The silence in the Sanctuary was unnerving.
Robin's breath was still catching up to her heart. The remnants of battle—bodies, blood, and shattered stone—remained behind like ghosts in the tide. She clung tightly to Victor's side as they drifted upwards through the sea currents, leaving behind the ruins of a trap meant to crush them.
Victor kept his gaze forward. His white coat fluttered behind him in the filtered light of the ocean, soaked but gleaming. His jaw was tense, his brows drawn close together. He hadn't said a word since they fled the Sanctuary.
Robin looked up at him. "You're angry."
He didn't answer.
"Not at me, right?" she added more softly.
Victor finally glanced at her, the storm in his eyes tempered. "Not at you. Never at you."
Robin's lips parted with a slight tremble. Her relief came in the form of a small, breathless laugh. "Then what?"
Victor turned away again. "The World Government. Cipher Pol. The way they used a sacred place as bait, like it meant nothing."
He remembered the wide eyes of the priests. The desperation in their voices. The smell of fear clinging to the air like saltwater.
"They crossed a line," he muttered.
Robin felt it too—that shift in him. A coil tightening. She had seen Victor angry before, but this was different. There was no fire, no immediate violence. Just a cold, still wrath.
"They always cross lines," she whispered. "But… this time, they did it knowing you'd come."
Victor's fingers curled into fists. "They're starting to understand I'm alive. That I'm no ghost."
"Then… what now?"
"We disappear," he said. "Again. For now. Until we can strike from where they least expect."
Robin nodded, her hand brushing against his arm. He let her hold it.
Two Days Later – High Above the Sea
The Byakko drifted over a quiet blue sky, far above shipping lanes and eyes that might search. Powered by twin side turbines and the rear propeller, the wind responded eagerly to Victor's will, keeping the vessel floating like a feather upon the breeze.
Inside the ship's cabin, Victor sat at a table covered with maps, old scrolls, and sea charts. The clue they'd uncovered from the Sanctuary was written on a slip of coral parchment. Its words, etched in the Old Tongue, required Robin's translation.
Robin entered, holding a steaming cup of tea. She placed it beside Victor without a word and joined him on the floor, cross-legged.
"The language is from the Ryugu Kingdom," she said after a moment. "But the phrasing—it's poetic. Almost like a riddle."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
She recited slowly:"When the moon weeps and the coral sings, look not to the throne, but beneath the roots of kings. There, ink of time shall whisper."
Victor leaned back, arms folded.
"Sounds like a reference to the Sea Forest," he said. "The roots of kings… could refer to the ancient tree there. And the 'ink of time' must mean the Poneglyph."
Robin's eyes lit with excitement. "Then that's our destination."
Victor nodded. "Yes. But this time… we're going in prepared."
Training Deck – Byakko
The deck rumbled with controlled wind bursts as Robin sprinted across a set of floating platforms suspended by Victor's wind constructs. She moved with grace now—feet sliding, dodging invisible strikes Victor sent her way through sudden gusts. Each one had the weight of a punch, designed to knock her off balance.
She jumped, spun, and released a flurry of Ochenta Fleur: Strike, dozens of hardened arms emerging across the platforms and punching the gusts out of the air.
Victor grinned from the control console.
"You're getting faster," he said.
Robin landed on a knee, panting. "You're getting sneakier."
"Adaptation is survival. Don't let patterns lull you."
Robin wiped sweat from her brow. "And don't let wind distract me."
"Exactly."
She smiled as she stood again. "How long until we reach the Sea Forest?"
Victor checked the dial. "Less than three days."
Robin tilted her head, her expression thoughtful. "Do you think they'll expect us to return so soon?"
"No," he said. "That's why we will."
Nightfall – Victor's Cabin
That evening, Robin sat alone, her back against the window overlooking the stars. Victor entered carrying a tray of food. He set it down quietly and sat beside her.
They ate in silence for a few minutes.
Finally, Robin asked, "Do you ever miss it?"
Victor glanced at her. "Miss what?"
"The world before all this. Before we became enemies to it."
Victor looked down at his food. "There was a time when I believed in the system. In its justice."
Robin leaned her head against his shoulder. "And now?"
"I believe in people. In those who refuse to bow. Who choose to protect, not destroy."
Robin smiled, but there was sadness behind it.
"I still think of Ohara. Even now. Sometimes, I forget a name… then hate myself for it."
Victor placed a hand over hers.
"You carry their memory. That's more than most ever could."
Robin nodded. "That's why I have to keep going. Find the truth. For them."
Victor looked at her, proud and solemn. "And I'll walk beside you. Every step."
Day of Arrival – Sea Forest, Depths of Fishman Island
The Byakko descended quietly through layers of light and current, slipping past coral reefs and bioluminescent life forms that glowed in awe. The Sea Forest stretched before them like a dream—massive sunken trees with roots the size of towers, ancient carvings glowing faintly on nearby rocks.
Victor parked the ship above the clearing. Robin descended with him, wrapped in a protective bubble suit generated by the Byakko's technology.
They approached a large stone slab buried halfway under twisted coral. Robin's heart beat faster.
She knelt and brushed the moss away. The markings were unmistakable—Poneglyph script.
Victor stood guard while she read. Her voice broke slightly.
"It's… it's not a Road Poneglyph. But it's history. Records of an ancient agreement between humans and fishmen."
Victor placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's still progress."
Robin nodded. "We should document it. If the Government doesn't know this is here yet, we can learn more before it disappears."
Victor stepped back and let her work.
Later – A Shadow in the Forest
Hours passed. Just as Victor began preparing their return, he sensed it—a shift in the current. A stillness in the sea.
He turned sharply.
"Robin," he said quietly, "it's time to go."
Robin paused. "Why?"
Victor closed his eyes, extending his awareness. A faint disturbance behind the tree line. No movement, but the feeling of eyes—watching.
He didn't wait.
Scooping Robin up in a burst of wind, he launched them back toward the Byakko, shields igniting around the hull as soon as they touched deck.
Moments later, the seabed where they'd been standing exploded.
A submarine had emerged from the rock face. No markings. No flags. But Victor knew the design—it was Government-made.
Robin stared in horror. "They were here too?"
Victor gritted his teeth. "They're tracking us faster than before. Someone's pulling strings."
The Byakko roared to life, lifting into the upper ocean, breaking free of the seabed.
Victor clenched the wheel, rage flaring behind calm eyes.
"This isn't random anymore," he said.
Robin whispered, "Then it's war."
Victor's knuckles whitened. "Not yet. But soon."
Above the Sea – Nightfall
The Byakko floated in silence again. Stars blinked into view as night fell.
Robin stood at the bow, staring out into the horizon. Victor approached and placed a coat over her shoulders.
"Cold?"
She shook her head. "Just… tired."
Victor stood beside her.
"The Sea Forest… It felt sacred," she said. "And they desecrated it again."
"They're afraid of what you'll find," Victor said. "Afraid of what you are."
Robin turned to him. "And what about you?"
He didn't answer immediately. Then, softly:
"I'm not afraid of you, Robin. I believe in you."
Their eyes locked. Robin stepped closer.
"You once told me you were just a man with a name no one remembered," she said. "But I'll remember you. Always."
Victor's gaze softened.
"And I'll protect you. Always."
Robin looked down, then up again, uncertain. "Even if the world stands against us?"
Victor smiled faintly. "Then we'll make the world move."
Together, they watched the stars shift above them.
A storm was coming.
But they would meet it with open eyes—and unshaken hearts.