I was spiraling downward.
The flame clouds beneath my claws flickered like dying candles, sputtering in and out as the cold of the Underworld gnawed at my scales. Wind howled past my ears, dragging us deeper into the abyss.
Spruce and Gaban had managed to scramble up my neck, wedging themselves between my horns. Their weight was manageable.
The problem was behind me.
Far behind me.
"That damn gorilla…" I growled.
Skolldir was clinging to my tail with both arms, his massive frame swinging wildly with every failed attempt I made to stabilize myself.
"What a mess," I rumbled, my draconic voice vibrating through the frozen air.
Then—
A memory surfaced.
Vegapunk's voice.
"…It's not the real Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu.
It's a failure. An artificial copy."
Cold realization punched through my chest.
The moment my confidence wavered, the flame clouds vanished.
Gone.
"CAPTAIN—SLOW DOWN, RESUUUU!" Spruce shrieked, his tiny hands digging into my scales.
"Oi, Ash!" Gaban yelled over the roaring wind. "Are we falling or flying?!"
"YOU TREACHEROUS LIZARD!" Skolldir roared from the tail. "HOW DARE YOU DROP ME, YOU COCKROACH!"
"I'M NOT DOING IT ON PURPOSE!" I shouted back, panic clawing up my throat.
"The fruit I ate—it's a failed version! The flame clouds are limited! The durability's a gamble! Even the color—IT'S JUST A MISTAKE!"
Gaban stared at the back of my head in stunned silence.
"…Pathetic," he muttered.
Spruce whimpered. "Captain-resu… are we gonna survive-resu?"
Skolldir tightened his grip. "You don't even know how to fly properly, lizard!"
"DID I ASK YOU TO JUMP WITH ME?!" I screamed, my tail lashing violently. "LET GO IF YOU'RE SO CONFIDENT!"
The ground below was rushing closer now—jagged ice, frozen roots, endless white.
Calm down, Ash. I told myself.
You have to find Gray.
You have to find Ripple.
You are NOT dying in a hole because of a defective fruit.
I closed my eyes, reaching out with the Voice of All Things.
I screamed into the darkness of the Underworld—into the frozen roots, the ancient earth, the unseen beings lurking beneath—
Nothing.
No response.
No echo.
No presence.
My heart sank.
…This was the first time.
"Spruce," I said sharply. "Hold on."
I twisted my neck back, locking eyes with Skolldir.
He was the problem.
Too heavy.
"Everyone for themselves!" I shouted.
And I snapped back into my human form.
The transformation shattered instantly.
We weren't a dragon and his riders anymore.
We were four bodies plummeting through the frost.
Snow and ice tore past us as gravity reclaimed its due.
I looked at Skolldir mid-fall. "Hey, gorilla! Stay close to me!"
He snarled. "WHAT?"
"When we're about to hit the ground, I'll transform again!" I yelled.
"You hang onto me—don't let go!"
Gaban shot me a sharp look. "Do you even have that much durability left?"
I glanced at Spruce.
"I'll survive," I said.
Then—
"…Probably."
"It's shameful!" Skolldir roared as we fell. "To die like THIS!"
The ground surged upward—
But Skolldir never hit it.
A blinding white light exploded around his body.
Fur erupted from his skin. His bones twisted, his snout elongating as his frame expanded violently. Muscles swelled with ancient, primal power.
Before touching the permafrost, he had become a Mighty Wolf, massive enough to rival the Snow Bear itself.
Then—compression.
The power collapsed inward, shrinking and condensing.
By the time his paws struck the ground, he stood in a giant-sized hybrid wolf form, the earth cracking beneath him.
Gaban, Spruce and I crashed onto his back.
Then, I hit the ground rolling, coughing snow from my lungs.
"…Damn," I muttered, staring.
Gaban straightened slowly, brushing frost off his coat, eyes narrowed.
"So the rumors were true," he said. "That's his Devil Fruit."
Spruce peeked out from under my coat, trembling.
"Captain-resu… he looks like Gray's brother-resu… but way scarier!"
Skolldir ignored the crushed beast behind him.
His glowing eyes locked onto me.
Without my dragon scales, without his towering giant form, he looked different now.
Like a god of the hunt.
"I follow the Goddess," Skolldir said, his voice low and predatory.
"And you…"
He took a step forward.
"…You are not my Sun."