The battle for Syrup Village had reached its bloody conclusion. As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, casting long, bruised shadows across the sand, the survivors gathered at the shore. Kuro's ship sat slumped in the shallows like a dying beast, surrounded by the broken forms of pirates scattered across the earth.
Zoro was already there, leaning against a crate with his swords sheathed but his eyes wary. Luffy emerged from the treeline shortly after, dusty and bruised but wearing his usual grin.
"Oi! Where's Usopp?" Luffy asked, glancing around the empty stretch of beach.
"He's not here yet," Zoro grunted, closing his eyes to rest.
The silence that followed was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps. They were slow, rhythmic, and steady—devoid of the frantic energy of a panicked pirate. Luffy and Zoro turned their heads, and for a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Cry emerged from the forest. She looked like a goddess in the flesh, her ocean-blue hair waving and flowing with every graceful stride. Her eyes, as clear and deep as a mountain spring, remained fixed on the path ahead. In her arms, she held Usopp, carrying the battered sniper as if he were a delicate princess.
"Heyyy! Cry! Did you save Usopp?" Luffy shouted, waving his arms enthusiastically.
Cry paused, her expression unreadable. She tilted her head slightly, a silent, ethereal gesture, and gave a small nod.
Five minutes passed before Nami came rushing onto the shore, breathless and scanning the area for loot. She stopped dead when she saw the sight of the tall, beautiful Cry still holding a snoring Usopp. A chuckle escaped her lips. Behind her, Kaya approached, looking more energetic and alive than she had in years, with Merry close by her side to support her.
Kaya's eyes wandered over the shore, taking in the sight of the ship and the fallen pirates. "So... it was really true , everything was true," she whispered. She and Merry looked around, searching for the for everyone who savef there lives. Thankfully theyre all safe. the "brave warrior" who had warned them of all this,
Was in Cry's arms.
Kaya then looked around to see her butler who planned all of this.
Luffy, noticing her searching gaze, spoke up. "He's in the forest, unconscious."
Kaya let out a long, shaky breath I see.
Nami's eyes, meanwhile, were practically glowing with the reflection of Berries. "We should contact the Navy and let them arrest these pirates. Think of the bounties!"
"I will handle that," Merry interjected, adjusting his glasses. "I shall see to the rest of the arrangements."
Kaya looked up at Cry, who was still standing motionless with Usopp in her arms. The sniper was now snoring loudly against her chest. Finally, Cry spoke. Her voice was heavenly, a soft sound that seemed to vibrate in the air.
"Tired," she said simply.
Kaya looked at Usopp's bruised face and nodded softly. "Yes... he is very tired. Come, I know you all are exhausted. Let's go back to the manor to rest and let Mister Merry take care of the rest."
"Hahahaha! Kaya, I'm hungry!" Luffy yelled, his stomach letting out a roar that rivaled the ocean.
"I want sake," Zoro added, finally pushing himself off the crate.
"I'll prepare everything as a thank you," Kaya promised with a warm smile.
Nami, however, was already looking toward the horizon. "Hey, Zoro! Carry Usopp. We're going treasure hunting with Cry!"
Zoro didn't argue. He walked over to the tall, silent woman and pointed toward his own back. Cry nodded and carefully transitioned the sleeping Usopp onto Zoro's shoulders.
"Cry! Come quickly!" Nami shouted, waving toward the pirate ship.
Kaya waved goodbye as Nami and Cry made their way toward Kuro's vessel. But as they drew closer, Nami's face fell. The ship was a wreck—dilapidated, scarred by battle, and rotting from the inside out. It wouldn't be able to sail another mile. Nami had planned to claim the ship as their own, but looking at the splintered wood and torn sails, she realized that was impossible.
Nami stood on the slanted, creaking deck, her hands on her hips as she surveyed the wreckage. The wood groaned under their weight, and the smell of rot and stagnant seawater was thick in the air.
"Haysst... this ship is no good, Cry," Nami sighed, her voice echoing off the salt-stained wood. "Come on, let's see if there are treasures at least."
Nami reached out and took Cry's hand, her skin warm against Cry's cool, ethereal touch. She led the silent goddess deep into the belly of the ship. They spent thirty minutes tearing through the captain's quarters, overturning crates, and ripping up floorboards. But as the minutes ticked by, Nami's excitement turned into bitter disappointment. There was nothing. Not a chest of gold, not a stray jewel—not even a single copper coin.
"Nope. Nothing," Nami groaned, kicking an empty wooden barrel in frustration. "What a poor pirate! All that trouble and he didn't even have a stash?"
Cry stood in the center of the dark cabin, tilting her head to the side. Her crystal-blue eyes tracked Nami's frantic movements, but she remained perfectly still, a look of quiet confusion on her face. She didn't understand the value of the metal Nami was searching for; to her, the ship was just a hollow, broken shell.
Nami let out a long, defeated huff and turned back toward the exit. "Come on, let's go back. I'm hungry too," she said, looking at Cry with an exhausted smile.
Cry's ears seemed to perk up at the word. She blinked slowly, her heavenly voice drifting through the shadows of the hold.
"Food?"
Nami chuckled, leading her back out into the fresh salt air of the shore. "Yes, Cry. Food. And lots of it."
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To be continued