The harbor town of Vellora looked peaceful in the golden morning sun, but something in the air had changed. The breeze no longer smelled of sea salt and spices—now it carried tension. An invisible thread that pulled tighter with every step.
The Straw Hats were scattered in their usual fashion: Chopper was running errands with Usopp, Sanji carried a basket of vegetables for breakfast, Franky tinkered with the Sunny's cannons, and Brook hummed while trying to charm passing vendors.
But there was no laughter.
Not really.
Nami stood outside the inn with her arms crossed, eyes scanning every alley. Robin was beside her, fingers to her chin.
"People are watching us more closely today," Robin said, her voice low.
"Not just the people," Nami replied. "I think Kael's shadow is still nearby."
"He hasn't shown himself since the night you disappeared."
"That's what makes it worse."
Behind them, Zoro leaned against the wall, one eye closed. "You sure it's not just paranoia?"
Nami turned toward him. "He didn't take me. But he let me go. That's worse than kidnapping. That means he made a choice."
Zoro frowned. He didn't like guessing motives.
Robin added, "We still don't know what he wants."
"Noel," Nami muttered.
Zoro looked up sharply. "You said he didn't say anything."
"He didn't. But he left me with her name. That has to mean something."
Robin glanced at her. "Let's not jump to conclusions."
They were interrupted by shouting.
"Nami-swan! I brought back the freshest eggs for your perfect smile!"
Sanji jogged up the street, grinning wildly, holding out a basket like an offering. Behind him, Usopp and Chopper followed, the latter carrying a stack of news flyers.
"Oh! Nami! Look what I found!" Chopper said, thrusting a paper at her. "They listed Kael on an incident report."
Nami took it and unfolded the page. Her stomach turned.
KAEL 'THE HOLLOW HAWK'
Status: Unofficial bounty hunter. Suspected ties to rogue Marine factions. No confirmed bounty.
The flyer was dated two days ago. The day after her abduction.
Usopp peered over her shoulder. "No bounty? But he moves like an assassin."
Sanji exhaled. "Maybe he's the type who doesn't leave survivors. No one to put a price on his head."
"And he was right under our nose," Zoro muttered.
Robin added softly, "He might have been watching us for longer than we realized."
Luffy sat on the inn steps nearby, munching on a meat bun, legs sprawled out. He looked up and blinked. "He's not doing anything. So he's probably not bad."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"That's what you noticed?" Usopp asked, confused.
Luffy nodded. "Yeah. If he was bad, he'd do something. Like yell. Or stab."
Zoro grunted. "That's not how it works."
"Mmm, maybe," Luffy mumbled, stuffing more food into his mouth. "But if he does something bad, then I'll just punch him. Easy."
Later that afternoon, Franky pulled Robin and Sanji aside.
"There's a problem."
They stood near the docks, behind a stack of crates.
"The ship's Log Pose is still charging, but I found something messed with the weather sensor core," Franky said. "It was subtle. Like someone wanted us off-course just enough to get stuck."
Robin raised a brow. "Sabotage?"
Sanji's expression darkened. "He's still on the island. I'd bet my eyebrows on it."
Robin frowned. "If he's trying to strand us here... what comes next?"
"One by one," Franky said. "He peels us apart."
That night, Nami returned to her maps. She double-checked the island's compass lines and sea charts. Something had shifted subtly in the currents. Someone wanted them delayed.
Meanwhile, Robin combed through old bounty records. Names appeared next to Kael's on old jobs—some were marines, some assassins, some vanished. The most recent?
Noel.
She narrowed her eyes.
"I'll find out who you were. And why your death haunts him."
Outside the ship, the fog crept in from the bay again.
From a rooftop, Kael watched their lights flicker in the cabin windows.
He said nothing.
But the seeds were sown.