"The Dragon-Slaying Witch" Kanata.
The worst criminal who killed a Celestial Dragon, fought against the naval fleet guarding him, and still managed to escape.
A girl who had an unprecedented bounty of 380 million berries placed on her head at the beginning of the story.
Two days after the incident in Flower Country, the wanted poster spread worldwide as major news, and Orbia was deeply worried.
Though they had known each other for about five years, she knew the girl wasn't the type to do such a thing without reason. But she also knew the girl possessed the "brute strength" capable of doing something like this if necessary.
She was like a younger sister to him, reading many books in the Tree of Wisdom and accumulating knowledge to engage in casual conversations.
"Is she okay?"
"There's nothing we can do even if we worry... All we can do is pray for her safety."
Dr. Clover, sitting next to Orbia, was also one of those who knew Kanata well.
In this island where many archaeology experts gathered, her eager pursuit of knowledge was admired even among scholars.
She herself said she was more suited to being a merchant than a scholar.
Well, even as a merchant, Kanata was only a guard who carried goods.
"If she's safe... Yes. If she's safe, that's all I ask."
They believed they would meet again someday.
That night, late into the night.
Those who spent their days immersed in the Tree of Wisdom, researching the lost history of the so-called "Century of Darkness," often worked late into the night.
Since such activities were prohibited by the World Government, they were conducted secretly underground, unknown to anyone.
When she returned to the upper floors for a break, Orbia heard a faint knock and, assuming it was one of the scholars, opened the door with little caution.
In an instant, her mouth was covered by a hand, and she was forcefully pushed inside.
(—What!?)
Though she knew some self-defense techniques, the figure in front of her, with a hood pulled tightly over their face, didn't even give her a chance to react, closing the door with their foot.
Then, in a low voice, they whispered into Orbia's ear, "Stay quiet."
Orbia recognized the voice immediately.
The figure removed their hand from Orbia's mouth, lifting the hood slightly to reveal their face.
"Kana—"
"I told you to be quiet."
Orbia almost shouted, but the hand pressed her mouth again.
With a guilty expression, she nodded several times to indicate she was okay and the hand was removed.
There was surprise, but now joy was greater. She had reunited with her younger sister, whom she had thought she might never see again.
"Kanata, you're safe."
"Safe is a stretch... but I'm alive."
Kanata shrugged her shoulders, showing her left arm wrapped tightly in bandages. Only her fingertips were exposed, so she could grip objects, but combat was out of the question.
Though hidden by her hood, she could see bandages wrapped around her head as well. The clothes she was wearing were men's attire, loose and baggy, making it difficult to gauge the extent of her injuries, but even the glimpses of bandages revealed that she was badly hurt.
At least, this was the first time Orbia had ever seen Kanata in such a state.
Her abilities were one factor, but simply put, Kanata had grown stronger than Orbia could have imagined.
Kanata is this badly injured.
"...Are you okay?"
"...I probably won't be able to come back to this island anymore."
He doesn't answer Orbia's question.
Even with such a vague question, Kanata knows what Orbia is asking. Still.
He might be okay. He might not be okay. He didn't want to give such a vague answer.
"The regular shipping route connecting this island to the outside world, and the fact that you frequently visited the Tree of Wisdom... The government will likely relentlessly pursue Oharu as a lead to me."
There were people on Marx Island, which had served as their base, whom Kanata had spoken with frequently, but he knew their relationships were superficial. They would not hesitate to sell information about Kanata.
After all, to them, Kanata was a monster.
They used him because he was convenient, and since Georges, who wasn't a user of abilities, was in charge on the surface, the business was going smoothly. But I know they were afraid of Kanata. That's how people treat Devil Fruit users everywhere.
That's why Kanata didn't keep many personal belongings at his home on Marx Island, which served as his base. The room prepared for him in the ship's cabin was his only place to stay.
But Orbia and the others weren't like that.
"You can sell me to the government if you want. Just prioritize your own safety."
"No, no, you can't do that!"
"If the government targets you, you'll be in trouble too."
"But... but..."
"I'll be fine."
Even in his severely injured state, his words lacked conviction.
Orbia, who was worried about Kanata and refused to back down, smiled helplessly.
"This is tough. I just wanted to spare Orbia any worry."
"It's impossible. I think of you like a sister."
"…I see."
Though the island is called "Archaeologist's Island," not all its inhabitants are scholars. It's only natural, as they couldn't sustain their livelihoods otherwise.
Orbia's younger brother was also not a scholar, and Kanata recalled being surprised at how different siblings could be.
She spends so much time immersed in research at the Tree of Wisdom that she sees her family just as rarely as she sees Kanata.
That said, she's not entirely without romantic entanglements.
"Then, this is your younger sister's final request. You're about to get married, aren't you? It's better not to get involved in any unnecessary trouble."
Hearing this, Orbia blushed and looked away, seemingly embarrassed.
But she must have felt she had to say one more thing, as she glared at Kanata.
"Don't say that's your last request... Let's meet again someday."
"Alright. I'll look forward to meeting your children then."
"You're in a hurry... But yes, I suppose we won't be able to meet casually anymore."
Perhaps they really would never see each other again.
The world is vast, and we are separated by the sea. If she moves to another sea, returning will not be easy.
Still, she hopes to meet again.
The two embrace and part ways shortly after.
Kanata pulls her hood down over her eyes and steps outside the Tree of Wisdom. Orbia steps outside to see her off, shivering slightly in the cold air.
"Right," Kanata suddenly remembers and stops in her tracks.
"I don't think I can return the book I borrowed. Please apologize to Dr. Clover for me."
"...You're such a fool. It's fine, you can return it whenever you can. Make sure to bring it back properly."
"Alright. Then I'll come back someday to return it."
Kanata smiled slightly and disappeared into the night without looking back at Orbia, who had replied.
Clouds obscured the stars. It was a dim, eerie night that stirred a sense of unease.
☆
Kanata walked along the seashore with a small radio bug in her hand.
There was a risk of her signals being intercepted, but without the special paper—the "Biburu Card"—that drew her toward its owner, she had no choice but to proceed this way to reunite with them.
The night grew colder.
She was fine for now, but moving around too much might aggravate her wounds. She wanted to find them soon, she thought as she walked around the waters near Ohara.
As the clock neared midnight, the radio signal from the radio bug connected.
"Are you okay?"
"Unfortunately, I can't say I'm okay, but I'm alive."
Georges' voice sounded relieved, along with the sounds of commotion in the background.
If he was within the radio bug's range, the distance couldn't be too great. There was a possibility that the navy was nearby, but they decided to prioritize reuniting and sent up a signal flare.
"That's probably best. Let's hope we can confirm it."
"There's no starlight tonight. The signal flare should be easy to see."
"Right... I see it."
"Alright, get back here immediately."
The signal flare shot up into the sky, trailing a tail of light.
Kanata spotted the light and adjusted his course, racing across the sea.
Soon, he found the ship and leaped onto the deck.The only thing that bothered him was that there should have been two ships, but there was only one.
"Kanata! You're safe!"
"Fayun. I'm glad you're safe too."
"Yes. Thanks to you, Kanata. But I was so worried... And I'm hurt. Please don't do anything reckless anymore."
Fayun rushed over and crouched down, her face on the verge of tears, trying to meet Kanata's gaze.
Kanata stroked Feiyun's cold cheek and gave her a sharp tap on the forehead.
"Ouch!" She recoiled, and Kanata placed his hand on his waist, speaking with a look of exasperation.
"This is my ego. It's not something you need to worry about."
"But..."
"Then, next time, you protect me. I'm sure you have the strength to do it."
"...Yes!"
Feiyun nodded repeatedly, determined to become stronger.
Feeling that the conversation had ended, the crew members began to emerge from the cabin.
However, there were only a few of them. There should have been nearly 300 crew members due to work, but now there were only about a tenth of that number.
What was going on? Georges tilted his head in confusion and turned his gaze toward Georges.
"Ah, it's nothing. It's just that..."
"To put it simply, the mere laborers have all boarded another ship and returned to Marx Island. They said, 'We have nothing to do with this, so we're going back.'"
Before Georges could finish, Kuro explained it bluntly without hesitation.
What Kanata had done was no exaggeration to say it had turned the world against him. When asked if they could follow him, there were undoubtedly those who couldn't.
They were just hired as manual laborers. We didn't expect any loyalty from them, and they were unnecessary for both sides.
"I see. Well, that's fine then."
Those who remained were Georges and his men from the beginning, along with Junshi, Kuro, Feiyun, and Zen.
There were only thirty-three of us left, but that wasn't a problem. Those who left had families, so we couldn't blame them for their choice.
We're back to the old number.
...Besides, even if we returned to the island now, I doubt the World Government would take us at our word.
"There are various things we need to discuss,"
"What are we going to do now, young lady?"
Junshi and Kuro seemed concerned about that and asked Kanata.
In response, Kanata answered succinctly.
"We're going in."
We could keep running away, but since our relationships have been reset,
I decided it's worth taking a little risk.
Besides, it'll be easier to hide here than in this sea where everyone knows us.
The Navy Headquarters and the World Government will probably start a full-scale search. We should avoid drawing attention as much as possible.
"We're wanted criminals now. Should we call ourselves pirates?"
"I have no intention of calling myself a pirate. We don't need a pirate flag either."
"Really?"
While he admired Roger and his crew for openly identifying as pirates, Kanata preferred to stay hidden if possible.
Moving around too openly without sufficient strength would just get us crushed.
Of course, the question is what we'd do once we gathered enough strength.
"Well, since we're here, why not aim for something no one's ever done before?"
"That sounds interesting, but it'll be a tough journey."
"I don't care. We've got nothing else to do anyway."
The harder the goal, the better.
There's nothing more boring than a life spent being chased. If you have a difficult goal to achieve, at least you have a reason to live.
We might end up fighting the World Government along the way, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
We're not going to just let them take us down without a fight.
"Alright, it's decided."
The goal is to conquer the island.
We need to prepare for that. Without supplies, we won't even be able to move from island to island, and we'll run out of food and water.
We must head to the next town and gather all the necessary supplies.
"This is going to be busy."
"Bounty hunters, the navy, government pursuers... I hope there are some challenging enemies."
"I'll do my best to protect everyone!"
"Hehe! This is going to be lively!"
Following Kanata's decision, each of them pondered their upcoming journey.
Their first destination is the entrance to Rivers Mountain. The town just before it.
It is ruled by the Rash Family, one of the Five Great Families of the West.
"—Then, let's go. Sailing out!"
☆
Three days after setting sail from the waters near Ohara.
It was reported that Marx Island had been reduced to ashes by the "Buster Call" issued by the admiral of the Navy Headquarters.
***
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