Port Vellora was warm, breezy, and calm — a quiet stop, a temporary home.
The crew had spread out over the last two days: shopping, wandering, blending in. Just another island between grander adventures. Just another lull.
Luffy was lounging on a bench eating grilled meat skewers like it was a competitive sport.Usopp and Chopper were trying on oversized hats they clearly couldn't afford.Brook played music on the edge of a fountain and somehow earned money.Franky was raiding a scrapyard.
It was peaceful.
Too peaceful, if you asked Zoro.
Zoro: Watching from the Walls
Zoro stood at a higher overlook, scanning rooftops and alleyways. He wasn't in the mood for sightseeing — he was scouting, just like Robin had said.
Kael hadn't made a move. Not yet.
Zoro hated waiting. Watching someone without acting wasn't his style. But he trusted Robin's read. And if Kael made one wrong move toward Luffy, Zoro was ready to split the man in half without blinking.
He glanced down at the square again.
"Where's Nami?"
The question slipped out of his mouth without much urgency — more habit than alarm.
She wasn't with the others.
That was... odd.
Sanji: Below, in the Crowd
Sanji stood at a café across from the marketplace, sipping coffee and pretending to enjoy the sunset.
His real attention was across the street — trailing Kael from a distance. The guy was damn slippery, blending into the crowd like a shadow.
Sanji had already spotted him tailing Luffy earlier. Now Kael was... drifting. Not following anyone. Not moving like a man with intent.
That unsettled Sanji more than if he'd drawn a blade.
He glanced toward the bookstall Nami had visited earlier that morning. He'd planned to meet her there after checking in with Robin.
But she wasn't there.
"Where is she…?"
Robin: Something Missing
Robin sat on a bench between rows of palm trees, her book unread.
She already knew what was happening. The moment Zoro and Sanji returned from separate scouting paths with the same question, she understood:
"Nami hasn't reported in."
She said it quietly, calmly.
Sanji's coffee cup shattered in his hand.
Zoro was already moving.
Luffy: Confused
Luffy looked up from his sixth skewer. "Huh? Nami's not here?"
Chopper turned. "She was gonna meet us at the fountain…"
Usopp scratched his head. "She's never late."
Brook tilted his skull. "She did mention a mapmaker's shop near the old tower."
Robin stood slowly.
"Split up. Find her. Quietly."
Zoro grunted. "On it."
Sanji flicked away his cigarette. "If that ghost freak touched her—"
Robin cut in. "We don't know that. Don't make noise yet. Just move."
Kael: Watching
From the rooftops, Kael knelt behind a crumbling wall, eyes cold.
He had seen the moment it happened.
Nami, alone. Heading to the edge of the old quarter. A third figure stepping behind her, masked by the crowd. Quiet. Professional.
Kael hadn't intervened.Not his mission.Not his target.
But now…
"This disrupts everything.""And I can't ignore it anymore."