns that we're here, it won't take him all that long to fly over."
Izuku nodded, looking down at the grass. He clearly didn't like that notion any more than she did.
"But how do we find them though?" Yamato asked. "Should we ask around?"
"I guess so, but we'll have to be careful. We don't want to give ourselves away."
Yamato's brow furrowed.
"What do you think we're up against?" she asked. "I mean, they're not just a pirate crew. "
"That's what the Vestiges keep telling me," Izuku replied. Now his brow was furrowed too. "The rank-and-file we can probably handle, but there's the Vinsmokes Princes themselves. They're the Commanders in their own right. From what the guys on the Moby Dick were putting about, they're pretty strong. And…"
He trailed off, and looked unsettled.
"Izuku?"
"The thing is…you're right, Yamato. Germa is a nation. An army needs a civilian population to support it, after all. And we'll be barging into their home."
Yamato's heart sank. She hadn't paid the notion much thought, and she didn't like it either.
She knew what her father would say. Those civilians supported the Germa 66 with their work and their taxes, so killing them was common sense.
Were the people of Wano evil then? Did the slaves in Onigashima deserve to die along with their Beast Pirate masters? Was it fine just to kill them, just like that?
"We don't have to hurt them," she insisted. "We'll be careful. Remember what Pops said. People have to have a code, and we do."
Izuku looked up at her, his eyes half-angry, half-pleading.
"We're not doing this for treasure, or power, or the fun of it," she went on. "We're doing this because someone has to stand up to them."
Izuku sighed, and seemed a little happier.
"You're right. We'll cross those bridges when we come to them." He gnashed into his bread. "For now, let's rest here for a while, then try and find an island with a town on it." He looked up at the darkening sky, and the roiling sea. "Not that I mind camping out, but I don't wanna take chances with this weather. "
He rolled his neck a little.
"Fine by me!" Yamato smiled, and wolfed down what was left of her bread. "You get some rest. I'll take a walk."
"Okay then." Izuku headed behind a tree, and Yamato looked around the rocky coast. Back on Onigashima, she had enjoyed hopping and skipping around the shoals of Onigashima in her free time; when the tide was low. As grim as the weather was on this island, it was milder than Onigashima was for much of the year.
She stood up and kicked off her geta; feeling the sand under her feet. She looked around some more, and saw a rocky shoal about a mile long, a little way up the coast.
Yamato strolled off towards it, her spirits high. Once they found an inn, she would have something new to write. An ocean Oden himself had never visited! This was going to be great!
(X)
Izuku yawned and laid back against his pack.
It was chilly, more so than he had known for some time. His Hero costume wasn't keeping the cold out as well as he'd thought it would.
"It would be wise to do so. Given how much traveling we'll be doing, you should be prepared for any possible environment. We wouldn't want you to catch a cold after all," insisted Nana.
"Geez Nana, what you gonna wipe his nose when he sneezes too?" Banjo chuckled at his joke, only to back off a little when Nana glared at him.
"Nana has a point, and you'd be wise to familiarize yourself with each region we visit, at the very least to be aware of it's potential risk." Hikage said with a grim tone.
Izuku groaned. Another fun reminder of how many hidden dangers this world had outside of pirates. Part of the reason he tried not to think too much about those sorts of things was it made sleeping even harder than it already was.
"Far be it from me to be the voice of reason in the madhouse that is this kid's head," Third cut in. "But maybe let's let him relax a bit? He's getting ready to go to war with an entire nation, the last thing he needs is sleep deprivation. Trust me on that."
The Vestiges were stunned into silence. Consideration was not something they had come to expect from the Third User. The Second nevertheless nodded in agreement; remembering the many sleepless nights he and the Third had endured. Sleep deprivation was a complication Izuku did not need if he could at all avoid it.
"I suppose you're right. Sorry about that, Izuku, you rest up. We'll keep watch," Nana assured. Izuku smiled lightly as he took a deep breath. Time to lean back and…
"Ring Ring Ring Ring. Ring Ring Ring Ring."
Izuku opened his eyes, turned to his pack, and pulled out the Transponder Snail.
"Hello?"
"Hey Izuku!" Uta chimed, and Izuku rubbed his eyes, any sense of sleep immediately leaving.
"Hey Uta. How's it going?"
"Well, same old same old." The snail beamed with enthusiasm. "Tending to the chickens and garden. Baking bread. Found some old books in the ruins to read."
"New books huh? What about?" Izuku asked as he smiled back. While not getting a nap was annoying, he would always make time for Uta.
"Found some on seafaring. Oh, and a novel about a girl who goes into a dream land with toy soldiers and giant rat monsters. I'm really excited about that one!"
"That sounds great. I wouldn't mind reading that. Sounds like one of those light novels from my hoooome…" Izuku just caught himself, "...island."
"I'll keep it fresh for your sake!" Uta replied. "So ummm… how's the ship hunt going? Have you and Yamato found one yet?"
Iuzku bit his lip, as the joking tone he'd been feeling immediately vanished.
He wanted to tell her that yes, they had indeed found a ship. A large, powerful one that could easily reach Elegia and had more than enough room for both her and Gordon. Izuku could practically see Uta's eyes lighting up at being told that finally, finally she'd be able to leave the island that had become her prison for so many years and yet…he couldn't.
The young hero felt his fists and teeth tighten as he fought back the urge to yell in frustration. After all, how could he tell Uta, the one whose entire life had been utterly destroyed by pirates…that he and Yamato had become pirates themselves.
Almost instantly the smiling visage of Uta was replaced by one filled with betrayal and anger, and he couldn't blame her for feeling such a thing.
Sadly his inner conflict could only last for so long as Uta's voice managed to reach through to him.
"Izuku, are you still there? Were you able to find a ship?"
The green haired hero stumbled, mentally trying to figure out some kind of response. And again, surprisingly, it was the Third User who decided to offer a hand.
"Kid, listen. I know this isn't what you wanna hear, but the best thing to do is lie to her." said the Third, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, though with a hint of regret on his face.
"No, Izuku do this. Tell her the truth, but keep the details to a minimum. That way you can be honest, without revealing anything damning," the Second chimed, while giving his comrade a solemn nod.
"Well." Izuku smacked his lips, already thinking of what to say. "We have been going from island to island." Which was true. "And along the way, I've talked with sailors. Some shipwrights on, you know, how to manage one." Also true. "Then there's trying to, you know, muster a crew together." He looked up at the tree canopy, and the gray skies overhead.
"So you don't have one yet?" Uta asked, and Izuku felt his heart ache even more. They'd promised her they would save her and Gordon. And yet, months later, here they were on a completely unrelated adventure, unlikely to further said goal in the slightest.
"Izuku, I know this is hard, but right now we have other priorities. We all want to help Uta, but you can't afford to let this distract you right now." The Third User spoke firmly, standing up and approaching close to the edge of the mindscape. "I promise you, we'll save her, but for now, we need to move on."
"Not yet. We need to get money to buy one, or at the very least try and convince a sailor's crew to make the trip to Elegia" Izuku said. "We're working on it though, Uta. Just hang in there." He smiled. "Once Yamato and I have a ship, first thing we'll do is pick you and Gordon up."
Uta smiled. "Thank you… I mean, I know what it's like, being on a ship and all back then. I was young so I didn't understand it much but, you want to make a crew legally and all." She gave a cheeky grin. "You're too sweet and kind to be a pirate, after all."
Izuku did his best to keep a stone face, teeth clenched together, forcing himself not to cringe.
"But… imagining you as one… it's kind of neat. With you as a strapping dashing captain and…." Uta mused wistfully with a sigh. "But I get it. Trying to hire a crew, trying to get a ship built, that… does take time." Her face fell a little.
"We're doing everything we can to learn, and one day wrangle up a crew." Izuku assured her. "We will come for you. I promise."
"Yeah, and once we get that Vivre Card made, it'll be easy. Plus, be kind of a shame you going through all the trouble of scrounging up those clippings for nothing," En said.
Izuku sucked in his lips and looked to the side, peeved as can be for forgetting that fact.
"Izuku?" Uta asked, and the boy winced.
"Sorry, just remembered I forgot to do my laundry," Izuku stated. He saw Yamato walking along the beach, the waves washing her toes. All at once, she began to hop along the rocks. "Yamato's out on a walk at the moment."
"Well, tell her I said hi. I can see Gordon coming back from the castle. Always finding new things for us to get by." Uta smiled. "You be safe, okay?"
"I will." Izuku assured her. "You just keep singing too." He smiled back. "We'll save you and Gordon I promise."
The snail looked ready to cry, but was smiling. "Alright… talk to you later Izuku."
"Bye Uta," Izuku said softly, and the snail went to sleep with a "Clack". Izuku sighed and looked up at the sky, anger and self loathing bubbling inside him.
"Even now, after all this time training and the constant promising... I still can't save one girl. What kind of hero... am I?!"
Izuku's fist slammed into the ground next to him, leaving a noticeable crater.
Izuku's heart felt grow heavy. He hadn't told Whitebeard, or anyone else on the Moby Dick, about Uta either. He had lied to them, just as much as he had lied to Uta. How could he ask them to go out of their way like that, for a person whose hopes he had gotten up? A person living on an island close to the territory of the Red Hair Pirates?
Two Emperors veering so close to one another will cause Kaido and the Government to react, and that could lead the dominos toppling to cause war. His heart clenched as he sighed in frustration.
Izuku looked to the side, seeing Yamato hop along the rocks. He smiled, glad to see her enjoying herself. He closed his eyes for his nap as time began to pass.
Then opened them again, as Yamato screamed.
(X)
"How long will the repairs take?"
"About eight hours, my lady."
"Get to it then."
The clone trooper saluted, and trotted off towards the beached snail cruiser. The snail sat on the beach, staring blankly, as troopers swarmed over it. Some worked on the castle on its shell, while others worked on the snail itself; rubbing salve into its wounded hide, and strapping covers over cracks in the shell.
Reiju watched them work, tight-lipped. Traveling along the Red Line's flank was a risky business, and this time their luck had run out. First a flock of giant seagulls, then a shoal of Sea Kings; lured by the dead seagulls. They had been too high up for the Sea Kings to reach, so the damned beasts had gotten creative; ramming themselves against the Red Line's wall, trying to make the snail cruiser fall off.
They hadn't, in the end. But the cruiser had taken a lot of hits from falling rocks. Not wanting to risk the North Blue with a damaged castle and a wounded, tired snail, Reiju had taken the decision; lay up on the nearest island, and make repairs.
Father wouldn't be happy at the delay; but she knew she had made the right choice. A few troopers here and there made no difference, but the snails were another matter. Giant Aquatic Snails, to give them their proper title, needed many years of rearing and training, not to mention a lot of food, to make them what Germa needed them to be. Her father was cruel, but he wasn't stupid; not so stupid as to squander such valuable assets.
She gave the troopers another look-over. They were working hard, as they always did. Germa troopers didn't slack off. Ever. They didn't know how.
Satisfied, Reiju looked herself over. Her headphones around her head. Skinny blue jeans, white boots, a pink blouse, with arm sleeves for the cold. She had more clothes, most of them purchased from islands she had scouted; shortly before they were conquered and destroyed. But her father would not tolerate her wearing them; or anything other than what he deemed appropriate. Such would be beneath her station as Princess of the Germa Kingdom, and a commander of the Germa 66.
As Poison Pink.
She took a breath, and looked around the island; taking in the forest, and the shoals along the beach.
"Captain Epsilon!"
"My lady?" Epsilon looked up.
"I'm stepping out for a while," Reiju said, looking back with a dismissive glance. "Keep up the work."
"Understood, my lady," replied the drone that looked like a man, then turned back to his subordinates.
Reiju strode up the beach, and into the woods. There wasn't much to see here, but that wasn't always a bad thing. It was a quiet place, at least. A place she could lose herself for a few hours, and forget about her life.
She slowed to a stroll, allowing herself to see, and hear, and smell. There were flowers here, and mushrooms and moss growing around the bases of the trees. A rustle made her glance upward, and she saw a squirrel darting along a tree branch.
She strolled along, deeper and deeper into the forest. It was strangely restful to be like this; to walk unnoticed, untroubled, in a place with no people, no threats, no targets. This place was full of life, yet nothing challenged her, or threatened her, or ran from her. They didn't even seem to notice her.
One could eke out a living here. It wouldn't be much, but it would be a free life; an untroubled life. Better than squalid places like Spider Miles, or the shanty towns by the walled island of Flevance. World Government islands were a lot nicer, but many of them were clients. Deul, Whiteland, and all the others who had called on Germa's services; to sack their rivals the moment they couldn't pay the tribute.
She shook her head. Here, she didn't have to think of such things. Now, for a few hours, she could enjoy not being Princess Reiju on this peaceful island, such people did not exist. Such things did not matter.
She reached the edge of the forest, and found herself facing another coastline. She wondered, for a moment, just how far she had wandered; how long it had been.
It didn't matter. It was a nice change, a pleasant change from her family's endless wars. Her brothers enjoyed their work; for her, it was just work. Taking the lands and lives of others was, for her, just a chore.
A chore she would never be free of. A chore that would permit her no peace; not even in a quiet place like this. She could never forget the faces, the places; those she had walked among and talked to, those whose food she had eaten, whose wares she had perused and purchased. All those she had condemned to death with a few words into a Transponder Snail.
She could not have saved them. Her troopers obeyed her, but they would not obey her over her father. Her brothers would kill her without a moment's hesitation, if Vinsmoke Judge only ordered it. And her father did not need to kill her. She was useful in his eyes, and besides, with but a verbal command she would follow Judge's every whim.
Reiju sighed, and walked along the tree line. There was no point in dwelling on things she could not change. Better to enjoy this time, this place, while she could. She might never get another chance.
There would be work to do once she got back. Her father would be back from the Reverie by then, with new clients and contacts, new prospects. New targets to destroy for their clients, new lands to be plundered, new profits to be made. All for her father's dream of rebuilding the Germa Empire.
"As if Mariejois would let that happen," she muttered sourly. The World Nobles tolerated her father's antics as a way to keep other Kingdoms in line, but they would sooner breathe the same air as commoners than allow a Fifth Emperor to arise.
A sudden cry cut through her grim reverie. She looked around, her enhanced hearing zeroing in on the sound, dropping behind a tree for cover.
It was a woman, hopping over the rocks along a shoal nearby; laughing aloud, without a care in the world. She was quite tall, with long white hair, and what looked like a pair of red horns. She wore a white tunic and baggy red trousers tied with a violet rope belt; the tunic covered by a brown jacket.
But…what was she doing there? This island was supposed to be deserted, and there was no sign of any ships. How did she get there?
Reiju watched her, amazed and bewildered. She was jumping around, laughing aloud, playing like a child. It was not something Reiju had ever done, not even when she was a child. The whole sight made no sense!
The woman leapt, and landed in a shallow pool with a great splash; whooping with delight.
And then she shrieked. Her smile vanished, replaced with shock and pain. She fell back, landing on a nearby rock. Reiju stared, heart hammering as engineered instincts flooded her body with adrenaline; readying her for battle.
"Yamato!" A green blur shut up from beyond the shoal, materializing beside the fallen woman in the blink of an eye. He's fast! "Are you alright?!"
It was a young man, not much more than a boy, with green hair; dressed in a green suit and a brown jacket similar to the woman's own. He crouched down beside her, and Reiju could make out pieces of armor in black and red, and a long yellow scarf around his neck. It put her vaguely in mind of one of her family's Raid Suits.
Reiju watched as the boy pulled Yamato - for that was apparently her name - out of the water and away from the rocks.
"What was that?" he asked, setting her gently down.
"It stung me!" cried Yamato. "A fish! It looked like a flat rock!" She drew up her leg and reached for her injured foot; then winced and let go. Even from a distance, Reiju could see its unnatural color.
"Stonefish," she muttered, understanding. A Salamir Stonefish, native to these parts of North Blue. If left untreated, its venom could kill within an hour.
"Oh no! Not good!" cried the boy. He lifted off again, and flew away out of sight. Reiju was taken aback, for she saw no glow, or emission of any kind. Clearly he wasn't using Hover Boots, or anything like that. Was it a Devil Fruit power?
"A stonefish?! In this climate?!" The boy flew back, carrying a heavy backpack. "What can I use?!"
He began scrabbling through the backpack, while his companion whimpered in pain. He pulled out wrapped bundles and small boxes, but couldn't seem to find anything. If he hadn't been expecting a stonefish in these parts, then he was unlikely to have anything suitable.
"Izuku, it hurts!" sobbed Yamato. Reiju looked on, cold certainty settling in her mind. The boy was panicking, but even if he wasn't, there was nothing he could do. Stonefish venom could be slowed with improvised remedies, but not stopped. Without antivenom, she would be dead in a few hours at most. Even with a fast ship, the nearest island was a day's sail away.
Reiju didn't like how she felt. She knew she should just go; just turn around and head back to the cruiser. Just sail away, and get on with her own life. This was nothing to do with her, nothing she need concern herself with.
Except…it was.
That mouse had nothing to do with Sanji, yet he fed it anyway.
She stepped out from behind the tree, and strode down the beach.
"Let me help." The words were foreign to Reiju; but something deep inside her made her want to say them. The boy jumped, dropping into a combat stance, staring up at her in shock. Reiju stepped past him, kneeling down beside Yamato, inspecting her foot.
"Salamir Stonefish got you?" she mused. She could see the stinger mark on the heel, the discoloration spreading up her foot; her veins visible.
"Who are you?" the boy named Izuku asked. He had a freckled, rather plain face; but his green eyes were wide, and curiously expressive. "Do you have antivenom?"
Reiju took the heel in a firm grip, drew in a deep breath, then bent down; putting her lips to the wound.
"Wait!" Izuku called out, but Reiju ignored him; closing her eyes and sucking hard. She felt her body glow as her augmentations activated, and could taste the venom on her tongue. It was simple and crisp, almost like salad dressing.
She drew back for a quick look. The discoloration was retreating, the veins fading. She sucked again, slurping down the poison; again, and again, until she could taste no more.
"There," she said, setting the heel gently down. "Feeling better?" She smiled, a feeling as alien as her words.
"How did you…" Izuku uttered, eyes wide.
"Yy-Yes… It doesn't hurt anymore." Yamato sat up, looking at her foot and back to Reiju. She was a tall one indeed; taller than Reiju had realized. "Thank you." Her amber eyes looked into her own blue ones; with a sincerity and gratitude Reiju has never seen.
"You're welcome," Reiju uttered, remembering the manners her mother taught her. "Without antivenom, you would have not survived the night."
"Thank you so much." Izuku sighed in relief. "I didn't think we'd encounter something like a Stonefish here!"
"Not from around these parts?" Reiju asked, eyebrow quirked. "They're common along the southern parts of North Blue. You can get stonefish antivenom most clinics. I'm surprised you didn't know that."
Izuku blanched, rubbing his arm.
"We're travelers. And we are, well, not from around here!" Yamato chirped, smiling. "What's your name, miss?"
Her name.
Vinsmoke Reiju. Princess of the Germa Kingdom. A Commander of the Germa 66's armies. The infamous Poison Pink. Heiress and lady of a kingdom of warriors. Mistress of inhuman creations. Spy. Doombringer. Herald of the end of kingdoms and nations. Alongside Sparking Red, Electric Blue, and Winch Green.
Her heart clenched, and she remembered. That beach, the roar of the guns, a ship in the distance…and a short, blonde-haired boy running towards it. Reiju heard herself screaming for him to keep running, felt tears running down her face.
Her hands tightened, and she looked at them again. Izuku and Yamato, two small lives she had just saved. Two pairs of eyes, looking upon her with joy, gratitude, welcome.
Just like Sanji used to.
And her mother.
"Sora. My name is Sora," Reiju lied. "And you?"
"Well, my name is En," Izuku lied back. "And this is Anna." He gestured towards the horned girl who smiled and waved.
Oh well, at least they were on even footing. A lie for a lie. Did they too have something to hide?
"En, and Anna." Reiju nodded, smiling lightly. "It's nice to meet you. What are you doing on this island anyway?"
"Well, we're traveling. Exploring North Blue" Izuku said. "We came from far away."
He was quite cute, Reiju had to admit. His face was ordinary looking and freckled, but there was something strangely appealing about it. And his green hair reminded her of Yonji.
Except cute, instead of dickish.
"I see no boats. Do you have one down the coast?" Reiju asked, and Izuku flinched.
"Actually, we flew!" Yamato spoke up, then faltered as Izuku gave her a flat look. "I mean, we don't really have a boat. We don't know how to sail."
"Neither do I," Reiju shrugged. That work was done by the Clone Captains.
"How about you? Do you live here Sora?" Izuku asked, looking a little tense.
"No. I don't." Reiju admitted. "The truth is… I'm a castaway." She sighed. "I thought I was the only human being on this island." Which was technically true.
"You're stranded? Did your ship capsize or something?" Izuku asked.
"It took damage in a storm. I had to swim to safety." Part lie, part truth. "I was hoping to make an SOS for any nearby ships; but there aren't many this close to the Calm Belt."
"I see…" Izuku mused, looking to his empty pack. "Do you have a home? Somewhere we can take you?"
"No. I… ran away from home." Reiju admitted. "My family was forcing me to take part in the family business and I wanted no part of it." It felt good admitting that. "So, I made a getaway." She smiled painfully. "Less said about them the better."
"Is there anywhere you need to go?" Izuku asked.
"Not really…" She rubbed her arm. "I've just been adrift."
"Then why don't you come with us! En can carry you too!" declared Yamato; Izuku looking at her like she was crazy. "There's lots of islands around here, so we won't have to fly far!"
She gave Izuku a pleading look. Izuku thought it through, and then nodded.
"All right. We can carry to an island with a port. It's the least we can do for helping save Anna's life here."
Reiju blinked. Had she just talked herself into running away from Germa? From her father?
"You… can do that?"
"Sure. We can't just leave you here. Don't worry, I can manage; though you might have to carry my pack." He gestured at the backpack, and all the things spilled out around it.
"I can do that," replied Reiju, nodding.
"Hurray! A travel buddy!" Yamato cried out, scooping them both into a great big hug.
An embrace. An earnest, sincere embrace. The first since her mother died.
Yet they were hiding their names. Just like her. Izuku groaned softly, but she can see him smiling at Reiju as they were against her large bosom.
"Okay, let's get packed up then. Oh! Is there anything you need? Like, from your camp?" Izuku asked, as Yamato let them go, giggling all the while.
Reiju paused, biting her lip. She was going. She was really going; away from her home, and her father, and everything else she knew. All her cookbooks, and all the other mementoes she had collected over the years, would have to be left behind.
So be it. She had memorized the cookbooks anyway. Photographic memory and all that.
"No." She shook her head. "There's nothing left for me here."
"Great! So, do you know the North Blue? We don't know much about it." Izuku admitted as he began to pack up.
"I'll grab my stuff!" Yamato declared as she got up and trotted over to what looked like a small camp by a tree.
"I do. I know some islands." Like the back of her hand. "Maybe I can… be a guide?" Reiju smiled. "If you flew over the Red Line or the Calm Belt, you must know little of this sea."
"We just go where the wind takes us." Izuku said, as he finished his packing. She noticed some items in there. Some nonperishables, a first aid kit, clothes, a compass.
And an Eternal Pose. Reiju felt a chill run through her at the sight of it. Normally they were only used on the Grand Line. And right below the North Blue, past the Calm Belt, was the New World.
'You do have something to hide,' she thought. Something important, and dangerous.
But…they were both so sincere. Their smiles, and their eyes.
"Okay!" Yamato came hurrying back. "Ready!" She had a backpack on her back, and was wearing sandals. Reiju paused a moment, taking the whole outfit in. Aside from the jacket, Yamato's clothes were of a style she had never seen before.
"I'm going to sleep like a log when we find an inn" Izuku admitted. Reiju watched with interest as he floated up, and Yamato embraced him from behind. Black tendrils emerged from his body, wrapping around Yamato.
For an instant, it was all Reiju could do not to titter. Izuku looked, for all the world, like Yamato was carrying him in a baby carrier.
"I'll hold you, Sora," Izuku said, holding out his arms. "I won't let you go."
Reiju gulped, then slid the backpack onto her front, and stepped in front of Izuku, facing away from him. She felt his arms wrap around her waist.
"I trust you, En."
How strange to say such words. She had never thought to say them to anyone. Not a clone, not her father, and certainly not her cruel brothers.
Izuku nodded, and the black tendrils came out; wrapping around her like a harness.
"Is this…some kind of Devil Fruit power?" she could not help but ask.
"Something…like that," replied Izuku awkwardly. Reiju blinked. Blatantly not a Devil Fruit then. Was it some kind of technology? Or an augmentation? Had he gotten mixed up with Vegapunk?
"You ready, Sora?" Izuku asked cheerfully.
"I am." No going back now.
"All right! Let's goo!" Yamato cheered, and Reiju felt herself lift off the ground. Her heart leapt, and she clung onto the backpack as they ascended into the sky, the island falling away below them. Her head was on a swivel, taking it all in. She had never felt so excited in all her life!
"Hey Sora." Reiju looked back, and saw Yamato beaming at her over Izuku's shoulder. "Pretty cool right?"
…
"Yes. It is."
They rose higher and higher, rising into the clouds. She glanced back down one last time, and could just make out the snail cruiser on the other side of the island; the crew blissfully unaware that their charge was flying away.
How on earth were they going to explain that to her father? For a moment she pictured his reaction, his rage, as they reported her total and complete disappearance.
Good. Let him stew in his wretched fury for a while.
"Do you know where to go?" Izuku asked. "Anna, compass?"
"Right!"
Reiju's head swiveled up and down, left and right. She could fly a little with her hoverboots, but nothing like this. Even her father, for all his skills, could not fly this well.
He had to be tied to Vegapunk. But how? And why?
"So Sora, know where the nearest island is at?" Izuku asked, and Reiju swallowed
"Head east," she called back, having to raise her voice over the sound of the wind. "I believe there's an island there we can stop for the night. It has a town, an inn and everything."
"Oh, what's it called?" Yamato asked as she held out the compass, and Izuku turned to face eastward. "Wait, don't tell us!" Reiju blinked. "We wanna be surprised. I'm making a log of my and En's journey! Going to new islands and new places. It's my dream to do it with him!"
She grinned from ear to ear, and Reiju could not help but smile.
"En…" She turned to look at Izuku. The urge to say his real name came, but he gave an alias for a reason. Just as she gave one to him. "How… how can I ever thank you?"
The boy blushed, but smiled a soft, confident smile. Reiju felt something well up inside her, something she hadn't felt in a very long time. Tears pricked at her eyes.
"It's fine! Helping people is what we do best!"
"Okay, let's go!" Yamato called out, pulling her goggles down.
"Alright. East it is! Hang on tight Sora!"
Reiju did as she was bidden, as Izuku accelerated into the clouds. Faster and faster they flew, and Reiju felt her heart swell. Never in all her life had she moved so fast. Never in all her life had she felt so free.
She glanced back at her companions, her first friends. They were staring straight ahead, eyes wide behind their goggles, faces bright with the joy of flying. They had rescued her from her life that was no life at all. They had set her free. All because of a lie.
But she could not turn back. She needed this. She wanted this.
"'Now, I can live not as a weapon… but as a human.' Reiju felt her eyes water up as she looked ahead, and took a shuddering breath. Tears were as foreign to her as hope and joy, but she shed them all the same. She could hear Yamato laughing, and the sound made her heart leap.
She smiled, as her tears fell into the sea. In the distance, she could see the sun emerging from the overcast skies.
'I wonder if this is how you felt, living a life you wish to live. I hope you are living well, Sanji.'
Big thanks once again to Juubi-K , WildJoker000 and IKnowNothing as always.
But yeah, a break on an island results in a fated meeting and a timely save. Oh hey, Princess Theif Omake is leaking in here :O
And hey, everyone round here is lying. Izuku trying to protect Uta by not being a pirate(even though he is) and that well, trying to break out on his own will be tough in trying to rescue her. Reiju to protect her identity, and of course all the things in place with our duo's true goal and her desire.
When Judge finds out though ohhhh boy, North Blue is gonna feel it.
Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this one. Juubi's gonna tackle the next one. Where will our TRIO land next? Stay tuned for that.