Drona strode on, walking away from the Marine Fleet he had sunk.

Under his feet, the ice was thinning, warming. Whatever strange power had created it had faded. Around him, Marines struggled out of their stricken ships, or hacked at the ice with their weapons; trying to free trapped comrades. Here and there, fires still burned; made weak by the cold.

A few caught sight of him, yet most buckled at his mere presence. Whatever spirit or drive that compelled them to fight was extinguished, they weren't any kind of threat anymore.

At last, he saw his friends. They sheltered in the shadow of a burning warship away from the eyes of the Marines; while nearby, a wrecked Snail Cruiser slid slowly down; its weight too much for the ice to hold up. As he drew closer, he could hear their raised voices. They were arguing.

"I have to get to her!" Izuku hissed as he tore a hunk of burning wood from the wreck, and thrust it onto his wounded leg. The skin hissed as it was cauterized.

"Midoriya!" protested Law. He looked half-dead himself. "Stop!"

"I… need to get to her…" Izuku burned another wound shut, and then another. His legs shook, but he stood, seething through his teeth.

"You can't! You need rest!" pleaded Law. "If you don't get treatment soon those wounds could get infected or you could go into shock!"

"He's right," warned Reiju. "I took out the poison, but it's done a lot of damage. Izuku, you-"

"I don't care!" He snapped at her, leaving Reiju flinching. Law however, wasn't halted, practically grabbing Izuku's injured arm and bringing him face to face, the two glaring at each other.

"Listen to me you idiot! You may not give a damn about your wellbeing but I do, so either sit down and let me heal you, or…." Law's hand drifted to his sword. "I'll stop you right here."

Silence hung in the air for a moment, before Law found himself pushed harshly to the ground by a fast, but relatively soft shove from Izuku, enough to send the pirate on his back, and sliding a few feet away, sword dropping to his side.

"Midoriya….stop!"

Without a word, Izuku dropped the burning wood. He looked on ahead, towards the mountains.

"She needs me… She needs help…"

Then he paused, as all three of them saw Drona.

"You're okay…" Izuku murmured.

"I'm unhurt. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner." Drona looked back behind him, the Marine fleet sinking into the sea. "I had to ensure there was no pursuers on our tail…"

"Talk reason to him, old man." Law urged. "Midoriya needs rest. Yesterday."

He looked around, the ice all around the bay as the snow fell. Mixed with ash.

What a sight... A great and terrible sight...

"Yamato's doing. Yes?" He asked. Law and Reiju looked away, ashamed while Izuku kept on looking at the mountains, using his burning wood to cauterize another wound.

He didn't even flinch even as he willingly inflicted burn scars, he just breathed as he gazed out to the mountains.

They looked at him; Reiju and Law pleading with him to intercede, Izuku daring him to try it. Drona could see the iron will in his eyes. His body looked ready to fall apart, but the heart within would not let it.

He once knew such a will. Twice over.

The fire within will not be tempered so easily.

He knew he should stop Izuku, lest he kill himself with his effort.

He closed his eyes and nodded.

"Go. Do what you must," he said. Izuku nodded, and strode away over the ice; then rose into the air and flew away, bolting towards the clouds.

"I'm his doctor!" snapped Law, rounding on him. "And I say…"

Then he faltered, as Drona glared at him.

"You can't stop him. He's made up his mind. Don't let him live with any regrets." Drona explained.

Law sighed, and Reiju looked mournfully after Izuku, as he vanished into the darkness.

"You and your riddles…" Law hissed, walking away, hands on his hips.

Drona shivered, it was getting cold. Much like the northern regions in his homeland…

"Heeeey! Captaaaain! Reijuuu!"

Drona turned, surprised by the cheerful cry. He was only mildly surprised to see the submarine approaching; its tower cutting through the thinning ice. Bepo was standing in the upper hatch, waving at them.

He looked around. The Marines were crossing the frozen fjord in a ragged line, flickering torches lighting their way. No doubt they were rallying to their commander; the giant whose mind and body Drona had shattered to a mountainside.

"I'll carry you." Reiju floated up, offering her hands. Law took one, and Drona the other, and she flew towards the submarine.

Time to return to the Unicorn, and see what could be saved.

(X)

Yamato ran.

Woods and rocks flashed past, the night wind whistled in her ears; ice blooming under her feet. Still she ran on. She could only run, get away, never stop if she could

She had tried to kill Izuku. The boy she…

"Yes, you did."

The mocking whisper echoed through her head.

"You think you will be free!? Look at our horns! We are Oni, Yamato!"

Her horns began to itch. She snarled and scratched at them with her paws, staggering and stumbling. She breathed faster and faster, icy wind gusting from her jaws. Snow began to fall, and shards of ice burst from the frigid ground; tearing trees from their roots.

"The world will hate you, fear you, and will hunt you down!"

Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

"They will never love you! No one will! The Oni are never loved!"

She threw back her head; a scream turned into a howl of despair echoing between the mountain peaks. Angrily, she ran on, whispering voices filling the air. Wherever she looked she could see their faces in the trees. In the rocks. In the clouds. She saw them; their eyes.

It wasn't real! It couldn't be real! This had to be some kind of nightmare; some hallucination Germa had inflicted! It couldn't be real!

She tripped, and came to a crash as she stopped before a frozen pond. She took in deep shuddering breaths and closed her eyes, trying with all her might to fight against the voices in her head.

"This isn't real….this can't be real."

"Oh it's real. You are a monster... just like..."

She reopened them, in a frozen reflection, she saw Kaido's grinning leering face.

"ME!"

Yamato roared, and slammed down her paws; smashing the ice to glittering shards. Yet, even with the icy mirror gone her shattered reflection was still visible. The white fur, the claws, the snout, the fangs…..the red stained fangs.

Yamato's heart sank. Disgust and horror wrapped itself tightly around her. With nary a pause she slammed her mouth into the waters, and violently tried to clean it out with her paws, trying to remove every visible stain of her vile act.

Yet, no matter how hard she tried, the stains seemed to remain. She began to hyperventilate, eyes wet with frozen tears as she threw her head back. Her anguished howl roared through the land as she turned and ran on, heading straight for the mountainside, sobbing all the while. A cave mouth loomed before her, and she ran inside; crashing through stalagmites and stalactites, ice and rock falling all around her. She lost her footing, stumbled, then fell over and over, crashing into the cold rock wall.

There she lay, her heart weighed down. She had hurt her precious friend, and almost killed him.

She had broken the Pirates Code. Pops would cast her out; as he had cast Izou out, for her sake.

She could never surpass Oden now. She could never even match him. How could she? Oden would never harm one of his trusted friends and allies, never attack them no matter the reason.

….Never try to kill them with his own hands.

The wind whistled through the cave, and more whispers came. She could hear the three samurai she had shared a prison cell with; who had shared their little food with her, and chose death over dishonor. She could hear Oden too, on the last day of his life; as he boiled alive in his pot, while standing defiantly in front of her father.

The whispers, sharp and harsh. Everytime she opened her eyes she saw their eyes glaring back at her, their snarling mouths moving as they loomed. She curled up tight, trying to hide from the voices, the memories. But they would not leave her.

First, her monstrous father with his glowing eyes, morphing into his terrible and great dragon form.

Then the Beast Pirates she thrashed to get by with food and medical supplies.

Then the Finalem Pirates whom she preyed upon with…

Then Izou.

Then the Marines on Tailfeather.

The broken, bloodied Vinsmokes. Ichiji a blood-soaked ruined. Niji with broken arms and legs screaming out like a twisted gnarled puppet. And armless, wailing Yonji.

The mouthless scarred forms of Law and Reiju.

A boy facing away, with spilt green hair. Him.

The whispers were pounding in her ears. She clamped her paws over her head, shuddering and whimpering, the tears running free as she curled up tighter and tighter.

"I'm…"

The phantoms in her mind whispered and whispered, their forms warping in her mind's eye; roaring, raging, accusing.

"I'm…a monster…"

(X)

Izuku flew on, shivering in the cold night air.

He could hear the Vestiges shouting at him, pleading with him; ordering to go back, or to go on, or get back up.

"Izuku you need to stop, you're in no shape to go anywhere right now." Yoichi all but begged.

"Listen to him kid," Banjo added, concern visible on his face. "You're still bleeding all over the place. At least let Law bandage you up first. Hell use my quirk if you have to, just do something!"

However Izuku ignored them, his mind too focused on Yamato and something else. A particular sensation he remembered. The Danger Sense spiking so hard he felt his head was about to split.

He had charged his body to 55%, no, even beyond that to harden his body, imagining the egg in the microwave before… he felt the teeth sink in.

"And without it, we'd be split in two… we almost died here." Hikage warned.

Had Izuku been in a better headspace he'd have heeded those warnings, but all he could focus on were those eyes. The dark blue haze giving way to normal sapphire.

And in Reiju's arms he saw the despair. The horror.

It was the same.

She had lost control of her power, as he had before. But back then he had Uraraka to pull him from the brink, and Shinso too.

No.

It was wo-

This could be controlled. He can help her control her new power. It's like a quirk. It's-

"It isn't!" Bruce yelled, interrupting his train of thought as Izuku cringed and hissed. "She lost control and almost killed us!"

"You saw the look on her face when she came too! She was mortified!" Nana barked back.

"But going to her right now, in the state we're in. It's beyond risky.. Maybe we should like, give her space?" En suggested, though his tone made it clear he wasn't thrilled about the idea.

"We should be trying to get as far away from the Marines as possible!" Bruce shouted.

"We can't just leave Yamato behind. She's the only reason we're still alive at this point!" Banjo stood in, backing up Nana.

"And she's the reason we're about to die fuckwit!" Bruce snapped back, getting more heated.

"Calm down! All of you!" the Second ordered. Izuku closed his eyes, the pain in his skull growing.

"Dammit. I'm tired of you taking their side in all of this!" Bruce shouted. "We don't have the luxury of being patient here. That girl went wild and mauled us, if Izuku dies then that's it. He dies, we die, Law, Reiju, Bepo, Sachi, Penguin and Drona, they all die. Everyone in Wano DIES! You all need to open your eyes and accept the facts!"

The migraine was pounding.

So… damn noisy…

Snow was falling, mixing with the ash from the burning ships; blotting out the night sky. His head pounded, and his whole body ached and stung from a thousand wounds; his right finger worst of all.

But he would not stop. He could not stop. This pain was nothing compared to what Yamato was going through. She had used her full power, and had lost control of it; just like he had, when Class A was training against Class B.

He had to save her.

"WAKE UP ALREADY KID!" barked Bruce. "You CAN'T save everyone. You can't, I can't, even All Might couldn't. So give it-"

He felt something snap.

"Shut up!"

"I'm telling the truth, Midoriya!" Bruce still refused to back down.

"SHUT UP!" He clutched his head. He could bear it no more! Their whispering and bickering and complaining and demanding! "GO AWAY! ALL OF YOU!"

"But…" pleaded Yoichi. Izuku looked up, glaring back at the malnourished white haired specter who recoiled in fear and surprise.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" His voice echoed through the mountains as he breathed hard, screaming as he's never screamed before. "GO AWAY!"

The echo was deafening through the mountains as he breathed hard, Izuku ragged and feeling the exhaustion sap at everything. The mountain's call of his last statement echoing back to him.

He breathed and shuddered, groaning as he inhaled and exhaled audibly.

His head fell silent. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned, snarling, ready to silence them forever with his left fist curled.

But he saw it was All Might and Nana; their faces sad, their heads lowered.

"I'm… Sorry…" Nana murmured weakly. She closed her eyes.

They began to fade away, and he saw the others do the same. Yoichi looked ready to cry. Bruce was glaring back as En and Daigoro looked away, ashamed. Hikage closed his eyes.

The Second stood beside the faded forms of All Might and Nana, nodding as his hand was on Yoichi's shoulder. He betrayed no anger, no sadness. His eyes were… understanding.

And they were gone.

Silence.

The voices finally… stopped.

It was him. Alone and high in the snow capped mountains and the forests below and the dark cloudy heavens above.

He was finally alone on his own head.

He let out a laugh. A pitiful wry laugh.

Izuku looked back to the mountain before him. A path had been torn through the trees, and the ground was covered in ice; rising in jagged spires. Just like before.

She was there. Follow the ice, and he would find her.

He flew down, and tore a branch from a tree. He brought out two Black Whips, and rubbed them against the branch; harder and harder, until finally it smoldered and burned. He held up the torch, and forced himself to fly; over the jagged ice and the broken ground. He could feel the adrenaline fading, and the pain rising. His body could take no more. His right finger was throbbing. His cuts scabbed over as he shivered against the cold of the arctic winds.

But he couldn't stop.

With his body crying for relief, he flew on slowly, carefully following the ice, until it reached the mouth of a cave. He flew inside, and found yet more ice; covering the walls in a glittering screen. Deeper and deeper he flew, until even the pale starlight had faded behind him. He shivered… but he pressed on, the only warmth being his breath as he exhaled.

And he paused, as he heard a familiar sound. He continued, slowly, carefully, the sound growing ever louder.

He knew the sound of sobbing.

All at once, he could go no further. The cave stopped ahead of him, its ice-covered walls gleaming in the torchlight.

No, not torchlight. The light of a blue flame, around the shoulders of a great, dog-like form, cowering against the cave wall.

She looked up at him as he landed, and her body began to shake. Her sapphire eyes were red-rimmed, the fur below them wet with tears. She was terrified. "Go away..." She looked away.

"Yamato..." Izuku took a step forward, echoing through the cavern.

"Go away... please..."

Izuku's heart was leaden as his shoulders sagged. This was not the Yamato he knew. Not the kind friend who had protected and tended him in the depths of Onigashima. Not the cheerful companion who had delighted in his company, and found joy in every sight, every sound, every friend they made along the way.

"No, Yamato," he said. "I can't leave you behind."

"GO AWAY!" Yamato roared, her voice thundering around the cavern. "JUST GO AWAY!"

Izuku stood there, as her cries tore at his ears.

"Go…" her voice was hoarse. "Go away. While you can. I…I wish I'd never met you."

Izuku flinched, feeling his heart plummet.

"My father was right…" she whimpered. "He hurt me, starved me, imprisoned me…but he never lied to me. I realized he was just trying to prepare me…for this world. For what this world did to him… this cruel and ugly world… if I… if only I listened…"

Izuku's heart ached. She was in despair. She was losing everything.

"Why couldn't you just leave me there?" She sniffed. "I… I could have taken it… but no! You just had to…!" She trailed off, sobbing.

There was once a time when her words would have hurt; when he would have believed them. Back when he was Midoriya Izuku, the quirkless nobody. Back when he lived on the edge of despair, clinging to a dream that could never come true; and thought that he knew what suffering was.

Before he knew Todoroki, or Kota, or Eri, or Aoyama, or Toga, or Tenko.

"No, Yamato," he said again. "I can't leave you."

"GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Yamato flung herself against the wall, as if to burrow into it and hide in the depths of the Earth. "I... I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU ANYMORE! I'VE ALWAYS HURT YOU!"

Izuku faltered. What did she mean? She opened her eyes, looking away as she breathed hard.

"I wanted to be free. But now you're stuck too. You can't do anything. You can't save anyone. Because if you do, Kaido will come. And he will kill anyone to get to me."

So that was it. He had suspected, feared, it would be so. It had always bothered her that they couldn't be themselves, act as themselves. Always moving silently. Always going by other names, always pretending to be something or someone they weren't. And always slipping away, unseen and unheard, without a word of goodbye.

"Oden…Roger…Pops…" Yamato whimpered. "They never hurt the people they cared for. They didn't…they didn't bite the ones they cared for. You almost died, because of me."

"Yamato…"

"I ALMOST KILLED YOU!" She rounded on him, tearing at the cavern floor with clawed paws, eyes red and blue, fangs bared, the sorrow was evident on her face, her blue eyes filled with anger, loathing, despair. "ALL BECAUSE YOU SAVED ME! A MONSTER! A DEMON! A FREAK!"

She breathed, exhaling as her fangs were bared and the steam washed over him.

Izuku's heart was crumbling. He couldn't bear it. He couldn't bear to see her like this.

He didn't flinch.

But he could not run. He would not abandon her. There was no going back, only forward.

He stepped forward, and she backed away, pressing against the wall, eyes wide and terrified.

"N-NO! GO AWAY! GO AWAY! GO AWAY! PLEASE! I BEG YOU! NO!"

Ignoring all of her cries, he stepped forward, as Yamato tore and slashed at the ground, screaming and begging and wailing and crying. His whole body ached, and his strength was only a flickering candle; about to die.

But he could not turn away. He would not turn away.

He walked on, stepping closer. Yamato backed away, until she could back no further as she whimpered and sobbed and shook, closed eyes and curled into a ball, wishing the world would take her away.

He thought those thoughts once or twice. Back in his childhood days when he was quirkless.

He had his mother then.

She…

With shaking, bruised, and scabbed hands, Izuku reached up, and embraced her long snout. She gasped, and opened her eyes; looking right down into his own, as they brimmed with tears.

"When you held little Izrael, was he looking at a monster?" he asked, a lump in his throat. His voice was hoarse, exhausted, raspy and weak.

Yet he could not be silent.

"When Bach dubbed you a knight, was he honoring a killer?"

He paused, gulping down the lump.

"They saw what I did, Yamato," he went on. He stroked her muzzle. It was soft and warm. "They saw what I've always seen, since I came to this world. When you saved me, and healed me, and protected me in your arms..."

He stared up into her wide blue eyes, unblinking; even as tears wet his burned and bloodied cheeks.

"If you're a monster, I am too," he said. "What you did…it's no different to what I did once, and more than once." Izuku rested his chin against her snout, hands stroking at her cheeks. His right index finger burned in agony.

But he didn't care.

"You awakened your power for our sakes. You bore all that to save us. If the world calls you a monster, then I'll be a monster too. A worse, a more terrible monster." He looked up into her eyes. "If Pops calls you a monster, I'll spit in his face. If the world is your enemy, then I'll be the world's enemy too."

She shook and shuddered, but Izuku held on, gently stroking her muzzle.

"When we danced on that beach, it was with you. When we went shopping, and eating, and having fun in Doyle, or on the Moby Dick, I wasn't anchored. I was free. With you."

He put a hand over his weary heart. The tears ran free. For her as they came down her face.

"You've made me so fulfilled… and so happy…"

And for him, feeling the waterworks leak down his own cheeks still.

Always the crybaby, All Might would say.

"I'll always be with you." He hugged her tight, nuzzling his face into her snout, feeling his heart, his tired exhausted body try to contain such an organ. "I'll never leave you. Because you're my best friend. You… are my treasure."

He looked up at her again, as he remembered his old UA friends, and all they had shared. He remembered Iida and Uraraka, when they had fought All for One's minions; amid the ruins of their world. He remembered Kacchan when he came to his side multiple times, saving him.

And what they had said, as Izuku smiled through his own tears. His voice was a whisper.

Yet, his words in that moment, might have been her world.

"You are my hero, Yamato."

Yamato let out a wail. Her paws wrapped around him, pressing him to her body, Izuku closed his eyes. Embracing her as he sank into her warm soft fur. He exhaled, and he felt himself drain a little bit.

But he remained strong still.

She wept and wept, as a lifetime of pain and shame flooded out of her. Izuku held her back, as her body slowly shrank, regaining its former shape. The fur vanished, and his head was soon on her shoulders as he felt he hug him tight. But not too tight.

"We're done here." His voice was shot. "We've stopped Germa. They won't hurt anyone else again. "

She nodded, crying. His hand was on her cheek, his thumb wiping away her tears.

He gave her a smile, looking at her beautiful amber eyes.

"Let's go home."

She nodded, and hugged him tight.

"It will be alright… because I will always be by your side. No matter what."

She held onto him as he lifted her up, and carried her out of the cave. He saw it out the mouth.

The night sky, dark with smoke and clouds.

But he saw a crack through it and with it, the shining stars high in the heavens.

(X)

Law looked over the Arctic Unicorn, with a heavy heart.

The ship was a wreck. The waves had capsized it, and battered it against the rocks; before the ice trapped it in place. The sails were torn, the mast snapped, the keel broken, the hull perforated in a score of places.

She would never sail again.

Her cargo had survived, or most of it had. They had carried out their supplies, his medical equipment, and the navigational gear. They had even found Midoriya's backpack, with the Transponder Snail and the Eternal Pose safe inside. The others were busy loading it onto the UV-1, which had come in as close as it could.

Law looked out over the fjord. The Snail Cruisers had all sunk, as had most of the Marine ships. The ice was almost gone too. The last Marine ships were gathering on the opposite side of the bay; and even from that distance, he could tell that not one was undamaged. No doubt they would leave soon.

And it wouldn't be all that long before more Marines came. With bigger ships, maybe with an Admiral to command them.

"You guys," he said, as Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo drew close. They heard him, and came closer. He could tell by the looks on their faces that they knew what was coming.

"We need to get out of here," he said. "But the Unicorn…" He laid a hand on her ravaged hull. "She won't make it."

"Shit…" Shachi uttered, hand running down his face. Penguin gulped, and Bepo sniffed; and Law didn't blame them. This little ship had been their companion on their adventures; their shelter from wind and weather, their comrade in battle. And with Swallow Island now a tomb, it was the only home they had left.

Now they would have to leave her behind. She would never make it out of Kaisafjord in this condition, let alone reach the Grand Line.

"We're done here, in the North Blue," he went on. "There's nothing left for us. We have to assume the Marines saw us, identified us. They will never let this go. Never."

They would not; he was certain. Bad enough that the Hearts had embarrassed them so many times; but they had been small-fry, an anklebiter crew, barely worth chasing after.

But now they had helped take down a kingdom of the World Government; and they had seen a Marine fleet trying to do the same thing.

And they, through Drona's power, had sunk almost that entire fleet in turn and bested a Vice Admiral, a giant Vice Admiral. The first Giant Marine.

He didn't know what was going on. He doubted he ever would know. But it was a safe bet that the World Government didn't want anyone knowing about this.

"Guess our bounties are gonna go up," mused Penguin as he looked to the side. "Quite a bit, for all this."

"They will," agreed Law. "Stronger than we're ready for. We're gonna need allies for this, protectors. For now, our best chance is the Whitebeards."

"Are we joining them then?" asked Shachi.

"Not me." Law shook his head. "I'll cut a deal with him if I can, but I won't wear his mark. If you three want to, you're free to."

The three looked at one-another, then shook their heads.

"Nuh-uh," replied Penguin. "You're our captain, not Whitebeard. We're a crew or we're nothing."

"Yeah Captain. We won't ever abandon ya!" Bepo exclaimed. "All we got… is each other after all!"

Law closed his eyes. He desperately did not want to get weepy, not now. Not yet.

"Thank you, everyone." He smiled.

A flash of light drew his eye. It was Reiju, surrounded by a pink light. Law watched as it vanished into a canister, revealing her old clothes. They were utterly ruined, with her blouse thin and ragged, and her jeans reduced to shorts.

"You wouldn't happen to have anything I can borrow?" she asked awkwardly, arms around her body to give her some warmth.

"We've got some spare stuff, but it's on the submarine now," replied Law. "We'll need new clothes anyway." His yellow shirt was a burnt wreck, riddled with holes.

"Thanks. My Raid Suit always tore up my old clothing. It didn't happen with my brothers' suits, because they covered everything. Kind of a design flaw." She shrugged.

Law nodded. As the trio got back to their work, Reiju looked out over the bay. Snow was falling, settling on the mountains, and the melting ice, and the wrecked ships and Snail Cruisers. He walked up, joining her.

"You're free now, Reiju."

"I am. But…" she looked away. "At what cost?"

She looked at him, at his freshly-bandaged wounds, and put a hand on his arm. The guilt in her soft blue eyes… "You, Izuku, Yamato… you all got hurt be-"

"It's fine. I can still walk," Law interrupted, before that train of thought could get moving. "And I'll treat Midoriya when he gets back. Then you. It is my job after all and I wouldn't be much of a doctor if I let my friends die now would I?"

Reiju smiled softly. "Well… if you need help, let me know. I'll do what I can."

Law nodded and took in a deep breath, looking out to the ruined bay of Kaisafjord.

From robbing small ships to destroying a Kingdom and an entire Marine Fleet. This could have been one hell of a Sora comic story arc. if there wasn't so much… pain and sorrow.

He looked to his bruised body, to the singed Reiju. The forlorn-looking Drona.

Midoriya and Yamato…

He let out a bitter laugh.

He led the charge and defeated the Germa 66.

Sora always had flashy victories, with fanfare and hype. With hope for the future, and few with bittersweet endings.

This feeling inside him…

He didn't like it.

"Here comes Izuku and Yamato!" called out Bepo. Law looked up, and there indeed was Izuku, carrying Yamato on his back under the snowy cloud cover

He tensed, and he saw Reiju do the same. Then he saw Drona. The old man was frowning at him. Not at Yamato. Him.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Izuku, as they came in to land.

"We saved our skins, saved the maids, and we've got this submarine to escape on," Law replied, gesturing at the UV-1. "The Unicorn though…she took too much damage."

Yamato flinched, and Law looked her over. She looked to be in reasonable physical condition; but her manner was the opposite. Penguin walked forward, eyes writ with concern.

"Is she-?"

"She's alright." Izuku spoke firmly, making the young woman flinch.

"What... what happened exactly?" Shachi asked. He looked worried, and so did Penguin and Bepo. Reiju looked like she was about to cry.

"All the ice was because of her," Law spoke up, pointing squarely at Yamato with narrowed eyes. "She has a Devil Fruit, a very powerful Zoan from the looks of it. What I'm not sure about is whether it controls ice or…"

"It's fine." The word came out hard; hard enough to make Law pause. Izuku looked him in the eyes; hard but pleading.

Drona stepped up, eyes still on Law.

"It'll be okay." Izuku's hand with the broken red finger settled over Yamato's arm.

Law knew he should object. He should demand an explanation; or some proof that Yamato was not going to attack them again.

But then he saw Yamato's face. She looked desolated, utterly heartbroken; and she couldn't look anyone in the eye.

Her eyes were red, and guilt practically dripped from her.

Law's eyes softened. No point in poking the wound further.

"Okay then, let's go before those Marines see us."

Law paused, as the others headed to the UV-1; and turned back to the Arctic Unicorn. She deserved better than this; better than to be left to rot in this cold and lonely place. But their oil had been lost, and they didn't dare use any from the UV-1; not with the trip that was awaiting them.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "We have to go."

He turned, and began to walk away.

"It's okay."

He froze. The voice was high, pure, and soft; like a child's. Yet it had come from nowhere. Law turned back, wondering who was playing tricks on him.

But there was no one there. Just the Arctic Unicorn, lying broken on the rocks.

"It was fun sailing with you," whispered the voice again. "And flying with you too. Not many ships ever do that."

It was the ship. He knew it was the ship? But how?

In the back of his mind, he recalled a story his parents told him a long time ago.

"A klabautermann…"

A spirit born from ships developing a will of their own. It was said that they loved those who treated them well; and would sail the seas by themselves to save their beloved crews. It was also said that they sought vengeance against those who destroyed them, or treated them badly.

And they spoke to their crews, at the hour of their passing.

"I'm sorry." Tears pricked at his eyes as his chin shook. "You deserve…so much better."

"You were good to me, Law. And I can't just leave the others like this."

For a moment, Law was confused. Then he looked out over the fjord again, and saw the ruined, sunken ships.

Did those ships have spirits too?

"I hope you get to fly again, Law. I enjoyed flying a lot. And I hope you get to help more people. I know your family and Corazon would be so proud of you."

Law pulled down his cap over his eyes; praying to Gods he had never believed in that no one could see him like this. He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Drona, nodding resolutely. The hard look in his eyes was gone, replaced by warmth and wisdom.

"Be at peace, young man. There's no shame in shedding tears for those who are gone. It only means you still have a heart; that this world has not stilled it."

He smiled, and turned to the ship, bringing his hands together in prayer, and bowed.

"By the Stars' Grace, may your spirit sail and achieve Parinirvana, free from Karma's Cycle, for all eternity."

'Thank you Mr. Drona. I hope Izuku and Yamato are gonna be okay too. None of this was her fault. I hope you, Mr. Drona, find what you're looking for.'

The old man smiled warmly.

"I pray so too. Rest well, great ship of the Blue Seas."

He bowed once again, and strode off to join the others. Reiju was standing by the submarine, looking perplexed.

'Will you help them, Law?'

Law perked up, as he saw something sitting by the figurehead. It was a tiny shape, like a child dressed in a raincoat. It sat there, kicking its legs, like a child would.

'Izuku. Yamato. And Mr. Drona. I… I don't want them to be sad anymore. They're kind. They don't need to be sad. I know you wouldn't want them to be sad either.'

Law took a deep breath, fist clenched.

"All three huh…" He took a breath. "Of course I will. I'm their doctor after all."

"Not their doctor." The Unicorn smiled, the outline of a smile was present even from afar. "But as a friend."

The Unicorn was a crewmate. A crewmate giving him one last request.

"Yeah… I can do that." He replied, sniffling a little.

He felt a hand on his own. It was Reiju, smiling gently.

"You ready?"

He looked back at the ship, and gulped.

"Yeah. I am."

"Okay. Let's go, together." Her blue eyes shone. Law sniffed, and followed her to the submarine. As he clambered down through the hatch, he looked back at the Arctic Unicorn. A simple fishing schooner, that had bedeviled Marine vessels the North Blue over. And now Kaisafjord would be her resting place.

The little spirit gave him a wave. He saw the spirit smile.

"I'm heading out," he whispered. "Good bye, Arctic Unicorn. Thank you….for everything."

'We'll meet again, one day. Stay safe and take care, Law."

(X)

The Kaisafjord War, as records would later dub it, was a short event in a world replete with drama. It took place over less than an hour, late in the evening, on a late September day; in the Kaisafjord Archipelago, just south of the Arctic Circle. It was a battle that by all rights should never have happened, and ended in a way no one could have foreseen.

The Heavensward Fleet of the Marines, led by Vice Admiral John Giant and Rear Admirals Redking and Urban, launched an unauthorized attack on the Kingdom of Germa. The battle would end with the fleet's near-total destruction; with only nine hundred out of twenty-thousand personnel surviving. Thousands remain missing.

For the Marines this was a shocking defeat; unprecedented both in scale and severity. Kingdoms began to arm to prepare for their planned wars, against Government regulation. Pirates began the riot and make a beeline for the Grand Line. The North Blue, already destabilized by a series of Germa 66 raids on pirates so soon after the recent Reverie in Mariejois, was thrown into chaos not seen since Roger's death at the beginning of the Great Pirate Era.

The Germa Kingdom was utterly destroyed; its army wiped out to the last man, its mysterious technology lost within the dark waters of Kaisafjord. The body of King Vinsmoke Judge was found by the retreating Marines, but no trace could be found of his three sons, or of his daughter Princess Reiju.

The ones responsible for both disasters were the Heart Pirates, led by Trafalgar Law; and accompanied by a triumvirate of demons under his command.

The Black Beast, who destroyed much of Germa; a creature from the Sora comic books come to life.

The Three Eyed Fiend, who destroyed the Marine Fleet and defeated the Admiralty contingent single-handedly before targeting and destroying ships one by one.

And the Storm Demon, who reportedly slew the three Vinsmoke Princes, froze the fjord and brought a wrathful storm with it; freezing and drowning thousands of Marines, and destroying many ships.

Their whereabouts are unknown.

Well. If last chapter was the physical climax.

This was the emotional one. Nothing will be the same after this. For our duo, and for the world.

Honeslty, dreaming of this. Voicing it out aloud to myself in bed. Picturing it in my head. The dark cave illuminated by the small flame of our duo after such a harrowing experience...

Me and Juubi-K have talked of emotional gut punches in our fics. In ONE, in FoF. But this came to pass first.

My god it made me teary eyed.

After all, Yamato's insecurities have been bubbling i nthe background leading to this. And Izuku has never felt such a connection to someone, to such a comrade save All Might.

It brings me joy to bring such a character journey like this, especially one as criminally underused as Yamato.

In that cave, it might as well just been them in the entire world. In that moment.

And with that, the North Blue Arc has come to a close. Reiju had her big sad earlier. Now Izuku and Yamato have their's, along with Law too for good measure. They get to return to their home, but he has lost his second... and now his third.

I hope you all enjoyed this. I'll leave the speculating and analysis to you, dear viewer.

And again, a big thanks to Juubi-K for writing this up from my outline. And to IKnowNothing for his guiding hand(read the Normal Ones, a Caliburn Chronicle its f'ing good. FateProto Arthur gets to date Yoruichi from Bleach-Imean Gwen Sandlot). And WildJoker000 for his One Piece knowledge and grammar changes.

Now we must plan for the upcoming mini arc, to which I have a name, from one of my favorite movies(a lot of my stuff from here comes my fav movies don't it).

Homeward Bound Arc.

And then? We go to the Original Arc.

I can hardly wait.

Hope you all enjoy. See you in the next one.