"Where should we even—"

"That way."

Nami paused to look in the direction Brynlee was pointing at, narrowing her eyes as if trying to see an island peeking over the horizon. To anyone else, it would have seemed as though Brynlee was pointing in a random direction, but Nami trusted her with her life – if Brynlee said this was the direction to go, then so be it. With a firm movement, she spun the helm and changed course.

Never thought I'd ever find another use for my "Instincts of a South Bird" ability, but it sure comes in handy when we can't use a Log Pose, sighed internally Brynlee. Now, all that matters is to keep Vivi stable and breathing long enough for us to get there…

(Stupidly enough, she'd been so excited by the Eternal Poses she'd found for Alabasta and Marineford that she'd completely bypassed the one for Drum Island. Thankfully, that particular mistake wouldn't have as much of a consequence as the others she'd made lately.)

"I'll go and keep an eye on Vivi," she announced. "Just stay the course – you should notice the colder air soon enough."

"Colder air?"

"It's a winter island – you'll know we're close once it starts snowing."

"Got it!"

The fact that Nami didn't even question how she could possibly know proved just how much she'd grown to trust her over their years together, and it was both flattering and absolutely terrifying – Brynlee's knowledge wasn't infallible, after all. She could tell the others weren't as easily convinced, though, namely Zoro and Usopp. But they had yet to outright ask her any questions regarding her knowledge or how she came to acquire it, so she simply figured they couldn't be all that bothered by it, yet.

Inside the girl's cabin, none other than Robin was keeping a careful watch over Vivi. Brynlee hadn't expected such initiative from the older woman, but she definitely trusted her a lot more than Luffy when it came to keeping the Princess stable.

"You should go and rest some more," Brynlee urged gently as she sat on the edge of the bed. "I'll keep an eye on her. Thank you, again – for saving us, I mean."

Robin didn't say anything, and only then did Brynlee notice the thoughtful frown marring her face.

"Is there something troubling you?"

"There is."

"Well, what is it?"

"Quite frankly, I don't trust you. With the Princess's life, I mean."

Brynlee's heart sank a bit. "What? Why?"

"Because I saw you let go."

A heavy silence immediately choked out what little air was left in the room, and Brynlee stayed momentarily frozen, unsure of what to say. After a few seconds, she hesitantly looked up to meet Robin's eyes, and was genuinely saddened to find actual wariness in them – distrust, and even a smidge of buried hostility.

"… I hesitated," she finally admitted, averting her eyes in shame.

"Why?"

"Because someone else's life was on the line."

Robin's composure shifted a bit as confusion momentarily took over. "How do you mean?"

I should have known Robin, of all people, would be the most bothered by my foreknowledge, she belatedly realized. Just because the others don't ask questions doesn't mean I don't have to explain anything and can simply act on my own. Vivi... Vivi was right, wasn't she...?

"There are many things that I know. Things that have yet to happen. Information I shouldn't possess simply popping into my brain. I won't claim to know the future – as I told you before, it's ever changing. But there are key elements to it, milestones let's say, that this crew simply can't bypass," she tried to explain, keeping it as vague as possible – she'd long since learned it was easier to let people draw their own assumptions about her abilities. "This detour to Drum Island wasn't inevitable, but it was necessary."

"For whom?"

"Nami. She was supposed to get bitten by a bug and fall terribly sick. But of course, I couldn't let that happen." A wry grin graced her lips as she glanced to Vivi's still body. "This world has a way of righting itself, though. Each decision I make to change the future I know implies natural consequences. But I didn't want any of my boys to take Nami's place, so…"

"So you targeted the outsider," summarized blankly Robin.

"It wasn't premeditated," Brynlee assured, a bit defensively. "But when I went to catch her, when I grabbed her hand – I got scared, and I hesitated. And though I tried to rectify that mistake mere seconds later, you somehow ended up shot, and she still ended up hurt." Brynlee lowered her head a bit. "It's my fault. I should have just saved her from the get-go – then she would have been safe, too."

"Then how would this crew have been convinced to take this allegedly necessary detour by Drum Island?" asked Robin, now playing the Devil's advocate.

"I had… a contingency plan. But it's useless, now." Brynlee gently grabbed Vivi's hand. It was cold, and it made her feel cold inside, too. "I'm sorry, Vivi. I should have tried my hardest to protect you, too. I should have just told you and everyone else from the start."

Luffy was right. Not a single one of us is capable of achieving their dream without the others to push them forward – me included. And Vivi was right, too: I can't keep on manipulating people to my every whim and then expect them to trust me and be thankful for it, she realized, though a bit late. I shouldn't take their trust for granted – I have to actually earn it.

"… you did what you could to protect your crew," then stated Robin, a tad softer. Relief washed over Brynlee when she noticed the distrust was no longer apparent in her eyes. "I can respect that. Knowledge of such caliber comes at a price, after all."

"I know you still don't believe me… but you're one of us, Robin. And that means I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe, too," she promised in earnest.

A wry smile twisted her lips. "Something you saw, then?"

"You'll find your happiness," she simply assured. "I know it seems completely out of reach right now, but you will – soon. When the time comes, all you'll need to do is ask for it."

"Well, now you sound more like one of those cheap fortune tellers I've grown to dislike."

Brynlee let out a small laugh at that, and Robin's smile turned the slightest bit warmer, if only for an instant. The two then fell into a more comfortable silence as they watched over Vivi.

In regards to Brynlee's Instincts of a South Bird: I know the concept of South Birds is that they only, well, point South, but I've decided to push it a little further. Why do they point South? Because what they wanted above all was to return home!

So, I tweaked it when creating Brynlee's ability, I've established that it's basically a compass similar to Jack Sparrow wired into her brain. The major difference is that she can't apply it to people or objects or concepts - only actual locations.