The morning mist enveloped the front garden of the house as Luca stood at the wooden gate, his bag slung over his broad shoulder. Inara stood before him, wearing her blue morning robe that flowed around her body with the chilly dawn breeze.
"Is this it, then?" she said quietly, her blue eyes never leaving his face.
Luca smiled, then reached out to brush away a silver strand of hair that had fallen across her forehead. "I'll be back before you miss me."
Behind her, on the doorstep of the house, Yan leaned against the doorframe, his eyes narrowed as he watched the scene. But he didn't intervene—he only gripped the doorknob until his knuckles turned white.
Inara didn't even glance at him. She lifted her hand, her fingers touching Luca's chin. "Be careful," she whispered, then rose onto her tiptoes—
A single, swift kiss, light as a feather, yet it burned between them like a spark. Luca held her hand for a moment, then slowly let go.
"Inara!" Yan hissed from behind her, his voice like a knife on glass.
But she didn't pull away. She only whispered, "Come back to me."
Luca nodded, then turned to leave, leaving her standing at the gate, her lips still tingling from his touch.
Yan took a step forward, his face pale. "What was that?"
"Are we going to have the same conversation every time, Yan? He's just a child, and I'm giving him some affection," Inara replied before walking away, leaving Yan standing at the gate.
------
I headed to the market to gather supplies for the journey. I had no log pose for Birka Island, nor did I know how long it would take to get there. All I knew was that it lay to the southeast, so I stocked up on as many provisions as possible, just in case the trip turned out to be long.
When I reached the market, I bought as much food and drink as I could. Berries were a strong currency here, so I bought everything that caught my eye.
I loaded the supplies onto my ship and checked on my bird, feeding it since I had left it without food or water for two days.
Using my powers, I flew the ship into the sea of clouds, heading toward Birka.
Three days passed with no sign of the island. "That makes sense—if it were this close, the people of Angel Island would know about it."
Twelve days in, the ship still drifted aimlessly through the clouds. "Did I lose my way? No, impossible. The bird's head always points south, and I've been sailing with that in mind."
After twenty-one days, nothing had changed, and two-thirds of my supplies were gone. I started rationing. "Could Enel have already destroyed it and moved somewhere else? It's been over a year since his appearance on Angel Island. Well, if the island doesn't show up in the next few days, I'll turn back. I don't want to starve to death out here."
Day 22.
Day 23.
Day 24.
Day 25—still the same. I started feeling like I was floating without purpose, seriously considering turning back.
Then, two days later, as I rested in the cabin reading a book, I suddenly heard the bird screech, "Gyaaaah! Gyaaaah!"
I threw the book aside and rushed out of the cabin—this was the first time the bird had made a sound since the journey began.
The moment I stepped out, the first thing I saw was a mirage of an island on the horizon. A wide grin spread across my face. "Hahahaha! Hahahaha! It's Birka! It hasn't been destroyed yet, which means Enel hasn't gotten the fruit! My chance is still alive!"
After twenty-seven days of sailing, Birka suddenly emerged from the mist—a tiny island, no more than seven kilometers long and even less in width. Luca grinned in sheer delight. Searching here would be easy!
"Haha! A small island means less time searching!" he exclaimed loudly as he jumped from his ship onto the rocky shore.
I headed toward what looked like a small town from above.
Now, I'll search for Enel and follow him, even if it takes a full year.
Luca entered the town cautiously, trying to blend in with the crowds. He noticed some of the locals giving him strange looks, but no one confronted him directly. Everyone was busy with their daily routines, but he still felt out of place—not just because he lacked wings, but because his gait and clothing were different.
"It seems they don't like outsiders," he muttered to himself as he moved between the stalls.
He asked around for someone named Enel, but the people ignored him. So he began searching on his own—it was a small island; finding him wouldn't be hard.
After a short search, he found him.
Enel stood in a dark corner near an abandoned building, dressed in ragged clothes, his golden eyes gleaming with silent fury. He looked younger than Luca had expected, but there was something dangerous in his gaze.
"That's him..." Luca's heart pounded. "It's really him—he hasn't eaten the fruit yet! Hahahaha!"
From behind a wooden post, Luca studied Enel from a distance. He wasn't just an ordinary young man—there was something strange about him that set him apart even from the other islanders.
His short, messy yellow hair looked like it hadn't been combed in months, flying in every direction with the wind. But the most striking feature was his abnormally long earlobes, twitching with every movement as if picking up sounds no one else could hear.
Luca followed him unnoticed, watching as Enel moved through the alleys. The people unconsciously avoided him, but Enel didn't seem bothered.
Enel left the town and climbed a small hill where a tiny wooden house stood. He entered, took two buckets, then locked the door behind him.
He descended the hill, went to the river to fill the buckets, then returned to his small house. He placed one bucket inside while using the other to water a small field beside his home.
Luca kept watching his daily routine without getting bored.
This went on for several days—Luca never took his eyes off Enel. Nothing interesting happened, so he started searching the places Enel frequented—the riverbanks, the forest between his house and the town—everywhere he could think of.
Luca continued to follow Enel like a shadow, day after day, without fatigue or boredom. He observed him from afar, tracking his monotonous daily routine:
In the morning, Enel would emerge from his small wooden hut, his messy yellow hair flying in every direction. He would head straight to the river to fill his bucket with water, then return to water the dry field beside his house.
At midday, he would sit on a large rock near the river, eating some fruits he had picked while staring at the flowing water with his golden eyes.
In the evening, he would enter his hut and lock the door behind him, not reappearing until the next morning.
Luca noticed a few things:
- Enel avoided the villagers, and the villagers avoided him too—likely because Enel had no wings.
- Enel sometimes trained to improve his physique.
After two weeks of observation, Luca began to feel bored. Nothing interesting had happened. But he remained determined to keep following him, certain his opportunity would come.
---
Two full months passed with Luca meticulously observing Enel, yet nothing noteworthy occurred. Even Enel's physical training had become repetitive and dull. But one day, as Luca watched from behind a tree, something unexpected happened.
The weather was scorching that day, the sun casting shadows over the snow-white wings of Birka's inhabitants. Enel sat in his usual spot under a tree by the river, eating a handful of wild berries he had gathered from the forest.
Suddenly, a long shadow blocked the sunlight above him. He looked up to see *Darius*, the arrogant young man with large wings who always flaunted them in front of others.
(Having spent over two months here, I'd learned some names—Darius was one of them. He was a boy Enel's age who loved mocking him.)
"Oh, it's the wingless freak!" Darius said loudly, flapping his wings provocatively. "What are you doing here, rat? Don't you know this area is for winged people only?"
A few children gathered around, laughing at Darius' words. Enel didn't respond—he just turned away, trying to ignore him.
But Darius wasn't satisfied. He stepped closer and kicked a bucket beside Enel, spilling its water onto the ground.
Enel: *"Stay away from me."*
Darius: *"Oho, what are you gonna do? You don't even have wings to escape with!"*
Then, in the blink of an eye—
Enel lunged at Darius like lightning! His first punch shattered Darius' nose, blood spraying instantly. His second strike *broke one of Darius' wings!* Darius screamed in agony as Enel kept hitting him, as if years of humiliation had exploded at once.
*"Enough!"* a bystander shouted. Soon, a crowd gathered and tore Enel away from Darius, who lay moaning in pain, his face bloodied and his right wing broken.
The onlookers began cursing and berating Enel.
A burly man stepped forward—Darius' father—and roared at Enel: *"You savage! I always knew you envied my son's wings, but I never thought jealousy would drive you to break them!"*
*"I won't hit you—I'm no beast like you."* He glared at Enel, then turned to the men. *"He attacked one of our own. Who agrees we should judge him in the village square?"*
Everyone agreed, ignoring Enel's words. They bound him and dragged him toward the village.
Enel was taken to the square in restraints.
Three priests from a small temple were summoned. Darius' father told them what Enel had done.
The priests didn't bother listening to Enel's side. They declared:
*"He tried to kill one of our own!"*
*"This wingless monster has no place among us!"*
*"He must be cast into the Sea of Clouds to learn his lesson!"*
Enel didn't defend himself. He just stood silently, his golden eyes holding a look rarely seen—the gaze of a man who knew he was wronged, yet also knew there was no hope.
---
I watched everything from the sidelines, not interfering. I didn't want to influence events—because I suspected *Enel obtaining the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was tied to this punishment.*
The execution was set for the next day. For now, Enel was bound in the village center.
I pulled aside a villager and asked about the punishment. At first, he refused to speak, but when I persisted, he answered just to be rid of me:
*"When someone commits a crime on Birka that doesn't warrant execution, they're thrown into the Sea of Clouds and left to the judgment of God."*
*"The condemned is given a small boat and rations for forty days. If they find an island or land, it means God has forgiven them. If not… they sail until death."*
I had expected something like this. After searching every corner of Birka for two months and finding nothing, I realized the fruit must be *somewhere beyond the island.* This punishment confirmed it—I was sure Enel would find the Rumble-Rumble Fruit during his exile.
So I prepared to follow him. My chance had finally come.
---
The next morning, the entire village gathered at the island's edge, where land gave way to the endless Sea of Clouds. The sky was overcast, winds howling—as if the heavens themselves were preparing for this moment.
Enel stood bound on a wooden platform, his face showing no fear—only silent defiance. The three priests, clad in white robes, began chanting:
*"Let God judge this sinner. If he is innocent, grant him salvation. If guilty, let the white sea swallow him whole!"*
They pushed the small boat—no more than two meters long—toward the edge. It carried supplies meant for Enel.
*"Begone, cursed one!"* a guard shouted as they cut Enel's ropes and shoved him into the boat. It slid down the rocky slope into the Sea of Clouds.
Luca watched from a hidden spot among the rocks, observing every move carefully. Once the boat vanished into the thick mist, he rushed to his own ship and flew after Enel.
Luca continued to follow Enel from a safe distance, using his flight skills to hide among the dense clouds. He watched as:
Enel stubbornly tried to steer his small boat with a wooden pole, avoiding rocks and anything that might damage it.
At night, he prayed under the cover of darkness.
Sometimes he would scream into the void out of sheer despair.
By the third week, Enel ran out of water and nearly went mad from thirst. But suddenly, a light rain began to fall, and he stretched out his tongue to catch the droplets like a thirsty animal.
---
A month had passed since Enel's punishment began, and his food supplies were running low. It seemed the time for him to find the fruit was approaching.
---
After thirty-five days of drifting in the Sea of Clouds, as Enel used his wooden oar to avoid a floating rock, he suddenly noticed a large shadow emerging from the mist. It was a ship that appeared to have been adrift for a long time.
The medium-sized ship was made of faded brown wood, with a tattered main sail hanging at an angle, showing signs of age and natural wear.
"Maybe I'll find some supplies there," Enel said hoarsely as he tied his small boat to a dangling rope on the ship's side.
When he boarded the ship, he found it empty but strangely orderly, as if its crew had suddenly abandoned it. He began searching:
The front storage room only had some empty sacks.
The kitchen still had cooking utensils in place, though they were rusty.
The small captain's quarters contained a cabinet and a table with an incomplete map.
In the corner of the captain's quarters, he noticed an ordinary wooden box about the size of a human head. It wasn't different from the other furniture, but something compelled Enel to open it.
Inside the box, wrapped in linen cloth, was a strange fruit - about the size of a large apple with blue skin and peculiar markings.
"What's this?" Enel muttered as he carefully picked it up. He felt a strange tingling in his fingers when he touched it.
Enel didn't recognize it as a Devil Fruit, but decided to eat it anyway. Luca, who had been watching him for over a month, saw his chance the moment Enel raised the fruit to his mouth.
An invisible force gripped Enel, rendering him immobile. "Huh? What's happening?"
Enel heard footsteps behind him. Luca approached and took the fruit from his hand.
Enel, unable to move, looked at Luca and asked, "Who are you?"
Luca didn't answer Enel's question. Instead, he focused on the fruit in his hand - a blue fruit resembling a pineapple with strange edges.
"No doubt about it - this is the Rumble-Rumble Fruit! Hahahaha! My efforts weren't in vain - I've finally got it!"
Luca tightly gripped the glowing blue fruit, a euphoric smile spreading across his lips. "At last... I've been waiting for this moment for so long!"
He looked at Enel, who remained immobilized by Luca's telekinetic power. Enel's golden eyes widened in terror as he stared at Luca.
"No... wait!" Enel tried to scream, but Luca coldly raised his hand.
"Thank you. I found it thanks to you."
With a single thought, Luca twisted Enel's neck in a circular motion. The crack echoed through the ship as Enel collapsed to his knees, then fell forward dead, his eyes still wide with shock. Blood spilled across the wooden deck.
Luca carefully placed the precious fruit in his special bag, then headed to the ship's deck. The mist began to dissipate, as if the ship's curse had been lifted with Enel's death.
Lightly, he jumped back to his own boat and began moving away from the ill-fated ship. He looked at the fruit once more, laughing euphorically. "Now... back to my beloved Inara. It's been four months since I last saw her."
The abandoned ship began to slowly sink into the Sea of Clouds, carrying Enel's corpse into the depths forever. As Luca disappeared into the horizon, his voice could still be heard echoing: "Hahaha! Victory is mine!"