The Sunny's smaller scouting vessel, the Emerald Wind, cut through the humid air of the Calm Belt, carrying Arkan, Lyra, Robin, Sanji, and Chopper toward the green constellation's point.
Overhead, the star shone through thick clouds like a single emerald eye.
Arrival at the Jungle's Edge
Before them stretched an endless wall of trees — trunks wider than the Sunny itself, their leaves forming a canopy so dense no sunlight touched the ground. The air buzzed with distant roars and the deep, slow heartbeat of something far larger than any animal.
Robin frowned.
"This place wasn't on any map."
Lyra's voice trembled slightly.
"Because the jungle erases what it doesn't want remembered."
The Living Path
They stepped onto a narrow trail, only to watch it close behind them — roots twisting upward, branches knitting into walls. Chopper glanced back nervously.
"It's like the forest is… alive."
The deeper they went, the more the jungle moved with intention. Vines shifted to trip them, flowers snapped shut as they passed, and massive leaves tilted to block their view.
Sanji muttered under his breath.
"This place doesn't want guests."
The Flameborne's Introduction
At the center of a vast clearing, the trees bent away as if in respect. There stood a woman draped in layers of green and gold leaves, her hair a tangle of vines and blossoms. Her eyes were a deep, glistening green — the same as the constellation above.
The ground itself seemed to breathe beneath her feet.
"Flamebearer," she said, "your fire is not welcome here. Life thrives because it resists flame."
Arkan met her gaze steadily.
"And sometimes, life survives because of it."
The Jungle's Test
With a wave of her hand, the clearing exploded with growth. Roots coiled into serpents, thorned vines lashed out, and flowers the size of ships opened to reveal rows of teeth.
Sanji moved fast, slicing vines away from Robin while Chopper darted in to heal scratches as they came. Arkan's flames kept the growth at bay, but the Flameborne only grew stronger, feeding power into the jungle with every breath.
Lyra realized the rhythm of the growth — a pattern in the vines' strikes, matching a faint, low-pitched hum.
"It's her verse… but it's incomplete."
The Heart of the Verse
Arkan stopped fighting and instead matched the timing of his flames to her hum, striking only in the gaps, letting the plants regrow before cutting them again. Slowly, the jungle's aggression eased, until the vines began to weave around them instead of attacking.
The Flameborne tilted her head, studying him.
"You listen. Most burn without hearing."
She reached into the earth and withdrew a seed the size of a fist, pulsing with green light.
"Plant this when the Song demands it. It will grow in fire… or in blood."
Final Scene
As they left the clearing, the jungle shifted, creating a new path to the coast. But above, the green constellation point dimmed — and the white one to the north began to flash erratically, as if warning them.
Robin's voice was tight.
"If the others haven't reached the white point yet… they might already be too late."