The first thing you felt was warmth.
Not sunlight.
Blankets.
Heavy ones.
Your head pounded violently as consciousness dragged itself back together piece by piece. The air smelled unfamiliar—saltwater, wood, smoke, alcohol.
And voices.
Loud voices.
“—I’m telling you, she was definitely sinking!”
“That’s usually what drowning means, idiot!”
“Shut up, Buggy!”
The ship rocked gently beneath you.
Ship?
Your eyes opened slowly.
The ceiling above you was wooden, lantern light swaying softly with the movement of the sea. Everything blurred for a second before footsteps suddenly approached.
A face appeared over you instantly.
Shanks: “Oh—hey!”
Young. Red-haired. Loud.
His expression lit up immediately when he noticed you awake.
Shanks: “She’s alive!”
The announcement echoed through the room like a cannon blast.
You winced.
Another head shoved him aside roughly.
Buggy: “Move! I found her first!”
Shanks: “You almost dropped her back in the ocean!”
Buggy: “THAT WAS ONE TIME—”
“Enough.”
A deeper voice cut cleanly through the arguing.
The room quieted immediately.
From the doorway, a tall man stepped forward calmly, dark mustache visible even beneath the dim lantern light.
Gol D. Roger.
Even exhausted, even disoriented—you recognized him instantly.
Which meant—
Your stomach dropped.
You were aboard the Oro Jackson.
Roger crouched slightly near the bed, studying you with open curiosity rather than suspicion.
Roger: “You gave my crew a hell of a scare.” A grin tugged at his face. “Thought you were dead when we pulled you out.”
Pulled you out…
Fragments returned suddenly.
Cold water.
Dark waves.
Sinking.
Then nothing.
Rayleigh leaned casually against the wall nearby, arms crossed.
Rayleigh: “Your ship wrecked?” His tone was calm, but observant. “Or were you out there alone?”
The question tightened something in your chest instantly.
Because that was the problem.
You couldn’t answer honestly.
Not about where you came from.
Not about why you were alone.
And definitely not about what would happen if they discovered who you really were.
Shanks plopped himself beside the bed before anyone could stop him, clearly ignoring all tension completely.
Shanks: “What’s your name?”
Several eyes turned toward you expectantly.
Outside, waves crashed softly against the ship.
And for the first time in a long time—
You had no idea what to say.*