The beach stretched along the atoll's edge like a ribbon of crushed pearl, its sand so fine and white it glittered under the afternoon sun. Waves rolled in with a rhythmic, hypnotic cadence—each one curling into a frothy crest before collapsing against the shore with a soft, hissing sigh. The water was impossibly clear, a gradient of turquoise that deepened to cobalt where the reef dropped away into the abyss. Salt hung in the air, mingling with the sweet scent of tropical flowers that grew wild along the tree line.
Charlie walked along the waterline, his pith helmet casting a shadow across his face, his eyes fixed on the notebook in his hands. His fingers traced the ancient script as he walked, his lips moving silently as he translated. The waves lapped at his boots, but he didn't notice.
Aurélie walked beside him, her silver hair swaying in the breeze, her gaze fixed on the horizon. Her hand rested on Anathema's hilt, her posture relaxed but watchful. Every few steps, her eyes would sweep across the beach, cataloging threats that didn't exist.
Behind them, chaos reigned.
Ember splashed through the ankle-deep water with manic glee, her neon-pink space buns bouncing with each step. She scooped up handfuls of water and threw them at Penguin, who dodged with a laugh.
"So pretty!" Ember squealed. "The water is so pretty! Josiah, look! Look at the sparkles!"
Penguin grinned, splashing her back. "You're going to get soaked!"
"Soaked is fun!" Ember shrieked, her mismatched eyes wild with joy.
Vesta stood knee-deep in the surf, Mikasi cradled in her arms. She strummed a few experimental chords, her rainbow hair swaying as the waves moved in and out around her legs. "Oh, this is incredible," she moaned, tilting her head back. "My feet are loving this. This feels so good on my feet!"
Shachi waded deeper, his pants rolled up to his knees. "This is actually nice. I forgot what it felt like to be somewhere that's not trying to kill us."
Penguin snorted. "Give it time. The facility's probably got something else waiting for us."
Jelly bounced through the waves like a living rubber ball, his translucent blue body erupting from the water with each leap. "Bloop! Splash time! Bloop! More splash time!"
His gelatinous form rippled with each impact, sending spray in every direction. He landed on Ember's shoulder, wobbled, then bounced off again.
"Fishy friends!" Jelly called out. "Where are the fishy friends?"
Eliane hovered above the water, her dark wings beating in steady rhythm, her silver hair streaming behind her. She dipped low, her toes skimming the surface, then rose again with a laugh.
Sanza crouched on a golden disk above her, his Byakko form gleaming in the sunlight. His three tails swished behind him, and his golden horns glinting in the light. He looked down at Eliane with a mixture of envy and challenge.
"Awe," he called out. "I wish I could swim."
Eliane's grin widened. She executed a mid-air barrel roll, her wings folding and flaring in quick succession. "I can swim! You wanna see?"
Sanza's eyes narrowed. His fluffy ears flattened slightly, betraying his skepticism. But his pride wouldn't let him back down.
"Okay," he said, settling onto his haunches. "Show me, then!"
Eliane's grin was triumphant. She tucked her wings against her body and dove.
The water accepted her with barely a ripple. Her wings disappeared and she sank into the turquoise depths with the grace of a natural-born swimmer.
Sanza leaned forward on his disk, his golden eyes tracking her descent. The water was so clear he could see her silver hair streaming behind her like a comet's tail.
And then he saw something else.
Eliane's descent took her past the reef, past the coral formations, into deeper water. And there, scattered across the ocean floor like the bones of dead giants, were the wreckage.
Ancient ships lay in twisted heaps, their hulls cracked and broken, their masts reduced to splinters. Submarines—massive, bulky things from a forgotten era—rested on their sides, their propellers frozen mid-turn. The forms had been so long in the salt water that they appeared fossilized, their metal surfaces crusted with barnacles and coral growth.
Eliane's eyes went wide. Her feet touched the sandy bottom, stirring up a cloud of sediment. She reached out, her fingers brushing against a hull that had been submerged for centuries.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound echoed through the water, and Eliane's head snapped up when the light shimmered.
Sanza, crouched on his golden disk, looking over the edge swallows hard when Eliane doesn't surface. He calls out, "Eliane." No response. He calls out again, still no response. Breath quickening, his haunches begin to wiggle as an image of Eliane's floating body flashes across his mind. SPLASH! Sanza, was no longer on his disk. He was in the water, his tiger form thrashing, his paws clawing at the liquid that refused to support him.
"Eliane!" His voice was muffled, distorted by the water. "Eliane!"
She shot toward him.
---
On the surface, Penguin, Shachi, and Jelly paused their splash games.
Penguin's head turned toward the commotion. "What's he doing?"
Sanza's tiger form broke the surface briefly, his three tails lashing wildly, before he sank again. "Help! I can't—"
Shachi was already moving. "Hold on! We're coming!"
He tore off his shirt and dove into the waves. Penguin followed a heartbeat later, his feet kicking furiously. Jelly bounced after them, his gelatinous body propelling him through the water with surprising speed.
Sanza sank deeper, his white fur glistening in the light as he spiraled downward. His Byakko form was impressive on land—powerful, majestic, fearsome. In the water, it was just dead weight. His legs kicked uselessly. His tails provided no propulsion. His golden horns, so majestic above, were just extra drag.
His lungs burned. His vision tunneled.
And then Eliane was there.
Her hand closed around his arm, as she kicked upward. She pulled him through the water with surprising strength, her silver hair streaming around her face like a halo.
Penguin and Shachi met them halfway, and together they broke the surface.
Sanza gasped, sucking in air that tasted sweeter than anything he'd ever known. His tiger form shimmered, and he clung to Eliane's arm like a drowning cub.
Shachi treaded water beside them, his chest heaving. "What were you thinking?"
Sanza shook his head, water droplets flying from his fur. "I was watching for Eliane, and then—" He paused, his golden eyes going wide. "Wait."
Penguin's brow furrowed. "What is it?"
Sanza looked down at himself. "I'm floating."
Eliane nodded, still holding his arm. "Yeah. You are."
Shachi kicked over, his expression confused. "But how? You're a Devil Fruit user. You shouldn't be able to float."
Sanza shook his head, his ears flopping. "I don't know."
Then a grin spread across his feline features. "But I can learn how to swim now!"
Jelly bounced out of the water beside them, his gelatinous body wobbling with excitement. "Fishy friends! Fishy friends everywhere!"
Eliane's head snapped toward the depths. "Wait! You have to see this!"
Penguin's eyebrows rose. "See what?"
Eliane pointed downward. "There are all these ships under the water! They're huge!"
Shachi and Penguin exchanged a glance.
"Really?" Shachi asked.
Eliane nodded vigorously. "Yeah! You gotta see them! They're amazing!"
She released Sanza's arm and launched herself upward, her wings spreading as she broke the surface. Water streamed from her silver hair as she hovered above the waves.
"I'm going to tell Charlie!" she called out, and then she was gone, flying toward the beach.
Sanza's form shimmered, and he transformed back to his human shape. His red hair was plastered against his forehead, and his small chest heaved with exertion. But his grin was unmistakable.
"I'm coming too!" He leaped from the water, golden light enveloping him as he shifted back into his Byakko form. He landed on a golden disk, shaking the water from his fur with a violent shudder.
Eliane was already racing toward Charlie, her wings beating furiously. Sanza chased after her, his disk humming through the air.
Shachi watched them go, then looked at Penguin. "I'm going to check it out."
Penguin nodded. "Me too."
They both dove.
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