The Pirate King's Family

Captured - Part 3

Lucy's breath was ragged, her heart pounding in her chest as she sprinted through the twisting, dark corridors of the marine ship. The metallic walls were cold and unyielding, echoing her frantic steps and the distant shouts that seemed to chase her through the labyrinthine interior.

Lucy was desperately trying to reach the holding area where her father was chained. The map of the ship was etched into her mind, a route she had memorized with her Uncle Sabo, but now, the ship was a maze of horrors, each corridor filled with the cries of battle and the sharp clang of steel.

As she rounded a corner, her heart leaped into her throat. The door to the holding cells was just ahead, ominously ajar, a sliver of dim light spilling into the dark hallway. With a burst of speed fueled by fear and desperation, Lucy pushed through the door, her eyes scanning the room for her father.

The sight that met her eyes was a cruel twist of fate. Not only was her father there, chained in sea prism stone that dulled his vibrant spirit, but her mother was beside him, similarly bound and subdued. Both were silent, their heads bowed in defeat.

She rushed to their side, her hands shaking as she reached for the locks on their chains, her fingers clumsy with panic. As she touched the cold, hard sea prism stone, the dream shifted, morphing into an even more terrifying scene.

Suddenly, she was no longer on the ship; she was standing in a vast, open execution ground. Her parents were now kneeling, still chained, on a raised platform in front of a jeering crowd. Above them, the executioner's spears glinted ominously in the harsh light of the noon sun.

Lucy's breath hitched in her throat as she felt a powerful grip on her neck, lifting her off her feet. She struggled, kicking and reaching for the hand that held her, her eyes wide with terror. Turning her head, she saw Admiral Akainu, his face twisted in a cruel smile.

"So, the Pirate King's daughter thinks she can save her parents," Akainu taunted, his voice a menacing growl. "You'll fail, just like your father did to save his brother... then you're next."

Lucy's heart pounded in her ears as she struggled against Akainu's iron grip. Below her, her parents' eyes met hers, filled with a mixture of fear and defiance. Her mother's eyes, usually so calm and commanding, were now brimming with tears, while her father's expression was one of rage and helplessness.

The crowd's roar reached a fever pitch as the executioners raised their spears. Lucy screamed, a desperate, raw sound that tore from her throat as she fought to free herself, to save her parents. As the spears descended, the dream fractured, shattering around her like glass.

Lucy bolted upright in her bed, a scream still lingering on her lips, her body slick with cold sweat. The remnants of the dream clung to her, the images of her parents in chains, the feel of Akainu's grip still vivid and terrifying.

In the quiet of her room, Zephyra, her snake companion, sensed her distress and slithered up, coiling protectively around her, her scales cool and reassuring against Lucy's skin. Patches, her loyal dog, whined softly and jumped onto the bed, curling up in her lap, her warm body a comforting weight.

Trembling, Lucy wrapped her arms around Patches, burying her face in her fur, trying to steady her breathing. Zephyra's gentle pressure around her reminded her that she was safe, that the nightmare was just that—a nightmare. The fear lingered, the images from her dream casting a shadow over the moonlight creeping through her window.

Silently, she slipped out of her bed, the cool floor of her bedroom a sharp contrast to the lingering warmth of her sheets. The palace was silent at this hour, the only sounds the distant rustle of the jungle and the soft, rhythmic thud of her own footsteps as she made her way through the dimly lit corridors to her parents' room.