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Morning sunlight spilled over Long Ring Long Land, painting the fields in soft gold. The air carried a sweet, grassy scent, and the gentle waves lapped against the docks with an easy rhythm. For the first time in days, there was no tension in the air — no whispers of pursuit, no Cipher Pol agents lurking in the shadows.
Kaya leaned back on the fence, arms stretched toward the sky. "Ahhh, it finally feels peaceful! No running, no hiding, no mysterious assassins." She tilted her head toward Rael. "You actually let us sleep past dawn. I thought I was dreaming."
Rael, sitting a few feet away with his coat draped over his shoulder, gave her a sidelong glance. "Don't get used to it."
Kaya groaned. "Figures."
Robin chuckled softly from where she sat on the grass, legs crossed and a book open on her lap. "You could at least pretend to let them enjoy it," she said without looking up.
Rael smirked faintly. "If they enjoy peace too much, they'll forget how to fight when it's gone."
"Typical Rael logic," Vivi said, her tone playful but her eyes studying him. She stood near the edge of the dock, wind stirring her blue hair. "You haven't stopped watching the horizon all morning. Still expecting trouble?"
Rael's gaze didn't move. "Trouble doesn't care if you expect it or not. It comes either way."
Kaya huffed and threw a pebble at him. It bounced harmlessly off his boot. "You're impossible."
For a moment, laughter returned — genuine, light. The kind that made the world feel normal again. But even in that laughter, Robin noticed it: the faint, unreadable stillness in Rael's expression. He smiled, yes, but his eyes were elsewhere — far beyond the calm blue sea.
As noon rolled in, the villagers gathered for another contest. Long-necked cows mooed lazily, children ran with ropes, and music floated across the field. Vivi and Kaya joined in the fun, helping with the games, while Robin remained nearby, quietly observing.
Rael stayed apart, near the shade of a tall palm tree. His coat fluttered lightly as he sat sharpening his blade — not out of necessity, but habit.
He didn't trust stillness.
The Cipher Pol agents had fallen easily — too easily. Their deaths had brought no satisfaction, only a nagging thought: They were bait.
He could feel it, like pressure in the air before a storm. Something larger had shifted somewhere beyond the horizon.
"Still thinking about them?" Robin's voice came soft, but clear.
Rael didn't answer immediately. He wiped the blade clean, watching the sunlight run along its edge. "They weren't alone," he said finally. "Agents like that don't move without a leash."
"Then whoever's holding it," Robin murmured, "hasn't pulled yet."
Rael glanced at her. "Not yet."
She closed her book and looked toward the sea. "Do you think it's the World Government again?"
He didn't reply. The silence between them was answer enough.
By late afternoon, the girls returned to camp, flushed and smiling. Kaya carried a basket of fruit she'd somehow won in a rope game. "Look! The villagers gave us these. Finally, something we didn't have to fight for."
Vivi rolled her eyes, though her smile was soft. "You mean you didn't have to fight for. Rael's been fighting his own battles all morning."
Rael raised an eyebrow as Kaya plopped the basket beside him. "You're implying I'd lose to fruit?"
Kaya grinned. "No, I'm implying you'd slice it in half before eating it."
That earned a small laugh — short, quiet, but real. For a heartbeat, the heaviness that followed Rael seemed to lift.
But it didn't last long.
As dusk bled into the sky, Rael walked toward the cliff overlooking the ocean. The wind carried a different scent now — colder, sharper. He closed his eyes, listening. Beneath the surface rhythm of waves, there was something else: a hum, low and distant, like the heartbeat of something colossal stirring in the deep.
He didn't need to see it to know. Something powerful was moving.
Robin appeared beside him, silent as always. "You feel it too," she said.
"Yeah." His voice was a low rumble. "They've noticed."
"Who?"
Rael's jaw tightened. "The ones who actually matter."
Robin studied his face for a moment. "You think the Cipher Pol were just the beginning."
"I don't think," he replied. "I know."
Later that evening, as the group gathered around the campfire, the girls chatted softly, their laughter blending with the crackle of burning wood. Kaya leaned back, content. "You know," she said, "this island might be the first place I've actually felt… safe."
Vivi smiled faintly. "Don't say that too loud. You'll jinx it."
Kaya pouted. "You're as bad as Rael."
Robin sipped her tea, gaze flicking toward him. "Speaking of which, where is he?"
Rael stood a few meters away, facing the sea again. The flickering firelight painted gold across his sharp features. To the others, he looked calm — almost serene. But Robin saw the way his fingers brushed the edge of his blade now and then.
She knew that look. He wasn't waiting for peace. He was measuring it.
Far above the calm waters, beyond the reach of mortal eyes, a seagull drifted lazily in the wind — until it crossed the shadow of something vast.
A ship — enormous, armored, marked by the symbol of the World Government.
Inside, three Vice Admirals stood around a table, reports spread across it. One of them tapped Rael's name, printed in red ink.
"Cipher Pol's silence confirms it," he said. "He's alive."
Another snorted. "Of course he is. Those agents never stood a chance."
The third leaned forward, voice grim. "Then it's our turn."
A heavy door opened. Boots clicked against steel as another figure entered — taller, broader, the insignia of an Admiral glinting on his coat. His presence alone was enough to silence the room.
He looked at the file, then out the window toward the endless blue. "A ghost that kills Cipher Pols and vanishes into pirate waters…"
He smiled faintly — a dangerous, almost hungry smile.
"Let's see how long his luck holds."
Back on Long Ring Long Land, Rael's gaze turned skyward. The wind shifted again — faint, but different, like the first breath before lightning strikes.
Vivi noticed the change in his posture and frowned. "Rael? What is it?"
He didn't answer at first. His golden eyes lingered on the fading clouds. "Storm's coming."
Kaya looked up too, seeing nothing but stars. "You always say that."
Rael smiled — just barely. "This time, I mean it."
The fire crackled louder, and the night seemed to press closer. None of them saw the faint glimmer of something far out at sea — a reflection of steel and power moving closer with each passing hour.
The Cipher Pol were gone.
But something far greater had begun to move.
And the world — whether it knew it or not — was preparing for the storm that followed Rael's name.
---
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