«Launch.»

Mosh pulled back the lever of the massive crossbow, then clicked the mechanism free. The weapon shot the heavy wooden disk toward the horizon. From the taffrail, you followed its trajectory through the gunsight.

«Can you hit it before it touches the sea?» Reck asked, leaning against the taffrail beside you.

«'kay.»

You waited for the target to descend, then fired. It exploded a second before touching the waves.

«Hit!» Pomp proclaimed, lowering the binoculars.

The few pirates around you cheered.

«Do it again, do it again!» Dive jumped up and down.

You smiled, relaxing your stance to take a look at the black gun in your hands.

«Not bad.»

Your fingers hovered on the shiny metal in a gentle brush. Then you turned to Mosh.

«Can you launch further? I want to see how far I can get.»

«Huh, sorry sweetheart, that was the max for this baby.» he patted the armed crossbow installed on deck for the occasion.

«Captain Kid! Captain!» Dive yelled, spotting the redhead walking across the deck.

Kid turned, eyeing your little group.

«Can you launch the disk for Y/n? Far far away!»

The captain's gaze flicked on you as you lowered the gun.

«The crossbow is no match for her.» Mosh added, leaning against the wooden weapon.

Kid grunted, reaching the taffrail with long strides.

«How's it working out for you?» he asked, hinting at the pistol in your hands.

«Perfectly balanced. Shoots farther than I thought.» you murmured «...it's great.»

«Mh.»

Kid extracted a disk from the crossbow's magazine.

«Will you add metal to it or somet--»

Before you could even finish the sentence, he rolled his flesh arm back and threw the heavy disk with brute strength.

Your eyes widened and you quickly realized it was going to fly further than the crossbow could ever launch. Hurriedly, you lifted the gun and followed it through the air.

«Holy shit!»

«I can't see it at all.» Reck commented, turning to you «Y/n?»

«Yeah, still flying. I'll wait for it to land.»

«It's miles away!»

It would still be a fairly easy shot with Stray.

A surge of pain traversed your chest at the memory of the rifle.

You swallowed, still focused, redirecting your attention to the gun.

Let's see what you can do.

Finally, the disk touched the water.

The sea was calm, that day, gently lulling the wood across its creases.

«House!» Kid called to the woman just now emerging from below deck «You got the best eyes on the crew, com'here.»

House was given the binoculars and quickly spotted the disk on the horizon.

«Tell us if she gets it.»

«So you wouldn't trust me?» you asked with a smirk.

The gun shot as you spoke.

«Oh, fuck.» House gasped after a few seconds «Yeah she got it.»

«Not bad, this baby of yours.» you grinned up at Kid.

«Too soon to be cocky, bir— Y/n.»

Your eyebrows flicked at his hasty correction, but you didn't comment.

We are full of inconsistencies now, but it's no time for this.

Kid cleared his throat and fished a screw out of his pocket. He then picked up another disk and plunged the metal in the middle of it.

«Let's test your limits, shall we?»

You puckered your lips, rolling the black gun in your hands. You hadn't done that in a while.

«Fine. Start with three miles or so.»

A few heads turned to you, but Kid didn't blink. He launched the disk again, this time using his Devil Fruit for an extra kick. House followed through the lenses.

«Okay, it touched the wat--»

Words died in her mouth as the disk exploded.

The rapidity you found the shot surprised even you. Three miles was fine with Stray and no Observation haki before, but it took some aiming still. Now, with the pistol? You had to add a bit of Armament haki to cover the distance, which you had only started training in the last few months.

You let out a breath. With everything that happened, with how frenetic your life had been, you hadn't realized how much your skills improved.

«Can you go farther?» you asked Kid without breaking your stance.

«Of course.» he scoffed, loading another pitch.

«Fafafafafa!»

«I can do it better: fafafafafa!»

«Okay, hear mine! Fwafwafwafwa!»

«This sounds wrong.»

«Will we have to change our name to Jolly Pirates?»

«What the hell are you boys doing?»

Heat, Wire and Bubblegum startled at Killer's voice.

The blonde came up from the lower deck. They couldn't see his face, but they could feel his scowl.

«We were... hum...»

«What if they gave the SMILE to all of us?»

«We would all be laughing.»

«It doesn't have to be just you, Killer-san.»

Heat saw Killer's bicep twitch.

«Cut it out.» he said, after a while.

The blow of a gun echoed from the lower deck and the men turned toward the sea.

«What's happening?» Bubblegum asked.

«Looks like Y/n is trying Captain's pistols.»

«Oh, boss Kid is launching the targets himself!»

The three pirates followed the launches from the taffrail for a few seconds before realizing Killer had walked down to the lower deck.

«Looks like this gun doesn't hit much shorter than your rifle.» Mosh commented at the fourth launch.

«Fafafa! It's not just the weapon, it's the haki.» Killer interjected, joining the group.

With just a glance, he had taken in the sweat beading on your temples, the slight tremble of the muscles in your arms, the tight features as you aimed.

«You couldn't use Armament haki when you were first on this ship, could you? Except for coating bullets short-distance.»

«Yep.»

He was right. You had to infuse haki in every shot for the gun to match Stray's range. As the distance gradually increased, you also needed to use Observation to spot the target and guide your aim.

On top of having just a rough handle of Armament, you had very limited experience in using the two types of haki at the same time.

When Kid threw the disk once again, your panting became evident.

«This one is too far.» you murmured, eye still glued to the gunsight.

«Try.»

You took a deep breath and attempted to steady your stance.

«Take your time.» Killer said.

Right.

Observation first. That came easy enough, even to fine control, you knew how to stretch it to the limit, how it felt, how long you could endure it. Find the target. Calculate the distance. The light wind. Its motion in the waves. Lock on it. Good, now evaluate the time you have to add Armament.

Don't forget to breathe.

Listening to your own inner advice, you released the breath you were holding.

You didn't have much time to generate and refine the Armament, so you started rough, coating the gun.

Wrong choice.

The application was too choppy, it made your hold tremble and the Observation lock came out of focus.

Shit.

Observation required peace of mind, so the shaky moment creased part of the work you had put into it.

Shit.

«Breath, birdie.»

Kid's low voice triggered a twist in your guts, but, strangely enough, you found that the available stamina to restore the Observation lock was not as low as you thought. Once that was reapplied, you tried with the Armament again.

«Start slow, you don't need much strength. You're one for precision, not brute force.» Kid calmly instructed.

You swallowed.

This time you infused the haki much slower, dosing small layers of Armament over your hold and the weapon, little by little. The third thin layer proved to be a lot, but your Observation showed you needed more if you wanted the bullet to reach the target.

«I-I'm at my limit...»

«Then shoot.»

Gritting your teeth, you resorted to adding whatever Armament you could in an instant before letting the shot break free. The recoil of the haki-infused gun shoved you two steps back, but Kid's hand immediately steadied your shoulder.

The pirates around remained silent as House surveilled the horizon with the binocular. You pressed your tense lips together.

«Huh... I can barely see but...» the woman squinted «Missed. I saw the splash of the bullet in the water, just by it.»

Disappointment clotted your chest and you huffed, eyes dropping to the floor.

«Well, now you know what to train.» Killer said.

«That range is still far more than I had planned.» Kid added.

«Wait.»

You shoved the gun in your belt and ran below deck, leaving the pirates eyeing each other.

«Is she gonna come back or...?»

Before Reck could finish the sentence, you re-emerged from the quarters, bow and arrows in hand.

«You're trying with that?»

«Hell yeah.»

You nocked the arrow in and stretched the bow.

Come through for me, Hawk.

And so he did.

With Taka's range, you needed much less Armament haki. The only problem was the bow's tendency to rip it off you until it was satiated.

But now I need range, not destructive power. I can dose it. I can brake it.

The moment you let haki through your hold, Taka's vacuum sucked it in. It was an opposite work compared to the gun: you didn't have to actively emit haki, you had to pull it back.

You gritted your teeth.

Until that. Sweet. Spot.

You released the arrow with a grunt and House hurriedly brought the binocular to her eyes.

«She got it! She got it!»

«Fuck yeah!» you cried, shaking your pulsing arms.

The pirates around you cheered.

«Not bad, birdie.» Kid smirked, picking up a new disk «Let's see how far you can get with this one then.»

Turned out, it wasn't much further. The third shot ripped so much Armament out of you that you let go mid-prep, dropped the bow, and the arrow went who knows where beyond the line of horizon.

«Dammit!» you snapped, all your muscles stiff and sore, glaring down at the bow.

«Woha, that bow is aaaangry.» UK commented.

Kid picked it up, studying it with new interest.

«For real.»

«You need to train your Armament, Y/n.» Killer stated.

«I don't have that much. You guys use it!»

You regretted the outburst immediately.

«Sorry.» you murmured, wiping your sweaty locks away from your face «You're right. I'm just fucking frustrated.»

Kid snickered, catching your attention. He had stretched the bow and let his Armament ran through it, effortlessly restraining the flow to slowly load the weapon.

«Damn, this thing is hungry.»

You glared at him.

«You flexing?»

He grinned, face turning to you.

«Yes, you tiny little woman.»

Your eyes sharpened but his smile just widened.

«Okay, stop, you'll overload it!»

Kid let the string go. The wood reverberated violently, menacing creaking resounding on deck.

«Maaaaybe I keep a hold on this one.» you grumbled with puckered lips, taking the bow from Kid's hold.

«It wants your haki more than mine anyway.» he said, allowing you to grab it «It's like it knows it can't do much in my hands.»

«One more reason to train.» Killer said.

You glowered at the bow.

«What can I do in a day? I always feel very powerless with Armament, like it wants something I don't have.»

«They didn't teach Armament haki in the Marines?»

You clicked your tongue.

«Not to me. I was taught Observation, but only got a couple of basic notions on the rest.»

Aokiji-sensei never bothered. He said we'd focus on it when I unlock it, but he left before I could. Maybe he thought it would never come to it anyway.

Killer shrugged.

«I'll help you, fafafafafa.»

«What?»

«We can't change things overnight, but a couple of tips could make the difference tomorrow.»

You looked at Killer's mask, then glanced around.

Various crew members had started sparring all over, some below deck, judging by the noises. Emma and Hop had now taken control of the crossbow and started practicing their own shooting.

«Don't you wanna invest the time to train for yourself?» you asked Killer.

«I've done work already, fafafa, I feel like the laughing isn't holding me back anymore. These help, fafafa!» he lifted his Punishers, asleep in their gauntlets «Besides, I still have some atoning to do.»

You considered for a few seconds, then nodded.

«Okay.»

«Unless Kid wants to train you himself.»

Before he could even pronounce the last word, both you and Kid blurted a unison "NO", turning to each other in surprise immediately after.

A small smile blossomed on your lips and he averted his gaze.

Man, that would be a disaster.

«It's settled then.» Killer moved toward the entrance «Come to the gym.»

«Is Garp-sensei in the East Blue again?» Aokiji asked, walking down the long winded corridor beside Tsuru.

«Where he goes when he's on leave is none of our business.» the woman replied.

«As if we didn't know.»

«Don't you go butt your head in family affairs, Kuzan.»

Aokiji rolled his eyes, but didn't retort.

«On another note,» said Tsuru, briefly after «That novice you take around with you. How old is she again?»

«I don't know, sixteen? Seventeen? Girls that age grow up so fast.»

«Right. I heard she can use Observation already.»

The tall man shrugged.

«Don't you think she would be better off re-introduced in the official training program now? I'm sure her time with you helped her finding her footing, but promising as she is, she should benefit from a well-rounded training.»

«Hmm.» Aokiji sighed, head rolling back as he walked «But then I would have to severely reduce my sleeping schedule. She cuts my work so much!»

Tsuru shook her head.

«Adamantly admitting of using a novice to slack off isn't as cute as you think, Admiral Aokiji.»

«Ara ara, Tsuru-sama, don't be so harsh with me.»

«You be straight with me, then.» Tsuru stopped, forcing the Admiral to do the same «You are keeping her sheltered, and yet you brought her in the Marines yourself. Is it guilt that's holding you back?»

Aokiji sighed again, his lanky arm rising to rub the back of his head.

«How troublesome.» he grumbled «You got it wrong, Tsuru-sama. Y/n is a talented sniper, I think she'll quickly become the best we have. You know why?»

Tsuru frowned, her attentive eyes surveilling Kuzan's features.

«Because all our very best ones were taken away. And you don't want her to be noticed.» she said «You likely received word from SWORD already. Have her grow stronger in the program, and it's only a matter of time before the Cypher Poll comes knocking too.»

He scoffed.

«There's no need to state everything so plainly.»

«Will you hold off teaching her Armament haki as well?»

Aokiji turned and resumed his path.

«What was you said about Garp-sensei? No need to butt your head in these affairs.»

«Family affairs.» Tsuru smiled «Do you consider the girl "family", Kuzan?»

«Ara ara. Bye, Tsuru-sama.»

The Kid Pirates trained the whole day. The Victoria Punk was teeming with men and women sparring, blades sharpening, target shooting.

Killer never offered to spar, which you were secretly grateful for, instead he taught you a few tricks that helped you strengthen your hold on Armament haki: how to steady your core, how to let it spread through your muscles, one after the other. He trained you to listen to your own body, become more aware of it, showed you a few exercises.

Later that day, after a shower and wrapped in a fresh kimono, you lingered by the taffrail of the lower deck to watch the sun glide below the line of the sea.

«Hey, marine girl.»

One of the girls leaned on the railing beside you, a curly-head with ample gowns.

«That name is anachronistic now.» you grumbled, turning your attention back to the sunset.

«Woha, big Marines words. Y/n, isn't it?»

You rolled your eyes.

«Yeah... Quinsy?»

«Quincy.» she smirked «But close enough.»

You both observed the pink hue mixing with the sky.

«Have you ever fought Kaido or his men?» she eventually asked.

«Not before coming to Wano. Only once I dodged Jack and quickly got away.»

«Mh.»

The sun was halfway below the skyline.

«Are you scared?»

She peered at you from below her curls.

«Aren't you?»

«Freakin' terrified.» you leaned away from the taffrail and stretched.

«What do you usually do before a big battle, in the Marines?»

«Briefings, mostly.»

«Boring.»

You chuckled.

«I've had one other eve before facing an Emperor. At Marineford. It was different back then, but still.» you inhaled deeply the salty air.

But this is the first time I give a shit about the crew, and the crew gives a shit about me. In a way, this is the first time I'm not going to battle alone.

«Well, we usually have a great dinner before. Lot of food and alcohol.»

You smiled.

«Sounds better than what I'm used to.»

It was indeed a big dinner. Not as wild as the celebratory ones, the pirates could feel the tension of the impending battle, but the air was not as heavy as you expected.

This time, you dined toward the upper ranks side of the table, between Heat and Gig. Wire was sitting across you; at some point he questioned about Kaido's crew structure, so you went over it (or what you could remember about it), but there was not much the Kid Pirates hadn't already learned themselves.

Kid was at the top of the long table, not far from you. You shot glances at him every once in a while, in between bites, until you caught each other doing the same thing and awkwardly averted your gazes in a blink. The pace of your heartbeat spiked, and you wondered if his did as well.

You decided to take the first outlook shift of the night, so Killer could sleep in his own cabin. He made you promise to wake him up and take the bed once it was over, but you had no intention of keeping your word.

The Victoria Punk was anchored in a little cove, in an uninhabited corner of the island. The sea was calm. From the lookout post, you could still hear a few pirates drinking together below.

The shift was uneventful. Around two in the morning, you slid down the mast as UK took your place.

You strolled across the deck, now desert, contemplating what to do with the rest of the night, trying to remember how you kept busy before the War of the Best.

It was different back then. Aokiji was there, and I thought nothing could defeat him. So I thought nothing could hurt me either.

While you recognized you were naïve, Aokiji did protect you at the time. He had kicked you out of the way when you, in your lunacy, were running to Yasopp and Van Augur to measure up against them.

With Aokiji by your side, you failed to internalize how crazy the Grand Line really was. It took losing him to understand.

Now there was another Emperor to face, with allies the young you would have never imagined in a thousand years.

An airy chuckle broke out of your lips.

Kid is nothing like him.

And you did not plan on counting on anyone's protection this time.

So I might well die tomorrow. We all might.

Your eyes trailed to the door leading below deck.

Be brave, Y/n. Be honest. You may never have the chance again.

You took a deep breath and headed in.

The innards of the ship were dipped in almost complete darkness. Only the faint light of the stars filtering through the portholes guided your way along the desert corridor. You were about to round the corner when you heard other steps echoing in the silence, coming from the opposite side. You stopped on your feet and remained in the shadows.

The door to Kid's cabin was the closest to your corner. The steps halted, then a few knocks beat the silence. Some bustle inside the cabin, the knob turning.

«What?»

«Hi Captain~»

It was a woman's voice. Looking for Kid at two in the morning.

Your body immediately tensed.

Kid eyed the woman in front of him.

«Hip. What do you want?»

«Oh, nothing much, just... maybe offering some distraction before the big battle?» she lifted the wine bottle and shook it a little with a wink «Like we often do.»

Kid's hairless brows furrowed as he stared down at her.

«I don't think so.»

Her smile fell for a second but she forced it back on.

«Aww, why tho? We could invite the marine girl too if it's so--»

Kid's eyes smothered her and her words turned to ashes.

«Huh... I-I mean...»

«Go.»

Hip dropped the arm holding the bottle and grimaced at the floor. For a moment it looked like she wanted to retort, but eventually she spun on her heels.

«Tsk. Fine.» she hissed, hurrying back down the corridor.

You listened to the door closing and her steps fading away.

Hip. She was the one giving you the cold shoulder, wasn't she?

"Like we often do."

You let yourself go against the wall and pressed a palm over your shut eyes.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Your frenzied heart pumped the crawling feeling down through your veins, up to the farthest corners of your body. You gritted your teeth and closed your fists.

As if this were the right time to play jealous girlfriend, Y/n! I cannot even begin to list all the things that'd be idiotic about it.

Plus. He did turn her away.

Slowly, you reopened your eyes.

Be brave, Y/n. We are so much past bullshit now.

You inhaled. Exhaled. Then pushed yourself away from the wall, walked over, and knocked at his door.

«What now?» Kid snapped, yanking it open. His eyes widened when he saw you.

«Y/n?»

«Yo.»

He was still fully dressed. Behind him, you could glimpse tools and cogs scattered on the desk.

«What are you doing here?»

Not offering distraction before the big battle, if that's what you're thinking.

You bit your tongue before the words could tumble out. That was not the moment to bring that stuff up.

Kid hesitated, eventually shifting aside, as to invite you in. The small action caused you take a sudden step back, arms rising between you.

«We're not gonna sleep together!» you blurted, almost apologetic.

Kid froze, clearly regretting his movement. Then he sighed and his lips curved in a resigned smile, head dropping against the doorjamb.

«Way to break a man's heart, birdie.»

«Huh...» you felt your cheeks warming up and pushed your hair back «Sorry, I just... didn't want to give you the wrong impression.»

«'ts fine.» he shrugged, straightening up «Why are you here?»

«I guess I just wanted to tell you a couple of things. Since we might die tomorrow.»

«We're not gonna die.»

You smiled.

«Right.»

Your gaze rose to his and he shifted his weight.

«So. Do you wanna talk inside or...?» he grunted, amber eyes sliding away.

«Here is fine. I don't trust myself in there.»

A smirk tugged at his mouth.

«Wise. I don't trust myself in there either.»

You chuckled.

«I just wanted to say...» a nervous hand ran through your hair and you snorted in frustration «Look, it's stupid. We're facing an Emperor tomorrow and I'm about to say something stupid, okay? But I want you to know. And I want me to know.»

You swallowed, frowning at the floor.

«Since you— let me go, I've never... stopped to think. I went through rehabilitation in the Marines, refused leave, got straight into action again. My first mission was crazy, and it wasn't even finished when I got to know what happened to you. Then the Beast Pirates arrived, and I... well, then I deserted, came here, told myself I was looking for you when I was actually barely managing to stay alive.» you took a breath «The point is, I didn't believe that I would actually made it to this point. I told myself there was no point in even thinking about what came after.»

Your lips tightened.

«All this time, I refused to just stop and think. About you, your crew... all the... things that happened between us. How I felt. What it meant.»

Your stiff scowl softened in sadness.

«I'm not brave or strong because I came here, despite what Killer thinks. I've just been running. As fast as I could. Better face anything rather than myself. But I'm at the end of the road now.»

Your fingers curled around the kimono on your thighs.

«You're alive, and I'm with you again. It's like everything caught up to me and I have no where left to run.» your eyes flicked up with a half-smile «Therefore, time to face an Emperor!»

Your stupid smirk quivered under Kid's gaze.

He was staring at you with sharp eyes, focused like you had hardly seen him before.

«Will you do it now?»

«What?»

«Stop to think.»

«Oh.» you returned his gaze «Yes. That's what I came to say. If I survive tomorrow, I will not run anymore. I'll take the time. Then I'll know.»

He stared at you a little longer.

«Fair enough. Guess I'll have to wait.» he said.

«Will you accept the outcome, whatever it is?»

He shrugged.

«Don't have much choice.»

You smirked.

«What if I decide to off you?»

A cruel grin opened up at your tease. Kid stretched his arms and grabbed the sides of your kimono, pulling you closer.

«Then I'll make you chase me to the end of the world, birdie.»

You couldn't stifle a small giggle, heat invading your neck and cheeks as he lowered on you.

You shot a cheeky glance up at him, or as cheeky as you managed considering the pink hue dusting your face. Thank god for the darkness.

«We could be like Garp and Gold Roger.»

His grin widened and his arms wrapped around you, pushing your nose against his.

«If Garp was much hotter.» he husked.

«Eh, you haven't seen him in his prime.» you murmured against his lips.

His flesh fingers swiftly pinched your side, making you squeal. Your hands grasped the vest over his collarbones.

«You cheat!»

«Birdie.»

«What.»

«Tell me I can kiss you.»

Your heart was drumming so violently you were sure he could hear it.

You nibbled at your lower lip, unable to stop smiling.

«What if I don't?»

A low groan rumbled in his throat and you chuckled.

«Do I also need to ask permission?»

«Wha--»

Before he could realize, you gave a curt pull to his vest and pressed your mouth against his.

The surprise locked him for an instant, but he recovered immediately, his massive arms enveloping you against his chest, mouth claiming dominance over yours.

Once again, you found yourself on the verge of getting swallowed.

Oh, how you desired to be weak. To just let it happen. To sink in the fire.

This could be your last night together. Your last night at all.

You allowed yourself to caress the idea, just for a second. Then your hands took a firm hold of his arms, forcing him to stop.

It was an inhuman effort for you both to step apart.

«S-Sorry, Kid, I—I'm not ready.»

«Fuck. Yeah. I know. Sorry.»

He wiped his mouth and took a deep breath. You did the same.

«Do you want to sleep here?» he asked, after a few steadying seconds «Huh, I mean without me! In the bed, since Killer is asleep.»

You smirked.

Cute.

«Thanks, but no. I want to be on deck, keeping an eye out. I'll sleep in the morning, I prefer that anyway.»

Like I could stay in a bed that smells like you now.

«Fine.»

You both lingered on the doorstep.

«Goodnight then.» you ventured.

His amber eyes flashed on yours.

«Goodnight.»

____________________________________________

Okay, Onigashima raid DEFINITELY starting next chapter now! (remember to never trust me on these predictions)

Ps. Don't worry about the training with Killer being skipped over, you'll likely get a few more details about it later on.