𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑 // 𝐓.𝐋𝐀𝐖 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐂

8 : Nightmare

The cold, oppressive silence surrounded Valeria as she walked down the endless hallway, the smell of iron thick in the air. Her shoes echoed against the tiled floor, the sound almost too loud in the eerie quiet.

Every step she took was slow, deliberate, as if her body was weighed down by an unseen force. She didn’t want to be here, but her legs moved on their own, leading her deeper into the haunting scene before her.

Around her, the walls of the hospital were stained with blood, streaks of red smeared across white tile.

Bodies of Marines, lifeless and cold, lined the hallway, their faces frozen in expressions of pain and horror. Soldiers she had fought beside, comrades who had trusted her.

Their hollow eyes stared at her, accusingly, their hands still clutching weapons as though in their final moments they had tried to fight back against the inevitable.

Valeria’s heart pounded in her chest, the dread rising in her throat. She recognized many of them—officers she had commanded, soldiers who had looked up to her for guidance, now lying in pools of their own blood.

The carnage reminded her of the aftermath of Marineford—the war that had shattered lives, and in many ways, her own spirit.

Her hands trembled as she clenched them into fists, trying to force herself to stop.

To turn around.

To wake up.

But she couldn’t. Her body moved forward, against her will, as if something was pulling her deeper into the nightmare.

At the end of the hallway, she saw it—a door, slightly ajar, casting a thin line of sickly yellow light into the darkness.

Her breath hitched as she approached it, each step heavier than the last. The door creaked open further on its own, revealing a room bathed in shadow. Blood dripped from the ceiling, thick and viscous, pooling at her feet.

Valeria stepped into the room despite herself, and her eyes widened at the sight before her. More bodies—soldiers, pirates, faceless in the dim light—were piled in the center of the room, their lifeless forms stacked carelessly atop one another.

And at the very top of the mound, like a twisted monument to death, was the corpse of a red hair girl that she could not recognised who she was.

Her chest tightened with fear, and she could feel her heart racing. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. She willed herself to wake up, to pull herself out of this nightmare, but nothing happened.

The room seemed to close in on her, the walls tightening as the blood on the floor spread, lapping at her shoes.

Suddenly, the corpses began to shift. One by one, the bodies turned their heads toward her, their dead eyes locking onto her as if they could see right through her soul.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stumbled back, her hands trembling uncontrollably. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn’t move. She was frozen in place, trapped in this horrific scene.

“Wake up...” she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible. “Wake up!”

But it was no use. The nightmare held her tight, refusing to let her go.

And then, from behind her, she felt a presence—something dark, cold, and far too close. Before she could react, a hand shot out from the shadows and clamped over her mouth, pulling her backward. She thrashed, trying to scream, but the grip was strong, suffocating.

The figure behind her whispered in her ear, a voice she couldn’t quite make out, but it sent chills down her spine.

The blood around her began to rise, crawling up her legs, threatening to consume her. Her body tensed, her heart hammering in her chest. She was suffocating, the darkness closing in—

And then, she woke.

Valeria shot up in bed, gasping for air, her body drenched in cold sweat. Her heart pounded erratically, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she clutched the sheets.

The room around her was dark, but it was real—her quarters, on board the Marine ship, safe from the horrors of her dream.

She pressed a trembling hand to her chest, trying to steady her breathing. The nightmare had felt too real, too vivid. She could still feel the lingering terror, the phantom sensation of the hand that had pulled her back into the darkness.

“Just a dream...” she whispered, but the words sounded hollow. The nightmare had shaken her in ways she hadn’t expected.

She wiped her damp forehead with the back of her hand and glanced around the room, still half-expecting to see the blood, the corpses.

But everything was normal. Her sword leaned against the wall where she’d left it, and the soft hum of the ship’s engine was the only sound in the stillness.

But despite the reassurance of reality, Valeria couldn’t shake the feeling that the nightmare was more than just a dream. It was a reflection of something deeper—a growing darkness inside her that she could no longer ignore.

Lying back against the pillow, she stared at the ceiling, her mind racing.

Was this the curse taking hold of her? Or was it something else? The battle with Trafalgar Law had shaken her, and now, the nightmares were growing worse. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold out before the darkness consumed her.

But for now, she would have to push forward. After all, the world was not kind enough to grant second chances—not even for someone like her.

Tomorrow would bring more battles, more bloodshed. And Valeria, like always, would be at the center of it. But tonight, the ghosts of her past would haunt her still.