𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 ➳ 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐚 (one piece fanfic)

Chapter 88 🌞🌞

Blackbeard was sleeping peacefully in his boat when loud explosions made themselves heard. he woke up with a jump.

"Captain, we're surrounded by pirate ships attacking us," his subordinates reported in panic.

They should have been perfectly undetectable but this situation started repeating itself more and more. It came to a point where Blackbeard barely found a wink of sleep.

But if it stopped there, it would have been nothing more than an annoyance. However, just as they reached the midpoint between any island where it would take at least a week to reach any land, their supplies of food were burnt in the middle of the night. Blackbeard became paranoid, he watched his crew all day long, sleeping with an eye open.

They had to survive on birds caught mid-flight and filtered sea water. That caused some sicknesses amidst his crew and a general feeling of tension and anger.

After a week of starving and random attacks, they were tired and hungry as they set foot on their first island in a while. It was then that they discovered the real reason for all their suffering in a random journal found on the ground.

'New bounty: Blackbeard alive or dead, reward: a favor from the elusive Ko.' What followed the bounty was a very descriptive activity list that detailed everything he had done, where he had been, who he had crossed and so on, even some details he could barely remember were written. Everything from his eating habits to his shameful private life, nothing remained veiled. That was the full extent of Ko's information network, a foretaste of what that favor could entail.

Blackbeard couldn't help but curse. That was bound to attract some big fish after his head. He didn't know what he had done to attract the wrath of Ko as that was the first time such a thing ever happened.

Ko owing a favor was incredibly valuable as she was known to have information on everyone and everything. That meant nothing but troubles for him.

Blackbeard looked at his crew member who had turned toward him with a hint of greed in their eyes. Any pirate worthy of its name knew Ko's reputation. In an instant, the place turned into an all-out fight, all traces of loyalty long gone with the wind.

**********

The instant Ko sent out the bounty, Shanks who had been watching whistled with fascination. "That's evil."

Konan turned toward him with an innocent smile, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Shanks shook his head, "Knowing Blackbeard's crew, it won't take long before they turn on each other..."

Konan simply shrugged, "Loyalty out of fear never lasts long, I'm just giving them a push." She wouldn't move directly against him yet, she would deprive him of all his human rights first—sleep, food, trust, reputation, everything she could get her hands on. Pulling the strings from the shadows was something she was terrifyingly good at—he wouldn't even know what hit him.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side," Shanks commented with a repressed shiver.

Benn nodded in agreement, "This is a different kind of strength..." One that was difficult to counteract if you didn't know who the mastermind was. Though even if you did know, if Konan wanted to remain hidden, it would be difficult to even find a hair of hers. Well if you didn't fear for your life you could always find her by the means of her loved ones.

Ignoring their remarks, Konan got up, an orange-flavored candy in mouth. "I should probably leave now..." With her words, paper wings started forming on her back, she had been staying with the Red-Hair pirates for close to a week now, she was overstaying her welcome. She was already mostly healed, a few more days and she would be back to her full strength—if she chose to ignore the phantom pain still present when she made big moves.

"Why don't you leave after dinner?" Benn offered, glancing at his silent captain. "Our cook will be disappointed if you leave now, he cooked your favorite dishes I believe."

Konan paused, it would be bad manners to leave in that case... While she hesitated, her wings dispersed, she did really like their cook's food after all. "Alright, it wouldn't be good to leave now then."

"I'm going to take a nap then, see you in a few hours, Konan." Benn left after patting his silent captain's shoulder.

With the crew's chatter in the background and a delicious scent of food drafting from the kitchen, Konan sat down on the figurehead of the boat while Shanks laid down next to her.

"Where will you be going next?" Shanks asked tentatively, staring at the sky feeling her presence next to him. She was staring ahead humming the tune to a song he didn't know while painting small pieces of papers with strange symbols.

"Nanko has been sent to guard a Celestial on his trip to the Sabaody Archipel." She answered, knowing her other-half was currently napping in his cabin instead of working. "They should arrive at their destination in a few more days." She wasn't particularly thrilled to be working for Celestials once again, plus she knew no one in her group this time, save for Smoker.

"Is Nanko a living person or did you create this persona from pieces?" He was very intrigued as it was the first time he had seen such a flawless disguise. It was frightening in a sense and fascinating in another—but then again Konan had always appeared like that to him, a gentle person with hidden poisonous fangs.

"Nanko is someone I built, a disguise created to infiltrate the Marine. He's me and I'm him." Though Nanko was at first the furthest away from her real personality, over time, both became entangled together to a point where Nanko was merely an extension of her person, a part of her. Which is why it became so difficult to cut him off. He was the fun and unbridled her, someone without restraints. Ko was also similarly the child she never got to be.

Shanks hummed in understanding, "Your powers are quite impressive..." In all of his years, he had never met someone with a Devil Fruit that versatile, she seemed to have exploited her powers in various ways he never thought possible.

"It took me a few decades to get to where I currently am." She made plenty of mistakes trying to control and perfect her powers when she was younger. She was in no way a genius, she just had plenty of years to practice.

"That's still not something anyone can do." He knew that despite her being physically younger, she was far older than him and it didn't bother him. He couldn't help but admire her bottomless patience and kindness, with her powers and what she had seen, there were a thousand ways she could abuse her abilities but she never did.

"Thanks," Konan finally accepted his compliment. She felt burdened when she saw him gaze at her in admiration with a soft smile on his lips—like she was the best person he had ever met, someone perfect. She wasn't, never was. She was a selfish being, she didn't fight for some greater good, she had broken just about a thousand moral laws.

Condemned to drag her demons with her till she died, she refused to drag someone else down this path with her.