"Before the Storm, After the Echo"
After the meeting, Kara walked out of the central building with Ace by her side, while Hancock followed close behind. A silent but intense battle of glares unfolded between her and Momousagi, who walked a few steps back. If looks could kill, Marineford would probably be in ruins.
"Where'd you leave the troublemakers?" Kara asked, glancing sideways at Ace while playing with a small stone. She suddenly flicked it like a bullet, hitting right next to Gecko Moria. He glared at her with pure rage before storming off.
"I made them wait near the Red Line. Figured you didn't want them reaching the Archipelago for some reason," Ace replied with a carefree grin.
"Bingo! Prize for you!" Kara exclaimed, handing him a strawberry-flavored candy. "Someone took control of one of the rookies. If Luffy had been there, it would've been chaos and... more chaos," she added with a frown, remembering the strange shadow that vanished into the crowd.
"Well, now they want to see the fight. So they'll probably head for Marineford. Let's hope they don't bring banners," Ace said, shrugging while peeling the candy his sister gave him.
"Eh, as long as they don't cross into the New World... let them watch. This is gonna get ugly. And Luffy... he's got a disaster magnet. Like his dad. Or worse, like me!" Kara huffed, though a playful smirk crept onto her lips.
"I'm outta here before the old man spots me," Ace said as he prepared to leave. "Not that I don't wanna see him"just don't want him smacking me for showing up without saying hi," he laughed, turning into electricity and vanishing. His voice echoed from afar:
"Don't worry about Luffy, I'll keep an eye on him this week!"
At that moment, Jinbei passed by and greeted Kara with a respectful nod.
"I'll go prepare a few things and inform King Neptune," he said quickly.
"Tell Shirahoshi I'll be visiting soon!" Kara replied with a wide smile, waving cheerfully. Jinbei paused for a second, nodded with a half-smile, and walked off briskly"already thinking about the two things he had to report to King Neptune.
Hancock, who clearly didn't want to go near the Archipelago [though everyone knew her real reason], ended up staying home. The curious part was that Momousagi, who had her own place, also insisted on staying.
According to her, it was to "keep an eye on a certain pirate and make sure she doesn't do anything shameful in Marineford."
Kara was already used to the tense back-and-forth between them, so she just rolled her eyes. It didn't even bother her anymore. Sometimes, they were her free entertainment. And something else…
The week started with tension so thick you could cut it with a sword.
Warships arrived one after another at Marineford's port. From the top of the fortress, Kara watched as the soldiers disembarked in perfect formation. They saluted with discipline, lined up like chess pieces, and every squad brought in more reinforcements. The Navy's heart was pounding, preparing for the roar that was Whitebeard.
Training intensified. Vice Admirals barked orders, recruits ran around like headless chickens, and even the veterans looked on edge. No jokes, no laughter"just the clash of swords, commanding voices, and the sea slamming against the walls.
Kara walked through the hallways with a stack of papers in her arms, muttering something like, "Does Sengoku think I'm a perpetual motion machine? I'm so tired." Her job now was to inspect defenses, cannons, emergency formations… even evacuation routes for civilians. And no matter how hard she tried to delegate it discreetly, she wasn't allowed to throw the job at someone else and bolt. What a disappointment.
"G-5 squad has arrived. And reinforcements from Base 14 are about to dock," Uta reported, acting as her temporary secretary. Much better than those two idiots: one kept training like time was running out, and the other just kept eating whatever the newly arrived marines cooked.
Kara grabbed the folder without stopping, flipping through it on the move.
"Tell them to set up at the second defensive level. And not to get in the way of the main squads," she ordered, then added without skipping a beat, "Oh, and bring me something sweet. I think my sugar's in the basement. I'm definitely asking for a long vacation after this."
Uta rolled her eyes but said nothing. She already knew the pattern. Kara got agitated when there were too many people. Too many egos. Too many "heroic poses." She hated that. Normally, she'd lose control a little, but now she couldn't"and that only made her stress worse. She even wanted to start a full-blown Fairy Tail-style brawl, but obviously, Sengoku had her on a leash.
"When you're done, you can rest, Uta. Please keep an eye on slave number one and slave number two. Make sure they're ready," Kara said as she walked toward her office like a zombie.
When she finally returned to her office, she found Hancock and Momousagi fighting again.
"You're not even part of the Navy. You should be on your ship, not here being a clingy shadow," Momousagi said, arms crossed, one eyebrow twitching like it had a will of its own.
"And you should stop acting like a brute in front of me and vanish. Or maybe start worrying about the enemies instead of me," Hancock replied with her usual queenly flair.
Kara sighed dramatically, closing the door with a soft thud as she interrupted them.
"Didn't Sengoku give you work too?" Kara asked upon seeing Momousagi pacing around her office. "Should I complain to Human Resources for slavery?" she added, whining as she collapsed face-down on the couch like an old rag.
Both women looked at her for a second, then approached her and, as if it were routine, offered her sweets. Kara accepted them as if they were a divine cure, perking up in seconds like a hyperactive child.
"I always finish my work as fast as I can," Momousagi added quickly.
"Just to come here and bother people," Hancock replied with disdain.
Kara, now fully recharged, sat up quickly and looked out the window.
"Just one more day…" she muttered, tossing candies into her mouth with an expression that mixed worry, exhaustion, and gluttony.
And then, she felt it again.
That faint prickling sensation on her magical seal. The emblem of Fairy Tail.
She frowned. It wasn't the first time that week. From time to time, like an invisible jab, something vibrated right there"on the logo of her guild. Something that tugged at her attention like a distant whisper.
She had no time for distractions now, not with war looming so close.
So she used all her mental strength to ignore it, at least temporarily.
After all, having something that connected her to her guild could make her abandon everything at any moment in search of answers. But she couldn't leave her friends behind"especially not in a war.
And despite all the chaos, fear, and responsibility…
That part of her"the one that always longed for adventure"couldn't help but feel excited.
She looked up.
Through the window, the sea stretched endlessly.
And on the horizon… more ship silhouettes were drawing near.
......…..
A few days ago, out at sea… or more precisely, in an area of the Calm Belt, an island that shouldn't have been there appeared out of nowhere, as if conjured by magic.
It was protected by a sort of golden dome, and above it shone a giant emblem"a guild logo Kara would recognize instantly.
The dome began to fade slowly, as if the spell keeping it active had run out of energy.
The Sea Kings, noticing something so strange, started approaching. They raised their massive heads from the sea, eyeing the island with a mix of curiosity and aggression. Some already had the look of predators ready to strike.
Just as one of them lunged toward the island, the giant tree at its center lit up with a brilliant white glow.
In an instant, a wave of magic burst from the top of the tree, striking all the nearby Sea Kings.
It didn't kill them, but it wounded and frightened them enough that they quickly dove back down and fled.
Atop the tree, a small blonde girl watched everything with wide eyes, trembling slightly as she saw those enormous creatures retreat.
"Where are we!?" she exclaimed nervously, looking around in all directions.
Then she noticed something on the ground: a strange rift in space, a crack through which the other side"the place where the island should be"was visible.
That rift wasn't formed by chance. It was the result of the clash between a certain dragon and the combined magic of all the guild members.
Or rather, due to a miscalculation by the girl… a tiny mistake that ruined everything.
No one expected there would be two users of destructive magic at the moment of the spell. That overload caused a sort of magical short-circuit that tore through space.
And the worst part…
One of the members fell into that rift before the others, purely by coincidence.
Although they managed to return thanks to the magical seals shared by all Fairy Tail members, the girl could feel that the one who was lost… is still alive.
And not only that… now that the island has fallen into this world, the connection with that member has grown stronger.