MARINE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE SERVICE

VALERIS ISLAND HQ - ARCHIVES

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT - INTERROGATION ROOM 4B

CASE NO. 2306-4837

WITNESS: MURASAKI TERUKO

TIME STAMP

«　00:29:44 - 00:36:29　»

- muffled footsteps-

- static; chairs creaking -

WITNESS: (sniffling; voice muffled) I'm sorry...

PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR (P.I.): No, no. Please... Please just take your time.

WITNESS: It's still very fresh.

P.I.: Yes. I understand.

- silence; clock ticking -

WITNESS: (sniffs) None of us saw it coming. I mean, I... we still have a hard time accepting it, Raku and I. And how to even explain it to the kids?

SECONDARY INVESTIGATOR (S.I.): I know. It must have been very difficult.

WITNESS: (wavering voice) It all feels like a horrid dream.

P.I.: (silence)

S.I.: (earnest voice) I'm very sorry, Teruko-san.

WITNESS: No... (sniffing; shakes head) God. It's nothing. (muffled voice) Nothing compared to what she's going through.

- silence -

P.I.: Did you have an opportunity to speak with Arisa-san when she was in the hospital?

WITNESS: (silence)

WITNESS: (quiet) Yes. I went to see her several times. (shaky voice) It was... It was awful, seeing her in that state.

P.I.: I would imagine. Did she say anything?

WITNESS: Not a word. (silence) The first time I heard her speak afterwards was in the days following the funeral...

WITNESS: (silence; sniffing)

P.I.: (silence)

WITNESS: But even since then.... (clears throat) Even since then, it's obvious to me how much she's changed. I've never seen her like this...even when her mother died. So seeing her this way... it just tears me apart.

P.I.: (silence)

WITNESS: ...it's hard. (muffled sob) It's really, really hard...!

P.I.: (chair creaking) Teruko-san.

WITNESS: I don't know if she'll ever get over this. And it scares me.

P.I.: Are you concerned that she might harm herself?

WITNESS: I... (silence)

WITNESS: (halting voice) I don't.... I don't know for sure. I won't lie and say I've never had the thought that she might. (sniffs) But it's... Obviously, we don't know what she's thinking for sure and...-

P.I.: I understand. (papers rustling) Just... (clears throat) Please don't hesitate to call us or your father if you think you might have a reason to suspect. (resolute) We want to make sure that everyone gets the support they need.

WITNESS: (nods; voice wavering) Alright. (sniffs) Thank you.

P.I.: I don't ever want either of you to feel like you're alone in this. Because you aren't -

WITNESS: Yes...

P.I.: - and my team and I, we're going to do everything in our power to get to the bottom of this. No matter what it takes.

S.I.: (nods)

WITNESS: (quiet) Thank you.

WITNESS: (silence)

WITNESS: (chair creaking) Do you know... If... (hesitates)

- silence; clock ticking -

P.I.: (gently) If what, Teruko-san?

WITNESS: (silence)

WITNESS: ...nothing. (silence) It was just... a thought I had. (silence; wiping eyes) Never mind, I'm sorry.

S.I.: (shares look with P.I.)

P.I.: (nods)

S.I.: Alright. (papers rustling) Teruko-san, do you mind if we go back to the days leading up to the incident? There were a few things I still wanted to clarify.

WITNESS: (sniffs; straightens) Oh... Yes, of course.

S.I.: (pages flipping) I remember you told us last time that Jasha had been living alone at his place for the last several weeks.

WITNESS: Well... (pause; haltingly) Yes...? I mean, it wasn't as if Arisa was completely absent. (sniffs; clears throat) She was still going there as much as she could, if you know what I mean-

S.I.: Oh, of course. What I meant was -

WITNESS: It was... um, it was more of an on and off sort of thing at that point. If that makes any sense...

S.I.: Yes. So it wasn't so much of him being there alone as it was her not living there with him anymore.

WITNESS: Yes, you have it right.

S.I.: And you said you weren't sure at the time why this had happened.

WITNESS: (pause) Um, well, we had a general idea -

S.I.: Of course.

WITNESS: - but... yes, you're right in saying that we didn't know for sure. Because she - Arisa hadn't told us anything at that point. (hesitates)

P.I.: Mmm-hmm. (pen scribbling) So it was common knowledge in the family, at least, that the two of them were... were having issues?

WITNESS: (quiet) Yes. (silence; fabric rustling) When the investigation with his sister got resolved, Raku and I were hoping that things would get better for them both. But soon after the hospital dropped his case... (sighs) Well, that's when I think it got bad.

S.I.: Is that around the time he started drinking again?

WITNESS: (hesitates) I don't know. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

P.I.: Okay. (silence)

P.I.: So after the war, Arisa-san never confided in you or Misato-san regarding her relationship with the Lieutenant Commander?

WITNESS: No, she did a couple times. But only after we asked. And I never really.... (deep breath) I don't want you guys to think she was lying, because she wasn't. But I never, um, got the sense that... that...

S.I.: (gently) That she was telling you everything?

WITNESS: (nods)

P.I.: I see...

S.I.: (pause) When did you start to get worried?

WITNESS: I mean... (voice wavering) We were always worried.

S.I.: (silence)

WITNESS: (voice muffled) I don't think there's been a moment since that horrible war that we haven't been worried for them both.

- silence; static -

- clock ticking; muffled footsteps -

P.I.: (chair creaking) ...do you think she loved him?

WITNESS: Oh... (bitter laugh) I have no doubt in my mind.

WITNESS: (silence)

WITNESS: She loved him. (pause) She loved him more than anything in this world.

END OF EXCERPT

──────────────────

"An alliance?" Shachi and Penguin shouted in unison. They both stared wide-eyed at their captain, jaws hanging slack in disbelief.

The two of them, along with Bepo, had congregated in Law's office to discuss the next course of action. Heightened Marine presence in the area would be all but guaranteed when news of Gavros' defeat hit the press, making them sitting ducks should they stick around waiting two weeks for the Log Pose to reset. One option they had was to use an Eternal Pose they'd stolen from one of their past victims to route back to Torlo Island, where they'd restock and lay low until the commotion died down. Probably not the most efficient use of their time, but after what had happened at Ikijo Island, Shachi had figured that Captain would have preferred to play things safe.

Well, apparently he'd figured wrong.

Leaning his weight against his desk with folded arms, the surgeon blinked once, looking somewhat taken aback by the reception - as if he hadn't just casually announced his plan of essentially joining hands with the competition. Shachi slowly reached up to scratch his head, sharing dubious looks with Penguin. Bepo, who had his own custom armchair pulled up next to the desk, also looked as aghast as a polar bear could visibly express, constantly turning his snout from side to side to look to and fro between his captain and his crew mates.

"We have more to gain than to lose," Law said coolly. "Any information about that Devil Fruit may be useful for us later down the line if Joker is really going after it."

"It's too risky!" Penguin pressed, shaking his head frantically. "We can't just take her at her word!"

"Yeah," Shachi agreed. "I don't know about you guys, but all this talk about Kyōki and yōkai sounds fishy to me!"

"And who's to say this Devil Fruit story is true?"

"This could all be a trap!"

"Exactly!" Penguin nodded. "And what about the Mink?"

Bepo raised his head.

"No, not you - the weasel!"

Bepo looked back down with a hastily muttered "Sorry."

Law narrowed his eyes.

"What about Weasel-ya? She helped us in the end."

"She tried to kill you before that - several times over!"

"Oh." Law blinked, before chuckling as if the memory amused him. "That was right... Well, Chidori-ya said she can handle her."

The trio sweatdropped.

"That isn't much of a reassurance...!"

A ghost of a smile passed over their captain's face.

"You all need to relax," he said. "Do you really think I didn't consider any of those things?"

Oh... That was right!

This was Captain they were talking about after all. Penguin lightly slapped himself across the face as if to re-compose himself. Shachi coughed once into his fist and shared another look with his mates, mind racing to scrounge every last detail Law had relayed to them regarding his conversation with the Nighting- no, this Chidori character, to construct a feasible explanation to such an unorthodox decision.

Penguin was the one who spoke up first.

"So... Then how do we know to trust them?"

Law watched them with mild amusement. "We don't."

The trio - no, duo with Bepo still being in the dumps - nearly keeled over in disbelief.

"We don't!"

"We don't need to trust them - no, we shouldn't be trusting them. Every word Chidori-ya told me could be a lie. But that doesn't change the fact that they killed eight potential assets - and I have no doubt they'll continue targeting Joker's men whether we ally with them or not. It'll be less of a nuisance for us if we have them on a leash, so to speak."

As much as Shachi hated to admit it, that made sense. They had no reason to trust the mysterious duo, but in case they turned out to be lying, a known enemy was infinitely more preferable to an unknown one.

"Besides," Law went on, "one thing we've confirmed for sure is Chidori-ya's strange abilities. Whether or not she was telling the truth about it being this Kyōki phenomenon, it may end up being useful for us in the future."

"What if they both turn on us?"

"Then we can deal with it. We'll be better off having learned what us to learn they're capable of in case we have to face them as enemies later down the line." Law's voice darkened. "That isn't to say we should let our guard down around them. But that isn't something we'll ever need to be reminded of."

Not after Ikijo Island.

The words were left unspoken, yet the painful implication was evident to all four of them. Penguin nodded along and squared his shoulders as if to physically steel himself against the weight of the memories. Bepo frowned, whiskers giving a visible twitch. Shachi felt his hands curl into fists at his sides.

"Even then..." Law leaned further back against the desk, eyes narrowing somewhat in contemplation, "...I still get the sense that we aren't dealing with any high-flown ulterior motives here."

"How so, Captain?" Bepo asked.

"It's just the impression I got from speaking with her. That level of earnestness...." Here, Shachi could have sworn to have detected an undertone of condescension in Law's words. "It's hard to describe in words, but it was unmistakable. She carried that sense of being strangely... principled, in a way."

"Principled?" Penguin ventured.

"Yes. I don't know whether to call it conviction or naivete. Or both." This time a visible scoff surfaced, as if he were disgusted by the very prospect. "It doesn't matter to us either way. As long as we get what we need out of her."

──────────────────

"Absolutely not," the Transponder Snail declared.

Such a response was fully anticipated, but the horror in Hachinobe Tatsuhito's voice was so pronounced that Arisa found herself cringing all the same.

"Listen -" she began, waving away a bowl of hotpot Riyu kept trying to shove into her face. The Mink pouted in mock offense and shared a look with the Heart Pirates' chef - Rakko, was it? - before chugging down the entire serving in one gulp.

"No, are you listening to yourself right now, Chidori?" Tatsuhito answered sharply. "There's no way in hell the lord will permit this!"

Riyu made a face at her over the rim of the bowl - a look which easily translated to "Told you so, sucka!" Arisa rolled her eyes and turned her back to the Mink, only to come face to face with another distraction in the form of several other Hearts who were unabashedly staring their way over umpteenth helpings of soup. She sweatdropped and swiveled back around, lowering her voice.

"I don't see how we can't make it work," she hissed into the receiver. "If security is that much of a concern, we can have them stay at Takanotsume the entire time your family is staying at Hidamari Village. Point is -"

"It's still too risky!" She immediately fought the urge to facepalm as Tatsuhito's voice issued all too loudly past the snail's lips. "These are pirates - a Supernova crew we're talking about!"

This earned a collection of murmurs from their unintended audience.

"H-hey!" the chef yelled out, his face flushing pink. "We're n-not that big of a deal! Right, Clione?"

"Yeah!" Clione hiccuped, raising his sake bottle for emphasis. "Jeez, when you put it like that~"

"Hehehe, are ya trying to make us all blush, you samurai bastard?"

"He didn't mean it as a compliment, you morons!" Riyu snapped.

"Kamome...?" Tatsuhito sounded exasperated. "Was that Kamome?"

("Kamome?" Ikkaku, the curly-haired woman muttered over to Clione and Rakko. "Wait, wasn't she called Riyu before?")

The Mink immediately brightened and bounded closer to the Snail.

"Oh, hey Ta-chan! It's me!"

(The trio sweatdropped, watching on as the ermine pranced by.

"So she answers to that as well?" Clione wondered, taking another swig from the bottle..

"An ermine Mink..." Rakko began slowly, "...that looks like a weasel... is also called 'Seagull'?"

"Make it make sense...")

"Aneki, can I get a turn? Can I? I wanna talk to Ta-chan!"

("Ta-chan, she said..." Clione parrotted, sounding dazed.

"And aneki..." Rakko scratched his head. He did a double take. "Wait, are they actually supposed to be sisters?"

Ikkaku scowled.

"Now that's obviously just a nickname, you idiot!")

"Later," Arisa chided, moving the receiver out of Riyu's reach. "Now if you'll let us finish our conversation -"

"Don't tell me she put you up to this, Chidori."

("Chidori," Ikkaku repeated, voice deliberate.

Two pairs of eyes immediately swiveled her way, blinking in apparent confusion.

"Isn't that how she introduced herself to Captain?" Clione posited, lowering his bottle.

"I'm just wondering." The ravenette narrowed her eyes skeptically. "Is that even her real name? Or does she have multiple aliases like our resident Seagull over there?"

Rakko shook his head helplessly.

"This is all so confusing...")

"I put her up to it?!" Riyu was barking. She made another swipe at the miniature Transponder Snail. "Nuh-uh! It was her idea to begin with!"

"Somehow I have a hard time believing that."

"No, she's right," Arisa deadpanned, finally succeeding in breaking away from the group. "This one's all on me."

That was a slight mischaracterization of the preceding events. Gauging Tatsuhito's initial reaction, however, there was no way in hell she was about to admit that Law had been the one to suggest the idea.

Tatsuhito let out a heavy sigh. The Snail's lids lowered further into a squint, as if he were rubbing one eye in an attempt to stay awake. She felt a small pang of guilt upon realizing how late it was in the night. No, not even that - it was morning by now, wasn't it?

"Listen," Tatsuhito began again, sounding considerably wearier now, "I don't know what's come over you to suggest this out of the blue. But even if these pirates are being honest, we simply can't afford to accommodate them at Amenoka-ji right now." He lowered his voice. "We've spent the last several weeks upping the security for my brother's visit. There's no way we can have an unvetted pirate crew there around the same time that they're set to arrive..."

"It's terrible timing, I know," Arisa admitted with a grimace. She flicked a glance at the Polar Tang where it was docked near the cliffs. Law had gone back there with his officers to confer about half an hour ago, and he was expected to return at any moment. She set her jaw and turned back to the Snail. "But this is the only arrangement that can work. They can't afford to stay here for another week, so if we were to split up now, they're planning on backtracking Torlo Island."

"Torlo...from Yamizo? Is that even one of the projected paths through the Log Pose...?"

"They have an Eternal Pose apparently."

"Well that should be fine then."

A sharp frown passed over Arisa's face.

"Hachinobe," she said slowly. "That's Tenkū-jō territory."

Tatsuhito heaved out another deep sigh, though this time, Arisa could clearly tell that was less out of exasperation and more out of discomfort. Transponder Snails weren't the most expressive creatures in the world, but gazing down at the creature in her palm, she could still easily envision his look and stance on the end of the other receiver - the unease betrayed by the painstaking rigidity in his posture, the nervous agitation apparent in the slight furrow of his brow and his thin pressed lips.

"Knowing that's where they came from," she went on carefully, "we should both be surprised that they haven't had any run-ins with other hunters yet. For them to go back there with their captain's Kyōki signature reading as anomalous as it has been... You know what that would mean if they came across a Tenkū-jō yōgari, right?"

The Snail closed its eyes briefly, as if to ward off a headache.

"....they're pirates, Chidori."

The words were uttered with a certain reluctance. Immediately, she felt another twist of guilt. She knew very well that Tatsuhito was being far from genuine in saying such a thing. How helpless one must feel, she suddenly realized, to be stuck in a limbo like this - perpetually torn between duty and conscience.

Surely, he must be thinking of Suzume....

A bitter ache resonated through her chest. Arisa swallowed hard to stymy back the sudden hoarseness in her voice.

"It doesn't matter whether they're pirates or Marines," she said quietly. "If it turns out that their captain is the victim of a yōkai possession, then it's our responsibility to get to the bottom of it. And we both know that the Tenkū-jō hunters are far from the sort to ask any questions when it comes to situations like these."

"If it was a possession, you'd know it by sight."

"For some cases."

"For most cases."

"There are still plenty of exceptions. You know that." Arisa found herself leaning in when Tatsuhito didn't answer right away. "Hachinobe -"

"No." He gave a single terse shake of the head. "The timing is just... It's all too bad. We can't afford the risk."

"I understand the risk - and that's why I suggested they stay offshore at Takanotsume. Then we can send Himuro over to evaluate their captain-"

"All the while Waka-sama is staying at Hidamari Village? Forget yōkai possessions - what if he turns out to be a Kyōgui?" Tatsuhito shook his head again, his voice steeling over with authority. "This idea gets worse the more I think about it."

"Can't you bring it up with Uncle at least?" Arisa hid a wince when he remained pointedly silent. "Hachinobe, please -"

"No means no. I'm sorry, Chidori."

There was a clatter, and the line went dead. Stunned, Arisa stared at the receiver in her hand, before slowly lowering it to the Snail's shell.

"No good?" Riyu's voice sailed from behind her, sounding considerably more muted than before.

Arisa sighed and turned as the Mink came to a stop beside her.

"I forgot to give you a turn," she said. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine!" Riyu gave her knowing grin and took the Snail from her companion's hand, tucking it away in a hidden compartment in her coat. "So I'm guessing he didn't budge at all. Why didn't you tell him about the Kaku-Kaku no Mi?"

Arisa cut her an unenthused look.

"That would've made things worse," she huffed, tilting her chin to appraise the night sky. A part of her still felt mildly peeved by the refusal, but the feeling of guilt which had sprouted earlier on still hadn't worn off entirely. Tatsuhito already had enough on his plate, having to deal with preparations for his brother's arrival on top of his official duties as an instructor. But the point regarding Torlo Island and the Tenkū-jō Uzuki remained - not to mention the deal with the Devil Fruit. The opportunity (or risk - it was still too early to know for sure) was simply too momentous to let slide.

If Tatsuhito wasn't willing to petition the elders on her behalf, then that left her with one additional option - an unorthodox one for sure, but an effective one all the same. A loophole, so to say.

"Well, that's Ta-chan for you," Riyu was saying, her voice light with mock innocence. "He's careful. Maybe to a fault!"

She had been toeing a mound of sand, but now she raised her chin, whiskers giving a mischievous twitch. One look into her gleaming brown eyes betrayed the fact that she was thinking the exact same thing Arisa was. She dug into her pocket to fish out the snoozing Transponder Snail again.

"If he's gonna be stubborn about it, then we might as well try that, don't you think?"

Arisa groaned aloud and reached for the proffered receiver.

"What other choice do we have?"

──────────────────

Hachinobe Tatsuhito slowly set the Transponder Snail down on the table. He leaned back against the wall and rested one hand against his temple to nurse the ache already starting to brew inside his skull. The sound of the wind rattling the roof tiles above eventually pervaded his lethargic senses, gradually easing him out of his racing thoughts and back into the present.

The four walls of a minimally decorated room greeted his tired gaze. Wooden sliding doors at the far right and the neatly kept tatami mats lining the floors were all faintly illuminated by a number of weak candles sputtering aglow from their respective stands near the shuttered windows.

"Arisa..." Tatsuhito muttered to himself. "What the hell are you thinking...?"

He shook his head and climbed to his feet, the floorboards creaking as he snagged his discarded overgarment from the table and threw it on over his yukata.

A faint rustle of fabric sounded, followed by a quiet creak as the sliding door to one of the back rooms slid open.

"Tatsuhito?" a soft feminine voice called out.

He barely looked up, seeming to be more occupied in finishing getting dressed than to face his addressor. The door opened a bit wider, revealing a pale, striking face framed with waves of jet-black hair. Luminous magenta eyes - glazed slightly over with a familiar sheen of lethargy - peered up at him with an air of lazy curiosity.

"Tatsuhito," the young woman repeated, a note of genuine concern bleeding into her voice, "is there anything wrong?"

He absently shook his head.

"I need to head back to the shrine," he answered.

"Go back...?" the young woman repeated. She padded into the room with one slender hand clutching together the folds of her yukata, and lit the ceiling lamp above the table. "What do you... It's almost two in the morning! What happened? Was that the lord who just called you? Or Mototatsu-sama?"

"No. It was Arisa. She and Riyu are trying to do something stupid again." Catching the look on the young woman's face, Tatsuhito's expression visibly softened. "Don't worry. It isn't anything like last time. But the timing of this now..." he grimaced and let out a deep sigh. "...I'll need to inform the lord as soon as possible."

"I see... So Arisa's causing trouble again?"

"Again, it's nothing like that."

The young woman's shoulders sank ever so slightly in relief, a ghost of a smile emerging.

"When will you be back?" she queried.

"I don't know. Definitely in time for Mototatsu's arrival, but..." Tatsuhito stopped short, catching the unmistakable glimmer in her magenta eyes. "Shiori."

"Hmm?"　　

Tatsuhito's voice was wary as he uttered the following words.

"Don't get roped into this."

Letting out a small laugh, the young woman reached forwards, giving the collar of his haori a playful tug.

"What makes you think that I'll get involved?" Her lips curving into a teasing smile, she traced her hand up his chest and neck to cup the side of his face in an endearing sort of way. "Paranoia doesn't suit you well, Kijibato-dono."

He narrowed his eyes for a moment, as if he were still deciphering the challenge in her tone, before responding by wordlessly closing the distance between their lips. Shiori responded immediately to his advances with a soft sigh of pleasure and parted her lips against his, deepening the kiss. Instinctively, she brought one hand up to bury into tufts of indigo hair while the other slid down past his jaw and neck and buried into the fabric of his haori with a vicelike grasp. His name left her lips in an impatient whisper when he pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers.

"Now go on," she breathed, irises sheening like gemstones through the dimness. "I'll be waiting for you."

He let out a small huff of exasperation and drew away entirely.

"Stay out of trouble," he warned, before ducking out past the door.

Shiori listened to his footsteps crunch over the gravel pathway as he made his way towards the garden exit. A soft smile capturing her lips, she wrapped the yukata tighter around her body and made her way to the table and sat down.

Her attention flickered down to the Transponder Snail slumbering at her elbow, before darting back to the empty doorway. Eventually, a thoughtful expression crossed her features.

──────────────────

By the time Arisa hung up for the second time, Trafalgar Law had returned from the submarine. She lowered the Transponder Snail and wordlessly dipped her chin in greeting as he approached.

Accepting a steaming bowl from Rakko, Law sat on one of the crates littered around the dying bonfire and propped his nodachi against his shoulder.

"How did it go?" he asked shortly.

"About as well as I should've expected." She hid a smile when he shot her a questioning glance over the bowl. "Don't worry. I'm pretty sure I got it all figured out."

"Pretty sure, huh?"

"That's about as reassuring as I can get. Hopefully you can live with that for the time being."

Law reflected for a moment, his face thoughtful as he gazed into the guttering flames.

"That's quite an ask considering the risk."

"You're right," Arisa agreed, raising her chin slightly. She glanced at the darkened horizon. Dawn would break in a few hours, yet weirdly enough she didn't feel tired in the slightest bit. Maybe that exchange with Hachinobe had done her a bit of good in keeping her alert thus far. A noiseless chuckle broke past her lips. "In fact, had this been under any other circumstance I'd probably advise against it myself."

"Is that so?" Law sipped from his bowl and smiled faintly, though it seemed that his amusement was strangely misplaced. Almost as though he were reminiscing an inside joke she had no prior knowledge of. "Well, you're lucky that I've decided to humor you for now."

Arisa found herself automatically smiling back, a gesture more diplomatic than anything. Inwardly, however, she couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of annoyance - both at his cryptic facade and at herself in her failure so far in ascertaining his motives. She was no paranoiac like Isseki Yanjirō, but that wasn't to say she was as shortsighted as to fully overlook the potential duplicity behind Law's openness in pursuing this alliance. If he were to harbor any ulterior motives regarding Amenoka-ji, then it was her and Riyu's job to parse said motives in the time that it took for them to reach their destination.

Pushing her suspicions to the back of her mind for the time being, Arisa reached into her cloak for her Eternal Pose.

"Who was your navigator again?" she asked.

Law's eyes flickered to the glass globe, immediately glinting in recognition. He glanced towards a company of jumpsuits Hearts hanging around nearby.

"Hey, Bepo!"

"Here, Captain!" Bepo jumped to attention and hasted over to his captain's side. In person, Arisa couldn't help but marvel a little at the Mink's size. The up-close headshot provided in his bounty poster failed to capture the polar bear's imposing stature which easily eclipsed two meters in height. It really went to show her relative unfamiliarity with various members of the tribe barring her companionship with Riyu.

Law nodded to Arisa, who wordlessly tossed the Eternal Pose over their way. Bepo fumbled to catch it with both hands.

"Oh..." His eyes widened. "Is this...?"

"That'll take you to an uninhabited island called Minetsuki-jima," Arisa answered, taking a seat by the fire across them both. "We can get to Amenoka-jima from there."

Just as she expected, this earned a show of relative confusion from her audience. Law's eyes immediately narrowed, while Bepo merely blinked in incomprehension.

"You don't have an Eternal Pose that can take us there directly?" Law demanded.

She idly took up a stray piece of driftwood and began poking at the flames.

"No such thing exists."

"You can't be serious!" Bepo exclaimed. "This place... it's here in the Grand Line, right?"

Arisa glanced back at them through the filmy drifts of smoke.

"Amenoka-jima is located in something we call a Remote Clime - a spherical region that confines the island's magnetic field, completely isolating its effects from the outside world." The hand bearing the stick stilled momentarily, as the polar bear's eyes widened in disbelief. "Over the past several hundred years, we were lucky enough to have one of our ancestors come by a certain Devil Fruit which allowed for such a modification to be made to our island and several others throughout the Grand Line."

"Magnetic fields..." Bepo repeated, sharing an incredulous look with Law. "Captain, isn't that...?"

The latter raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

"Are you talking about Eustass Kid's Devil Fruit?"

Arisa nodded and continued to mindlessly stir the ashes.

"It's rather a funny coincidence that it now belongs to a fellow Supernova of yours," she answered briskly.

"Woah..." Bepo's face had visibly brightened with excitement. "That's so cool! Isn't it, Captain?"

Law merely shrugged as if to say 'The more you know.'

"Point is, islands within a Remote Clime are virtually untraceable," Arisa went on. "They are cut off from all proposed routes through Log Poses. The same goes for Eternal Poses. The only way they can be mapped is by relative locations to other known islands." Arisa nodded to the Eternal Pose in Bepo's hand. "In our case, Minetsuki Island will serve as our reference point."

"I guess that makes some sense," Bepo begrudgingly admitted. He turned the glass globe over in his grip, a small furrow forming in his brow. "But then how do we get to our destination from there?"

Arisa inwardly sweatdropped.

Now... do they really want to know? she found herself wondering. That's the real question here...

Reality was, the answer was something so ridiculous that Arisa felt her lips twitch just at the thought of their impending reaction. But her attempt to resist the smile didn't escape Law's attention.

"What?" he questioned.

"Maybe..." she thought for a moment, then faltered. Attempted to lighten the atmosphere with a forced laugh. "Maybe... it'll be easier to explain once we get there."

"Do you have any idea of how suspicious you're sounding right now?"

"No, seriously- " Arisa cut herself off and let out a defeated sigh, because of course he had a point there. "Fine. Do you really want to know?"

Law glowered at her.

"How else are we supposed to prepare for it?"

She held his gaze for a beat, before relenting with another sigh.

"Alright then. The short version goes something like this..."

──────────────────

"What... the hell... is all of this?!"

Tears streaming down his cheeks, Rakko felt his jaw drop to the floor as he beheld the scene before him.

Approximately two hours had elapsed since Captain had announced the alliance - around an hour since the crew had started returning various supplies back to the Polar Tang in preparation for departure. The weasel - this Riyu-slash-Kamome character - had mysteriously disappeared over the course of this time, though the Nighting- Chidori had been surprisingly dismissive regarding her companion's whereabouts. The reason for said dismissiveness now was all too clear to the thunderstruck chef as he took in the giant sack full of supplies the Mink had dragged from the village to the front of the Polar Tang.

Giant wasn't even the right term for it - hell, the thing could have easily eclipsed the size of Reis Gavros' skull in his Zoan form, for crying out loud...!

Next to him, Jean Bart was scratching his head as he appraised the situation.

"I wonder if this will even fit into the storage room..." he muttered.

"I..." Rakko managed to get out, pointing with one shaking finger. "I... I don't..."

Sitting cross legged atop the bag, Riyu beamed down at the pair.

"Phew! I'm so glad I made it in time! Aneki would have killed me if I made us all run late!" She easily sprang down from her perch and gave the bulging bag an appreciative pat. "So you guys can handle this, right?"

"W-what... even... is that?" Rakko stammered.

"Oh, this?" Riyu grinned proudly and set to work loosening the strap. "Take a look for yourself!"

The rope slackened, allowing for the mouth of the bag to fall slightly open. Accordingly, Rakko and Jean Bart sidled closer to peer inside. A sickly delectable odor hit Rakko's nose; the next moment, he found himself nearly staggering to the ground in shock upon laying eyes on the sizable mountain of fresh pastries stuffing the bag to its brim.

"T-Taiyaki?!"

"This is all for aneki," Riyu said innocently, clasping her hands behind her back. "She has a sweet tooth, you know? And it's gonna be a long trip underwater, right? So I figured -"

"...she can really eat all of that?" Jean Bart asked.

"Oh yeah!" Riyu turned his way, giving a closed-eyed smile. "No problem."

"No problem?!" Rakko sputtered. "Oi! You've gotta be kidding me -"

"What's wrong?" a familiar voice called out from behind them.

Perfect timing!

Rakko spun around to face one bewildered-looking Chidori, who stood blinking at them near the base of the Polar Tang. Bepo was also hanging around nearby, a map and unfamiliar Eternal Pose in hand.

"You!" Rakko barked. He jutted an accusatory finger towards Riyu's general direction. "Look at that!"

"Look at wha-"

"Oh what, I wonder! The sky? The birds, the trees? Maybe this giant ass bag that your idiot friend just dragged in!"

"Rakko," Jean Bart started to admonish. But Chidori remained unaffected. Her placid blue gaze roved over to the bag in question, then to the grinning Riyu, then back to the pirate trio.

"What's in there that's got you so riled up?"

"Taiyaki," Jean Bart deadpanned before Rakko could spout off any further. "Hundreds of them."

Riyu continued to beam happily. Just for a fraction of a second, Rakko could have sworn to see the corner of Chidori's lips quiver, as if she were just barely holding back from laughing hysterically.

"Taiyaki, you say?" she got out slowly.

"That's right!" Rakko nodded vigorously. "Just look at that face - obviously she intends on hoarding them all for herself! But she has the gall to lie to our faces, suggesting that this is all for you!"

"Because it is!" Riyu sang.

"Do you take us for fools?" Jean Bart chuckled, folding his muscular arms.

"Yeah..." Bepo chimed. "I'm sorry, but there's no way she can eat all of that..."

"That's where you're wrong! She does! On a regular basis, too - isn't that right, aneki?"

"Er..." Another quiver came over the young woman's expression, barely perceptible. She reached up and coughed deliberately into her hand. "Usually. Yes."

"U-Usually?"

The trio's jaws hit the floor, their eyes popping out of their skulls.

Chidori tilted her head slightly, her expression softening into one that could only aptly be described as self-consciousness.

"Is there anything wrong with that?" she slowly asked.

God damn it! Rakko inwardly slapped himself. Not with that voice! And those eyes -!

Of course, this performance had its desired effect. Both humans and polar bear were thrown into a state of panic trying to appease the so-called injured party.

"Oh n-no!" Jean Bart stuttered, waving his hands frantically. "Of course not! R-r-right, Bepo?"

"Yeah. C-certainly." Bepo shriveled back, doom lines already starting to materialize over his bent head. "I'm sorry..."

"B-b-but - " Rakko rubbed his eyes repeatedly and did a double take. "H-how, even -?!"

There's no way! How is it possible for someone as slight as she is to intake tens of thousands of calories every single day?! How much daily exercise would one have to do to burn it all off - ?! It's impossible, just impossible!

"It's really too bad, though," Chidori went on, voice apologetic. She looked up and down at the bag and let out a sigh. "These all look delicious, but Riyu... You should know that I've decided to go on a diet."

"A diet?!" Rakko could swear that his head was about to start spinning from the whiplash.

"Really?" Riyu gasped and widened her eyes in a manner that could only be construed as ostensibly performative. "What a shame! After I spent all this time lugging this over here..." She brightened and hopped forwards. "But don't worry, aneki! I'll make sure this doesn't go to waste!"

Wait... Rakko raised his head and narrowed his eyes at the pair. Is this...

The Mink turned back to the Hearts and bounded over to tug insistently at Jean Bart's sleeve.

"You heard that, right?" she pressed. "So please take care of this, Mister!"

"Eh...?" Jean Bart sweatdropped. "That's... that's fine, I guess...?"

"Great! Thanks so much, all of you!"

The three gaped in stunned silence as the rapscallion gave a bow and went prancing off after her aneki.

"Did we... just witness consensual gaslighting?" Rakko haltingly asked.

"Is that even a thing?" Bepo muttered.

"I'm not so sure..." Jean Bart scratched his head. "But that was strange."

"Yeah..." Rakko rubbed his chin nervously. "I don't know how to describe it, but after witnessing that... something about those two terrifies me... "

Bepo stared after Riyu's receding form with a mixture of shock and awe.

"If I were to do something like that, do you think it'll work on Captain?" he wondered aloud.

"Tch, as if!"

Translation(s):

Takanotsume (鷹の爪): Literal translation is "Hawk's claw." Also the name of a type of Japanese red chili pepper. In this particular instance, it's used as the name of a location.

Haori (羽織): Outer garment worn over kimono.

Yukata (浴衣): A type of kimono, usually made of cotton instead of silk.

Other notes:

The bit about Remote Climes and the Jiki-Jiki no Mi is of course complete headcanon. But I think it'd be neat if that sort of thing was included in the powerset.

Still a lot of set-up so far, but now with our main cast now on the move towards Amenoka-jima, we shall soon dive headlong into the first major arc of this story. Very excited about that!

Next chapter, I think I'll slow down a bit and focus more on character interactions. The way I have everything planned, this story is very much plot-focused (which may reflect itself in the somewhat shoddy writing as I rush to set everything up at a reasonable pace lol), but I want to have a few moments to breathe and focus on character work. Nail down the essential dynamics between the OCs and the Hearts, so to speak.

Anyways if you have any thoughts so far, please feel free to share! Feedback is probably my biggest motivator (apart from my own stubbornness in refusing to give up on this story no matter how many times I restart it lol)

Thanks for reading,

-shiba