"Straight ahead!"
"Straight ahead!"
"Steady the course!"
"Steady the course!"
"To the left!"
"To the left!"
"No—my left!"
"No, her left!"
Pure madness was the only way to properly describe the ongoing situation. Finding the entrance to the canal going up the Red Line hadn't been all that hard but, as expected, an incessant electrical storm, random whirlpools and the occasional rocky debris that was scraped right off the walls of the Red Line by the violent winds made reaching it somewhat difficult. Thankfully, Luffy was taking his role as communication officer very seriously, so they were making good time with a relatively steady course—
Shouts from the galley instantly made Brynlee regret thinking positively.
"The rudder broke!" yelled Zoro.
Brynlee's eyes went wide as the ship began moving even faster, the current carrying them without mercy straight for the canal – or rather, to the immediate left of it. They'd managed to almost center it completely but, without a rudder, they'd scrape the side and undoubtedly crash. Before Brynlee could think of anything, however, none other than Luffy acted unexpectedly smart.
Their Captain threw himself overboard and expanded his body, making it just in time to act as a cushion between the ship and the water gate. After a few tense seconds, his rubbery abilities managed to safely redirect their course and, without warning, the Merry abruptly picked up the pace. Thankfully, Zoro acted fast and managed to pull Luffy safely back onboard.
Brynlee's heart was pounding as she gazed up ahead, the cheerful celebrations of her crewmates echoing below. The wind was whipping her face, and her cloak—
"Whoa!"
She just barely managed to catch it before it could fly off.
That was close! There's no way I'm losing such a useful item right off the bat!
"Oi, Bryn!" She glanced below to Nami, who was waving and grinning her way from the deck below. "There's no one here!"
There's no one here?
It took her a moment to understand what Nami meant. The moment it clicked, another rush of adrenaline picked up through her body and, her hands shaking a bit, she unclasped the cloak and promptly took it off.
No one to see. No one to tell.
Her wings trembled a bit under the pressure of the wind, but everything was going too fast, too high, and suddenly there was light and warmth and—
Wait, warm?
They'd just breached the clouds.
Brynlee inhaled sharply, just barely containing the urge to let the wind carry her – she doubted she'd be able to catch up to the Merry if she did. But as they reached the peak and rode the crashing waves and gravity caught up to bring them right back down…
Her grin stretched wide, the wind sliding along the feathers and making her shiver.
In this very moment, Brynlee was the freest she had ever been.
"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
It felt as though her cheer echoed throughout the entire Red Line, shaking it to its core. Her laughter soon followed as she closed her eyes, taking it all in – the wind in her hair, her wings spread wide, and the sun shining on her face.
And then, they started falling.