Chapter Text
“Don’t jinx it!” Usopp hissed. “Fish can smell confidence.”
Behind them, Luffy leaned over the rail, watching the bait swing back and forth.
“So… if the fish eats this,” Luffy said thoughtfully, “can I eat the fish and the bait?”
“NO!” Usopp and Chopper shouted at once.
Luffy frowned. “That seems wasteful.”
From the galley, Sanji emerged carrying a tray of chilled drinks, cigarette dangling from his lips. “Step aside, gentlemen. The ladies require refreshment.”
He slid the drinks into Nami and Robin’s hands with a flourish. “A citrus blend with just the right kick, made with love.”
Nami took a sip, satisfied. “Hmm. Not bad.”
Robin smiled softly. “You always outdo yourself, Sanji.”
Sanji promptly collapsed to his knees. “I’d do anything for that smile!”
A little farther down the deck, Zoro slept sitting upright against the railing, snoring loudly. Franky glanced over from the machine he was tightening.
“Yo, swordsman, how can you sleep through all this?” Franky asked.
Zoro didn’t move. “Mm… shut up… I’m meditating…”
“That is NOT meditation!” Usopp yelled.
At the center of the ship, Brook played his violin, the melody carrying easily over the sea. His fingers danced along the strings, and a familiar pirate tune drifted through the air, one about setting sail, facing the waves, and trusting your crew.
Luffy grinned. “Hey, Brook! I like this one!”
“I’m glad, Luffy-san! Yohohoho!” Brook laughed, though the song itself felt softer, almost reflective.
Even Nami relaxed back into her chair. “Days like this make it feel worth it.”
“Indeed,” Robin said. “Moments of calm have their own beauty.”
That was when Sanji froze.
“…Oi,” he said quietly.
Nami lifted her sunglasses. “What is it now?”
Sanji stared toward the horizon. “That fog. That’s not normal.”
The others turned. A thick black mist crept toward them, swallowing the blue sky inch by inch.
Usopp’s face went pale. “H-Hey, doesn’t that look kinda like—”
“Don’t say it,” Chopper whimpered.
Nami jumped up. “Everyone to your stations! Unfurl the sails! We’re getting out of here!”
“Alright!” Franky shouted. “Sunny, let’s go SUPER fast!”
Zoro finally opened one eye. “Tch… what’s with the yelling—”
The fog slammed into the ship.
“HEY!” Luffy shouted, arms stretched out. “Where’d the sun go?!”
“I can’t see anything!” Usopp yelled.
“This feels bad,” Chopper said, clinging to Usopp’s leg.
Brook’s music stopped. “Ah… how unsettling. I would say I feel a chill, but I have no skin! Yohoho—”
Click.
The sound cut through the chaos.
“What was that?” Nami demanded.
Click. Click.
Footsteps.
Slow. Calm.
Sanji stepped forward, eyes sharp. “Who’s there?!”
A shadow moved through the fog. A long cloak swayed. High heels struck the deck with deliberate precision.
“Oi!” Luffy called out. “Are you the fog?”
That was the last thing anyone managed to say.
Darkness swept over the ship.
What an extraordinary crew, the woman thought as she walked among the fallen Straw Hats, her heels echoing softly. Their bonds… their chaos… their captain.
She paused near Luffy.
This one will be especially interesting.
Elsewhere in the world, on distant islands, aboard lonely ships, across the Grand Line and beyond, others vanished the same way.
A sudden fog.
A woman in black.
And the sound of heels.
Click. Click.