The ship swayed gently beneath a soft sky.
Clouds passed lazily overhead, casting moving shadows on the wooden deck. The sea was calm, unusually calm — as if holding its breath before the next storm. Nami stood by the railing, map open, compass in hand, her brows furrowed in focused calculation.
Zoro was napping again. Luffy dangled from the mast like a child, chewing on a half-eaten apple.
And Rex?
He stood in silence beneath the shade of the sail, back leaned against the main mast, arms folded, his blue eyes sharp as razors.
Inside his head, [Michael] spoke, its voice as clear and clinical as ever.
[…Unidentified high-frequency pulse detected. Origin: Navigation satchel. Anomaly located in hidden fabric lining. Scanning complete. Navy Class-4 Tracking Chip identified. Status: Active. Heat pulse suggests a living tracer bond.]
Rex's stomach tightened.
Navy Tracking Chip?
He had seen the kind before — in war documentaries and secret military notes he studied obsessively back in his world. He hadn't expected it here. And now [Michael] had confirmed it was inside Nami's map bag.
Worse still… it was connected to her. It was reading her biological signal.
[…Removal may trigger embedded signal burst. Estimated transmission radius: 150 kilometers. Probability of fleet convergence: 73%. Suggestion: disable discreetly before Grand Line entry.]
Rex's jaw clenched.
"Why didn't you scan this before?" he whispered.
[…Permission to scan personal items not granted until emotional trust exceeded 25%. Target 'Nami' reached 41% as of prior engagement. Scan authorized retroactively.]
He cursed under his breath.
She had no idea.
No idea that something she stole, clutched, and depended on… could be her death sentence.
He looked over at her.
Her orange hair lifted lightly in the breeze. She adjusted the compass with both hands, her gaze narrowed and precise. She was strong — but not unbreakable.
Could he tell her?
Would she even believe him?
"…You're staring again."
Rex blinked. Nami was looking at him, smirking faintly.
"You always look like you're solving world problems in your head," she said.
"Maybe I am."
"Mm-hm. Or maybe you're thinking about how good I look from this angle."
He didn't deny it. He didn't smile either.
Instead, he walked over slowly.
Her teasing smile faded the moment he stood beside her — close enough for his presence to tighten the air around them.
"Nami," he said quietly. "Where did you get that satchel?"
She blinked. "What?"
"That map bag. The one you keep under your jacket. The old one."
She hesitated.
"…Why?"
"Answer."
She looked uneasy now. "I stole it off a Navy intelligence ship when I was ten. I was running. I grabbed what I could."
Rex exhaled slowly.
"Did you ever cut it open? Check the lining?"
"No," she said sharply. "I didn't have time for arts and crafts growing up in a war zone."
He leaned in even closer now, his voice low.
"There's something inside. A chip. They're tracking you."
Nami stiffened.
"...What?"
He nodded.
"I can disable it. But if I do it wrong, we're going to have the Navy crashing down on us before we even reach Syrup Village."
Her mouth opened slightly. Her hand slowly reached for the bag.
"No," Rex said, grabbing her wrist gently. "Don't touch it."
For a moment, everything was still. Even the waves seemed to pause.
She looked into his eyes.
"I… I had no idea," she whispered. "I've been using this bag for almost a decade."
"I know."
"I could've killed all of us."
He shook his head. "No. You didn't know. But now you do. That changes everything."
Her eyes shimmered with something unfamiliar — shame, guilt, and fear all tangled together.
And he couldn't stand it.
So he let go of her wrist… and instead, reached forward.
He pulled her into a one-armed embrace, subtle and brief, but firm. Her face brushed his collar.
"I'll take care of it," he said. "I'm not letting the Navy touch you."
She didn't pull away.
She didn't speak.
She just stood there, her heartbeat loud in her ears, her fingers tightening around his coat.
[…Emotional bond now at 52%. Target 'Nami' has entered trust threshold. Emergency override authorized. Permission to extract chip with external kinetic dampening.]
"Michael," Rex whispered internally, "prepare the tools. Tonight."
That Night – Below Deck
The lantern flickered above as Nami sat on a crate, nervous but determined.
Rex knelt in front of her, gently laying out a small surgical scalpel, a thread of metal, and a strange pair of glass pads connected to his gloves.
"Are you sure this is safe?" she asked.
"No," he replied. "But it's better than letting them find us."
She watched his hands as he worked.
Precise.
Calm.
No shaking. No panic. Just control.
"…You're not from this world, are you?" she whispered.
His hands paused for half a second.
She saw it.
"I've seen a lot of strange things," she went on. "But you… you're like something out of a story. You don't flinch. You don't bleed. You move like gravity's scared of you."
She looked into his eyes.
"Who are you, really?"
He met her gaze — and for the first time since landing in this world, Rex didn't lie.
"I don't know yet," he said softly. "But I'm trying to become someone real here. Someone who protects what matters. Someone who doesn't run away from the weight of power."
Her breath hitched.
Then, without speaking, she nodded and tilted her body, letting him begin the operation.
[…Commencing micro-vibration phase. Cloaking signal activated. Neural override on chip now suppressed. Extraction commencing. Estimated time: 12 seconds.]
The chip glowed briefly, like a dying ember.
Rex's gloves shimmered.
He focused.
Every nerve in his fingers moved like lightning.
He gritted his teeth.
10 seconds.
6.
3.
The chip clicked free — and instantly shattered between his fingers.
He dropped the fragments into a sealed container lined with mercury strips.
Done.
He exhaled.
And looked up.
Nami's eyes were locked on his.
She didn't speak.
She just leaned forward…
And kissed him on the cheek.
Not shy.
Not dramatic.
Just real.
"…Thank you," she whispered.
He blinked, caught off guard for the first time in days.
Then he stood up.
"Rest. We make landfall by morning."
She smiled faintly.
And Rex walked out into the night air, the stars overhead like cold lanterns lighting his path.
He closed his eyes.
[…Grav-Shift resonance increased. Emotional stability affecting neurological integration. Phantom Core approaching next stage.]
Tomorrow… Syrup Village.
And something dark was waiting there.
He could feel it.
A storm of lies. Betrayal. And buried secrets behind wide smiles.
But Rex would meet them head on.
And he'd float above the lies.
Even if it meant flying alone.