Strength (One Piece fanfiction)

Ch 63

I stood on deck, staring into the distance as the ship made its way on the water. I had the frame in my hand, constantly turning it around when the vivre card reached the edge. Over and over again, I watched the card go straight forward.

It's been a couple days. Aces execution is set for tomorrow. I have time... Koala, a Revolutionary Officer, had informed me that I would likely not be alone. Ace's Captain, Whitebeard, is certain to also be there. But it may not be for the best.

The marines know that Whitebeard would never allow one of his sons executions to take place. They're preparing for an all out war. That means, I'll be up against marines that I had put so much effort into avoiding. But...Luffy was going too. I won't be alone.

I realized that the bond between my partners did weaken with distance. The closer we got, the more I could feel Luffy's energy. But I wasn't too worried about that, once we were together again, we probably wouldn't be this far apart again.

I was getting a bit impatient. Once the connection was strong enough, I'll take to the skies. "How are you doing?"

I jumped a bit, not even noticing her approach. Koala had told me that they were looking for their other commander who had once again run off. We shared a good laugh as we told stories about our wandering leaders and how much trouble it's gotten us in. I wasn't in the mood for a good laugh today though, so she left me to my thoughts for most of the day.

"I'm going to go soon," I told her. I can fly through the night, so long as I could stay awake. My wings didn't use muscle strength, so it wasn't easy to over use them. The only strain is at the very base, where they connected to my back. Every thing else relied on the energy.

"Have something to eat before you do," she ordered.

I frowned a little at the command, but I agreed. I needed as much energy as possible, even the regular kind. I stowed the frame away and followed her into the cabin.

"Hana-san!" I grinned at the familiar call. I had said goodbye to everyone on Baltigo, so I was very surprised to see that one had boarded the ship as well.

"Ren," I greeted. He convinced Dragon that he wanted to see how the army works, so he boarded as a cook. He wasn't a bad chef, so no one minded. He's not as good as Sanji, but good food is good food! I was just glad that he hasn't asked to come with me.

"Are you hungry?" I wasn't, I was so anxious that I felt like throwing up. But I nodded in reply. "I'll make something light," he smiled knowingly.

I smiled back. "I appreciate it."

....

I said my final goodbyes and took to the skies. I made sure to leave Koala a message of thanks for Dragon as well. They gave me an eternal pose to Baltigo, and I promised to keep it safe with me. I flew as fast as I could without using my demon speed, I had time, I reminded myself. I felt much better now that I was moving faster than that ship.

Some of my faster dragons were flying with me, the others too slow on the wing to even hope to keep up. I could feel the ever so faithful, and lazy, Creeper on my back. He was probably hunkered down with his wings folded so it didn't catch the wind.

I often wondered why he didn't just stay in the realm. But, the pricks of his claws on my skin had become a constant feeling, and I'll admit that I often feel unsettled when it disappears.

I allowed myself to smile and laugh as I flew with my dragons. We had never had a flight like this before, one that required us to cross a massive stretch of ocean. It's was almost liberating!

My flight all of a sudden slowed, and I lost height as the energy dipped. I held my breath, and exhaled in relief when it steadied again. Luffy must be fighting.