ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛᴇ - 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦

𝙭𝙫 - 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙙𝙨!

As Meela sprinted with the keys in hand, she heard a commotion from above. They must be up there, she thought, rushing to the top. Once outside, she spotted Zoro and Sanji, with Franky already working to free Robin from her shackles.

"I'm guessing you guys found the right key," Meela said, watching Robin in the distance as she fought bravely.

"Yes, Meela-dear. Franky just gave the key to her," Sanji replied with a grin.

Meela smiled but was quickly distracted by a sudden explosion in the distance. "Huh?" she murmured, glancing over.

"What was that?" Sanji asked, his expression shifting to concern.

"They broke through the defensive perimeter around the island. That explosion was massive," Zoro observed, squinting toward the chaos.

"If the fleet is as large as I think, bombs like that will fall like rain," Sanji added. "And look at the sea! The whirlpool that kept ships away was created by currents trapped by the Gates of Justice. But now that the gate is open, the whirlpool is gone!"

"Damn, you're right! That whirlpool just vanished!" Meela exclaimed.

"Sogeking! Jump down! We can't waste any time!" Sanji yelled, urgency in his voice. Just then, a bomb shot toward the building where Sogeking stood.

"Usopp!" Sanji, Zoro, and Meela shouted in unison.

"You called?!" Usopp emerged from the smoke, looking surprisingly intact.

"You're alive!" Sanji and Zoro exclaimed, relief evident on their faces as Meela chuckled.

"Hurry up, you guys! Stop dawdling!" Sogeking urged, perched precariously on the edge.

"You're hardly in a position to give orders!" Zoro retorted, irritation in his tone.

"I'm hurt all over! All six of my ribs are broken!" Usopp complained dramatically.

"Broski, you've definitely got more ribs than that," Meela teased, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Sanji interrupted, his expression suddenly serious.

"Yeah, I hear it. I have a bad feeling about this," Zoro replied, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh crap. I hear water!" Meela noted just as she was engulfed by a wave. Moments later, she found herself being carried by Kokoro, the old lady transformed into a mermaid. I'm officially losing it, Meela thought as she processed the absurdity of the situation.

They emerged from the water, gasping for breath. Meela glanced around, noting the chaos around them. Among the commotion, her eyes landed on Robin, surrounded by her crewmates, relief flooding through them.

"Damn. So this is what a Buster Call looks like," Meela thought, heart racing.

"Where's Luffy?" Sogeking asked, searching the crowd.

"He's fighting that pigeon guy," Meela answered, feeling Luffy's presence in the air.

"How do you know?" Sogeking asked, puzzled.

"Can't you feel it?" Meela replied, smirking as she looked toward the horizon. "The spirit of a king," she said confidently.

"W-Well... why of course I feel it!" Sogeking stuttered, trying to sound composed. Meela couldn't help but laugh at his earnestness.

"Alright, Soso," she said, sprinting off, leaving Usopp bewildered.

Zoro refocused the group. "We need to keep the escape route open and wait for Luffy here." Everyone nodded in agreement, but as they did, a certain redhead vanished from sight.

...

the courtyard
enis lobby, grand line

You might be wondering what important matters Meela felt compelled to attend to. The answer lay before her: a transponder snail resting on the ground, emitting a faint but audible voice.

"Meela? Meela? Meela? Meela, come in! It's me, Bepo! The captain wants to speak with you!" the talking polar bear chimed in before being interrupted.

"Meela. It's me. Come in," a familiar voice followed. Meela's heart lifted as she recognized the tone.

"Hey, Traf!" she replied, a smile breaking across her face. "It's been a while." She made her way to a more secluded spot to take the call...