Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The thousand sunny was drifting peacefully. The humid air getting a little bit chilly.

"Looks like it might be a winter island next" Nami said staring at her log pose

"Nami-swan!! Blackberry Tiramisu for you and-" Sanji spun around to hand Robin one as well. "Another for my lovely lady" Sanji cooed

"Why do they get one I want some! Sanji I'm hungryy" Luffy whined loudly.

Before Sanji could reply Zoro yelled from the crows nest.

"There's a weird... Boat..? Small raft looks like, forward off the starboard" he yelled.

"Huh? What the fuck? " Nami mutters. The crew looks over the edge. Low and behold, a small wooden raft with a boy sleeping on it.

He had white hair with a red streak in it. His body looked beaten and battered.

Luffy’s eyes widen with excitement.
“Whoa! A samurai?! He looks cool!”

Without hesitation, Luffy stretches his arms, grabs him from the raft, and yanks him onto the deck.

“Luffy, wait!” Nami yells, but it’s too late.

THUD.

Kazuha lands gently on the deck, barely stirring.

"Luffy! What if he's evil" Chopper yelped

"It's unlike you not wanting to help somebody doctor" Sanji laughs lighting a cigarette

“Ahhh! He’s really hurt!” Chopper immediately checks The boys pulse. His expression turns serious.

“His breathing is weak… and his body’s exhausted. He’s been fighting for days without rest…”

“He’s got a nasty gash on his side,” Sanji adds, crouching next to Chopper. “Whoever did this wasn’t messing around.”

"It looked like he was in a ship wreck.. I have no idea how he survived... Especially in the grand line!" he exclaimed.

"He was just floating" Luffy said

"Help me take him inside" Chopper said, Luffy nodded. Nami and Luffy carried him inside.

"Looks like he was in a battle... Maybe their ship got high jacked" Nami said inspecting what the boy had on him

"A sword... Another swordsman" she murmurs

"I wonder if he's as strong as Zoro" Luffy laughs

"I highly doubt it" Nami said, " Also! You can’t just pull random people onto the ship!” she snaps.

“But he was gonna drown!” Luffy pouts, puffing his cheeks.

Nami sighs, eyeing The boy with concern.
“…Still, we don’t know who he is or what trouble he might bring.”

Outside, franky was inspecting the raft he had floated on.
"This dude’s raft is falling apart!” Franky exclaims, peering over the edge of the ship to inspect the broken vessel.

“Man, how did he even stay afloat? I could make something WAY better in like, five minutes.”

Franky rubs his chin, already thinking of ways to build Kazuha a SUPER raft.

“Maybe I’ll add jet thrusters… and a soda-powered engine… OHH! And a built-in sound system!”

“Franky, I don’t think he needs a battleship,” Robin says with a smile.

Franky stands up, cracking his knuckles with a loud metallic pop.

“Well, I can’t let this stand!” he declares, striking a pose.
“I’ll build this guy something SUPER!”

"Though I am a bit curious... How did he survive being on such a terrible raft here in the grand line" Robin mutters.

Sanji stood up from his seat. "He'll need something to eat when he's up. I'll be in the kitchen" He mutters leaving.

"I think I want to check on his belongings, see whats on him. Might give us clues on who he is and where he is from" Robin says, also taking her leave, Franky follows her.

Inside, Luffy sat on the floor, Chopper finished bandaging him up, and Nami was still inspecting the boys stuff, Zoro had entered the room at some point to look at the boys sword.

"Oi whats that?" Luffy asked eyeing the shiny orb-like object Nami laid down on the table.

“Whoa… is that some kind of treasure?” Usopp asked, leaning closer with wide eyes.

“Doesn’t look like any treasure I’ve seen,” Nami murmured, her brow furrowing.

“Luffy, don’t touch it!” Nami barked from behind, her tone sharp as she recognized that look in his eyes.

But Luffy being Luffy, he ignored her.

“Maybe if I press it, something cool will happen!”

“Don’t!!”

Flick!

The moment Luffy’s finger brushed against the Vision, a soft breeze stirred through the Sunny, swirling lazily around them.

“Eh?” Luffy blinked, feeling the wind tousle his hair. “Huh? What was that?”

Robin had been silent, her keen eyes studying the Vision closely.

“Interesting…” she murmured softly.

“Robin?” Nami turned toward her. “Do you know what that thing is?”

Robin’s brow furrowed as she crossed her arms. “No… but I’ve read of artifacts that grant power to their wielder. Relics from forgotten islands lost to the sea.”

If this thing is powerful, it might be worth something,” she murmured, calculating potential profits in her head.

“Don’t even think about selling it,” Zoro muttered, giving her a sideways glance.

Nami huffed but didn’t deny it. “I’m just saying… something that can do that has to be rare.”

Her gaze lingered on the Vision, her mind already piecing together theories.

“But this… this feels different.”
Robin’s gaze remained fixed on the Vision.

“This isn’t from any island I know of…” she murmured thoughtfully. “But… I’ve read of myths. Of islands that don’t exist on any map. Places where the elements themselves bend to the will of those chosen by the gods.”

“Wait…” Nami’s eyes widened slightly. “Do you think it's something like Skypia?"

Robin’s lips curved into a knowing smile. "Maybe not in the air but just undiscovered"

“Wait, wait, wait.” Franky blinked, his shades slipping down slightly. “Are you sayin’ there’s a whole island chain out there that no one’s ever heard of?”

Robin nodded slowly.

“If the stories are true… it’s called Teyvat I think its an archipelago.”

Luffy’s grin stretched ear to ear, eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Cool!” he declared with his usual enthusiasm. “That means there’s a whole new place to explore!”

“Luffy, you’re not seriously thinking of—” Nami started, but she already knew the answer.

“Let’s go to Teyvat!” Luffy declared, pumping his fist in the air.

The crew collectively groaned.

The boy's eye twiched.

"Ahhhh!! He's waking up" chopper freaked

"Stay calm... We can find out if he's friend or foe" Nami sighed.

"Wh... What... The" dark red crimsion eyes flutter open.

"Who, who are you people" He looked drowsy, the boy stared at everyones surprised face for a second. Zoro had his hand on his swords, not wanting to risk anything. “…The winds… have carried me far,” he murmured weakly

Luffy’s grin stretched wide as he crouched closer, eyes practically sparkling.

“Whoa!! You’re awake!” he exclaimed, leaning so close that the boy blinked in mild surprise. “You’re cool! You talk all fancy like Brook!”

“Yohoho! I do enjoy his poetic manner,” Brook chuckled from the sidelines.

“Are you strong?” Luffy asked, eyes gleaming with excitement. “’Cause you look strong.”

The boy blinked slowly, a soft chuckle escaping his lips despite his weakened state.

“I suppose I can hold my own,” he murmured, his tone as calm as the wind.

“AWESOME! You should join my crew!” Luffy blurted without hesitation.

“LUFFY!” Nami’s voice was sharp, her palm colliding with the back of his head.

“OWWW! What was that for?!” Luffy pouted, rubbing his head.

“Maybe let him finish a sentence before dragging him off on an adventure!”

Kazuha’s lips twitched in amusement.

"I apologize... However, I am looking for somebody, I need to find my way home." He replies

"Home? Is it Teyvat by any chance?" Robin asked

"Oh.. yes! Are you headed there? I hope it wouldn't trouble you if I could tag along-" He paused. "My apologies, my manners, I am Kaedehara Kazuha from Inazuma Teyvat" He said

Kazuha touches his side, where his vision should be.

"Wheres my-"

"This thing?" Nami asked dangling the glowing orb

"Yes! How did you- Nevermind that, May I please have it back, along side my stuff?" Kazuha asked trying to sit up

"Woah woah woah lay down your injured" Chopper exclaimed

"What is this thing anyways?" she asked, stepping closer to hand him back the vision. Her curiosity was masked by caution.

Kazuha followed her gaze, his fingers brushing gently over the Vision.

“This…” he murmured softly, “is called a Vision. It channels the power of the elements.”

“Elements?” Nami’s brow furrowed. “You mean… like Logia powers?”

Kazuha shook his head, a calm breeze swirling gently around them.

“Not quite.”

“Does it work like a Devil Fruit?” Usopp piped up, leaning forward with wide eyes.

Kazuha’s expression remained thoughtful.

“Perhaps… in a way,” he mused. “But a Vision is not given… it is earned.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Usopp’s face paled, his mind already racing to worst-case scenarios.

“Y-You can control the wind?! What if you blow us into a whirlpool? Or… or send a hurricane after us?!”

Kazuha blinked, mildly amused, but Usopp was already spiraling.

“WE’RE DOOMED! HE’S GONNA TURN US INTO SEAGULL FOOD!”

“Usopp, chill!” Nami smacked him upside the head, making him yelp.

“I was just being cautious…” Usopp muttered, rubbing his head.

The door to the sickbay swung open with a flourish, and Sanji stepped in with his usual flair, holding a steaming bowl of soup in one hand, his other hand tucked into his pocket as he surveyed the scene.

"Am I late to the party?" he asked, flashing a charming grin.

Before anyone could respond, Luffy's voice echoed across the deck, eager as ever.

“Sanji!! MEAT! I WANT MEAT!” Luffy cried, practically lunging at the soup bowl in Sanji’s hand, his stomach growling like a beast.

Sanji’s eyes narrowed slightly, his brow twitching in frustration, but he never lost his composure.

"This isn't for you, Luffy!" Sanji spun around, holding the bowl out gracefully. "This is for you, mademoiselle!"

With a smooth motion, he handed the bowl to Kazuha, flashing him his signature smile, still unaware of the subtle chaos he was about to unleash.

Kazuha, who had been taking in the scene quietly, stifled a chuckle as he accepted the soup.

“Thank you, I appreciate it. However…” Kazuha murmured, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I am male.”

Sanji’s eyes widened as realization dawned. He blinked several times, trying to process the information, before letting out a dramatic sigh.

“Well, that’s a shame,” Sanji said, raking a hand through his blond hair. “I mean, it’s still delicious, so please enjoy it, my friend!”

Kazuha gave a polite nod, trying to keep his amusement in check.

“I will, thank you,” he replied with a small, amused smile.

Luffy, in the background, pouted dramatically.

“Why does everyone get soup but me?! I WANT MEAT!”

Sanji shot him a quick glance, his expression softening slightly.

“Fine, fine,” he grumbled, turning back toward the galley. “You can have a little something, but don’t expect me to start catering to you all day.”

As Sanji retreated to the galley with a final flourish, Kazuha couldn’t help but watch the interaction

Cool!” Luffy interrupted, his excitement bubbling over once again. “So you’re coming with us, right?”

Kazuha blinked, surprised by the sudden offer.

“Luffy!” Nami groaned, already facepalming.

“Why not?!” Luffy grinned. “He’s cool! He’s strong! And he’s got a magic wind thing!”

"ahaha... Sorry, Unless you all are heading to Teyvat, I cannot stay long, I am in a bit of a rush after all.." Kazuha murmurs

"Well I wanna go to teyvat" Luffy announces

"Oh.. lovely"

"What are you in a rush for?" Robin asks

"My... partner and I got seperated, I need to get them back" Kazuha admits

"We will help you!" Luffy says

"What??" Nami groans

"Really? That would be awfully kind of you to do- I wouldnt want to intrude" Kazuha says setting the now empty bowl to the side

I’m sure we can manage to help,” she said with a slight roll of her eyes. “We’ve handled worse than a little detour.”

Robin, always calm and perceptive, gave Kazuha a knowing smile. “It’s not an intrusion,” she said, her voice calm. “We have a saying here… a crew is more than just the people you travel with. We’re all in this together.”

Kazuha looked from Robin to Nami, then to Luffy, who was practically bouncing with excitement. The wind seemed to pick up ever so slightly around him, as though echoing the shift in his thoughts. He had learned to trust his instincts in the most unlikely of situations, and something about these strange, vibrant people made him feel like he could believe in this offer.

Kazuha finally let out a soft breath, a small smile returning to his face.

“I… suppose there’s no harm in a small detour,” he said, his voice warm but still touched with the seriousness of his mission. “I will accept your offer. For now.”

Luffy gave a loud whoop of triumph, throwing his arms into the air. “YES! We’ve got another crewmate!”

Nami’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Luffy, we didn’t even—!”

But before she could protest further, Luffy was already running in circles around Kazuha, his energy contagious.

“YAY! YOU’RE IN THE CREW NOW! WE’RE GOING TO Teyvat!” Luffy cheered, hopping excitedly.

Sanji suddenly reappeared in the doorway, a tray of new food in hand, and stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes narrowing as he watched the chaotic scene unfold.

“Oi, Luffy… You can’t just recruit people like that! The crew needs to be strong!”

Kazuha, seeing the sudden change in Sanji’s expression, gave a slight chuckle, his calm demeanor returning.

“I’ll do my best to keep up,” Kazuha said, his smile becoming a bit more genuine. “I don’t think you’ll need to worry.”

Sanji eyed him for a moment, before giving a single, approving nod.

“Alright, alright, just don’t make a mess of things. We can’t have another disaster like last time,” Sanji grumbled, but the edge of a grin crept onto his face.

Luffy bounced happily and, without missing a beat, plopped down next to Kazuha. “So, when do we get to Teyvat?!”

Kazuha couldn’t help but feel a spark of hope, these people, no matter how chaotic, had offered him a chance. And for now, that was enough.

He looked out to the horizon, a small smile tugging at his lips. “We’ll get there soon… I believe the wind is already guiding us.”

And with that, the crew of the Thousand Sunny continued to sail toward unknown horizons, with a new companion on board and the winds of fate shifting once again.

After two days of sailing through the unfamiliar seas surrounding Teyvat, the Sunny cut through the waves with ease, the familiar sound of the ocean and the wind guiding them onward. The crew had spent the past couple of days adjusting to the new world, with Kazuha offering a few stories and advice about Teyvat's landscapes. The weather had grown a little more temperate.

Luffy stood at the bow of the ship, his hands gripping the rail tightly as his eyes sparkled with excitement. He was always eager to see new places, but something about the mysterious, distant land of Inazuma had particularly captured his attention.

"So, this is Inazuma? It looks so different from the other places we've been," Luffy said, bouncing on his feet.

Kazuha, standing beside him, looked out towards the horizon. "Yes, Inazuma is quite different. It's a land of storms, with a powerful Shogun who controls the nation's policies. It's known for its strict rules but also for its natural beauty." His eyes seemed distant for a moment, his mind wandering.

Nami raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical. “Strict rules? That doesn’t sound fun at all. But we’re going there anyway, right?” She glanced at Luffy, who was already waving excitedly toward the island ahead.

“It’s an adventure!” Luffy exclaimed, his voice full of enthusiasm. “And I’m sure they have plenty of good food there too!”

Sanji smirked, “You only care about food, Luffy.”

Sanji had his eyes on the horizon, noting the tall, looming structures of Inazuma growing closer. “We’ll need to be careful, though. I’ve heard rumors of some strange happenings in Inazuma. The whole place is a bit on edge with the Shogun’s new decrees. We should tread lightly.”

“Don’t worry about it!” Luffy grinned. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“I’m sure it won’t be that bad,” Robin added with a calm smile. “But we should prepare for anything.”

As the ship grew closer to the island, the crew could see the tall, imposing gates marking the entrance to Inazuma. The atmosphere was heavy with the distant rumble of thunder, and the sky was streaked with dark clouds. The city in the distance had a regal, almost imposing feel, with its towering buildings and bright lights shining through the stormy weather.

Zoro, who had been silent for most of the journey, glanced around and then muttered, “Stormy, huh? Great… nothing like a bit of bad weather to liven up the place.”

Kazuha looked up at the sky, his expression contemplative. “Inazuma is known for its perpetual storms. The Electro Archon’s influence affects the weather here, it’s a land of constant conflict and change. But that’s what makes it so fascinating.”

Luffy, not bothered by the storm clouds, stretched his arms high into the air. “I’m ready to explore!” he yelled, already making his way toward the ship’s gangplank.

“Hold on there, Luffy!” Nami called out as she grabbed hold of his arm before he could run off. “We need to make sure we’re not breaking any laws the second we land. This place is a bit… different.” She gave a pointed look toward Kazuha, as if hoping he could provide more insight into what they were about to encounter.

Kazuha sighed lightly, giving Nami a knowing glance. “Inazuma is under the rule of the Raiden Shogun, and her vision policy is rather… strict. Anyone found possessing an unapproved vision can face harsh consequences.”

Luffy's eyes lit up. “Visions? You mean like the cool wind power you’ve got, Kazuha?”

Kazuha nodded, “Exactly. But it’s not just the powers that are restricted. Inazuma is undergoing a time of strict governance, and it’s created some tension among the people. Im not too sure on devil fruits though so please try to avoid using them..”

Sanji raised an eyebrow, looking over at Kazuha. “Tension, huh? Sounds like there’s a lot more going on here than just bad weather.”

"Kazuha you have one though? Will you be okay?" Chopper asked.

"I'm already a wanted criminal... having a vision shouldn't effect me... plus... I need to see the shogun." Kazuha says

"What? Why would you want to see him?" Nami asked

"Her, actually, I'm sure she has my partner" Kazuha mutters.

Nami facepalmed, but Robin chuckled softly. “Let’s just take it one step at a time. We don’t need to go looking for trouble… but we should be ready for whatever comes our way.”

As the Thousand Sunny finally docked at the port, the crew disembarked, their feet crunching against the wet sand as the stormy wind whipped around them. The towering gates of Inazuma loomed ahead, guarded by stern-looking soldiers. The air crackled with electricity, and the sky seemed to pulse with energy, making the crew feel a mixture of unease and excitement.

Chopper, Brook, and Franky stayed behind on the ship.

“Welcome to Inazuma…” Kazuha murmured under his breath.

The bright lights of lanterns and streetlamps illuminated the wet cobblestone streets, giving the city a surreal, almost ghostly glow under the stormy skies.

“Wow, this place is intense,” Luffy said, taking in the sight of the city. He glanced around, grinning. “I bet there’s some good food around here!”

Sanji, a bit more cautious, narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know if that’s the best idea, Luffy. We should be careful about drawing attention.” He glanced toward the armored guards who were watching the group closely as they passed by.

“Don’t worry, Sanji,” Luffy said with a wink. “We’re just here to have fun! And maybe find something interesting to eat!”

Kazuha, his expression calm as always, gave a small sigh and turned to face the crew. “We should head toward the center of the city. There’s a tavern I know of where we can gather information and perhaps get some shelter for the night.” His eyes scanned the surroundings warily, as if expecting something to go wrong at any moment.

Nami frowned. “This place doesn’t feel very welcoming.”

“It’s a bit… heavy,” Robin added, her gaze lingering on the streets. “But there’s something intriguing about it. Let’s see what we can learn.”

Kazuha stops in his tracks. "Kazuha??" A red haired boy stood across from the group.

"Heizou!"

Luffy, ever the curious one, leaned forward eagerly. “Who’s this? He your friend, Kazuha?”

Kazuha nodded. “Yes, this is Heizou. He’s a detective here in Inazuma. He’s one of the most brilliant people I know, even if he can be a bit… much at times.”

Heizou grinned broadly at Kazuha’s comment. “Ah, the great Kazuha, always so humble. But hey, don’t worry about me. I’ve been keeping an eye on things here while you were off gallivanting around, causing trouble in other places.”

Heizou’s eyes then landed on the rest of the crew, scanning them with interest. "And I see you've made some new friends. An interesting bunch." He gave a playful wink, his eyes flicking between them, sizing them up.

Sanji stepped forward, looking Heizou over. “A detective, huh? You have a sharp look to you.”

"Well, thank you, handsome," Heizou said with a smirk. "But don’t let the looks fool you—I’m more than just a pretty face." He then turned his attention back to Kazuha. “So, what’s this I hear about you and someone being on a little quest of your own?”

Kazuha’s face grew a little warmer, his calm demeanor faltering ever so slightly. “I’m simply trying to find someone. It’s important.”

Heizou raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying teasing Kazuha. “Oh, I’m sure it’s very important,” he said, putting extra emphasis on the word “important.” He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice as he glanced at Kazuha with a sly smile. “You know, I haven’t seen you this serious about someone in a while. You’ve been traveling with this person for a while now, haven’t you?”

Kazuha shot Heizou a pointed look, his calm expression making it clear that he wasn’t interested in discussing it any further. But that didn’t stop Heizou, who continued to grin mischievously.

“So, tell me, what’s the deal with Scaramouche?” Heizou's voice was laced with amusement, his grin widening at the sight of Kazuha’s sudden change in posture. “He seemed quite taken with you back in Mondstadt, I believe. How’s he treating you these days? Still causing trouble for you?”

The mention of Scaramouche made Kazuha's face stiffen for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure, although there was a slight unease in his eyes. "Heizou, that's not something we need to talk about."

“Oh, come on, Kazuha!” Heizou teased, his voice too chipper for the subject matter. “You two were inseparable, weren't you? You spent so much time together… Don’t tell me you’re still not keeping up with him? Or was that just an old flame burning out?”

Kazuha’s gaze flickered to the ground for a moment, his lips pressing together in silence. He was clearly uncomfortable with the subject, but Heizou’s relentless teasing wasn’t going to stop.

“I really don’t think now’s the time to—” Kazuha began, but Heizou interrupted him, feigning exaggerated shock.

“Not the time? Oh, I’m sure it’s always the time for a little gossip about Scaramouche! The one who’s always scheming and causing a ruckus, he really knows how to get under your skin, doesn’t he?”

Kazuha’s voice softened slightly, a hint of sadness creeping into his tone. “Scaramouche… is complicated. But it’s not something I want to discuss.”

Heizou’s grin faltered for a moment as he studied Kazuha’s face. His playful demeanor softened slightly, though the teasing lilt in his voice didn’t entirely disappear. “Alright, alright. I’ll stop, but don’t think this is the last time I’m bringing it up.” He clapped Kazuha on the back, causing him to stiffen slightly. “I know when my friend is holding something back.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” Kazuha muttered dryly, rolling his eyes.

Luffy, oblivious to the subtle tension between the two, was grinning from ear to ear. “I don’t know who this Scaramouche is, but I want to meet him! He sounds like a fun guy!”

Nami groaned, rubbing her temples. “Luffy, please. Focus. We’re here for information about this Vision Hunt thing, not to start some random adventure with Scaramouche.”

Heizou chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. “I doubt you’ll be running into Scaramouche anytime soon. He’s... not exactly the type to stick around in one place for long. He’s a bit of a... troublemaker.”

"Trouble maker? Is he not already here?" Kazuha asked

"I was sure the shogun had him locked up-" Kazuha stammered

As Heizou grinned mischievously at Kazuha, he couldn’t help but press on. “So, you thought the Shogun had Scaramouche locked up?” He raised an eyebrow, enjoying the moment of teasing.

Kazuha blinked, his face slightly flushed at the mention of Scaramouche. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep his composure. “I was under the impression that... that he was locked away after everything that happened.”

Heizou’s smile only widened, clearly enjoying the discomfort he was causing. “Ah, well, Kazuha, you’d think so, wouldn’t you? The problem is, Scaramouche is far too clever to stay locked up for long.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice as if sharing an inside joke. “He’s the prince of Inazuma, after all. You don’t just lock up royalty, not without making a lot of noise.”

Luffy perked up. “Wait, prince? He’s a prince?”

"Its a long story really... We left inazuma a few years ago but he disapeared and told me that his royal duties needed something" Kazuha sighs

"Wait-wait wait- This scaramouche prince guy is your partner?" Sanji says

"Yes, is there an issue?" kazuha hums

"You.. you are gay?" Sanji acked

"I am, is there an issue?" Kazuha's eyes narrowd

"Uh.. no.. I just- I didnt think gay people acted like you- er nevermind sorry" Sanji says

"Moving on, what did he do?" Kazuha asked Heizou

Heizou sighs loudly. "He returned to Inazuma after a while, and let’s just say he didn’t come back with good intentions. He caused a lot of trouble, more than a prince should, honestly. But the thing is, after his little rebellion, he didn’t just go back to being a royal. No, he joined the Fatui.”

Kazuha’s expression shifted slightly, concern flashing in his eyes. “The Fatui… So, he truly aligned with them.”

“Yeah, and you know how the Fatui operate,” Heizou continued, his tone taking on a more serious edge. “They’ve got their hands in everything, pulling strings behind the scenes. It’s no surprise Scaramouche found a comfortable place there. But the real kicker? After a while, he disappeared again. Vanished into thin air. Last I heard, he was in Sumeru, but who knows? Scaramouche is unpredictable.”

Luffy’s eyes widened. “Wait! So he’s like a bad guy now?”

Heizou sighed. “I wouldn’t exactly call him a ‘bad guy.’ He’s more like a wildcard, always shifting and changing his allegiance depending on whatever suits him at the time. He’s got his own agenda, and when it doesn’t align with the rest of the world’s, things get messy.”

Sanji frowned, still trying to digest the whole situation. “So this guy’s a prince, a Fatui, and a wild card... He sounds like trouble.”

"Kazuha are you going to keep looking for him?" Nami asked

"Well- I mean, I have too. He's probably just acting out because of the shogun" Kazuha sighs. "I'm sorry you guys, I didn't mean for you to get tangled up in this mess, if you'd like to leave that would be perfectly fine bu-"

"No!" Luffy shouted. "I want to help you! To Sumaru we go!" Luffy cheers

"Luffy we just got here" Nami groans

Kazuha couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh at Luffy’s enthusiasm, despite the situation. He was grateful for the support, though he felt guilty for dragging them all into his mess. "I appreciate it, Luffy. But I don’t want to cause you all unnecessary trouble."

"He’s right," Robin chimed in, her voice calm but firm. "We’ve come this far. If Scaramouche is involved with the fatui, we need to understand what’s going on. It’s bigger than just you, Kazuha."

"Exactly!" Luffy grinned, completely ignoring the fact that Nami was already rolling her eyes. "I don’t care if we’re in Inazuma or Sumeru, we're going wherever the adventure takes us!"

Nami groaned, rubbing the back of her neck. "I swear, you have a one-track mind. But fine, we’re in this together, like it or not."

Sanji grinned and struck a pose, as if declaring his undying commitment. "And you know, nothing will stop me from helping out my friends... especially if there's food involved. Gotta make sure we keep our energy up!"

Kazuha smiled warmly at the group, the anxiety in his chest easing a little. "Thank you... all of you. I didn’t expect this much support, but I’m glad to have you with me."

Heizou, still standing nearby with an amused look on his face, added, “Well, I can’t say I’m not entertained. But if you’re all heading to Sumeru, you should know it’s not exactly a walk in the park. The Fatui’s influence is strong there, and not just in the cities. Be careful where you tread.”

Kazuha nodded solemnly. "I know. But I can’t just sit back and do nothing. Scaramouche... he’s not the person I knew anymore. I have to find him. And this time, I need to be prepared for whatever he’s become."

Heizou smirked, clearly enjoying Kazuha’s resolve. "Sounds like you’ve got a long road ahead. But, if you need help finding your way around Sumeru, you know where to find me. Just don’t expect me to hold your hand. I have my own cases to work on."

Luffy jumped up, punching the air with a loud whoop. “Alright! Next stop, Sumeru! Let’s go!”

With the promise of adventure ahead, the crew gathered their things and prepared to head out. Though Kazuha was still torn by the complex emotions surrounding Scaramouche, the unwavering support from his new friends gave him a sense of determination.

Chapter Text

We need a map of Teyvat,” he said. “If we’re going to find Scaramouche, we need to know where to look.”

“Leave it to me!” Nami grinned, already eyeing a well-dressed cartographer who seemed easy to negotiate, or scam.

Minutes later, she returned, flipping open a large parchment. “Here it is! A complete map of Teyvat.”

The crew gathered around as Nami laid it out on table in the Sunny's common area. The map displayed vast regions, Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan, and Snezhnaya.

“So, this whole Archipelago is made of separate nations?” Robin asked, studying the details.

“Yeah,” Kazuha confirmed. “Heizou told me Scaramouche would be in Sumaru..." He pointed his finger on the map. "Which is all the way... We are here, in inazuma... We can probably buy an eternal pose so we can go straight to Sumaru... However if we can't then it shouldn't be too bad... after all the islands are fairly close together" Kazuha murmurs. "We’ll need to approach from the west. The ports near Port Ormos will be the safest entry point.”

“Port Ormos, huh?” Sanji nodded, already thinking about what delicacies the region might offer.

“And where’s Scaramouche likely to be?” Zoro asked, scanning the map.

Kazuha traced his finger toward the northern regions, where the land turned to desert.

“If he’s with the Fatui…” Kazuha murmured. “He’ll be near the Akademiya or deeper in the desert where the Fatui operate in secret.”

"Have you ever been to Sumaru?" Robin asked

"Briefly, I have a penpal there, hopefully he will be of some help, after all he works as a scribe for the academia" Kazuha says

Luffy cracked his knuckles, his grin widening. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s set sail!”

The Thousand Sunny drifted gracefully away from the docks of Inazuma, its sails catching the wind as the crew moved with practiced ease. The salty breeze carried the promise of adventure as they set course for Sumeru, where answers—and Scaramouche awaited.

“Penpal, huh?” Usopp raised an eyebrow as he leaned against the railing. “Since when do you have a penpal in Sumeru, Kazuha?”

“His name is Alhaitham,” Kazuha replied, his gaze steady on the horizon. “He works as a scribe at the Akademiya. We exchanged letters over the years, discussing philosophy, poetry, and… politics.”

“Philosophy and politics?” Sanji smirked, lighting a cigarette. “Sounds like a real thrill.”

“Alhaitham’s intellect is unmatched,” Kazuha replied softly. “But he prefers to remain detached. He sees emotions as distractions.”

“Sounds like a pain,” Zoro muttered, arms crossed.

"Maybe for you, he might have to simplify things, actually is this conversation getting to much for you marimo? We can simplify things for you" Sanji grins

"Haah?! What did you say to me curly-brow!" Zoro took out one of his swords

"What? Didn't understand me? Is the moss getting to your head?" Sanji laughs

Before the fight escalated Nami punched both of them on the head. "You guys are insufferable!"

"Im sorry Nami-swan....!" Sanji whines

"Witch." Zoro grumbles

“Detached or not,” Robin said thoughtfully, “a scribe at the Akademiya could provide us with valuable insight.”

“Especially if the Fatui are operating in the region,” Franky added.

“Then we’ll make sure to pay your friend a visit,” Nami said with a confident nod, checking the map. “We’re on course for Port Ormos. If the wind holds, we’ll be there by sunrise.”

As night fell, the crew settled into their usual routines. Zoro trained with his swords, Brook played a soft tune on his violin, and Chopper and Usopp tinkered with gadgets by the light of the moon.

Kazuha stood at the bow, the sea breeze tugging at his hair as he stared into the vastness of the ocean.

“Can’t sleep?” Robin’s calm voice interrupted his thoughts.

Kazuha turned slightly, offering a faint smile. “The sea is… comforting. It reminds me of home.”

Robin joined him, her gaze on the horizon. “You’re worried about him, aren’t you?”

“Scaramouche…” Kazuha’s voice was barely above a whisper. “He’s always been torn between freedom and control. I fear the Fatui have tightened their grip on him.”

Robin studied him for a moment. “And if he doesn’t want to be saved?”

Kazuha’s expression hardened. “Then I’ll remind him what it means to be free.”

Kazuha decides that he would prefer a snack. He hoped that sanji wouldnt be too mad at him grabbing something to eat in his kitchen.

When he entered he saw Nami talking into a transponder snail. She was blushing, Nami hung up after a second. Kazuha tried to pretend like he didn't see anything, after all it was none of his business.

"Kazuha.." Nami sighs loudly

"Oh... uh whats up?" Kazuha asked

"You said Scaramouche was a prince right?" Nami asked

"Yep" He nods grabbing almonds to munch on.

"How did you convince him to travel with you?" she sighs

"I uh... Just asked if he wanted to be free... Why?" Kazuha asked curiously

"I'm dating a princess... we've been long distance and it sucks" She sighs

"Oh, I'm sorry" Kazuha says quite unsure how to respond to this

"It's fine I guess... Thanks anyways" Nami groans.

Land ahead!” Usopp’s voice echoed from the crow’s nest, his telescope pointed forward.

The crew gathered at the bow, and sure enough, Sumeru’s lush coastline stretched before them. The dense jungles shimmered under the morning sun, the scent of exotic flowers drifting on the breeze.

“We made it!” Luffy cheered, punching the air.

But Kazuha’s sharp eyes caught something on the horizon a shadow moving fast across the water.

“Wait… something’s approaching.”

Nami squinted. “A ship?”

“No…” Kazuha’s hand hovered near his sword, his instincts screaming danger.

A Fatui warship emerged from the mist, its crimson sails cutting through the water like a predator closing in on its prey.

“Fatui?!” Zoro’s expression darkened.

“They must have been tracking us!” Nami growled.

“Looks like they don’t want us reaching Sumeru.” Sanji’s cigarette burned brighter as he exhaled slowly.

“Too bad for them.” Luffy’s grin widened, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Let’s show ‘em what happens when you mess with the Straw Hats!”

Franky! Get us some distance!” Nami ordered, her hands tightening on the wheel.

“Super reverse mode, engaged!” Franky yelled, cranking the helm as the Sunny veered to avoid the oncoming ship.

Cannons roared from the Fatui vessel, sending a volley of shots toward the Sunny.

“Not happening!” Usopp took position, slingshot in hand. “Green Star: Impact!”

Explosive projectiles collided midair, detonating before they could reach the Sunny.

“Time to slice this ship in half.” Zoro’s eyes gleamed as he drew his swords, standing ready.

“Hold steady!” Luffy shouted, his arms stretching as he launched himself toward the enemy ship. “Gum-Gum Rocket!”

He landed with a thunderous crash, sending Fatui soldiers flying.

“Alright!” Luffy grinned, cracking his knuckles. “Let’s get this over with!”

While the battle raged on, Kazuha’s eyes were locked on one figure—a Fatui Harbinger standing at the helm of the enemy ship.

“Scaramouche…” Kazuha whispered, his heart pounding. But the figure was, too tall, much too tall to be his scaramouche.

But as he prepared to confront him, a chilling voice echoed across the deck.

“Looking for me, Kazuha?”

Kazuha’s breath caught.

He was right it wasn’t Scaramouche.

A tall, masked figure stepped forward, cloaked in darkness.

“Who are you?” Kazuha demanded, his grip tightening on his blade.

The figure chuckled softly. “Let’s just say… I’m someone who’s very interested in keeping you away from Sumeru.”

The masked figure stepped into the light, and the chilling aura surrounding him was unmistakable. Kazuha’s eyes narrowed as the figure finally removed his mask, revealing a sinister grin that sent a shiver down his spine.

“Dottore…” Kazuha’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“The ever-observant swordsman,” Dottore purred, his eyes gleaming with a cruel amusement. “You’ve been quite a thorn in the Fatui’s side. And now…” He spread his arms wide, as if welcoming the chaos that was unfolding. “Here you are, sailing straight into my hands.”

“Dottore?!” Robin’s voice echoed from the Sunny as she recognized the infamous Harbinger.

"Robin you know him?" Kazuha asked, Robin nodded.

"I've heard of him."

“Who’s that creepy-looking guy?” Luffy asked, tilting his head as he stood on the enemy deck, fists ready.

“Il Dottore,” Robin’s voice was grim. “A Fatui Harbinger known for his… experiments.”

“Experiments?” Chopper’s eyes widened in horror.

“Let’s just say,” Kazuha tone was cold, “he doesn’t see a difference between people and lab rats.”

Kazuha’s grip on his sword tightened, his heart pounding in his ears. “Where is Scaramouche?”

Dottore chuckled, the sound echoing eerily across the deck. “Ah… Scaramouche.” His grin grew wider. “I suppose you’re hoping to ‘save’ him, aren’t you? How sentimental.”

“Where is he?” Kazuha demanded again, his voice sharper this time.

Dottore took a slow, deliberate step forward, the metal plating of his boots clinking softly against the deck. “You’re wasting your time.” His eyes gleamed with malice. “Scaramouche doesn’t want to be saved. He’s finally embraced what he was always meant to be.”

“Liar.” Kazuha’s voice was steady, but the storm in his heart raged louder.

Dottore smirked. “You think you know him? You think he’ll just… walk away from the power he’s been given?”

“Even if he’s lost his way…” Kazuha raised his blade, the wind stirring around him. “I’ll remind him who he really is.”

Dottore’s grin sharpened. “Then you’ll have to get through me first.”

"Hah… how foolish.” Dottore raised his hand, and Fatui agents surrounded Kazuha, their weapons drawn.

“Not gonna let you hog the fun, Kazuha!” Luffy shouted, launching himself back to the Sunny with a Gum-Gum Rocket.

“Gum-Gum Gatling!” Luffy’s fists blurred as they pounded through the Fatui grunts, sending them sprawling across the deck.

“Zoro, Sanji! Cover me!” Kazuha called out, his sword glowing as he summoned the power of the wind.

“On it.” Zoro’s grin was sharp as he leapt to Kazuha’s side, blades ready.

“Don’t slow me down, marimo,” Sanji muttered, flames already licking at his feet.

Dottore watched with intrigue as the Straw Hats tore through his soldiers. “Fascinating,” he murmured. “But you’re wasting your strength.”

“Chihayaburu.” Kazuha’s blade danced through the air as he propelled himself forward, closing the distance between him and Dottore in an instant.

“Impressive,” Dottore murmured, dodging the strike effortlessly. “But predictable.”

Kazuha’s sword met Dottore’s gauntlet, sparks flying as the Harbinger blocked the blow with ease.

“Anemo won’t be enough to stop me.” Dottore’s smile was cold as he pressed forward, forcing Kazuha back. “Let me show you the power of progress.”

As the battle unfolded around him, Kazuha’s focus remained locked on Dottore. The wind stirred around him, carrying the weight of his conviction.

“I won’t let you use Scaramouche,” Kazuha murmured, his voice steady as his blade began to glow.

“Oh?” Dottore tilted his head, amused. “And what makes you think you can stop me?”

“Because…” Kazuha’s eyes hardened, his resolve burning brighter than ever. “I’ve already made my choice.”

“And I’ll bring him back.”

As Kazuha and Dottore clashed, the air crackled with tension. The wind howled around them, carrying the scent of salt and burning debris from the wreckage of the Fatui warship. But before Kazuha could press his attack, a distant roar echoed across the sea.

“BOOM!”

A cannonball tore through the air, exploding just off the port side of the Thousand Sunny.

“Cannon fire?!” Nami’s eyes widened as she scanned the horizon with her spyglass.

“Oi! That’s not Fatui fire!” Franky yelled, his face twisting into a scowl.

“Marines!” Usopp’s voice cracked, panic setting in as he pointed toward the horizon.

On the horizon, several Marine warships closed in, their sails billowing with the insignia of the World Government. The lead ship, towering over the others, bore a massive Marine flag that flapped ominously in the wind.

“Vice Admiral Momonga…” Robin’s expression darkened as she recognized the familiar figure standing at the bow of the lead ship.

“Vice Admiral, huh?” Zoro’s grip on his swords tightened, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. “This just got interesting.”

Dottore’s laughter echoed through the chaos. “My, my…” His eyes gleamed with amusement as he turned toward the approaching Marine fleet. “It seems fate has a sense of humor.”

“Great…” Sanji muttered, his cigarette barely hanging from his lips. “We’re stuck between a mad scientist and the Marines.”

“Perfect.” Zoro smirked, readying his blades. “More people to cut down.”

Kazuha’s gaze darted between Dottore and the Marine ships. His mind raced.

If the Marines capture us, it’s over. And if Dottore escapes…

“We can’t stay here,” Kazuha murmured under his breath, his grip tightening on his sword.

"Alright!” Luffy’s voice boomed, cutting through the chaos. His eyes burned with determination as he stood tall on the Sunny’s deck. “We’re not sticking around to get caught by the Marines!”

“But what about Dottore?!” Kazuha called out, his blade still locked with the Harbinger’s gauntlet.

Luffy grinned, his expression as fierce as ever. “We’ll get Scaramouche… but not like this.” His gaze flickered toward the dense, emerald coastline of Sumeru in the distance. “We’re going into the forest!”

“Forest?!” Nami’s jaw dropped. “You want to take the Sunny into Sumeru?!”

“Trust me!” Luffy’s grin widened. “We’ll lose them in the jungle!”

“Are you crazy?!” Usopp wailed, already imagining the horrors that awaited them in the Sumeru wilderness.

“Gum-Gum Rocket!” Luffy launched himself across the deck, grabbing Kazuha by the arm. “Come on, we’re leaving!”

Franky! Get us moving!” Luffy shouted as he and Kazuha landed back on the Sunny.

“Super!” Franky’s eyes lit up as he slammed his fists onto the control panel. “Full speed ahead!”

The Sunny’s engines roared to life, propelling the ship forward as it turned toward the coastline.

“Boom!” Another cannonball exploded nearby, sending a spray of seawater into the air.

“Marines are gaining on us!” Nami cried out, steering the ship toward the narrow inlet that led toward the dense, fog-covered Avidya Forest of Sumeru.

“We’re almost there!” Kazuha’s eyes remained locked on the approaching treeline, his heart pounding.

“Not so fast.”

Dottore’s cold voice echoed as he reappeared on the deck of the Fatui ship, a cruel smile tugging at his lips. “You’re not escaping me that easily.”

But before Dottore could act—

“BOOM!”

A massive wave surged between the Fatui ship and the Sunny as a Marine cannonball struck the water. The chaos gave the crew just enough of a distraction.

“Now, Nami!” Luffy yelled.

“Got it!” Nami swung the Sunny toward the shore, steering the ship into the narrow passage that led to Sumeru’s dense jungle.

The Sunny plowed through the shallow waters, cutting a path toward the Avidya Forest. The thick canopy of ancient trees loomed ahead, their vines and branches forming a natural barrier that would soon hide the crew from view.

“Brace yourselves!” Franky shouted as the ship skimmed over the edge of the shoreline.

The Sunny slid to a stop, its hull barely missing the rocky outcrop as it came to rest in the muddy shallows.

“We’re in!” Luffy grinned, jumping off the ship and landing in the dense foliage.

“Ugh…” Usopp stumbled off the ship, already brushing off imaginary bugs. “Why do we always end up in places like this?!”

“Because adventure waits for no one!” Luffy declared, his excitement undeterred.

Kazuha’s gaze swept over the dense forest, his mind already racing ahead. Scaramouche… you’re somewhere out there.

“Come on,” Kazuha murmured, his voice quiet but resolute. “We don’t have much time.”

“Right,” Robin nodded, her eyes scanning the forest ahead. “If Dottore’s involved, we need to move quickly.”

“Let’s go!” Luffy shouted, leading the charge as the crew plunged deeper into the heart of Sumeru.

Ussop, Franky and brook were incharge of watching the ship while the group wandered the forest. The thick forest was quiet, the usual sounds of wildlife muffled by the dense foliage. Kazuha and the Straw Hats had been trekking through the wilderness for hours, the air growing thicker with each step. The path seemed to twist endlessly, as if the forest itself was trying to prevent them from finding their way.

Kazuha, his senses on high alert, scanned the trees. “We’ve been walking in circles…” he muttered, the frustration evident in his voice. “We need to find someone who knows this forest.”

“Maybe there’s someone around here who can help,” Nami suggested, glancing at the others.

Suddenly, a rustling sound from behind them broke the silence. Kazuha’s hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword. The crew turned to face the source of the noise, and from between the trees emerged a young woman with green hair and a bow slung across her back. She was dressed in simple but practical clothing, her eyes sharp and calculating.

"Collei?! Is that you?" Kazuha gasped

"Kazuha?"

"You've gotten so big! Last time i saw you- you were just a little thing" Kazuha teases

Collei blushes embarressed.

“I was going to have a cool moment and offer help!” she said embaressed, her voice calm but wary. “This forest isn’t the easiest to navigate.”

Luffy grinned widely. “We’re looking for someone! We’ve been lost in these woods for a while!”

The woman raised an eyebrow, but her expression softened when she noticed Kazuha. “I can help you. This forest is my home, and I know the way through. I can lead you to Tighnari, He’ll be able to help you.”

Kazuha studied her for a moment, his instincts telling him she was trustworthy. “Tighnari? I haven't seen him in a really long time” he repeated, a note of curiosity in his voice. “Lead the way, then.”

“Follow me,” Collei said, turning and heading deeper into the forest. The crew followed closely behind, their steps lighter as they left the confusing twists of the forest behind them.

"Kazuha you have alot of friends" Luffy exclaimed

"Its very usuful when your friendly" Kazuha says humbly

"Say... your not here because of-.." Collei trailed off

"Yep... looking for him again" Kazuha sighs.

After a short walk, they arrived at a small clearing, where a tall figure stood waiting. Tighnari, the forest watcher, stood with his arms crossed, his striking ears twitching at the sound of their approach. He wore a mixture of traditional and practical clothing, a deep green cloak draped over his shoulders.

“Collei, you’ve brought guests- and.. Kazuha??” Tighnari said, his voice smooth but authoritative. He turned his gaze to the Straw Hats, his eyes lingering on Kazuha with a mix of curiosity and caution. “I take it you’ve gotten lost?”

Collei nodded, offering a small smile. “They’ve been wandering for a while. I thought you might be able to assist them.”

Kazuha stepped forward, offering a polite bow. “Thank you for your help, Tighnari. We’ve been searching for scaramouche... Do you know about his wearabouts?” Kazuha pauses. "He might be going by Balladeer..?"

Tighnari thought for a moment, his gaze moving over the group. “Balladeer? The name sounds familiar, but he’s not someone I’d expect to find in these parts. If he’s around, he might be closer to Sumeru City. That’s where a lot of travelers go when they need to regroup.”

“Sumeru City…” Kazuha repeated, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “That’s where we need to go.”

Just as he spoke, another figure appeared from behind Tighnari, a tall, imposing figure with a friendly but playful smile. The man had white hair, his features sharp yet warm, and his eyes twinkled with a mischievous gleam.

“Tighnari,” the man greeted, his voice warm and easygoing. “I see we have guests. I’m Cyno, Tighnari’s…” he paused, giving a brief, amused glance at Tighnari. “...boyfriend and the general mahamatra It’s good to meet you all.”

Kazuha raised an eyebrow at the sudden revelation. “Your boyfriend? When did that happen?” he asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Tighnari’s ears flicked, clearly embarrassed. “Cyno, you don’t have to announce that every time.”

Cyno laughed, unbothered by Tighnari’s apparent discomfort. “It’s fine, Tighnari. Let them know!”

Kazuha chuckled lightly before his gaze shifted to Cyno. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cyno.”

“Likewise,” Cyno replied, his tone sincere. “If you’re looking for Scaramouche, the quickest way would be through Sumeru City. I can escort you there. It’ll be safer than wandering the forest any longer.”

Luffy’s eyes lit up at the mention of Sumeru City. “Sumeru City? That sounds awesome!”

“Sumeru City it is,” Kazuha said, glancing at the Straw Hats. “Thank you for your help. We appreciate it.”

Tighnari nodded. “It’s the least we can do. Let’s get you there safely.”

"Cyno.. Do you know of Alhaitham?" Kazuha asked as they walked

"Yep, once a week Tighnari and I head down to a bar to go drinking with him and his.. roommate" Cyno says

"Roommate you say?" A smile tugged on kazuha's lips

"How do you know Alhaitham? I didn't think he had other friends outside of us... after all hes pretty.. grumpy to say the least" Cyno laughs

"Penpal" Kazuha nods. "I thought he would be able to help us find the balladeer" Kazuha sighs

As they arrived in Sumeru City, the vibrant marketplace buzzed around them, filled with the scent of exotic spices and the hum of scholarly debates. Cyno led the group through winding streets until they reached a modest yet well-maintained house tucked away in a quieter district.

Cyno knocked once, then pushed the door open without waiting. “Alhaitham, we have guests.”

"-and another thing, Alhaitham, how is it that every single time I come back, there’s less space for my belongings?! Do you have some kind of personal vendetta against me?!”

Alhaitham, without looking up, took a calm sip of tea. “No. Your belongings are simply inefficiently placed.”

Kaveh threw his hands in the air. “Inefficiently—?! You threw out my latest architectural drafts because you ‘didn’t like the clutter!’”

“I didn’t throw them out,” Alhaitham corrected smoothly. “I archived them. If you want to retrieve them, they are filed under ‘Excessive and Unnecessary Projects’ in the bottom cabinet.”

Kaveh gasped, hand to his chest as though personally wounded. “You categorized them under that?!”

Before Kaveh could launch into another rant, Cyno cleared his throat, making both architects turn toward the new arrivals.

From within, an exasperated voice groaned. “Cyno, how many times have I told you not to barge in?”

A blond man in extravagant attire stormed into view, arms crossed. “You see? This is exactly what I mean! No respect for privacy! No sense of common courtesy!” Kaveh dramatically threw his hands in the air. “What if we had been in the middle of something?”

Alhaitham, who had just walked into the room with a book in hand, didn’t even glance up. “Then I would have ignored it, as I do with most of your complaints.”

Kaveh gasped, utterly scandalized. “Unbelievable! Utterly insufferable! How do I live with this man? Oh, that’s right, I have no choice because the cost of living in this city is a crime against humanity!”

Cyno cleared his throat, unfazed by the theatrics. “We need your help.”

Alhaitham sighed, finally shutting his book. His sharp gaze flickered over the group, pausing briefly on Kazuha. “I assume this has something to do with why my so-called pen pal has suddenly materialized at my doorstep?”

Kazuha inclined his head. “A pleasure to meet you in person at last, Alhaitham.”

Alhaitham studied him for a moment before gesturing toward the seating area. “Let’s hear it, then. What kind of mess have you all landed yourselves in?”

Before Kazuha could answer, Kaveh let out an incredulous laugh. “Oh, so now you’re interested? You don’t lift a finger to help with my problems, but the second a mysterious swordsman shows up, suddenly you care?”

Alhaitham exhaled sharply. “Because, unlike your so-called ‘problems,’ this one likely involves actual consequences beyond you whining about my home decor choices.”

Kaveh clutched his chest. “I cannot believe you just dismissed my suffering like that.”

Alhaitham raised a brow. “Your ‘suffering’ was about a misplaced vase.”

Kaveh pointed an accusing finger at him. “A vase that tied the entire aesthetic of the room together!”

Sanji leaned toward Usopp, whispering, “They argue more than you and Zoro.”

Zoro scoffed. “At least our fights have a point.”

Alhaitham ignored the conversation around him, resting his chin on his hand. “Well? What is it you need?”

Kazuha took a deep breath. “We need your help to find the Balladeer.”

Kaveh blinked. “Wait. You mean that Balladeer?” He looked between them, realization dawning. “Oh, you’re all insane.”

Kaveh paused for a second, taking in everyones appearance, then squinted at the group before his jaw dropped. “Hold on!hold on!” He pointed at them dramatically. “These are the Straw Hat Pirates and THE Kaedehara kazuha?!”

A beat of silence passed.

Luffy grinned. “That’s us! I didn't know Kazuha was famous”

"What?? How could you not? He blocked the Musou no Hitotachi! He deflected a God's attack!! then he activated two visions at once!! TWO!!" Kaveh says shocked

"It was just what I had to do" Kazuha sighs

Kaveh groaned, gripping his head. “Oh, great, so now I’m harboring international criminals...

Kaveh gasped dramatically, clutching his head. “Do you have any idea what kind of trouble follows you everywhere?! I’ve read about your exploits in the Akademiya reports, absolute chaos, destruction, government conspiracies! And you” He whirled on Zoro. “You’re the one who cuts through entire buildings like they’re made of paper!”

Zoro shrugged. “Only when necessary.”

“That’s not reassuring!” Kaveh groaned, rubbing his temples. Then his eyes landed on Nami, and he pointed accusingly. “And you! You’ve led raids on treasuries, stolen from nobles, and single-handedly manipulated entire economies! Do you know how many financial reports have flagged a mysterious orange-haired thief disrupting trade routes?!”

Nami flipped her hair back with a smirk. “Oh? I didn’t know the Akademiya kept track of my work. I must be really good.”

Kaveh sputtered. “That’s not the point!” His frustration only grew as his gaze fell on Robin. “And you,” he said, pointing cautiously, as if she might summon a hundred hands to strangle him. “Your name is in classified records. Half of what you’ve done is redacted!”

Robin hums with a small smile. “Smart of them.”

Kaveh exhaled sharply through his nose, trying to stay calm. Then he turned to Sanji, who was already grinning. “And you,” Kaveh continued, exasperated, “infiltrated a government facility just to save your captain and somehow managed to kick a man through a building in the process?!”

Sanji lit a cigarette, exhaling smoothly. “It was a tactical decision.”

Kaveh dragged a hand down his face. “I hate this.”

Finally, his gaze landed on Luffy, who had been oddly silent throughout the rant. “And you!” Kaveh pointed dramatically at him. “You’re the worst of them all! You’ve declared war on the World Government! You’ve punched a Celestial Dragon! You cause international incidents everywhere you go!”

Luffy grinned, stretching his arms behind his head. “Yep! Pretty cool, huh?”

Kaveh looked to Cyno with wide, despairing eyes. “Why. Why did you bring them to our house?!”

Alhaitham sighed, rubbing his temples as Kaveh continued to spiral into frustration. “You’re overreacting,” he said flatly.

“I am not overreacting!” Kaveh snapped, throwing his hands in the air. “You brought a walking government threat and his band of chaos into our home! Do you have any idea what will happen if the Akademiya finds out?!”

“They won’t,” Alhaitham replied, turning his attention back to the crew. “You mentioned you’re looking for the Balladeer?”

Kazuha nodded. “We believe he may have information crucial to our journey. Unfortunately, his whereabouts are elusive.”

Alhaitham hummed thoughtfully. “Not surprising. After the events in Sumeru, the Balladeer vanished without a trace. The Akademiya has no official records of his movements, and those who do know aren’t keen on sharing.”

“Wait,” Kaveh interrupted, crossing his arms. “You want to find him? On purpose?”

“Yeah!” Luffy grinned. “He’s strong, right? Strong guys are fun to fight.”

Kaveh’s eye twitched. “You want to fight him?”

“I mean, only if he wants to fight back,” Luffy said, as if that was supposed to make it sound better.

Kaveh looked to Alhaitham again, silently pleading for any kind of intervention. Alhaitham, however, remained as indifferent as ever. “If they’re looking for someone, they’ll find him one way or another. It’s better they have guidance.”

“Oh, so now you’re in the business of helping outlaws?” Kaveh accused. “I thought you were the Grand Sage’s scribe!”

Alhaitham shrugged. “I’m currently on leave.”

Kaveh groaned, massaging his forehead. “I need a drink.”

Cyno, who had been quietly observing, smirked. “We could take them to someone who might know where the Balladeer went.”

"Why might that be?" kazuha asked

"Do you think lesser lord kusanali would be apposed to helping?" Cyno asked

"I don't think so" Alhaithem said

"What? Isn't she a god?" Kazuha said shocked

"Might be worth a try" Kaveh sighs

"I can take them there-" Alhaitham starts

"Wait!! I am hungry! We havent eaten anything! Can we feast before talking to a god?" Luffy grins

"You've got to be kidding me.." Nami groans

Alhaitham adjusted his earpiece. “If food is what it takes to keep everyone focused, then fine. But we won’t waste too much time.”

Cyno nodded solemnly. “A wise choice. Even the strongest warriors need sustenance. Besides…” His expression turned serious. “I heard that the best way to impress a god is by making an offering. And what better offering than a well-prepared meal?”

Luffy beamed. “See? Even the serious guy gets it!”

“Do not encourage him,” Nami snapped.

Kazuha chuckled, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Perhaps this is fate. A meal before an important meeting can strengthen bonds.”

Robin smiled. “And give us time to prepare our words carefully.”

Sanji took the lead, already scouting for a place to cook. “Leave the food to me. But I hope Sumeru’s markets have something decent to work with.”

As the group made their way to the bazaar, Cyno suddenly turned to Kazuha.

“By the way, do you know why Luffy would never be a good scholar?”

Kazuha blinked. “No, why?”

Cyno’s face remained deadpan. “Because he only ever stretches the truth.”

Silence.

Luffy burst out laughing. “Hahahaha! I don’t get it, but it sounds funny!”

Nami groaned, rubbing her temples. “This is going to be a long day…”

Alhaitham sighed. “A very long day.”

The scent of exotic spices and sizzling meats filled the air as the Straw Hats and their Sumeru companions arrived at the Grand Bazaar. The marketplace was alive with energy, merchants calling out their wares, dancers performing to the rhythm of drums, and the chatter of travelers from all over Teyvat.

Luffy’s eyes sparkled at the sight of food stalls. “Whoa! This place is amazing!” He bolted forward before anyone could stop him, already reaching for a skewer of grilled meat.

“Luffy, no!” Nami lunged, grabbing him by the collar just before his hands could snatch a piece. “We need to pay for food!”

Sanji, however, was already scanning the stalls with a keen eye. “Alright, I can work with this. Fresh vegetables, high-quality cuts of meat, and spices I’ve never seen before… This could be fun.”

Kaveh sighed, pulling out his Mora pouch. “If it means keeping them under control, I’ll cover the cost.”

Alhaitham raised an eyebrow. “Generous. I thought you were always broke.”

Kaveh shot him a glare. “I am, This is your mora”

"Your kidding..."

As the group scattered through the bazaar, gathering ingredients, Chopper marveled at the selection of exotic fruits, while Sanji enthusiastically haggled for rare seasonings. while Zoro, unsurprisingly, somehow managed to get lost among the stalls despite not even leaving their sight.

Robin chuckled. “This place is livelier than I expected.”

Cyno, who had been silent for a while, finally turned to Nami. “Do you know why pirates love markets like these?”

Nami tilted her head“Oh? Why is that?”

Cyno’s face remained stoic. “Because they always find a steal.”

Sanji groaned, but Luffy laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “Hahaha! That’s a good one!”

Nami massaged her temples. “Why are you encouraging him?!”

Before another joke could be made, Sanji set up a makeshift cooking station at the heart of the bazaar. With a dramatic flourish, he cracked his knuckles and got to work, slicing, dicing, and searing ingredients with the finesse of a master chef. Soon, the air was thick with the mouthwatering aroma of grilled meats, aromatic curries, and freshly baked bread.

A small crowd gathered, drawn in by the spectacle. Even merchants paused their work to watch.

“I have to admit, this is impressive,” Kazuha mused, sipping a fragrant tea.

As the feast was laid out, Luffy wasted no time, already stuffing his face. “This is the best meal ever!” he shouted between bites.

Sanji smirked. “Of course it is. You’re eating my cooking.”

Just as the meal reached its peak, a soft giggle rang out from nearby. The group turned to see a young girl in elegant robes, green eyes twinkling with curiosity.

“Enjoying your time in Sumeru?” she asked, her voice gentle yet knowing.

Cyno stiffened. “Lesser Lord Kusanali…”

The feast had drawn the attention of a god

Chapter Text

The crew froze, their mouths half-full and eyes wide as they stared at the small, elegant figure before them. Lesser Lord Kusanali, the Dendro Archon, stood with a serene smile, her presence radiating an aura of calm wisdom that belied her youthful appearance.

“A god…?” Usopp whispered, his voice barely above a squeak as he instinctively scooted behind Chopper.

“L-Lesser Lord Kusanali…?!” Nami’s jaw dropped, her hands tightening protectively around her pouch of Mora.

Luffy, unfazed as always, wiped his mouth with his sleeve and grinned. “Oi! You want some food?” He held out a skewer of grilled meat toward her.

Nahida giggled softly, her green eyes twinkling with amusement. “I appreciate the offer,” she said gently. “But I’m here because I sensed… something unusual.”

Her gaze shifted to Kazuha, her expression turning thoughtful. “You carry a heavy heart, Kazuha. And your search… it has led you to a dangerous path.”

Luffy tilted his head, his brow furrowing in confusion. “Wait a minute…” He leaned closer, squinting at Nahida. “You’re a god? But… you look like a kid!”

Robin nodded, her analytical mind already piecing together the oddity. “That’s true,” she murmured, her eyes narrowing slightly. “You have the aura of something ancient… yet your form is that of a child. Why?”

Nahida’s expression remained calm, though a flicker of sadness passed through her eyes. “This is… the form I was left with after the previous Archon’s passing. My power is vast, but my physical vessel reflects the innocence and vulnerability of the dreams I protect.”

“Whoa…” Luffy blinked, clearly not fully understanding but intrigued nonetheless. “So… you’re a really strong kid?”

Nahida giggled softly. “Something like that.”

Kazuha’s expression grew somber, his gaze lowering. “I’m looking for someone,” he murmured softly. “Scaramouche…”

“Ah,” Nahida’s smile faded, replaced by quiet understanding. “The one who seeks what was once denied to him.”

Kazuha’s eyes widened. “You know where he is?”

Nahida nodded, but her expression grew distant, almost troubled. “I know where he’s going… but I don’t fully understand what he’s trying to achieve.”

Cyno, who had been observing quietly, finally spoke up, his tone serious. “Is he working with the Fatui?”

“Yes,” Nahida replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “But it’s… more than that.”

“More than the Fatui?” Robin’s eyes narrowed, her mind already piecing together the puzzle.

Nahida’s gaze grew distant, as if recalling fragments of knowledge from deep within the Akasha. “Scaramouche… he’s seeking to ascend beyond what he was created to be. He’s after… forbidden knowledge.”

Kazuha’s breath hitched. “Forbidden knowledge?”

Nahida nodded solemnly. “The knowledge that once led to the downfall of the Scarlet King and corrupted the minds of those who sought it. It twists reality… and the one who absorbs it risks losing their very essence.”

Luffy blinked, scratching his head. “Eh? So… he’s trying to be, like, a god or something?”

Nahida’s expression darkened. “Yes… I believe that’s exactly what he’s trying to do.”

Sanji looked concerned. “That doesn’t sound like something anyone should mess with…”

Zoro crossed his arms, his expression serious. “If he succeeds, what happens?”

Nahida’s voice grew softer, almost hesitant. “I… don’t know. This knowledge is beyond even me. But…” She looked up, her eyes filled with quiet determination. “If he absorbs too much, he won’t just become a god. He’ll lose himself entirely.”

Kazuha’s hand instinctively went to his sword, his grip tightening. “Then… we can’t let that happen.”

Nahida’s gaze met his, and for a brief moment, it was as if she saw the turmoil within him. “You still care for him, don’t you?”

Kazuha’s jaw clenched, his eyes clouded with emotion. “He’s… lost. But he’s not beyond saving.”

Nahida’s expression softened. “There’s still a chance. But the path ahead won’t be easy.”

"The Fatui are hiding something deep within the Desert of Hadramaveth,” Nahida said, her voice laced with concern. “Scaramouche is heading there… and Dottore is aiding him.”

“Dottore…” Robin’s expression darkened at the name.

“Great…” Nami muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. “As if one problem wasn’t enough.”

Nahida’s expression turned grim. “Whatever they’re planning… it’s accelerating. If Scaramouche completes his ascension, it may be too late to stop him.”

Before anyone could respond, a distant commotion echoed through the bazaar. Shouts rang out, followed by the unmistakable sound of Marine cannons.

“Marines?!” Zoro’s eyes narrowed, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

“What the hell are they doing in here?!” Sanji growled, his stance shifting to one ready for combat.

Luffy’s grin widened as he cracked his knuckles. “Heh… Looks like it’s time for a fight!”

Nahida’s expression grew worried. “They’re after you…”

“Of course they are!” Nami yelped, already scrambling behind some crates.

“Damn it…” Zoro growled, unsheathing one of his swords, eyes narrowing toward the direction of the blast.

“Straw Hats! By order of the World Government, surrender immediately!” the lead Marine bellowed, his rifle aimed squarely at Luffy.

“Like hell we’re surrendering!” Sanji snapped, already stepping in front of Nami and Robin

Luffy’s grin only widened as he cracked his knuckles, his eyes blazing with excitement. “Heh… been a while since we had a good brawl!”

Without waiting for another word, Luffy launched himself forward, his rubber arm stretching back before slamming into the nearest Marine with a resounding BAM! The poor soldier flew backward, crashing into a nearby fruit stall.

“Gum-Gum Pistol!”

“Here we go…” Zoro muttered, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he drew his swords.

"Oi, marines don’t know when to quit.” Sanji’s expression darkened, his eyes narrowing dangerously. With a sudden burst of speed, he dashed forward, landing a devastating kick to a Marine attempting to flank Luffy.

“Collier Shoot!”

The Marine crumpled to the ground, groaning in pain.

Nahida stood slightly apart, her expression conflicted. She wasn’t one to encourage violence, but the threat was clear. Her eyes glowed with a soft, ethereal light as she raised her hand.

“Enough.”

Vines and glowing dendro sigils erupted from the ground, forming barriers that ensnared several Marines, halting their advance.

The leader of the Marine squad stumbled back, eyes widening as he recognized her. “L-Lesser Lord Kusanali?”

Nahida’s voice echoed through the chaos, her gentle tone carrying an unshakable authority.

“This is Sumeru,” she declared firmly. “You have no jurisdiction here. Leave now… or face the consequences.”

Her power pulsed through the air, the weight of an Archon’s presence pressing down on the Marines.

The soldiers exchanged uncertain glances, sweat forming on their brows.

“She’s an Archon…” one Marine whispered.

“Tch…” The Marine captain scowled, eyes darting between the Straw Hats and Nahida. “Fall back! We can’t fight an Archon here!”

Reluctantly, the Marines began to retreat, dragging their injured away as they disappeared from the bazaar. The tension in the air eased, though the damage to the marketplace was evident.

As the dust settled, merchants slowly emerged from their hiding places, murmuring with awe as they stared at the group—particularly at Nahida.

“Phew…” Sanji exhaled, brushing dust off his suit. “That was a mess.”

“Good thing Nahida stepped in,” Nami murmured, her grip on the Clima-Tact relaxing.

Nahida, however, looked troubled despite the victory.

“This won’t be the last time,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “The Marines… the Fatui… they’re all watching.”

Kazuha stood quietly off to the side, his mind drifting back to Scaramouche.

“If the Marines are this persistent,” he murmured to himself, “then the Fatui won’t be far behind…”

Robin overheard him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll get to him before they do,” she assured, her eyes calm but serious.

Kazuha’s jaw tightened, his resolve hardening.

“We have to.”

Nahida clasped her hands together, her voice barely above a whisper yet carrying the weight of an Archon’s wisdom.

“The Fatui won’t give up so easily… especially not if Scaramouche is involved.” She glanced at Kazuha, her gaze filled with quiet understanding. “If he’s seeking forbidden knowledge… he may be after something far worse than power.”

Kazuha’s brow furrowed, his grip tightening around the hilt of his sword.

“He’s trying to become a god…” Kazuha said softly.

Nahida nodded. “And to do that, he’ll need to manipulate forces that go beyond the limits of mortals.” Her expression darkened. “But… I have an idea... We shouldn’t discuss this out here,” Nahida murmured softly, her expression unreadable.

Kazuha glanced at her, sensing the seriousness behind her words.

“You have something in mind,” he said gently.

Nahida gave a small nod, her emerald eyes flickering with quiet determination. “Please… come with me to the Sanctuary of Surasthana. There’s something I need to show you… but this conversation is too dangerous to have in public.”

Cyno, who had been standing protectively nearby, frowned but gave a respectful nod. “If this is about the Fatui… I’ll make sure no one disturbs you.”

“I’ll keep watch over the bazaar,” Cyno added firmly. “We can’t risk more chaos.”

Kaveh, who had been oddly quiet during the exchange, glanced at Nahida with concern.

“Are you sure you don’t need me there?” Kaveh asked, his usual bravado dimmed by the unease in his voice.

Nahida smiled softly, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. “It’s alright, Kaveh. I’ll explain everything once this is over.”

Kaveh sighed but nodded, stepping back with a reluctant glance toward Alhaitham. “Don’t let anything happen to her.”

“Of course,” Alhaitham replied coolly, his sharp gaze lingering on Nahida as he adjusted the strap of his book.

"And don't have anything happen to you" Kaveh murmurs in a low tone.

As the group prepared to follow Nahida, Alhaitham made no move to leave with Cyno and Kaveh.

“Alhaitham…” Nahida’s voice was gentle but firm. “I need privacy.”

Alhaitham, however, merely crossed his arms, his gaze calm and calculating. “As the Grand Scribe, I have a responsibility to stay informed. If this involves the Fatui and the stability of Sumeru, I won’t be leaving.”

Zoro’s eyes narrowed slightly, but Robin placed a hand on his arm, silently suggesting they let this play out.

Nahida sighed softly, but there was no malice in her gaze. “Very well… but I trust you’ll keep this information confidential.”

“Of course,” Alhaitham replied smoothly, his eyes narrowing with curiosity. “Lead the way.”

The air was cooler inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana, the soft glow of ancient runes illuminating the chamber. Elegant tapestries lined the walls, depicting the histories of Sumeru and its Archons. At the heart of the room, atop a pedestal, floated a radiant object pulsing with a golden-green hue—the Gnosis.

Luffy’s eyes sparkled. “Whoa! It’s glowing!”

“Of course it is, idiot.” Zoro crossed his arms, though his gaze lingered on the Gnosis with mild curiosity.

Robin stepped forward, her analytical gaze taking in every detail. “So… that’s the Gnosis? The source of an Archon’s divine power?”

Nahida gave a small nod, her hands clasped gently in front of her. “Yes… it’s the embodiment of wisdom. But its power extends far beyond what most people realize.”

She floated up slightly, the Gnosis hovering beside her. “The Gnosis not only channels divine energy… but it also acts as a beacon—one that the Fatui Harbingers have long sought after.” Her expression grew somber. “And now… Scaramouche has his eyes set on it.”

Kazuha’s jaw tightened, his hand instinctively resting on the hilt of his sword. “He’s after the Gnosis?”

Nahida glanced at him, her expression filled with quiet sympathy. “Yes… He believes that by using forbidden knowledge, he can ascend beyond his limits and… become something more.”

Luffy tilted his head, his face scrunched in confusion. “Why does everyone wanna be a god? Sounds boring.”

Nahida gave a soft, almost amused smile. “Power… often blinds people, Luffy.”

“Yeah, yeah, we get it,” Zoro muttered, his tone impatient. “So what’s your plan, Archon?”

Scaramouche is being held in a hidden laboratory beneath the Akademiya,” Nahida explained, her voice gentle but firm. “Dottore has been conducting experiments on him, though I’ve managed to disrupt some of his progress. Still, we don’t have much time.”

Kazuha’s hands curled into fists at his sides. “Is he hurt?” His voice was steady, but Robin, standing beside him, noticed the slight tremor beneath the surface.

Nahida’s expression softened. “He’s alive. But I fear the longer he remains there, the harder it will be for him to recover—physically and emotionally.”

Sanji exhaled a stream of smoke. “How do you know all this, anyway? If this Dottore creep is so secretive, shouldn’t he be hiding this from you?”

Nahida closed her eyes briefly before speaking. “I’ve seen glimpses through the Akasha. Even though the system was dismantled, traces of information still linger. The Akademiya’s records may be locked away, but knowledge is like a river—it finds a way to flow. I’ve also reached out to certain scholars who are sympathetic to our cause. They’ve provided reports on unusual activity beneath the city.”

She turned to Kazuha, her expression unreadable. “And more than that… I’ve seen Scaramouche’s dreams.”

Kazuha’s breath caught. “His dreams?”

Nahida nodded. “They’re fractured, incomplete… but filled with loneliness. He’s aware that something is coming for him. Whether he believes it’s salvation or just another cruel twist of fate, I can’t say. But he hasn’t given up completely.”

Kazuha lowered his head, his grip tightening at his sides. He had to get to Scaramouche. He had to reach him before the darkness swallowed him whole.

Luffy tilted his head. “Then why don’t we just go punch this Dottore guy and take Scara back?”

Sanji shook his head. “It’s not that simple, Luffy. This place is crawling with Fatui. If we rush in blindly, we’ll have the whole organization on our backs before we even reach him.”

Nahida nodded. “Exactly. That’s why we need a coordinated plan.” She turned to Alhaitham. “I believe you’ve already mapped out the best route?”

Alhaitham crossed his arms and gave a slight nod. “Yes. The Akademiya’s main entrance is too well-guarded, but there’s an underground passage beneath a restricted research hall. If we split into two groups, we can create a diversion and slip in unnoticed.”

Nami’s brow furrowed. “What kind of diversion are we talking about?”

“A loud one,” Alhaitham replied simply

As the conversation shifted, Luffy suddenly turned to Alhaitham, grinning widely.

“Oi, Alhaitham!” Luffy’s grin was full of curiosity. “You’re kinda cool! You don’t talk much, but you’re smart like Robin.”

Alhaitham, standing with his arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t compare myself to Nico Robin.” His tone was calm, but there was a subtle hint of amusement in his voice.

“Yeah, but you’re all calm and collected like Zoro too!” Luffy laughed. “You’d fit right in with us!”

Alhaitham blinked, clearly not used to such enthusiastic praise. “I doubt I’d have the patience for your… crew.”

“Aw, come on!” Luffy slapped Alhaitham on the back, nearly knocking him forward. “You’d be a great nakama!”

Zoro’s eye twitched slightly as he watched Luffy casually chatting with Alhaitham. His arms remained crossed, but his grip on his swords tightened just a little.

“Tch… what’s so great about him?” Zoro muttered under his breath, eyeing Alhaitham’s calm demeanor.

Sanji, leaning casually against a nearby pillar, smirked. “Jealous, mosshead?”

“Shut up, cook.”

Sanji’s smirk widened as he blew out another puff of smoke. “Maybe Luffy finally found someone who can read a map without getting lost.”

Zoro’s eye twitched harder as Sanji’s comment echoed in his ears. His hand twitched toward the hilt of his sword, ready to take a swing at the cook’s annoying smirk.

“Why don’t you say that to my face, curly-brow?” Zoro growled, narrowing his eyes. He took a step forward, the tension in the air thickening.

Sanji, unphased, leaned back, flicking his cigarette to the ground. “What? Too scared to fight me with a real sword, mosshead?”

“That’s it,” Zoro grumbled, drawing his swords with a snap.

Before either of them could make a move, a sharp voice rang through the air.

“Stop it, both of you!”

Nami’s fist slammed into the back of their heads, sending them stumbling forward. “Seriously? We’re in the presence of an Archon, and you two are about to throw hands like a couple of children? Get a grip!”

The force of the punch made both men rub the back of their heads, glaring at each other, then at Nami, who stood with her hands on her hips, a scowl etched across her face.

“Eh, she’s got a point,” Luffy piped up, still oblivious to the tension, grinning as he stuffed more food into his mouth. “Nahida’s here, right?”

Zoro and Sanji exchanged a quick, begrudging glance before reluctantly sheathing their weapons. The tension didn’t fully dissipate, but for now, it was contained.

Alhaitham, who had been silently observing the exchange, raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. His calm presence only seemed to irk Zoro more, but the swordsman held his tongue for now.

Nahida, sensing the change in mood, smiled softly, though there was a quiet relief in her eyes. “I’m glad you’re all here, but please, let us keep the peace for now. There are much more pressing matters at hand.”

Kazuha, still standing to the side, gave a small nod. "Agreed. We should focus on the task at hand. Fighting among ourselves won’t help us against the Fatui."

Zoro crossed his arms with a huff. “Fine, fine… but I don’t like that guy.” He jerked his thumb toward Alhaitham, though his voice was softer now.

Alhaitham, calm as always, simply turned his gaze toward him and said nothing, letting the atmosphere settle naturally.

Nahida pointed to the map she had conjured in the air, glowing symbols marking key locations. “Once inside, you’ll need to move quickly. The lab is heavily secured, and if Dottore realizes what’s happening, he won’t hesitate to activate the defenses. And if he’s there himself…” Her voice grew grim. “You must be prepared for a fight.”

Zoro cracked his neck, his hand resting on the hilt of one of his swords. “Tch. That’s fine with me.”

Kazuha, however, remained quiet. His gaze was fixed on the floating map, his mind already racing ahead. Scaramouche was so close, just beneath their feet, trapped in some cold, sterile room. How many nights had Kazuha spent imagining what he would say if he ever found him again? And now, faced with the reality, all those carefully thought-out words vanished like mist.

Robin’s calm voice brought him back. “If we do this right, we’ll be in and out before they even realize what’s happening.”

Nahida gave them a reassuring smile. “I’ll provide support where I can, but I won’t be able to interfere directly without risking my position in Sumeru. However…” She reached out, gently placing a hand on Kazuha’s wrist. “Scaramouche is waiting for you. I don’t believe he’s given up hope entirely.”

Kazuha’s breath hitched. He looked down at her, eyes dark with emotion. “…I have to find him.”

“You will,” Nahida said softly. “And when you do, remind him that he’s not alone.”

Luffy stretched his arms behind his head, flashing a grin. “Alright! We’ve got a plan, and we’ve got a crew. Let’s go get Scara!”

The crew nodded in agreement, the air thick with anticipation.

The crew gathered on the deck of the Sunny, Kazuha and Alhaitham had already laid out their strategy, and now it was time for the others to confirm their roles. Nami, Robin, Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy had already been briefed by Nahida in the sanctuary, so they simply listened, nodding in understanding. But it was the remaining members of the crew, Franky, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook, who were still waiting for the finer details.

Kazuha glanced at the remaining members, ready to explain their parts in the plan.

“Franky, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook,” Kazuha began, his tone calm but firm, “you’ll be the diversion team in the Grand Bazaar. Franky and Usopp will take the lead in causing chaos, drawing the attention of the guards. Chopper, you'll help keep the civilians safe if things get too out of hand.”

Franky cracked his knuckles, a wide grin spreading across his face. “You’re lookin’ at the master of distractions! I’ll make sure we tear the place up, just enough to make ‘em look the other way, of course.” His robotic voice buzzed with excitement, and his eyes gleamed with the thrill of battle.

Usopp adjusted his goggles, his usual cocky grin now replaced by an air of seriousness. “You can count on me to set up the perfect trap. I’ll make sure no one sees us coming.” He held up his slingshot, an intense focus in his eyes. “I’ve got just the tools for the job!”

Chopper, who had been listening quietly, nodded earnestly. “I’ll make sure no one gets hurt too badly, if things get rough, I’ll keep an eye on the injured and do what I can to help. I can be pretty sneaky, too, so if I need to help with the escape, I’ll do that too.”

Brook chimed in, giving a playful bow despite his skeletal form. “Yohohoho! You can leave the entertainment to me! I’ll cause a distraction so grand, even the Fatui won’t know what hit them!”

Kazuha gave a small smile, pleased by their enthusiasm. “Good. As long as you can keep the guards busy, we should be able to get in and out without much trouble.”

“You’ll need to time it well. If we move too quickly or too slowly, the diversion will be ineffective. We’ll all need to be precise in executing our parts.” Alhaithem says calmly

Luffy, still brimming with energy, cracked his knuckles. “Yeah, yeah, just let me know when the fireworks start! I’ll be ready!”

Kazuha took one last look at his crew, feeling the weight of the mission ahead. “We all have our roles. No one’s alone in this. Once we have Scaramouche, we’ll all leave together, no matter what.”

Franky flexed his biceps. “We got this. Just leave it to me to make things go boom!”

Usopp nodded, his usual bravado returning. “I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong. If it does, I’ll have a backup plan!”

With their roles solidified, the crew’s energy shifted from the quiet tension of planning to the anticipation of action. It was time to face whatever challenges awaited them, together.

Brook, strumming his guitar absentmindedly, chuckled darkly. “Fighting a guy who wants to become a god? Sounds like an adventure to me. Yohohoho!”

Kazuha nodded. “That’s why we need to be careful. It’s a risk, but it might be our best shot.”

“Sounds like a trap to me,” Franky said with a frown. “We need to be ready for anything.”

Chopper, who had been listening carefully, looked up with big, concerned eyes. “But what if he really does become a god? What happens to us? To everyone in Sumeru?”

Kazuha looked at him seriously. “That’s why we’re here. We can’t let him do that, Chopper. If Scaramouche gains that kind of power, it could be catastrophic.”

“I understand,” Chopper said quietly, nodding resolutely.

Franky scratched his chin thoughtfully. “So the plan is basically, wait for Scaramouche to come, then hit him with everything we’ve got.”

“That’s the idea,” Kazuha confirmed. “But we’ll need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. The Fatui won’t just send Scaramouche; they’ll send backup. If it comes to a fight, it’s going to be big.”

Franky let out a dramatic sigh. “Then let’s get our weapons ready and make sure the Sunny is equipped for battle.”

"Kazuha, would your... romantic relations with him effect how this will play out?" Alhaitham asked curiously

The question hung in the air, and for a moment, Kazuha froze, unsure of how to answer. He glanced down at the Gnosis in his hand, feeling the weight of it more heavily now. The thought of Scaramouche—a person who had once meant so much to him—wasn’t easy to process, especially now with everything at stake.

Kazuha sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. “I hope not… Unless it impacts him in a positive way and makes him come to his senses... but knowing him... I doubt that's going to happen.”

The crew fell silent for a brief moment, the weight of Kazuha’s words settling on them. This wasn’t just some mission; this was personal for him.

Wait a minute…” Usopp said, raising an eyebrow. “Who’s this guy? I just realized there’s someone new on the ship!”

The crew turned to look at Alhaitham, and Kazuha couldn’t help but smile wryly at Usopp’s delay in noticing him.

“Oh, right,” Kazuha said, his tone light but carrying the undertones of an apology. “This is Alhaitham, he’s the grand scribe from the Akademiya in Sumeru. He’s agreed to help us.”

Alhaitham nodded, offering a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I wouldn’t call it helping. More like… ensuring a certain level of stability. This Scaramouche is dangerous, and I’d rather not see him cause more chaos.”

Usopp squinted suspiciously, his fingers tapping his chin as if thinking something over. “Hm… so you’re one of those Akademiya guys, huh? You sure you’re not gonna try and stab us in the back when we’re not looking? We don’t exactly trust just anyone who comes onboard.”

“Usopp,” Nami scolded, her arms crossed. “What kind of question is that? We’re in this together.”

Kazuha nodded in agreement. “I trust him. And he’s not working alone. If anything, he has his own reasons for wanting to stop Scaramouche.”

Franky raised an eyebrow and looked over at Alhaitham. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you’re completely off the hook. You’re not getting a free pass just ‘cause you’ve got a fancy title. We’re keeping an eye on you.”

Alhaitham glanced at Franky but didn’t seem fazed. “I’m used to skepticism. I understand it’s necessary, given the circumstances. But as long as our goals align, I’ll stay on the ship and assist in whatever capacity I can.”

Luffy, as usual, was the first to break the tension. He grinned and pointed at Alhaitham. “Alright, Alhaitham! You’re on the team now! Let’s go kick some butt!”

The rest of the crew, though still a bit wary, nodded in agreement.

Dottore stood over Scaramouche, his latest "project," as he worked with the precision of a surgeon. His gloved hands moved deftly, fitting new, gleaming mechanical parts into the marionette-like body.

"Such a beautiful puppet," Dottore muttered, his voice laced with mock admiration. "A perfect blend of flesh and steel. But then, it's the only kind of beauty that truly matters, isn't it?"

Scaramouche’s body twitched slightly as the new components were implanted. The pain of each adjustment was something he had grown accustomed to, but it did nothing to dull the rage that simmered beneath his skin. His thoughts, despite the restraints on his freedom, drifted like smoke toward the one person he hadn’t expected to cross paths with again.

Dottore’s voice cut through the silence once more. "You should be honored, Scaramouche. The one you've been running from, Kazuha, has joined the Straw Hats. I’ve been tracking him, and it seems that he’s come here with the rest of them. Your little reunion is closer than you think."

Scaramouche’s body stiffened at the mention of the name. Kazuha. The one person who had ever made him feel anything that wasn't hatred, and the one person he had run from. His throat tightened as Dottore’s words hung in the air like a suffocating fog.

“The little wandering poet,” Dottore continued with an almost mocking tone. “He seems to be looking for you. Do you intend to go running back to him, Scaramouche? Or will you finally embrace what you were always meant to be?”

Scaramouche’s eyes, cold and distant, flickered with something akin to dread. The thought of returning to Kazuha filled him with a sense of vulnerability that gnawed at the core of his being. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about Kazuha, he loved Kazuha, it was that he feared the tenderness Kazuha had shown him. That tenderness made him feel weak, small, human. Vulnerable. Something Scaramouche had fought his entire existence to escape.

“I was never meant to be weak,” Scaramouche muttered, his voice cold and brittle. “I was created to be a god. Not a puppet to run back to someone like him.”

Dottore’s lips curled into a sly smile. "A god, yes. But you're far from it, aren't you?" The words struck deeper than Scaramouche cared to admit. He had long since buried that side of himself, the side that had once yearned for affection, for connection. He had buried it beneath the cold shell of his ambition. To become a god. To rise above it all. To never again be weak, never again be vulnerable.

“I don’t need him,” Scaramouche whispered harshly, though there was a tremor in his voice. "I don’t need anyone.”

Dottore laughed, the sound cold and devoid of any warmth. "Is that so? Then why does your heart race at the thought of seeing him again? Why does the very idea of returning to him scare you? Because deep down, you know the truth, Scaramouche. You are nothing without your humanity, without your ties to others."

Scaramouche clenched his fists, a mix of rage and fear surging through his mechanical veins. His body trembled, but not from the cold or the pain of Dottore’s tools. He feared Kazuha, not because of what he could do to him, but because of what he made him feel. Vulnerable. Small. Human.

“I was made to be a god,” Scaramouche repeated through gritted teeth, forcing the words to sound like a mantra. “And gods don’t run back to people. They don’t need anyone.”

But deep within, the part of him that still remembered the warmth of Kazuha’s touch, the soft caress of his voice, fought against the cold, calculating ambition that drove him forward. He was torn between two desires, one that would make him a god, and one that made him wish for something more. Something he couldn’t quite name, something he feared might shatter the fragile shell of power he had built around himself.

Dottore, ever the observer, seemed to relish the internal struggle. He leaned in closer, his voice low and taunting. "But you do need something, don't you, Scaramouche? Power, yes. But also... something more. And it’s the very thing you’re afraid to admit. He’s looking for you. He will find you. The question is, when he does… will you be strong enough to face him?”

Scaramouche’s gaze flickered, but his voice remained cold. “I’ll never go back to him.”

But deep within, Scaramouche wasn’t sure anymore. The fear of weakness, of feeling too much, gnawed at him. And despite the anger and the bitterness that clouded his thoughts, a part of him wondered what would happen if Kazuha ever found him again.

Chapter Text

The afternoon sun poured over Caravan Ribat like molten gold, shimmering off every sandstone wall and metal clasp. The heat was the kind that clung to skin, settled deep into clothes, and refused to be ignored.

"Its so hot... Do we really have to be here?" Chopper whines, being carried by Zoro

"Nahida told us that there was unusual activity around the sand dunes, hopefully it leads us to Scaramouche, however, it is difficult to navigate the desert without experience..." Alhaitham mutters looking around

Perched beneath a shaded archway, Dehya wiped a damp cloth across her neck and arched a brow at the approaching figure cutting through the dusty light.

“Well, well,” she drawled. “Didn’t expect to see you out here, bookworm.”

Alhaitham didn’t break stride.

“I’m here on Nahida’s behalf.”

“Didn’t ask why, I asked why you. Pretty sure the Akademiya got a whole list of paper-pushers who could’ve sent a message.”

“She trusts me.”

“Yeah? That explains the whole ‘first-name basis with a literal god’ thing,” Dehya said, stepping forward and crossing her arms. “I’ve seen you two talking like old neighbors.
Since when did you get cozy with the Dendro Archon?”

Alhaitham glanced to the side, expression unreadable.

“She asked me to call her Nahida.”

Dehya raised a single brow. “You don’t say no to that kind of request, huh?”

“I don’t waste energy on pointless formalities.”

She smirked. “Right. And I’m guessing you two play chess in secret and talk about
feelings while sipping herbal tea.”

Alhaitham was silent for a long second. “We drink coffee.”

Then, sanji stopped the conversation. The second the cook laid eyes on Dehya, his entire posture changed. He straightened, adjusted his tie, and somehow produced a rose out of nowhere.

“My rose of the red sands,” he declared, dropping to one knee before her. “Your beauty has burned away the desert sun and left only your glow in its place.”

Dehya blinked.

Then barked out a laugh. “Are you flirting with me? Bold move, desert tourist.”

“You honor me with your words!” Sanji spun, arms open to the wind. “This is true love! Our hearts are destined to cross under the Sumeru sky!”

Zoro stomped up behind him and smacked him upside the head. “Stop embarrassing us before we’ve even done anything.”

“He’s fine,” Dehya said, smirking as Sanji recovered with a dramatic sigh. “Kinda cute in a hopeless way.”

“Hopelessly yours,” Sanji mumbled dreamily, swaying slightly.

Dehya snorted, then waved a hand. “Okay, okay. Let’s get to the actual reason you’re here. You said this was about…?”

“Scaramouche, The balladeer, who knows what name he’s under” he said plainly, the name falling heavy between them.

Her smile dimmed. “I figured. Fatui have been stirring up trouble that name’s been showing up in whispers across the desert. Too many of them to ignore. There’s a Fatui facility out there. Buried. Abandoned. Rumor says it’s waking up. That means more than one monster could be crawling free of it. Scaramouche may be connected.”

Robin’s brows lifted. “A hidden research center? That explains the electromagnetic
pulse readings I picked up on my Log Pose earlier.”

“...Wait, Log Pose?” Dehya asked, blinking. “You people really are from a different world, huh?”

Robin just smiled.

Dehya frowned. “But be wary, it's in the real desert. No man’s land. Are you sure you want ot go?”

“Of course. Nahida wants someone experienced to guide a group through it. You’ve got both the knowledge and the combat capability.”

Dehya exhaled slowly and leaned against the wall. “What about those pirates you’ve been babysitting in the city?”

“They’re stronger than they look.”

“They’d have to be,” she muttered. “Surviving the desert ain’t just about fighting. You need to understand it. Respect it. This sun eats tourists for breakfast.”

“It’ll eat us?” Chopper exclaimed wary

“Not litterly” Nami groans

“They’re not alone,” Alhaitham replied. “I’ll be going too.”

Dehya stared. “You? Mr. Indoor Voice?”

“My voice carries just fine.”

She shook her head. “You’ll fry in thirty minutes.”

“I’ll wear a cloak.”

“Please let me be there when you faint from heat stroke. I need the laugh.”

Alhaitham didn't respond, though his eyes did flick down to her smirk for a moment.
It was then that the chaos descended.

Luffy bounced up like an over-energized spring, followed by Zoro, Usopp, and a swirl of chatter. Nami walked up, eyes scanning the horizon, while Robin took mental notes in quiet grace. Kazuha followed near the back, his hands folded neatly as he approached Alhaitham.

And then Sanji.

“Oh, my desert flame,” he breathed, sliding in like a gust of perfume and misplaced confidence. “Has the sun been competing with your beauty? Because I swear, even it pales when you smile.”

Dehya blinked. “...Are you hitting on me again?”

Sanji dropped to one knee dramatically. “Please accept this humble offering—a hand-prepared bento box crafted by none other than the Straw Hat’s top chef, spiced to mirror the heat of your gaze!”

Dehya tilted her head and examined him like a strange beetle she’d found under a rock. Then, slowly, she took the bento.

“Thanks, chef. But if I start breathing fire, I’m blaming you.”

Sanji swooned. “She’s witty!”

“She’s humoring you,” Zoro muttered.

“Let him have it,” Usopp whispered. “It’s been, like, a week since the last ‘love at first sight.’”

Dehya unwrapped a dumpling and bit in. “Not bad,” she admitted. “Spicy.”

Sanji nearly fainted.

Alhaitham cut in with the precision of a scalpel. “Focus. Dehya’s agreed to guide us through the desert. We depart at dawn. You’ll be equipped with cloaks, water, and sand visors. Follow her instructions or die dehydrated.”

“Reminds me of when we went with vivi in alabasta” Luffy grins

“Oh vivi… how i miss her” Nami sighs

Zoro made a face “Ew don’t do that you sound like Sanji”

“Hey! What was that fore Marimo!”

“You want to go curly brow?”

“dont insult a woman like that!

“Cheerful as always,” Dehya murmured around her food.

Sanji regained composure just long enough to throw his jacket dramatically across Nami’s shoulders, then another over Robin’s. “Protect yourselves, my queens! This desert may be hot, but my heart burns hotter!”

“Is he always like this?” Dehya asked aloud.

“Unfortunately,” Nami replied, shaking the jacket off. “He’ll calm down eventually.”

“You hope,” muttered Zoro.

The group found a shaded alcove to sit in while Dehya laid out a map of the western dunes.

“This area here,” she said, drawing a circle around a jagged edge of ink, “has been
dead quiet. Not just animal-wise. The wind dies too. It’s unnatural. Even jackals avoid it.”

Robin leaned in. “Any ruins?”

“There used to be. Old Fatui outposts from years ago. Most were abandoned after the Archon War’s fallout, but... well, things buried don’t always stay buried.”

“Archon war?” Nami asks

“Long story” Kazuha sighs, he spoke softly. “That must be where he’s hiding.”
Dehya looked over at him, studying his expression. “You’ve seen him before, huh?”
Kazuha nodded. “He took everything from me once. Now I just want to understand why.”

She hummed and folded the map. “You’ve got guts, samurai. I’ll give you that.”

Then her gaze flicked to Alhaitham again. “Still surprised you’re coming along, though.”

“You shouldn’t be.”

“No? Feels like the kind of thing you’d call ‘beneath your pay grade’ and ignore while filing documents.”

He sighed. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not completely detached.”

Dehya gave him a sly grin. “You just miss Kaveh and want an excuse to leave the house.”

He flinched.

“I do not.”

“He’s been inviting me to drink with him, you know. Weekly tavern visits. Keeps saying it’s boring without you there to argue with.”

“He says that when no one else will split the tab.”

“Oh, come on. I think he misses you. Real talk.”

“He also once misspelled my name on purpose in his thesis to ‘spite the system.’ He’s not a reliable source.”

“Yeah, but you still went to every one of his exhibitions.”

Alhaitham looked away.

Dehya smirked. “That’s what I thought.”

The sun dipped lower. The lack of sun made the tempurature cold, almost freezing.
The light shifted, cooling to gold and violet as the shadows stretched. Luffy had passed out in a hammock someone rigged between two poles. Sanji was sketching “Dehya-sama” into the sand with sparkly hearts around it. Usopp was fashioning a desert beetle hat and testing its “cooling capabilities.” Robin quietly took notes.
Kazuha stood with Dehya at the edge of the outpost, his hand resting loosely on his sword hilt.

“Thank you for helping,” he said quietly.

She shrugged. “Scaramouche messed with the wrong people. My people. I want
answers too.”

A beat.

“Do you think he can be saved?” she asked.

Kazuha was silent for a long time.

“I don’t know,” he said at last. “But I have to try. Even if it ends in pain.”
Alhaitham watched the horizon with unreadable eyes.

Time in the desert is different.

It does not pass.

It lingers.

It looms.

The first day, they still moved like people with purpose. Boots crunched over ridges of wind-carved sand, cloaks snapped smartly behind them, and optimism clung to them like the sweat they tried to ignore.

They had been walking for seven days.

Seven suns.

Seven nights when the stars were clearer than conscience, when Kazuha watched the
wind whisper across his sword and wondered if it carried the echo of a voice he’d lost.

“Still nothing,” Nami muttered, adjusting her scarf over her mouth. Sand clung to her eyelashes like powdered glass.

“Deserts are notoriously non-cooperative,” Robin replied mildly, her parasol angled just so. “But they are very good at preserving secrets. And corpses.”

Usopp whimpered. “Why would you say that so cheerfully?”

“Because I find it comforting,” she said, smiling.

Alhaitham walked with his arms behind his back, surveying the horizon with surgical coolness, as if the land itself were a textbook he could dissect. Kazuha moved like the wind himself, light, unbothered, his eyes half-lidded, his feet knowing the rhythm of shifting dunes. Zoro scowled at the sun like it owed him money, while Nami complained about the heat in the same breath she used to blame Luffy for everything. Sanji somehow managed to sweat aesthetically, fussing over everyone's hydration while using it as an excuse to check on the women more often than medically necessary.

By the third day, they had sand in their teeth and shadows under their eyes.

“Why,” Usopp muttered, his voice barely more than a dry rasp, “why does it feel like we’ve walked across two entire continents?”

“Because we probably have,” Nami grumbled, kicking at a stone. “Or maybe this whole place is just a giant mirage and we’ve been walking in place for three days straight.”

“Time is a construct,” Robin offered serenely from beneath her parasol. “So is hope.”

“WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?” Usopp cried.

Chopper, trotting alongside with a wide-brimmed hat barely clinging to his antlers, tried to cheer them with popsicles he’d preserved in Franky’s sub-zero cola compartment. They were mostly melted, but it was the gesture that counted.
Sanji took it as a cue to dramatically fan Nami and Robin with a giant palm frond he had no right to be carrying in a desert.

"Madames, the heat may attempt to tarnish your divine forms, but I shall stand between you and dehydration!"

"You're already dehydrated," Zoro grunted. "Your brain's half-dust."

Sanji snapped around, eyes blazing. "What did you say, you moss-headed mirage?!"

"Say it again and you're getting buried neck-deep in this sandpit!"

"Do it, please," Nami said flatly. "Bury both of them. One less headache."

Meanwhile, Kazuha had wandered away again—he was always doing that. Not far.

But just far enough to be apart. He never truly strayed, like a petal drifting on wind currents, never fighting the breeze, but never surrendering either.

At midday on the fourth day, they stopped beneath a crumbling ruin that offered a thumb’s worth of shade. There, Franky finally broke open his reserve stash.

“COLA BREAK!” he roared, as if announcing the arrival of a miracle. “Nothing blasts the soul like chilled sugar and carbonation!”

He tossed a can skyward—fsshhh!—and caught it with perfect flair, downing the whole thing in one electrified gulp. “OOOHHHH YEAH. That's the SUPER stuff!”

Chopper, cheeks puffed and pink, clapped in giddy excitement. “Do I get one?”

“Little man, everyone gets one,” Franky said, passing them out like holy relics.

Even Alhaitham took one. He didn’t drink it—just stared at the fizzing liquid with the mild distrust of a scholar inspecting a foreign artifact.

Zoro drank two.

Then, on the fifth day, it happened.

A crunch. A shift. And then—fwoomp.

“AAAAH—!”

“SANJI!” Nami shrieked.

“No, it’s me!” Usopp shouted, voice distant and rapidly disappearing. “I’m FALLING—”

The earth had opened beneath them like a yawning beast, and Usopp vanished into a
sinkhole, arms flailing.

Zoro tried to dive in after him, blade-first, before anyone stopped him.

“He's not being eaten,” Robin said dryly. “He's just falling. There’s a difference.”

A puff of sand shot up moments later as Usopp’s muffled voice called out from below:

“I’M ALIVE… PROBABLY…”

Luffy, ever enthusiastic, launched himself after him like a cannonball.

“LUFFY NO—”

Too late.

“WHEEEEEE!”

“Now we’ve got two idiots in a hole,” Zoro growled.

“You say that like it’s unusual,” Nami sighed.

“Should we help them?” Chopper asked nervously, ears twitching.

“They’ll climb back up when they get hungry,” Robin said, unfolding a book she’d kept
hidden in her bag. “Desert survival: Chapter 7—‘Let the fools learn.’”

Sanji, meanwhile, was far too distracted to notice. He was kneeling dramatically before Dehya, again.

“Oh blazing jewel of the crimson dunes,” he began, “your eyes rival the molten core of the earth and your steps make the sand itself bow in reverence—”

“You realize I’ve been sweating for multiple days straight, right?” Dehya said, lifting a
brow.

“And yet you remain untarnished! A goddess in mortal attire!”

Zoro made a choking noise and stalked away.

Dehya didn’t seem annoyed, just amused. “If you fall into a sinkhole next, I’m not saving you.”

“I would fall willingly, if only to glimpse the stars in your gaze on the way down,” Sanji sighed, hand over his heart.

Dehya blinked. “You rehearsed that one, didn’t you?”

“I wrote it in the sand last night!”

“Tragic.”

Day turned into night and back into day again, in a blur of orange sky and mirage-melted edges. On the sixth night, someone—maybe Zoro—rigged a hammock between two leaning stones, and Luffy promptly claimed it like a pirate king declaring war on gravity.

He swung gently, arms folded behind his head, staring up at the stars.

“They look different here,” he said.

Kazuha looked up too. “Clearer, maybe. Or maybe just lonelier.”

Usopp groaned from where he was face-down in the sand. “I miss grass. Remember grass? Remember trees? I’m going to cry.”

“No tears,” Robin said, folding her notes, “you’ll just dehydrate faster.”

“WHY.”

But even in the heat and exhaustion, there were moments of strange, quiet beauty.
One night, Kazuha sat at the edge of camp, half-humming an old Inazumian lullaby, the sound drifting like incense. Alhaitham sat beside him—not speaking, just listening. Not out of comfort, but curiosity.

“That song,” he finally said, eyes on the stars. “It sounds...sad.”

“It is.”

“Why sing it?”

“Because it’s sad.”

Alhaitham was silent for a long moment. Then: “Logical enough.”

Later, when the fire was low and the laughter had burned itself out, Robin looked at Kazuha across the embers and asked softly, “Do you think he regrets it?”

He didn’t ask who. He just nodded once.

“Not enough to stop,” he said. “But maybe enough to wish someone would.”

The seventh day brought a change.

The winds shifted. The horizon bent strangely. The compass spun.

Animals vanished. Even the bugs stopped buzzing.

“Something’s near,” Dehya said, her voice hushed like prayer. “The desert’s holding its
breath.”

With their supplies dwindling, and the sun heavier than ever, they stood before a cracked dune wall that wasn't a wall at all, but the exposed spine of something old, and mechanical, and buried in silence.

It was Kazuha who stepped forward first.

Not with urgency. But with inevitability.

“I think,” he said quietly, “we’ve found it.”

There were unusual ruins sticking out of the sand.

Sumeru mechanism. Modified for cognitive engagement,” Alhaitham murmured, brushing the dust away. “No Fatui insignias. Likely pre-dates their occupation.”

“Translation, please?” Zoro grumbled.

“It’s a puzzle,” Kazuha said, too calmly. “And it’s going to be extremely annoying.”

The floor lit up fully, revealing a glowing grid below them. Twenty-five tiles. No instructions.

Then, with a soft hum, symbols began to flicker onto them, one by one. Overlapping circles. Sharp triangles. Stars within stars. Unfamiliar constellations.

And then, like laughter, a timer began.

Ten minutes. Counting down.

Sanji immediately yelped. “Is it going to explode?!”

“No,” Robin said, serene. “Probably just curse us permanently if we fail.”

“That’s not better!”

Kazuha studied the symbols quietly. “It’s a memory lock.”

Alhaitham nodded. “Likely based on mental association. Whoever designed it structured it around their own fragmented identity.”

“Let me guess,” Nami said. “Scaramouche?”

“Most likely.”

Chopper was already chewing his hoof in stress. “He was unstable, right? That means the puzzle’s gonna be unstable too!”

Usopp was hyperventilating. “This is it! This is how it ends! Puzzle death! I always knew it!”

Dehya rolled her eyes and slammed a fist into the nearest wall. “We’re not dying to a damn sudoku.”

The floor didn’t budge. The timer kept ticking.

“Maybe it needs things that describes him, Kazuha knows about him the most” Chopper says

“Um… He’s been abandoned and hurt a lot-” Kazuha stammers, not really wanting to give out his lover's personal info, or at least too much of it.

Alhaitham began rearranging the tiles, fingers moving with clinical grace. The patterns shifted—constellations aligning, then misaligning.

Nine minutes.

Eight.

“His identity fractured around abandonment,” he muttered. “‘Son’—rejected. ‘God’—unearned. Try organizing by rejection versus acceptance.”

Tiles slid. Symbols blinked.

The wall pulsed red.

FAILURE.

Timer reset. Eight minutes.

Usopp screamed. Zoro sighed. Sanji nearly dropped his rose.

Robin stepped in.

“Try interpreting the patterns as phases of personhood,” she said. “Puppet. Child. Soldier. Betrayer.”

Tiles twisted again.

Nothing.

FAILURE.

Six minutes.

Franky tried brute force. The floor rejected him. Gave him a mild shock. He fell backward with a yelp and a “SUUUPER OW.”

Kazuha stepped forward.

“Let me try,” he said simply.

He didn’t rearrange the symbols. Not yet.

He looked.

Really looked.

Then whispered, “He never finished the puzzle. It drove him mad.”

The silence was thick now.

“He didn’t know what order to place the pieces because he didn’t know which piece was real.”

Kazuha touched a single tile, the smallest one. The faintest symbol. A circle,
incomplete, cracked at the top.

“A broken core,” he murmured. “That was always the center.”

The room paused.

And then

FAILURE.

The tiles reset.

Robin’s breath hitched.

“He failed too,” she said.

“Of course he did,” Alhaitham murmured. “It was designed to reject resolution. He built it not to be solved. Because he couldn’t solve himself.”

“Something missing… Is there something that I don’t know? The Gnosis? I-” Kazuha panics.

The tension was a living thing now, crawling up their spines, settling behind their teeth.

Luffy stepped forward.

Everyone froze.

He tilted his head at the puzzle.

“This is dumb,” he announced.

“…Luffy,” Nami warned, “don’t—”

He slapped one tile. Then another. Then hit the corner of the panel twice. Then headbutted it lightly.

The puzzle chirped.

And—

ACCESS GRANTED.

The door slid open.

Silence.

Then:

“WHAT?” Alhaitham shouted, utterly scandalized. “What did you just do?!”

“I dunno,” Luffy grinned. “Just felt like that one was the ‘him’ one.”

Dehya burst out laughing. “You solved the unsolvable identity crisis puzzle… with vibes?”

“Yup!”

Alhaitham looked personally insulted by the universe.

Not Scaramouche.

Not yet.

But something he left behind. A memory, maybe. Or a mirror.

Kazuha stepped inside last.

He didn’t look back.

Chapter Text

The puzzle lead to a long hallway. It opened up into a large chamber. It was practically two stories tall. A giant Mecha Machine sat in the middle.

A slow clap echoed through the chamber. From the shadows emerged Dottore, his signature mask reflecting the ambient light.

"Bravo," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You've made it this far."

Franky clenched his fists. "What are you playing at, Dottore?"

Dottore chuckled. "Playing? Oh no, my dear cyborg. This is the culmination of years of research and experimentation."

He approached the mecha suit, placing a hand on its cold surface. "Behold, the future. A god made not by divine right, but by human ingenuity."

Kazuhe squints

It was Scaramouche.

His head was visible from the small window of its chest

Scaramouche's mecha suit. Its design was both elegant and menacing, with intricate patterns etched into its armor and cables connecting it to the surrounding machinery.

Dehya's eyes narrowed. "So, this is what he's been working on."

Chopper, visibly uncomfortable, muttered, "I really don't like this place. It's too hot, and that thing gives me the creeps."

Alhaitham stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the figure. "It's more than just a machine. It's a vessel."

With a flourish, Dottore produced the Electro Gnosis, its energy pulsating with raw power. He inserted it into a slot on the mecha's, no Scaramouches chest. The room vibrated as the suit came to life, its eyes glowing with an intense violet hue.

Kazuha stepped forward, desperation in his voice. "Scaramouche! It's me, Kazuha. Please, listen to me!"

The mecha's head turned slightly, acknowledging the voice but showing no sign of recognition.

Dottore smirked. "He can't hear you. He's transcended his mortal bindings."

Suddenly, the ground trembled. Cracks formed beneath their feet as the mecha took a step forward.

Nami shouted, "Everyone, get back!"

But it was too late. The floor gave way, sending them plummeting into the darkness below.

As they fell, Kazuha's voice echoed, "Scaramouche!"

Dottore's laughter echoed as he slipped through a retreating corridor. "You can’t stop evolution!" he cackled. "You can only witness it!"

Scaramouche’s mechanical arms unfurled, each finger tipped with crackling, unstable energy. Panels opened from his back, floating in formation—a familiar sight to anyone who'd seen the Raiden Shogun's puppet work. A field of Electro energy pulsed outward like a heartbeat.

Sanji gritted his teeth. “Tch. this feels a little extra"

He launched into the air, flames bursting from his foot. “Diable Jambe!”

His burning leg collided with one of the arms. For a moment, the impact rang out like a bell.

And then the arm flung Sanji like a ragdoll across the chamber.

“Gah—!”

Before he could hit the wall, a green flash streaked across the battlefield.

Zoro caught him mid-air. “You’re losing your edge, love chef.”

Sanji scowled, brushing soot from his suit. “And you’re still ugly marimo!”

Zoro rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the arm. “Then let’s try something sharp.”

He dashed forward with a yell, three blades glinting in the lightning-lit chamber. “Three Sword Style! Oni Giri!”

Metal clanged like thunder, but Scaramouche didn’t even flinch. Zoro’s blades sparked off the enchanted plating. “Tch… What is this thing made of?!”

A Shift in the Storm

“We need to neutralize the field!” Nami shouted, slamming her staff to the ground. “Zeus! Tempo shift!”

Storm clouds burst into existence over Scaramouche’s head, lightning sparking across the ceiling in chaotic swirls. A torrent of charged winds disrupted the electro field, distorting it. For a moment, Scaramouche’s movements slowed.

Alhaitham appeared behind Nami, forming green, glowing glyphs with sharp, analytical precision. “Good. He’s destabilized.”

He raised his hand.

“Binding Surge.”

Vines surged from glowing dendro seals across the floor and walls. They shot toward the mecha’s legs, arms, and torso, wrapping it in layers of tightening tendrils. Scaramouche’s arms lashed out wildly, trying to slash them away—but the dendro held, pulsing with natural energy.

The titan stilled.

Its glowing core hissed.

Now!” Alhaitham shouted. “Kazuha—go!”

Kazuha didn’t hesitate. He launched himself upward with a spiraling gust of Anemo. The wind carried him like a rising blade through the shattered air. His vision glowed softly, his expression tight with pain and resolve.

He reached the cockpit—the jagged, glasslike heart of the titan—and saw Scaramouche inside. His body floated, almost weightless, suspended in a harness of glowing cables. His expression was eerily peaceful.

But his hand still clutched the Electro Gnosis.

Kazuha landed lightly on the control panel. “Please,” he whispered, eyes full of longing. “Come back to me.”

Scaramouche didn’t stir.

Kazuha reached for the Gnosis.

Suddenly, Scaramouche’s eyes flew open—wide, terrified, glowing violet.

His voice came out in a warbled, synthetic scream.

"No! Anything- Anything but the Gnosis!"

He lunged—too late.

Kazuha gripped the Gnosis and ripped it from its housing. A surge of lightning exploded outward, but Kazuha was already moving, already falling.

The cockpit shattered around him. The mecha roared in pain as its power core destabilized. The vines snapped under the strain, the floor cracked again.

Kazuha fell.

But he didn’t fall alone.

The mecha lurched forward, Scaramouche’s unconscious body tumbling out.

Kazuha caught him.

Chapter Text

An explosion of violet light followed, a pulse of raw, uncontrolled divinity.

As the mecha fell, the walls trembled, threatening to break.

Robin’s arms bloomed into wings, shielding Chopper and Usopp from the falling debris. Zoro and Sanji stood back-to-back, blades and legs ready, though the battle was over.

At the center of it all, lying limp in Kazuha’s arms, was Scaramouche.

His mask had cracked during the fall. His face was pale and vulnerable now, no longer the smug grin of a Fatui agent, nor the unreadable gaze of a prince. Just a boy caught between too many names.

Kazuha lowered him to the ground gently.

Scaramouche stirred with a faint breath. “You… idiot,” he rasped, voice still electric-tinged. “You always… do the reckless thing.”

Kazuha smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair from his face. “And you always run. It was time someone caught you.”

Scaramouche blinked slowly. His fingers curled in the fabric of Kazuha’s haori. “Did you really… come all this way for me?”

“I never stopped,” Kazuha whispered. “Even when you left. Even when I hated you for it. I still wanted to understand why.”

Silence passed between them like a confession.

Then Scaramouche exhaled and let his eyes close. “I missed you too.”

Sanji clicked his tongue, turning away with a soft scoff. “Great. Lovebirds in a pile of wreckage.”

Zoro crossed his arms. “Better than corpses.”

"We should leave- this place doesn't look very stable" Nami yells out, nods from the rest of the crew.

Alhaitham stepped forward, inspecting the still-sparking remains of the mecha. “The Electro Gnosis… it’s been removed safely, but whatever Dottore did to him, it wasn’t just mechanical.”

Suddenly a part of the ceiling fell, this got everyone to start running. They ran through the long hallways.

“He’ll need time to heal,” Dehya Says, her expression softening slightly as she looked at the two boys behind her “And maybe a reason to.”

Luffy ran next to Kazuha, grinning. “You found him, huh?”

Kazuha nodded. “I did.”

Luffy ran a bit ahead to the others “Then we’ve got one more crewmate for now.”

“What??” Nami barked.

But Luffy just laughed, and the sound echoed through the ruin—light and unburdened.

Somewhere in the debris, the cracked shell of Scaramouche’s mecha hissed once more… and died.

They all tumbled out of the ruins, out of breath. Watching everything collapse.

"Lets Celebrate!!" Luffy yells, the second they get to Sumaru city. They took a quick stop to Nahida's place.

"His wounds are pretty serious" She says, her eyes dimming.

"Nothing I cant fix though" She adds, trying to be a bit cheery.

"Can we throw a party now?" Luffy asks the Archon.

Nahida blinks

"Of course! Alhaitham, go help them" She smiles, the sage just sighed in annoyance.

Sumeru glowed in a golden dusk, its lush canopies alive with music and floating lanterns. The city’s scholars, guardians, and curious citizens gathered under Nahida’s gentle guidance, celebrating the end of the threat Dottore posed, and the safe return of one of their lost souls.

Scaramouche sat at the edge of a wide lotus-shaped platform, legs dangling over the side. He was quiet. Tired. But alive. Restored. Nahida had spent hours with him, tending to wounds both physical and unseen. Her warm voice and patient touch had drawn the poison of control from his spirit, and now he sat, peaceful for the first time in years.

Kazuha stood beside him, arms crossed but his stance relaxed. Lantern light shimmered off his hair like moonlight on silk. “You’re smiling,” he murmured.

Scaramouche didn’t look at him. “No, I’m not.”

Kazuha chuckled softly. “Liar.”

Behind them, Luffy, Sanji, Chopper, and Usopp were dancing around a bonfire. Nami clinked glasses with Dehya, while Robin and Alhaitham debated literature under a flowering tree. Zoro had already fallen asleep in a hammock someone conjured up with dendro vines. Peace, however fleeting, had come.

Later that night, the ship waited at the Sumeru docks.

Nahida walked them there, her presence radiant and small beside the towering mast of the Thousand Sunny. “He’ll recover now,” she told Kazuha. “But he still needs you.”

“I’ll be there,” Kazuha promised, glancing back at Scaramouche, who was quietly watching Luffy juggle apples. “He’s still the same storm I knew.”

“He just needed someone to ride the wind with him,” she said gently.

As the crew began to board, Kazuha hesitated. He turned to Luffy.

“Hey… what if we stayed a little longer? Just a few days. To rest.”

Luffy stretched lazily, then cracked a grin. “Nah.”

Kazuha blinked. “No?”

Luffy shook his head. “There’s more adventure out there. And I think you two got stories to finish.”

Scaramouche tilted his head. “So... you want me on your ship?”

“You’re weird, powerful, and cause trouble. You’ll fit right in,” Luffy laughed.

“...I see,” Scaramouche muttered, trying to suppress the twitch of a smile.

Kazuha looked at him. “Are you sure? No running this time?”

Scaramouche rolled his eyes. “Not if you’re coming too.”

Kazuha held out his hand. “Then let’s go.”

As the sun rose, the Thousand Sunny sailed past Sumeru’s emerald shores, two new silhouettes joining the crew’s wild constellation.

Kazuha stood at the bow, the wind in his hair and a sword at his side.

Beside him, Scaramouche leaned on the railing, arms crossed, face unreadable, but
his gaze never left Kazuha’s.

And far behind them, in the jungles of Sumeru, floating lanterns still lit the sky, like memories carried on the wind.