Four months had passed.
Four long months of staring at the same endless horizon until my eyes burned and my thoughts dulled. Four months of sinking my voice beneath the waves, speaking to Sea Beasts in languages older than maps, only to be met with the same answer every time.
Not yet.
Silence always followed.
I stood on the deck of our makeshift harbor, the wind tearing through my already ruined coat, the salt clinging to my skin like a reminder of everything I'd lost. The sea stretched endlessly before me, calm on the surface, mocking in its patience.
"I'll find you, Ripple," I whispered, my voice carried away by the salt air. My fingers clenched against the railing.
"I don't care if I have to boil the entire ocean to do it."
The moment lingered—until it shattered.
"CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN-RESU!"
Spruce came screaming down from above, sliding along the frozen bark of a massive root on his mercury sled. Snow sprayed behind him as he skidded to a halt, his tiny face flushed red with panic.
"That demon Gray and Skolldir are at it again-resu!" he yelled. "They're going to level the training grounds-resu!"
I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly.
"…Again?"
Rubbing my temples, I turned. "Let's go."
I didn't run.
I blurred.
My body moved before the thought finished forming, the weight I once carried no longer dragging me down. The world streaked past as I crossed the distance in an instant with my lunarian lineage factor, reaching the clearing just as the air itself began to scream.
Gray stood at the center like a living storm, his form reduced to a jagged silhouette of black and blue. Lightning crawled over his skin, Electro crackling in his palm like a collapsing star, unstable and furious.
Opposite him, Skolldir dragged his massive runic axe across the ground. The snow melted instantly where the blade passed, steam hissing upward as ancient symbols pulsed faintly along the metal.
Pandora hovered at the edge of the clearing, glowing like a deranged stadium light.
"SKOLL BOY! HIT HIM!" she shrieked. "MELT THAT WOLF!"
They lunged.
The world compressed.
CLANG!
I stepped between them.
Both attacks slammed into me at once.
My arms were coated in deep, obsidian Busoshoku Haki, the invisible armor screaming under the strain. Gray's lightning hissed violently against my left forearm, sparks skittering across the coating, while Skolldir's axe bit into the Haki on my right, the impact detonating the air around us.
Light exploded outward.
"Captain…?" Gray muttered, his eyes narrowing as recognition hit.
Skolldir snarled, teeth grinding. "Uhhh… again stepping between us, lizard?" His voice rumbled like tectonic plates grinding together.
I didn't look away.
"You two have enough energy to kill each other," I said flatly, "but not enough to help me find our crew?"
The pressure around us thickened as I pushed back, forcing both of them to disengage.
"If you want to fight," I continued, "go find a Marine Admiral. Otherwise—sit down."
A laugh echoed from the treeline.
"Dahahaha!"
Gaban leaned casually against his axe, shoulders shaking as he laughed. "You've got a grip on them now, kid. But look at you…" His eyes flicked downward. "…still holding that arm together with a prayer."
I followed his gaze.
My right arm.
The damage from my fight with Trigger hadn't healed properly. Deep pits—hollowed-out sections of muscle—marred the limb, injuries that should have left it useless. Paralysis would've been merciful.
Before anyone else could speak, Pandora moved.
She drifted toward me and latched onto my shoulder without warning, her blazing essence sinking directly into the ruined gaps beneath my skin.
"Daily routine," she chirped smugly.
It had become our ritual.
Pandora functioned as a biologicalpump. My veins in that arm were shattered beyond natural repair, so she entered the "machine" of my Lunarian lineage herself. Her solar fire bridged the broken gaps, carrying my blood across ruptured pathways while her heat forced my heart into a steady, brutal rhythm.
In return, she fed.
A parasite's pact.
She drank from my Lunarian flames, sustaining herself on my power while keeping my arm alive. A deal struck in the dark.
A faint orange glow pulsed beneath my skin as circulation returned.
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, flexing my fingers. "How many times are you going to repeat this routine, Pandora?"
"Until you're worth eating, lizard!" she laughed.
I turned toward Gaban, my expression hardening.
"I can't wait any longer," I said. "I'm leaving. Tomorrow. I need to find Ripple."
Gray straightened his coat silently, his expression unreadable. Spruce hopped up onto my shoulder, gripping his hammer like a lifeline.
"The sea is a big place to test yourself, Ash," Gaban said, his tone steadying. His eyes sharpened. "I've already trained you. Now all that's left is practice."
Before I could answer—
"What do you mean leavingearly, Ash?" Pandora flared brighter, her eyes sparkling with dangerous excitement. "Shall I come with you?"
"No," I said instantly.
The word cut clean.
"How dare you say no to my Goddess!" Skolldir roared—then froze. "…Actually. Wait. That is good. She stays on Elbaf. Safe. Carry on, lizard. I am with you."
Pandora snapped toward him, heat surging. "I am your Goddess! You are meant to follow me, not stop me! I hereby choose this Ash-lizard as my new host!"
"THEN I FOLLOW YOU, MY GODDESS!" Skolldir shouted, completely reversing himself.
Spruce leaned in close, whispering urgently, "Captain, say no-resu! We don't have enough food-resu!"
Gray groaned. "Ash. I don't care about this sun-ball. But that giant? He's not coming. He'll sink the ship."
"And make us slower," he added coldly.
"Hell nah," I snapped. "I'm not turning my ship into a daycare for ancient legends."
Pandora's voice sharpened, honeyed and cruel. "If I'm not with you, your arm stops working, lizard. Don't forget—I'm your carrier. If I hadn't helped while you were unconscious, that limb would've rotted off."
I stared her down.
"I see," I said slowly. "But don't forget—you need my fire. You were a tiny, shriveled spark when I found you. Now look at you."
I smirked.
"A chubby little sun."
"Captain is right-resu!" Spruce cheered from my hair.
"Uhhh, how noisy you all are!" Gaban interrupted, waving a hand. "Ash, just accept them. They'll be useful when the Marines come knocking."
"Even if I wanted to," I said, pointing at Skolldir, "how is a giant going to fit on my ship?"
"Exactly," Gray added. "Is he going to swim? He has a Devil Fruit."
"I am not letting you destroy my lost brother-ship-resu!" Spruce protested.
"He wasn't your brother, you damn rat," Gray shot back.
Skolldir stepped forward, his body shimmering strangely. "My power allows me to become a colossal wolf. But I can also shrink. My weight remains the same… and I become significantly stronger under sunlight or intense heat."
I narrowed my eyes. "Your Fruit?"
"Inu Inu no Mi," he said proudly. "Model: Sköll."
A Mythical Zoan…
The wolf that chases the sun.
He's a monster. Having him and Pandora would be a massive power boost... but the trouble they'll bring...
"You don't have a bounty, right?" I asked desperately.
Pandora cut in instantly. "Skoll-boy has a bounty of 1.48 Billion Berry. His nickname is 'THE GOLDEN PELT. He rejected the Marines, the Government, and Pirates alike for years!"
My jaw hit the snow.
"A BILLION?! WHAT THE HELL?!"
Gray's smile turned feral. "A billion-berry wolf… I'll enjoy controlling him."
I covered my face. "Is there anyone normal in this crew? I'm not even normal... "
Spruce looked up softly. "Captain… will you give my place to this Goddess-resu?"
I lifted him gently into my palm. "Uhm… let's see, Spruce."
Pandora slammed into my face with a warm thud. "So? Are we in, Captain?"
Gaban watched us, a nostalgic smile on his face. "Huh... what a lovely crew bonding. Reminds me of the old days on the Oro Jackson. Total chaos."