"Did you say you ran into your father?" Natalie asks.
Marya glances back, "Yeah. It was pretty weird. I guess he is here helping the navy or something."
"Like," Bianca picks at her nails, "are you cool, or was it like last time?"
Marya grins, "No, it was cool. We didn't have a lot of time, though."
"Ugh," Riggs crosses his arms, slouching in his seat, "I wish I could have seen him." Pouting, "I always miss the cool stuff," he mutters.
"Coordinates are set," Jax announces.
Marya inspects the panel, "Coordinates are verified. The area is clear and ready for transport." Pressing the button, the bubble appears, and they vanish.
Half a minute later, the panel sparked spewing smoke. Everyone grips the arms of their seats when the submarine jerks sideways. An alarm blares, and the lights dim. "Status report!" Jax orders as he slams buttons.
Marya attempts to turn gauges and read dials, "Navigation is down." Taking hold of the wheel, "steering in unresponsive."
Their seatbelts strain to hold them. "What is happening?" Natalie screams. "I feel like I am upside down."
"I think we are caught in a current," Marya grips the strap, "hold on everyone. We can't steer. We will have to ride it out until it stops."
"I think I am going to be sick," Bianca covers her mouth as they spin like a top through violent waters.
When everything becomes calm, Jax and Marya turn to each other. "I think it stopped," Marya slams her palm on the buttons, but everything is black. "It appears that we are a drift."
Jax spins his seat, "is everyone okay?" They groan and nod in response.
"What happened?" Emmit holds the side of his head.
"It appears," Jax sighs, "that the panel has shorted out. We have no navigation, and we are dead in the water."
"What about communication?" Riggs asks.
Jax glances at Marya, shaking her head. "That appears to be down as well."
Charlie is smoothing his hair, "What is the protocol for such a scenario?"
"Call for help," Riggs shifts in his seat, "and wait to be rescued. But, if communications are down, there is a strong likelihood that the locator beacon is also."
"Um," Celeste raises her hand, "is it possible to fix it?"
Marya spins her seat, "I don't know. We can pop the panel and take a look. Even though navigation is down, we still have the backup log pose."
Charlie slides his glasses up his nose, "where would that direct us to? Due to the conflict from eight hundred years ago, the Consortium's island has no magnetic field."
"True," Marya leans forward, "but maybe we can regroup at another island, figure out where we are, and devise a plan. We may be able to find parts to fix the sub or the locator beacon."
"But, like," Bianca flicks her wrist, "how are we going to get there if we are, like, drifting?"
"Process of elimination!" Zola points her finger in the air. "We must first assess the damage and see what parts and expertise we have to fix it. Then, we should surface and get our bearings."
"Agreed," Jax releases his seat belt and moves to the back of the sub. "There are tools in the rear compartment. Marya and I will evaluate the panel and navigation system." Lifting the handle to open the hatch, "Bianca, you, Riggs, and Celeste, take a look at the propulsion."
Jax and Mary are elbows deep in the opened panel when the lights turn on and the engine hums. "Like," they both turn to Bianca as she drops into her seat, "we got propulsion working again, but, like, the bubble porter is, like, totally fried, so I bypassed it. We can't go very far or very fast, but if we can, like, get parts, I think I can, like, fix it."
"Well," Jax stands, "that's good news."
"Navigation is a lost cause," Marya flops in her seat.
"Like," Bianca stands, "should I take a look?" Jax moves out of her way, sitting in her seat as she kneels. "Like, damn." She lifts the panel, inspecting the inside. "It's like totally fried."
"Yeah," Marya sighs, "do you think you can work your magic on that?"
Bianca shakes her head, "Like, the whole thing needs to be replaced. The only place that has all the stuff is the, like, the Consortium."
Emmit taps the arm of his seat, "I assume communications are not fixable either?"
Bianca looks over at him, "Like, this is all chard. The wiring is, like, melted away."
Emmet's brow creases, "how does something like this happen?"
Zola straightened her back, "If all the appropriate inspections were completed per procedure, then it can be deduced that this was some sort of intentional act to prevent us from returning."
Natalie rests her head on a bent elbow, "to what end?"
Zola points her finger in the air, "that would be the ultimate question?"
Riggs and Celeste close the rear hatch. "Shew," Riggs flops down, "I don't know how you do it, Bianca. That is a whole lot of work."
"It, like, is not that serious," Bianca places the panel down.
"Why would someone not want us to get back?" Emmit rubs his chin.
"I don't know if we can answer that question right now." Jax stands, switching places with Bianca. "We need to focus on getting to an island, any island, then we can figure out what to do next." Everyone nods. "Are we able to steer at all?"
"Yes," Marya lifts a lever from the floor, and she pulls a long control stick up. "It's a manual rudder control that will direct the sub."
"Okay," he scans the group, "First we surface. Then, we follow the log pose."
Riggs opens the hatch, and they all file out onto the deck. Marya scans the horizon, "That is a whole lot of ocean."
Jax runs his fingers through his hair. "Well, it looks like the sun will be setting soon."
Charlie lifts the rim of his glasses, "do we know how long it will take us to get to the next island?"
"Without charts," Emmet crosses his arms, "there is no way to know. Maybe we can figure it out once the stars come out."
"You can do that?" Natalie raises a brow.
Emmet shrugs, "It's all math." Smirking, she shakes her head.
Marya taps her chin, "we will have to take turns steering the ship through the night."
"Like," Bianca looks at her, "I can, like, rig it so we don't have to, like, hold it all the time."
"Good," Jax interjects, "but we will need to stay surfaced, so someone must be on watch throughout the night." Turning to everyone, "I will come up with a schedule."
Zola cocks her head, "would it not be beneficial to stay submerged?"
Emmet holds her gaze, "Without knowing how long it will take, we run the risk of running out of air and fuel." He focuses on Jax, "I would like to take the shift that allows me to measure the stars. I might be able to get our bearings."
Marya sits on the sub's deck, her elbows on bent knees, watching the horizon. Muttering to herself, "Will it really take three days to get to the island?" Sighing, "That seems like forever. Maybe his math is wrong. I hope his math is wrong." A distant motion catches her attention. Squinting, she jumps to her feet. Shielding her eyes, she tries to focus. "No way," she grins, running into the sub. Everyone's head swivels as she rushes by.
Riggs jumps up, "What is it?"
Pausing, "I don't know." She opens a small compartment and retrieves binoculars, "but I think I saw something." Everyone grins as they glance at each other and follow her to the deck. Standing on the edge, she peers through the binoculars.
Jax steps up next to her, "What do you see?"
"A Navy ship." Everyone becomes apprehensive. "And I think there is a pirate ship, too, but I cannot tell. They are too far away."
"We should avoid them," Everyone turns to Emmet. "It could be bad if we are discovered."
Jax takes the binoculars, looking to see. "They are moving away from us, so I don't know if we have anything to worry about."
"Or," Maray chews the inside of her cheek, "we could infiltrate them and steal their navigation charts."
With her hands on her hips, Natalie leaned in, "Are you crazy?"
Marya replies with open palms, "I have devil fruit powers. I can be in and out, and they would never know."
Emmet narrows his gaze, "You could also get caught."
Marya cocks her head and smirks, "I won't get caught."
"We are going to need food, too," Jax lowers the binoculars.
Natalie's eye popped out of her head, "You're not actually considering this?"
Turning to the group, "How can I not?" Meeting everyone's gaze, "we did not come prepared to travel like this. We need provisions, and if there is a more suitable island to consider, I would like to know about it." Emmit sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know this is not ideal, but we may not have another opportunity like this."
"Okay," Emmet throws his hands in the air.
"Okay," Jax gestures for them to huddle up, "here is the plan."
Celeste is looking through the periscope, piloting the sub as they approach the navy ship. "Nice and easy," Jax encourages her.
"Prepare to surface," Celeste calls out, and everyone assumes their position. "Breaking surface in: five, four, three, two, one. We are parallel with the navy ship, matching their speed."
"Our speed is, like, steady," Bianca calls out.
Jax nods, "open the hatch." Riggs, Maria, and Jax step onto the deck with a ladder.
Before closing the hatch, Emmet says, "Be safe, you three."
Jax pats him on the shoulder, "Be back in a few."
Taking one end of the ladder, Maria turns to mist. Floating to the ship's hull, she touches the surface, turning it into vapor. She places the ladder so that the two vessels are bridged. Keeping a hand on the hull, she waves for them to cross. When Riggs steps on a rung, he falls to his knees as a wave slaps the ship's hull, jostling the ladder. Marya signals him to hurry, and the ladder jostles again. Suspended in the middle, he is drenched by a sudden spray of ocean water. Wiping the wet from his face, he sets his jaw and, in a bold move, jumps toward Maria through the ship's hull.
After watching Riggs struggle, Jax clenches his fist. Taking a few steps back, he charges. Marya's eyes widen as he jumps towards her. Seeing that he is going to fall short, she reaches her hand for him. Their palms slap as they grip each other. His foot hits the ladder, flipping it sideways. Losing his footing, he curses as the ladder falls away, disappearing in the violent motion of waves. Marya morphs them into mist, moving them through the ship's hull. Riggs peers down at them as they crash and roll on the floor.
"That was so cool!" Riggs beams as they look up at him, panting. Marya chuckles as he helps them stand.
"We will have to come up with a different escape plan." Jax inspects the area, "where do you think we are?"
"I don't know," Marya finds some steps. "I will take a quick look around and be right back." Before he can protest, she is gone. A few minutes later, she reappears with two uniforms. "Okay, I found the galley. It's three levels up. You two load up on food, and I will look for those charts." Taking the uniforms, they nod. "There are rescue boats on the side of the ship. Maybe we can use those to escape. I will meet you on deck." Jax curses when she is gone before he can reply.
As mist, Marya floats through the ship. While not completely invisible, she resembles an apparition that someone must strain their eye to notice. Everyone appears distracted by the pirates they are engaged with, allowing her to go unnoticed. After inspecting several random offices, she finds the Logroom. Looking through the pile of paperwork on the desk, she is unsure what to take, so she decides to take it all. Returning to her natural form, she finds a satchel and fills it with everything, including a log-pose.
"What the hell?" She freezes. "Who are you?"
Slowly, she turns, smiling, "Why, hello there. I seem to be lost. Maybe you could." The Navy soldier lunges as if to grab her but falls through, crashing to the ground. "Now, that wasn't very nice."
The navy soldier slams his hand on a button, and his voice booms over the intercom, "Intruder alert! Intruder alert!"
"Well," she smirks, "I believe that is my cue to go," wiggling her fingers in the air, "tootles!" Shifting to mist, she runs down the hall, passing through the oncoming navy soldiers. "Oh, that is so creepy!"
Deciding it is too cumbersome to follow the hallway, she runs through the walls until she is floating in the air. Looking, she sees Riggs and Jax about to drop down the ship's side in a small boat filled with supplies. Wanting to keep the focus on her, she shifts forms.
Landing on the deck, the navy turns its attention away from the pirates and scrambles toward her. When their bullets have no effect, and assaulting her with swords is pointless, a random voice calls out, "Watch out, she is a power user!"
Jax curses when the navy closes in on her. "We have to help her!" Riggs belts out.
"Go," they spin, looking for the origin of her voice. "I am right behind you. I will keep them distracted!" Jax grits his teeth.
"We can't leave her!" Riggs protests.
Grabbing him by the collar, he drags him away, "Let's go! We can't rescue her if we are caught, too." Cutting the rope, they splash into the water.
"Are you with the Straw Hats?" An official-looking Navy Officer asks as she stands on the ship's bow with crossed arms.
Cocking her head, "the who?"
"Fire!" She turns in the direction of a distant voice.
Pointing her thumb toward the pirate ship, "Oh, you mean them?" She shrugs, "Never heard of them." The navy ship rolls when the cannonball impacts the water. Leaning back, she sees the small boat on the sub's deck being unloaded. "This has been fun, but I need to get going."
"Hold it right there! You aren't going anywhere!" Marya grins at the challenge. Drawing her sword, she leaps onto the ship's railing and then bounces off. "So fast!" The bottom half of the main sail crumples into a heap as she arches through the air, slicing it in half.
Flipping upside down, she soars over the pirate ship, where a man with dark hair holds a straw hat to his head while standing on a ram figurehead. His neck cranes as he watches with a shocked and amused expression. Their eyes meet, the world pauses momentarily, and then Marya smiles, waving. Just as he is about to stretch his arm to catch her, she shifts to mist, landing on the sub's deck in her natural form. Standing, she held his gaze for a time.
"Marya," Jax's sharp tone grabbed her attention, and she rushed inside.
"Dive," Jax orders Celeste once the hatch is closed. "That was reckless!"
Marya grins, holding up the satchel, "Yeah, but I got it all!"
Riggs bites into an apple, "Good call on the food."
Running his fingers through his hair, Jax shakes his head.