Siobhan folded her arms beneath her chest at the older woman continuing to call her "demon". It was a little irritating, but she didn't really care. They were leaving this place, so the opinion of this sagging old geehole was hardly going to ruin her day. Same went for the hundreds of others eyeballing her like she was gonna gobble them all up. Weren't they the ones that ate people anyhow? Pretty hypocritical.

Kailani was, of course, right. She could have just leaped her way out of the village...though she imagined they would just give chase. That would mean having to clobber all them at the beach while they were trying to rebuild The Striker. Besides, if she was honest with herself, she was never one to shy away from a good fight.

"Fine then," Siobhan grinned, turning to the assembled warriors of the arena. "If that's how it's to be, then come on! I'll slap ye into the middle of next week!"

With her acceptance, the older woman took Kailani's hand and lead her back to the stone platform overlooking the arena. The beating of drums heralded the resumption of the competition, the warriors once more readying their weapons as the spectators looked on in what appeared to be a mixture of anticipation and anxiety.

It was all pretty exciting, really. There were fifty rowdy men with their sights set firmly on her, and she wasn't even wearing her jean shorts! Cracking her gloved knuckles, she eagerly awaited the first one to make a move. As it turns out, it was more like a few dozen that initiated hostilities. Charging at her with their stone swords - What kinda weapon was that, even? - raised high, Siobhan drew a measured breath.

"Ganging up on me, eh?" She smirked, broadening her stance. Staring straight ahead at the onrush of her fellow competitors, Siobhan brought her fist forward in a punch that audibly snapped against the air, causing the grass at her feet to sway. And for the next several seconds, that was it. The spectators simply stared in confusion as the formerly charging warriors halted, as if pressed up against an invisible wall. A wall that was slowly forcing them back.

Exhaling as she lowered her fist, Siobhan closed her eyes. "Arabesque Brick Fist."

In that instant, their bodies were bent, twisted and ultimately sent flying backwards by imperceivable power of her attack. It was a technique designed for quickly dealing with large groups of weaker enemies. It involved transmitting the force of her strike through the water vapor in the air to release a powerful shockwave against any caught within its range.

For a moment all was silent as everyone looked on in shock. Then, their unconscious bodies hit the ground in a cascade of thuds.

Finally snapped out of their daze upon seeing so many of their proud warriors flung through the air like ragdolls, the spectators erupted in a chorus of horrified screams. Within the arena, those that hadn't joined the two dozen or so in their initial charge quickly threw down their swords and began fleeing the arena.

"S-she blew them away with her demon's magic! There's no weapon that can fight that!" One of them screeched, his fellows quickly echoing his sentiment with similar observations.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, she rolled her arm as she kept her eyes firmly on the competition. "I guess we can say we're in the finals now, eh?"

”I have no idea how you did that but – whoo! Go Siobhan! Shout more words at them!” Kailani was all too enthusiastic about her cheering, actually out of her throne as she jumped for her new friend. Hey, it beat cheering on that asshole Ywa’n. Admittedly, there was some worry that gnawed at her chest – were all non-islanders as powerful as Siobhan? Was she maybe really a demon? Did Kailani even have a chance out there?

... Well, guess she was going to find out soon enough! And really, that thought made her more excited than anything.

“It’s powerful,” The Chieftain commented at her side, eyes narrowed. “Perhaps numbers won’t be the deciding factor, but skill.”It certainly seemed it would be the only option, considering those who fled the arena. Cowards.

---

A pair of silver eyes remained narrowed, observational as they took in the carnage a single motion from this ‘demon’ set forth. Competitors were fleeing the arena, but in a swift motion Ywa’n held out his spear, stopping one of the bulkier ones.

“Lua, turn around. I have a plan.” His cousin looked to him with fear naked in his expression, almost whimpering.

“Ywa’n, come on, she’s a demon! Just let Kailani go to her, it’s just as good as her leaving!”

“No it’s not!” Ywa’n spit back in return, almost baring his teeth akin to an animal. “Now turn around and act like a man. I’ll circle the demon and come up behind her.” Lua still seemed doubtful, so his cousin gave him a sharp shove with the end of his spear.

“Do it, or I swear you’ll be facing me instead!” That finally seemed to motivate him, the bulky man turning reluctantly back to Siobhan.Slowly he edged forward, holding his stone sword – designed specifically not to maim, as the Tournament regulated – like a shield more than a weapon.

“Hey, uh, I’m real sorry for taking Kailani. If I knew a demon wanted her I would’ve, you know, left her?”

”She’s not a demon, Lua you jerk!” He flinched at the call from the side lines, taking a deep steadying breath. Okay, okay he wasn’t a real capable warrior like Ywa’n, but he could do this! Already he could see Ywa’n circling her, having used the fleeing motions of their fellow warriors to skirt the sidelines. When his cousin’s swift motions got him at the back he levelled his spear, and Lua nodded to himself. Right, right he could do this!

Letting out a fierce cry to mask his fear, and potentially his cousin, Lua ... threw his sword and ran.

”... That’s one of your warriors, Mom.”

“Kailani.”

Behind Siobhan, Ywa’n used his athletic stature to spring forward, going to immediately go to jab his spear into the demon’s spine. His cousin was a coward, but at least he served as a distraction. One single strike. Even a monster couldn’t survive a speared heart.

"Well, I'm glad ya feel sorry," Siobhan replied to the large man that stepped before her, looking more like he was going to shat his pants than try and slit her throat. "Cause I would've blown ya away with a fart."

Her warning seemed to take hold, as he screamed thunderously and tossed his weapon at her, which she deftly caught. Holding it up close with a quirk of her brow, she noted that it seemed blunted. Were they designed to avoid hurting each other? Well, that was mighty sporting of them. A tough but friendly competition to determine who would take over the tribe...she could respect that.



A spattering of white nuggets impacted the ground at Siobhan's feet as she suddenly whirled and bit down on the oncoming spear of the last remaining competitor. A flick of her tongue against the serrated edge confirmed that this thing wasn't nearly so friendly as the sword she'd been given.

"H-her teeth..." One of the spectators muttered. "She popped her human teeth out! She's showing her true demon form!!"

The crowd once again erupted in a panic, as they stared down at the jagged shark-like teeth that now gripped the man's spear point between them. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she forcefully bit down and shattered the spear. Spitting the stone chunks out onto the ground as she returned to her full height, Siobhan quickly noted that the well-built man stood nearly at eye level with her.

Briefly glancing down at the stone sword in her hand, she offered her fellow competitor a smile. "Oi, aren't we supposed to be usin' these yokes?"

Without awaiting his response, Siobhan immediately stepped forward to strike at him with the blunt weapon, bringing it straight across his face in a powerful slap before quickly bringing it back to give the opposite side the same treatment. Over and over and over again, until she finally brought it down over the crown of his head with enough force to smash it into pebbles.

"I mean, it's only sportin'!"

Silence had descended over the clearing, the only noise being the rustle of the wind, a child’s crying, and the mother trying to hush it before the demon’s eyes turned to them. With Ywa’n’s collapse, blood gushing from his broken nose, anyone who had even an inkling of challenge left in them felt it die away. As mothers began to urge their children away, warriors standing on trembling legs to block them as they began evacuating, laughter started up from the great stone platform.

”Hehe... Heheheh... Ahahah!” Leaping from the platform to land in the bounds of the stone-edged arena, Kailani darted forward. She leapt right onto Siobhan, arms around her neck hugging her – and hanging off a tiny bit. Whatever, ‘demon’ girl could handle it. ”You did it! Holy storm, you actually did it! I’m going to build you the best damn ship you could ever ask for! It’ll have three – no, five wings, and I’ll deck the Captain’s area in gold, I’ll sew you a flag myself if I need-”

“Kailani...” For once the islander didn’t mind being interrupted, hearing the quiet tone of her mother. Kailani looked over, seeing the Chieftain approach. Finally she let go of Siobhan’s neck to drop back down, offering her mother a wide, genuine smile.

”Hey, Mom, don’t look so down! We’re all getting what we want here. I get to go on adventure, build ships, and you’re young – you can still have another kid! One that can actually lead the tribe and isn’t such a fuck up.”

“I never wanted you to leave.” Her mother responded simply, looking down at her. The intense look was wiped away, her brows furrowed and looking older than she ever had. Sad. Even in proximity to the ‘demon’ her gaze didn’t stray, but Kailani’s seemingly ever present smile faltered.

”... Aw, Mom, don’t get sappy. You know this is all I’ve ever wanted, and hey!” Gently, almost playfully the islander elbowed Siobhan. ”At least you know I’ll be well protected, right? Siobhan has to be the strongest person on the other side of Ka Li’Ai!”

“... I suppose. The Demon did win the Tournament.” Aila’s eyes focused on the fishwoman, studying her. “I cannot grant you my blessing, Kailani, but ... I do wish you luck, if you are meant to leave with this ‘Siobhan’. At least I know you ended up marrying the strongest there was.”

”Yep! Nothing to worry about there, we’ve – wait, what?”

“That’s a joke, Kailani.”

”... I didn’t know you could make those.”

Siobhan felt a bead of sweat run down the side of her face when the older woman brought up the subject of marriage again. Were they going to have to have a weird ceremony now before they let them go? "...I'll do it, if I can have wedding cake."

As those words left her mouth, a rather heavy growl similarly escaped her stomach. Placing a hand over her belly, the redhead sighed. She hadn't eaten anything since she left her fishing boat anchored on the other side. "No really, I'm starvin'. Since I won an' all, how about like...a feast to celebrate?"

Her eyes then shifted briefly over to Kailani. "...But no people."

---

Having eaten her fill of all the nuts, fruits and meats that the village had to offer, Siobhan had decided that she could stand to stay the night since it was getting dark. After all, it'd be much easier to build their ship the next day when the sun was up. Besides, this place wasn't so bad when everyone wasn't out to kill you!

"Phew!" Siobhan exhaled happily, her head popping up from the center of the stone bath in the Chieftan's palace. Steam poured off the water that was being laboriously heated by the servants below who continued to feed the fire with more lumber. If the sea didn't call to her so strongly, she could get used to this! "Did ya really hate it here all that much, Kailani?"

Considering her own childhood, she actually felt pretty damn jealous of this girl. While she did understand not wanting to marry that knobber with the spear, and could definitely appreciate wanting to be free, this place was hardly a hellhole compared to most of the islands she'd been to in her life.

Well, aside from the whole "eating people" thing. That she wasn't about to get used to.

She'd already switched back to her human teeth at this point, and her jaw was slightly sore. It was always a pain to shift between them, and stressful on half-breeds like herself in particular. Still, she figured that she'd terrified these people enough without constantly looking like she was gonna rip their faces off.

It was pretty amusing, actually, watching Siobhan bathe. No, not in a creepy way – just watching her swim in the giant stone bath. It was big enough to leave her room to do so, and when she did her fin popped out of the water and cut the waves like a real shark. It made Kailani giggle the first time she saw it, though she muffled it quickly when the redhead emerged from the water.

Now Kailani was just lazing on the edge of the bath, stretched out on her back with one leg bent and the other over it, letting her foot bounce. Her bronze fingers splayed over the white scarring vivid against her stomach, the bindings around her chest not nearly enough to cover the wicked marks. She was itching to go out and work, even if it was by bits of moonlight, but leaving her ‘guest’ didn’t seem like a particularly good idea. It took awhile for her tribesmen that were serving Siobhan food earlier to even stop trembling.

Though really, what kind of shark didn’t eat people? Weird.

”Hm?” The Chieftain’s daughter tilted her head to look to Siobhan on being addressed, furrowing her brows together. She hummed thoughtfully, raising a hand to lazily tap against her bottom lip. ”Hate is ... a strong word. I never hated it here – well, maybe a little after Mella’s death and Ywa’n made it his life’s mission to harass me – but that wasn’t really it.” Kailani paused here, tilting her head to look out a slitted vent nearby, a hint of moonlight near it – but most blocked by the rolling clouds on the horizon, the inescapable Ka Li’Ai.

”It’s more like... I’ve seen every single rock this island has to offer, explored every inch of it. It’s a big island, but when you’re stuck on it your whole life? It’s nice enough here, but every time a ship crashed upon the shore, all it was to me was a big, flashing jolt of thunder illuminating the truth – there’s a whole world out there!” Kailani raised her hands from behind her head, holding them above her as though picturing something.

”I love my family, I love my tribe – even that ass Ywa’n – but all me and my best friend ever wanted was to see more. That’s why I like ships so much! They can take you anywhere, as long as you can build them right, and I want to see everything!” Kailani abruptly sat up and swung her legs around, letting them dip into the heated water. She flicked a leg to send droplets of water at Siobhan.

”And apparently, there’s a whole ton of people out there too! I’ve seen people who’s skin were bright as the moon – like yours – and some with fiery red hair, but never one with fins! Heck, never one with such power – or they would’ve survived Ka Li’Ai.“ She tilted her head, a playful grin back on her face.

”Those with moon-skin always tasted the best, though now I do wonder what people-fin tastes like.”

Siobhan smiled slightly when Kailani splashed water in her face, listening to her talk about her feelings towards this island where she had spent her entire life. She had mentioned someone named "Mella" dying, this person apparently being pretty important to her since it changed her outlook on things here. It was also apparently what made spear dude a backstabbing asshole? Or maybe that aspect of his personality was just natural.

Regardless, it was impossible for her gaze to not briefly trace the white remains of the scar on the other girl's stomach. It made her wonder what sort of dangers she'd faced in this place that they'd soon be leaving. The people here weren't all that strong, really. The spear guy was decent by Blue Sea standards, since he survived her breaking a stone sword over his head, but there were still stronger pirates lurking around these parts. Of that she was almost certain. If this place didn't have that storm to protect it, it'd probably have been conquered a long time ago.

Siobhan casually swam her way over to Kailani when the shorter girl dipped her legs in the water while jokingly - she hoped - musing about the taste of her fin. Smirking, the redhead reached her hands out to grasp those partially submerged calves from beneath the water and swiftly pulling her down into the bath with her.

"Best keep wonderin', then, cause I like my fin where she is!" She flashed a beaming grin. She then gently drifted backwards in the pool, subtle backstrokes carrying her away. She really just couldn't help wanting to know more. "...So who's Mella?"

“You know, your fin is pretty funny to watch when you’re- ACK!” Not for the first time that day Kailani was once again interrupted. As Siobhan swam to her the darker skinned girl couldn’t help but watch the fin bobbing through the water behind her, being entirely distracted. Not that she was some great warrior with reflexes that could’ve saved her from being submerged anyway, as the redhead pulled her into the water.

Kailani’s head broke the water sputtering, dark brown hair plastering her skin. She glared at Siobhan, but the grin on her face was wider than ever.

“Just for that, I am taking a bite out of that fin of yours when you go to sleep!” She teased playfully, taking being soaked surprisingly well. No use crying over spilled Kailani! After all, she’d think it was hilarious if their positions were reversed.

Siobhan’s next question, however, had Kailani sobering up quickly. As always, almost defensively, there was still a smile on her face, but it was small, even a touch sad. Wistful.

“Mella’s my best friend. Was my best friend. Which I mean, really, no surprise! She was the only person on the island with as big a wanderlust as me!” Kailani sunk slightly into the water, until her mouth and nose were submerged. She watched the surface, watched how Siobhan drifted on her back. Only when her lungs ached for air did the brunette lift once more, taking in a deep breath.

“She... died, two years ago, when we first tried to leave.”

---

“Hey, wake up! Wake up, sleepyhead! Jeez, you’re lucky I covered for you, your mother would’ve been – are you still not awake?!”

Kailani yawned as a feminine voice continued to pierce her dreams, content to ignore her friend. When her ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps the islander even rolled to her side, back to the shadow that now blocked the few rays of sun that trickled from the sky.

“Kailani! I know you’re awake! You never move when you’re sleeping – you’re a denser stone than the entire island!” A small giggle bubbled up from Kailani’s chest, but she playfully, stubbornly refused to rouse. A huff above her signalled the end of her companion’s indulgence and the Chieftian’s daughter let out a squeaky yelp as the other girl jumped her, forcefully rolling them along the wooden deck.

”Me~lla!”

“Don’t ‘Mella’ me! You’re so irresponsible! Did you sleep out here all night?!” Kailani stuck her tongue out as the two finally stopped rolling, ending up pinned beneath her much stronger friend. Above her Mella was frowning, though the amused glint in her bright blue eyes let Kailani know there was no real anger to her words.

“Maaaybe. What’s it to you?” Kailani blew air out of her mouth, a combination of her own dark brown and Mella’s black ponytail. The taller girl shook her head, finally sitting back to let her up.

“You better hope this works, you’d be an awful Chieftain.”

“So I’m told!” Kailani bounced up, stretching her arms high above her head. A series of satisfying cracks sounded out as she loosened up, tilting her head to look to the sky. The sun was just beginning to peek over the edge of Ka Li’Ai’s cloudy wall, bathing the island resting in the eye of the great storm. The light washed over the wood beneath her feet, the deck of her and Mella’s ticket off the island – a ship that had crashed on the far side of the island, surprisingly intact. It was still pretty much a wreck of course, yet slowly but surely her and Mella had repaired it, even making a few improvements.

Of course, while Mella was helpful in lugging materials over, not to mention covering for Kailani when she ended up putting more time than was advisable into their ship, more often than not it was Kailani fixing the ship while Mella sat nearby talking of what life outside Ka Li’Ai must be like. A great warrior, a better friend, but awful with creating anything with her hands. That was fine though, Kailani enjoyed the company. Sometimes it was Mella urging her to stay late, actually – their wanderlust matched and fed off each other!

“We should leave today.” ... Which is why that didn’t sound as crazy as it should have.

“Today?” Kailani quirked an eyebrow, tilting her head from the sky to instead look to the wings of their ship, the white material folded neatly and waiting to be deployed. “I don’t know, the ship’s repaired, but there’s still a lot I wanted to do to it.”

“Please, you’d be content to tinker away at this making it perfect for the next fifty years! Come on, it’ll be rough but we’ll be fine – I brought some food, we have enough supplies to patch up anything on the other side, and besides...” Mella stepped in front of Kailani, into her line of sight. There was a confident smile playing at her face, and she lifted her tanned chin. “I trust in this old bucket, because I trust in you.”

Kailani met her friend’s eyes, brown to blue, and slowly her head tilted to the side as she considered. Her sun-kissed fingers rose, tapping against her bottom lip thoughtfully.

“... You’re not just trying to escape Kwati flirting with you again, are you?”

“Oh shut up!” Mella laughed, shoving Kailani. The latter grinned even as she stumbled back from the forceful shove that sent her a few paces back. Her friend was strong.

“Alright, let’s do it!” Mella blinked, apparently having been ready to argue. However her face immediately lit up, brightening the atmosphere as though Ka Li’Ai was never there.

“Yes! That’s what I want to hear! Come on, let’s get this ready! ... How do I get it ready?” Kailani rolled her eyes, jumping from the ship into the soft sand.

“Come on, I’ll double check all the repairs are set and you can do a supply run – I doubt whatever food you brought is enough for your stomach.”



The sun beat down on a pair of dark skinned backs, water sloshing around their feet, then their knees. At that point Kailani jumped in, though Mella continued to push until the water was around her waist. Scrambling in after her Kailani gave her a thumbs up, before turning back to the wheel of the ship. Mella took point at the head, bright eyes looking forward.

The rock of waves was comforting, like a soft goodbye to the island they had grown up. The air was warm, the call of birds above them as they approached the great wall of black clouds.

Soon the light was engulfed.

Soon they were soaked through with rain, their ears deafened by thunder.

Soon all Kailani could hear was screaming, not able to discern if it was hers or her best friend’s.

Cracking. Crimson. Cold.

Mella’s fingers the last part of her to submerge, Kailani’s own clutching to a piece of splintered wood like a lifeline.

Darkness.

---

“I don’t honestly remember much, even after waking up. Everything is sort of fuzzy – I had a pretty bad head injury, and was nearly split in two,” Kailani tapped absently against the grooves of the great scar along her torso, a jagged, scraping path from her right shoulder to her left hip. “It doesn’t help that most of what I remember is being in agony for the first few days. There was a lot of my mother yelling, I remember that – she was the angriest I’ve ever seen her. Not as angry as Mella’s family.”

Kailani’s lips pursed, and she let out a heavy breath. “Ywa’n’s her brother. It’s why he hates me – he blames me for what happened. That’s one of the only other things I can recall from the first few days with the healers – him busting in, in a rage just yelling at me about how I ... well, I honestly don’t blame him for hating me."

“Anyway, my actions caused a lot of unrest. Mella’s family wanted me executed. It’s why the Tournament was brought forth eventually. Appease the people, put new blood onto the throne, all that good stuff. Of course I wasn’t going to let that happen – Ywa’n doesn’t understand, but I sort of feel like I owe it to Mella, to try again. See what was out there like she always wanted, not get shackled here for the rest of my life. This time I made a boat, rather than relying on someone’s else design, so I was pretty confident too! Until, you know, a geyser broke it in half.” Kailani offered Siobhan a smile, it weaker than her usual beaming one but still there. She was always smiling, or at least trying to. This ... was probably more of the latter.

“Part of me wants to believe, since her body never washed ashore, that she somehow made it to the other side.” A soft sigh escaped Kailani’s lips, though the smile didn’t falter, and she sunk further into the water, her eyes cutting to the side. “I know it’s impossible. No one’s survived Ka Li’Ai.”

“... Well, no one but you.”

Siobhan eased herself down into the water at the edge of the stone bath, sitting on the small ledge that jutted out there. Remaining silent, she offered the other girl her undivided attention while she answered her question in more detail than she was expecting. Hearing about Kailani's friend, her dream, and how it had all ultimately ended caused her lips to turn down into a slight frown. While their lives couldn't really be called similar, she could still relate to losing a friend while pursuing a mutual desire: freedom.

Everything she had witnessed since coming here also made a lot more sense now. The fact that those guys wanted to marry her, but also seemed to despise her, the disdain the other islanders had for her ship building...it was all because of what happened two years ago. To them it probably seemed like she didn't care about her friend's death, but Siobhan could tell it was just the opposite: Kailani wanted to achieve the dream they both shared.

There were precious few things in the world that she could respect more than that!

"An' you, come tomorrow!" Siobhan pointed out, offering her a gentle smile. Pushing off the edge at the completion of her story, the redhead settled into a rhythmic float in front of the other girl. "No matter what's happened in the past, what matters more than anythin' is what ya do in the present. Regrets an' fears are just like big ol' anchors makin' ya drown in your own despair. If you can throw em' off and keep reachin' for the sun, then you'll be able to smile no matter what life - or death - throws your way!"

Lifting a hand out of the water, she balled her fingers into a fist in the space between them, her gaze firmly locking with Kailani's as her lips stretched into a positively blinding grin. "That's how I've chosen to live my life, an' it's how I'm goin' to keep on livin' it. No matter what, I'm goin' to find the One Piece, and use it to destroy the world!"

Siobhan seemed pretty impassioned by her little story, Kailani had to admit. At the very least she was trying to be comforting, which made the islander's smile a bit more genuine. Really, how could her tribesmen call the fishwoman a monster? She was just a big softy. Kailani met the other woman's eyes confidently, her lips twitching further upwards seeing that grin.

... Did Siobhan just say she was going to destroy the world?

Huh, maybe she was a demon. Whoops.

The prospect seemed a bit ridiculous, admittedly. Who'd want to destroy the place they lived on? Siobhan seemed completely sincere though, not to mention confident. So Kailani had been rescued and ultimately agreed to side with someone who wanted to destroy the world. After a moment, she did the only logical thing. Kailani burst out laughing.

"You're insane, Siobhan!" The brunette managed. Her expression was much more carefree, relaxed and happy despite Siobhan's proclamation. "You have to at least let me see the world first! It's only fair! After that - well, I suppose once I've seen it all I'll be just as bored of it as island life. Might as well help!" Her chuckling died down, eyebrow quirking with a smirk playing at her lips. It... was a little worrisome, but hey, Siobhan seemed like the right sort. She probably had her reasons - and she knew more about the world out there than her!

Though...

"... Er, the one piece of what? Does this have to do with that cake thing you keep talking about?"

"Pffhahaha!" Siobhan herself was unable to keep herself from laughing at Kailani's question, not that she really made any effort to do so. It was easy to forget that these people apparently didn't have any confectioneries. She supposed without any crops to grow wheat in, they wouldn't even have cereal...much less flour to bake a cake with. "It's hard to explain if ya don't know what bread is."

Taking a moment to calm herself, the redhead's expression settled into a subtle smile. "The One Piece is the greatest treasure in the world. It's said whoever finds it shall will gain wealth, fame and power beyond their wildest dreams. They'll become the Pirate King..."

Broadening her arms above her head briefly as she explained, she continued to stare down at the shorter girl. "There's thousands...ten's of thousands of pirates like me searchin' for it. We've got a long adventure ahead of us, Kailani!"

A long, dangerous and no doubt amazing adventure!

---

The sun beat down against the pair of backs, the paler of the two thankfully wearing her brown long coat to protect her sensitive skin. Waist deep in water, Siobhan pushed the ship out to sea by herself while Kailani manned the helm. When she felt her feet leave the ocean floor, Siobhan was quick to pull herself back over the railing. Her pants and the bottom of her coat were wet, but she didn't really care about that right now.

"Right, that should do it!" Siobhan chirped, glancing to her first and currently only crew member. "Let's show this storm who's boss!"

Laughter couldn't help but bubble up from Kailani's throat, feeling the spray of sea salt against her face, the warmth of the sun on her head, and more than a few pairs of eyes at her back. The grain of wood beneath her hands was familiar, the rush of wind that had that hint of electricity fizzling in the air. It made a tendril of nerves curl through her, but at the same time...

"Ehhh! Kailani! If you survive, make sure to bring back that off-island food!"

"Don't be an idiot, of course she's going to survive with that demon at her back."

"She's not a demon!" The words spilled from her dark lips almost as a knee-jerk reaction, having been saying them repeatedly over the past couple of days. Kailani glanced behind her, seeing the tribesmen who had come to see her off. Surprisingly the back and forth came from Ywa'n's cousins, Mella's cousins, who had... well, even more shockingly helped with building the ship. Lua's sister seemed to have a fascination with Siobhan after the Tournament.

Her mother was there too. The Chieftain stood tall, proud on the beach, watching her only daughter drift off into the great black storm cloud. Kailani was too far away, but she liked to think that her mother's eyes were glistening.

"Be safe, Kailani."

At least, she didn't imagine that. Kailani blinked in surprise, her mother's words almost lost on the wind, but finally she raised her hand in a final goodbye to her tribe. Even as the heat of the sun faded under the great black clouds of Ka Li'Ai, the 'Devil's Tempest' as Siobhan called it, the warmth of her tribe remained. Finally, she turned her eyes forward, grip on the wheel tightening.

"Alright Siobhan, let's do this! We are the bosses!"

The roar of Ka Li’Ai began to drown out all other sounds as the small vessel drifted closer and closer to the edge. Rainfall was the first herald to increasingly turbulent seas beneath them, along with ever more harsher winds that beat at the sails with enough force to tear them. Deeper and deeper into the monstrous storm they sailed, and soon their little ship found itself being flung against the rocks that encircled Pekelo.

With each impact against the rocks, a layer of the ship peeled off: an intentional design that enabled it to survive what was the most common downfall of most vessels that had attempted to brave the storm.

Blow after blow against the rocks chipped more and more of the layers away, but their progress continued. Already The Striker had made it further than the original ever had, and although the relentless downpour made it difficult to see, there was little doubt that they were on the right course.

The very first strike of the vicious outcroppings of rock against the thick hull had Kailani’s breath catching in her throat, hearing the groan of wood as it splintered - then fell to the water. The Striker continued onward, relaxing that little bubbling unease that had been growing in her chest.

”... Wow, that actually worked.”

Any hint of sunlight had been utterly engulfed under Ka Li’Ai’s rage, the cold bite of rain that heralded the eternal storm beating against the two girls’ skin in a mockery of their earlier departure. Still, they moved forward. Bit by bit, blow by blow. It seemed as though every minute they lost more of their protective layering, until finally the vessel remained naked to the dangers of the sea, vulnerable and weak.

A wave rose up, taking the small ship with it, before crashing back at level. The vessel shuddered under the abuse, a sharp turn on the wheel narrowly avoiding another deadly rock, the tip barely seen in the dark skies and crashing waves. Further it crept, little by little-

CRACK.

”Well, fuck.”

There was a scrape along the hull, a sliver of missing wood from grazing along one of the sharp rocks. Kailani’s heart beat quickly against her chest, a war drum against her rib cage. One more hit and they’d be done for.

Cracking. Crimson. Cold.

Not again, not again, just a little bit further!

Sunlight.

Kailani’s breath once more caught in her throat, a parody of her earlier nerves. One final crashing wave set them down into the sea once more, propelling The Striker forward. Away from Pekelo Island. Away from Ka Li’Ai.

There was so much sea.

The islander’s grip went slack against the ship, staring out across the expanse of blue. Unblocked by rolling dark clouds, sunlight everywhere - were those clouds white?! She didn’t know clouds could come in white! How did the horizon even manage to stretch so far!

”It’s beautiful…” The edges of her lips were tilted up, the smile on her face soft and wondering. It was more than she could dream of. There was just so much to explore, so much to see-

And there was water splashing against her ankles.

”Oh, oh right! The hole! Don’t worry, I can fix that!”

Siobhan had spent most of their trip through the storm making sure that Kailani didn't end up being thrown overboard by the monstrous storm. Having spent most of her life on the Grand Line, she was no stranger to ridiculously dangerous storms...but it had quickly became apparent that the Devil's Tempest wasn't really the problem: the whole island was ringed with jagged rocks! When combined with the powerful winds knocking them all about, it was little wonder that every other vessel had been obliterated.

But The Striker had proven that it wasn't just any other vessel: it had been built for just this purpose by the woman that was going to help her sail all the way to the end of the Grand Line! Siobhan never doubted that it would make it to the other side...she wouldn't have accepted Kailani as her shipwright if she had any lingering doubts.

"Kailani, you're amazin'!" She cheered at the shorter woman, sweeping several strands of soggy red hair out of her eyes. She was drenched head-to-toe, her clothes an utter mess...but she couldn't care less! They made it out, and her comrade had accomplished the first step in achieving her - and her friend's - dream.

While they had sprung a leak, it didn't really matter. Now that they were out of the storm, guiding The Striker back to her fishing boat would be a simple thing.

"Relax! Ya did it!" Siobhan placed her hands on Kailani's shoulders. "Ya really are every bit as amazin' a shipwright as ya said!"

And she was now a part of her crew!

That's right. Today, it wasn't just Kailani who took the first step towards achieving her dream. With her first member recruited, Siobhan was one small step closer to One Piece!

“Well, here we are!” Siobhan proclaimed, hopping out of The Striker and onto her stolen fishing trawler, The Coral Skipper. It was a bit larger than the quickly rebuilt vessel that had taken them through the storm, but was nothing special. It certainly wasn’t designed to endure the kind of harsh weather they had witnessed minutes ago.

While it wouldn’t be taking them to the Grand Line, it served their little crew of two just fine at the moment.

“Your ship sucks,” Kailani chirped happily, not seeming bothered at all despite her proclamation. She didn’t hesitate to clamber out of her patched, battered little ship and into the fishing boat, beginning to look around. There wasn’t much to look at admittedly, but it was still exciting. “This is the first boat I’ve seen that hasn’t been split in two, or horribly maimed or anything! I could do so much with this! … Okay, not that much, but I can still improve it!”

An excited giggle burst forth from the sun-kissed girl’s mouth, her all too eager to examine everything. Within moments she was leaning over the bow of The Coral Skipper, almost hanging off the edge as she investigated the outside. It seemed The Striker was well and truly abandoned to her.

“It does kind of suck,” Siobhan admitted, stepping towards the center of the vessel and dropping her metal case next to a pile of other clothes that were hung on the rigging as if it were a clothesline. “But it’s only temporary, till we get somethin’ better.”

She had stolen it soon after she entered West Blue, and it had served her purposes here well enough. Obviously, she hadn’t felt confident taking it into the Devil’s Tempest, but so long as she avoided the storms here - child’s play for a Grand Line-class navigator like her - then it would carry them where they needed to go.

“I know she’s not much to look at, but make yourself home!” Siobhan offered the other girl a warm smile. “I’m feckin’ soaked, so I’m gettin’ out of this shite.”

“Hmm?” Kailani didn’t even look up from her position hanging over the front, her feet actually off the ground now with only her knees and thighs keeping her in the ship, catching her as she leaned over the edge. Finally Siobhan’s words clicked in her mind however. “Oh! Right! Good idea, I’ll grab the stuff out of The Striker, I packed some clothes with my other supplies - though I want to see what this side of the Great Storm has to offer!”

It took some wiggling and nearly pitching off the ship before Kailani managed to pull herself back in, darting right passed Siobhan to jump back to her original ship. She left wet footprints along her path but didn’t seem to care. Within moments she had the basket of food pulled out of the small storage place and thrown to the other ship, followed by a box of other supplies. There wasn’t space for much else, but it served her purposes well enough, just like the ship itself.

Siobhan meanwhile had hung her brown long coat, shirt and pants all along the rigging where they would hopefully dry out in due time. There were several other outfits hanging there, giving her a range of choices. Most of them she had stolen from various stores when she was getting ready to leave an island, since bringing a wardrobe all the way to West Blue would’ve been a bit difficult.

By the time Kailani returned, Siobhan had slid her black shirt down over her head, with a pair of blue jean shorts accompanying it. She didn’t bother with her shoes, however, wanting to let them dry. Instead she slipped on a pair of black, heeled sandals.

“Phew...much better!” Siobhan chirped happily, stretching her arms to the sky. “No more wet clothes. Now I just need to figure out our next destination.”

“Sounds good!” Kailani responded immediately, smiling brightly. She tilted her head slightly, examining Siobhan - or more accurately her clothes - before just shrugging. If people changed in front of each other on this side of the storm, who was she to judge?

Though, she was a bit envious of the range of clothes Siobhan had. If the pale woman didn’t tower over her Kailani might be tempted to borrow some of hers.

Rummaging through the box of her things the Pekelian pulled out a pair of leather shorts that reached to her knees, and another set of chest bindings. She regretted that the strange dress off those who crashed on Pekelo were often ruined or stained with too much blood to completely remove. Oh well. Kailani shucked her current clothing, soaked from the Ka Li’Ai, before her quick fingers had her new clothing and bindings on. The girl began to investigate the line Siobhan’s clothes were on next, tilting her head.

Then she just shrugged and threw her own soaking clothes over it. Good enough.

“Righto,” Siobhan muttered, hunched over a table near the stern of the ship. Across its surface was a large cartography map, which the redhead was busily using various tools to chart their next course with. Laid across an irrelevant section of the chart was her list of potential crewmates. “Mm…”

Her first attempt at tracking one of these guys down had technically been unsuccessful, though she had managed to get an awesome new shipwright regardless! Still, she hoped this time her next target would still be alive.

“Mushuro Takeuchi...he’s become a pretty big name around these parts...” Siobhan muttered.

The flag and sails of a raiding ship of the Blackwell pirates was spotted by the small township on Batotoi Island's sole watchtower about half a day out from making landfall. This gave the townspeople plenty of time to scrub the rust off of old swords and sharpen them, clean out a small collection of seldom used guns, mount up and ready the town's sole, ancient anti-ship cannon and get together their decently trained but practically untested militia of scared and determined folks at the shore in front of their town's big wooden perimeter wall and equally sturdy heavy log gates.

They had all heard the stories of how the Blackwell pirates would sweep onto an island, then take anything and anyone that wasn't nailed down before reducing whole towns to rubble, unless they were feeling particularly mean and did the whole thing in reverse before picking through splinters and ashes for anything still alive. The homesteaders gathered there were pretty reasonably terrified. They all knew that the crew of the raiding ship hadn't bothered concealing their approach because they were confident that it wouldn't matter what resistance they faced. Still, it was better to die fighting a group of Blackwell pirates than to live and be taken by them, in the opinion of many of those there.

So as night fell and the raiding ship pulled up just short of the range of the town's cannon and sent out an odd looking little boat shaped like a big box towards the shore instead, the assembled townsfolk were practically giddy with relief! Maybe it meant the Blackwell pirates were willing to negotiate! It could be that they'd just wanted supplies, or medical attention for their crew, or if nothing else just valuables instead of people! Maybe they were saved after all, or so they whispered excitedly to each other.

This new, hopeful attitude lasted up until about two seconds after the strange little crate-shaped boat made landfall right by a particularly curious young hothead who had volunteered to lead the talks, as the front of it popped open like a ramp to reveal its only passenger.



Everyone saw the unfortunate young spokesman go flying through the air like a rocket-propelled ragdoll but what happened after involved too much chaos, death and lightning-fast destruction for any clear picture to emerge from the handful of survivors. One young guy who liked to think of himself as the town's best swordsman swore that a demon charged out of the floating crate, caught the first sword swung at it in its teeth and then bit the blade clean in half. A woman leading the town's few marksmen said that it was some kind of a malevolent wind spirit that danced around her friends' bullets and made their rifles fall apart in their hands before slicing everyone up with razor wind. An old man who'd once served with the Marines and manned the cannon from his wooden palisade insisted he'd got the best look at the thing. He said it was a pale, shrouded Death God with a white, dark-eyed face like a skull and two black blades that drank in the light from the rising moon before they turned a dull red from all the blood. The old man said he'd fired the cannon at the creature in a panic, only to watch it bat the cannonball back at him with its swords so it smashed the old artillery piece to scrap and knocked him from the wall.

The rest of the old wooden fortifications were mostly reduced to splinters in seconds, and whatever it really was the rampaging monster was strong enough to pick up one of the a mast-sized wooden stakes that had blocked its way and use it to start crushing houses. After that, even the bravest defenders on the island ran for their lives and hid while their town was destroyed overnight by a single attacker.

In the morning, the rest of the Blackwell pirates came ashore and picked through the debris for survivors to capture and what little intact loot there was. Four of them together very gingerly escorted their now sleeping 'pet monster' back into his little crate-boat, then made sure he was bound up tight with chains and tied to an anchor that was bolted to a catch in the floor before sealing his makeshift prison up tight. With any luck, he would be exhausted enough to sleep straight through until their next raid, when they would provoke him into a rage again and repeat the whole cycle.

Then again, the chains were there for a reason and they'd learned that they could never be too careful when dealing with someone as unpredictable as Mushuro Takeuchi.

Two Days Later

"Land ho!" Siobhan shouted in glee, lowering her eyepiece. A broad grin was etched across the redhead's face as she pivoted on one heel to dash to the opposite end of the fishing trawler. Skidding to a halt right in front of the hammock that had been strung up for Kailani, she flipped it upside down in a single motion. "Rise'n'shine, porcupine!"

They had made pretty good time, too, all things considered. With her - naturally excellent - navigation skills, the little boat had arrived ahead of a storm that looked to be coming in. This was good, as The Coral Skipper wasn't built to endure harsh weather out at sea. After having just sailed through The Devil's Tempest with Kailani, she was in bad need of a storm free week for once in her life. She certainly wouldn't be getting one once they made it back to the Grand Line.

Practically bouncing on her feet, Siobhan slid her brown jacket - now thankfully dry - over her shoulders. If some of the things she'd read were true, then Batotoi Island was famous for its excellent tiramisu! She couldn't wait to try some! That was the fun part about being off the radar for once: you could just sail in without issue!

Nobody here in West Blue knew her face, and nobody would certainly think much of a fishing trawler drifting into port. She had even caught some fish to trade if they needed to!

"Ah, better cover up," Siobhan reminded herself, snatching her scarf and wrapping it around her neck to hide her gills. Likewise, she - with an audible grunt - forced her fin to lower down into her back, merging with her spinal column. All that remained was a slit in her jacket and shirt...nothing too eye raising for anyone that wasn't looking for it. "Phew! Right-o! Let's make our way to the docks, then!"

”Ow!”

That was not a pleasant way to wake up.

Kailani grumbled on the ground of The Coral Skipper, feeling the bottom of the hammock she was sleeping in rest against her back from its abrupt adventure being upended, along with her. She was having such a nice nap too, sleeping in the constant sunlight peeking out from the friendly, fluffy white clouds.

Plus she was still a bit sore from the day her and Siobhan had braved the Ka Li’Ai.

”Why am I a porky pine?” The sun-kissed girl finally asked as she rolled away from underneath the hammock to sit up. She tilted her head, strands of dark brown filling her vision before she blew them away. ”... Wait, land?!”

An excited squeal erupted from Kailani and in an instant she was on her feet, going right to the rail of the little fishing boat to try and catch sight of the approaching land, not quite able to catch sight of it yet. Siobhan was good company and all, but she was finally going to see more of this world outside of Pekelo Island! Though she’d never get tired of the rolling white waves either, there was something exciting about finally being able to see their settlements, and the people that inhabited it!

Abruptly she left the side of the boat to go to her little box of supplies, digging through it.

”You said people here like gold, right? Maybe I can buy some clothes with some of my ornaments, even if your style seems a little bit odd – eh?” Chocolate orbs widened as Kailani looked to Siobhan, just gaping for a moment.

”... You can move your fin?! That’s so awesome! I don’t know why you would though, it’s pretty cool.”

"Well, ya'll find yourself in short company then," Siobhan replied to her comment about her fin.

Not many humans had really complimented her on it before, for obvious reasons. Actually, now that she thought about it, it probably wasn't particularly obvious to Kailani why anyone would have a problem with her hybrid features. Considering they were about to drop anchor, it would probably be a good idea to give her a quick rundown on how things worked in the outside world.

Offering a lingering glance to the approaching island to make sure they were still on course, she turned to face the jungle princess. "On that note, just so ya know: most humans don't like fishmen...and that includes hybrids like meself. So...if ya'd make an effort to keep my secret here, that'd be grand."

Hopefully that would be enough to keep her from starting a riot. Not to say that riots weren't fun at times, but she was on a mission right now and needed a bit of information from the locals here.

...Though as their trawler drifted closer, she had an inkling that her plans were about to be once more derailed.

Smoke was now clearly visible as it slowly ascended into the sky above the coastal town, and and with her eyepiece she could now see that the docks were deserted. No sign of ships or workers. Further up, all she could observe were the burned out husks of various types of structures. Homes, shops, it didn't matter. Everything had been put to torch.

Frowning slightly, Siobhan lowered her eyepiece. It seemed some other pirates had beaten them here...but why wipe out the town like this? Normally, pirates would have their way with the place and then leave, hoping that one day the port would recover so that they could do it again. But this? This was wholesale slaughter. There were no future pickings to be had here for anyone.

And yet something about it seemed chillingly familiar.

"Your cake just might have to wait, Kailani," Siobhan muttered, taking the wheel of The Coral Skipper. Steering her into the blackened port, she quickly fled to the wheel in order to drop the anchor before they collided with what remained of the docks, though she dare say their vessel would easily win that contest if it came to it.

Now adjacent to the charred pier, the redhead offered a final glance to her sole crewmate before taking a quick leap up onto the dock. The blackened boards beneath her feet creaked in protest, but thankfully held.

It was time to find out exactly what happened here.

”Is that a short joke?” The smaller girl remarked, just to tilt her head as she listened to her Captain. Having abandoned digging through her supply box for anything worthwhile until she could look around, Kailani now leaned against the railing near the bow of the ship, trying to catch a glimpse of the approaching land. Still, though she wasn’t looking to Siobhan she still listened, and finally slid her gaze over to the pale woman with a puzzled expression. ”That’s pretty stupid. For the record, I think it’s pretty neat – you managed to survive Ka Li’Ai, after all!” The girl gave a little mock salute however, a grin lighting up her face.

”But you can count on me, boss!”

As The Coral Skipper crept toward the city however, the perplexing puzzle of fishmen was pushed aside for growing excitement. It would be Kailani’s first time visiting an actual city off of Pekelo Island, and she was excited! Excited to see how they lived, what sort of things they’d have, and what their ships looked like intact!

Apparently it was all very smoky. Huh.

The dark skinned girl’s head tilted slowly in puzzlement as they approached the island. It was odd. Everything was blackened and charred, smoke drifting into the sky. Somehow Kailani didn’t think that was typical for a town, right? ... Right?

No, definitely not. A glance at Siobhan’s face as they approached the docks confirmed that.

As soon as her Captain jumped to the docks Kailani followed, finding that the charred wood held her weight far easier – she was much smaller than Siobhan, after all. Taking a few steps forward the jungle girl glanced around, just to lift her head. Sniffing the air a frown crossed her lips before Kailani turned her chocolate gaze to the fishwoman.

”Smells like burnt flesh!” She tilted her head, tapping a finger against her bottom lip. "Really burnt though - not evenly cooked like on purpose."

Siobhan's nose crinkled at the distinct smell of burning flesh in the air, her eyes briefly darting to Kailani when she expressed her disdain for how overcooked everything was. She could just be so weird! "I like the charcoal taste, it's got that extra punch to it!"

Stepping further into town, the redhead surveyed the devastation of the once bustling settlement. Whoever came through here was pretty thorough when it came to making sure this place would never recover. There wasn't even a single building left standing that she could see! That meant getting information here was pretty much a lost cause, since the there was clearly nobody here that wasn't a burning corpse not even fit for a cannibal's lunch.

"Well, shite," Siobhan muttered, resting her hands upon her hips. "I was lookin' forward to some proper food. Still we should probably give her a once over just in case they missed somethin'."

And at the very least, there was plenty of exploring to do!

Making her way through town, she searched the remains of any store or house that looked even remotely promising. Ultimately, however, the redhead found herself at a burned out tavern. Sifting through the debris, Siobhan noted the charred remains of wooden chairs, tables and the desperate townsfolk that had tried to hold the line here against their attackers. Judging by the number of corpses gathered here, she would dare to say that this was where the town made its final stand.

Still, something was off. Something that brought back that familiar tingle on the back of her neck.

There weren't nearly as many bodies as there should be. This was a pretty large town, a port settlement. It would've enjoyed quite a bit of trade, and thus should've been rather prosperous. Yet, she had counted just a bit over a hundred corpses during her time here. There's no way the town could've had a population that small, so where were all the others?