The Thousand Sunny, with Zoro, Orren, Nami, Jinbe, Franky, and Brook aboard, sailed through a narrow fjord surrounded by towering cliffs. Above them, snow-laced peaks cut into the sky, and at the highest summit, the white constellation point pulsed like a heartbeat in the clouds.
Approach to the Highlands
The air grew thinner as they made their ascent on foot. The wind carried strange harmonics — whistles, sighs, and sharp snaps — that Orren recognized immediately.
"That's not just the mountain wind… someone's shaping it."
Nami adjusted her coat against the chill.
"If the Flameborne of Wind's power is this strong this far out, no wonder the point is blinding."
Signs of Battle
Halfway up the slope, they found the snow churned into deep furrows, as though something huge had been dragged through it. Shattered stone littered the path, and the sound of distant thunder — too rhythmic to be natural — echoed through the peaks.
Brook tapped his cane sword against a rock.
"Yohoho… that thunder is footsteps."
The Wind's Guardian
At the summit pass, a fierce gale nearly knocked them from their feet. Cutting through the storm, they saw a figure standing on a narrow ridge — cloaked in white, with long silver hair whipping in the wind. In their hand was a staff topped with a spinning ring of metal that caught the gale like a turbine.
They were surrounded by three massive constructs of stone and ice, each moving with deliberate, crushing force.
"Heralds," Orren said grimly. "But not like the others — these are bound to her."
The Herald's Trap
From behind the ridge, a man stepped into view — cloaked in black and gray, mask shaped like a falcon's beak. The wind around him bent unnaturally, creating invisible walls that pinned the Flameborne in place.
"Your verse is wasted on these peaks," the Herald's voice carried effortlessly over the gale."The Serpent needs it… and I'll take it."
The Crew Joins the Fight
Zoro moved first, cutting through one of the wind walls, while Jinbe smashed another with a surge of water. Franky's shoulder cannons roared, driving the constructs back, and Brook's blade sliced at the air currents themselves.
Nami's eyes lit with a sudden idea.
"If we match the wind's rhythm, we can ride it instead of fighting it!"
She directed the crew's movements like a storm navigator, guiding each strike to flow with the gale instead of against it.
The Flameborne's Trust
The Flameborne's eyes narrowed as they watched the crew adapt. With a sharp twist of their staff, the metal ring spun faster, pulling the wind into a single, focused vortex that hurled the Herald backward.
The constructs shattered, their shards scattering like ice in sunlight.
"Flamebearer's allies," the Flameborne called, "you move with the wind instead of trying to chain it. That is rare."
They held out a pendant shaped like a spiral of silver and white feathers.
"When the Song turns, this will call the storm to you."
Final Scene
But before they could leave the ridge, the clouds above shifted. The white constellation point flared once — then fractured into two smaller lights, drifting apart in opposite directions.
Orren's voice was low.
"Two more verses… but the Serpent's closing the distance."