Aria's Pov
My limbs ached like I'd been steam-cooked and then tossed into a freezer for dramatic effect. Oh wait—that's exactly what happened. Magellan turned me into poisoned rotisserie girl/chicken, and now here I was, the frozen leftovers.
I tried to sit up. My skin felt like cracking ice. My breath puffed out in white clouds.
"Okay," I whispered, shivering violently. "Focus. You know what happens here. Snow. Trauma. Bon Clay's the goat. Ivankov's dramatic entrance. You've seen this arc. Just… stay calm."
The universe, as always, heard me and said lol nope.
A growl rumbled from behind me.
Then another.
Then several.
I turned my head slowly and saw them: the wolves of Level Five, massive, starving, yellow-eyed, and absolutely not buying any of my "I am friend-shaped" energy.
Oh shit, I forgot about them.
"Hi," I squeaked. "Please don't eat me. I'm mostly chaos and questionable decisions. Zero nutritional value."
They advanced anyway, paws crunching in the snow.
I attempted diplomacy. "Listen—your prison's climate control system is atrocious. Maybe we can talk about that instead of—"
A wolf lunged.
I screamed and backed up until my spine hit a wall. "Okay, great chat, loved this meeting—"
Just as another set of teeth came for my throat—
A kick blasted it aside.
"ARI-CHAN!"
My heart practically flung itself out of my chest.
"BON!"
He skidded to a dramatic stop, arms spread wide, eyeliner somehow perfectly intact despite the hypothermia.
"Don't worry, my sweet snowflake! I, Bon Clay, will protect you!"
"Please do," I said, ducking behind him without shame. "I am very bite-sized right now."
Then I saw what he was guarding.
Luffy.
Collapsed in the snow, poison-blackened, shuddering like he was halfway to death—which, he was.
"Oh god." I dropped beside him. His skin was so cold it burned. "Bon, we need to move him. Now."
The wolves circled again.
Bon took a fighting stance.
I… tried.
Look, I TRIED.
I threw a snowball at one wolf. It bounced off its snout like a marshmallow hitting a brick wall.
Another wolf lunged. I panicked and swung a frozen chain like some idiot medieval princess with a budget weapon. I missed. Almost hit myself.
"Aria-chan, please!" Bon shrieked, kicking a wolf away. "You fight like a dehydrated frog!"
"I KNOW!" I kicked one wolf in the ribs. It barely flinched. My foot throbbed like I'd kicked a vending machine.
We were surrounded.
Bon was panting, trembling. Protecting two people was too much.
A wolf leapt directly at me—
I screamed—
Slice.
The wolf dropped.
A tall figure stepped through the blizzard with elegant, deadly calm.
Inazuma.
"Oh thank god," I breathed.
Internally, I added: Finally. I was wondering when the plot would notice me.
Externally…I promptly flopped limply into the snow and pretended to pass out. Accuracy matters.
Inazuma didn't suspect a thing. Of course not—they had bigger problems, like the half-dead captain and the human opera happening behind us.
Bon Clay collapsed for real, sobbing dramatically as he fell.
Inazuma sighed the sigh of a person who deeply regretted being assigned this rescue mission.
"Let's go," they said.
And with precise movements, they scooped us all up and descended into the hidden passage.
Even "unconscious," I could hear the music before I saw the light.
Glitter. Laughter. Heels clicking. Feathers. Warm air. Perfume. Life.
Newkama Land.
I cracked an eye open for just a second.
Yep. Looks exactly like the anime. Ten out of ten accuracy. Fabulous.
Then I let my eyes open all the way, gasping loudly like I'd never expected this underground LGBTQ fantasy club to exist.
"Oh my god—where am I?!" I said, clutching my chest.
Ivankov turned toward me, towering, fabulous, and shining like a disco sun.
"Welcome, darling!" he declared, striking a pose. "To the paradise of freedom and self-love!"
I gasped appropriately, then extended a hand. "Your eyelashes defy gravity. I want to worship them."
He winked. "And YOU, little chaos child, have potential."
We were instant besties. Obviously.
Luffy, meanwhile, was dying in a corner.
Ivankov switched gears with terrifying speed.
"Hormone BOOST!" he bellowed, injecting Luffy with the kind of syringe that should come with a trigger warning.
Luffy convulsed. Screamed. Exploded into sweat. They took him away.
Bon Clay wailed at the door.
I watched quietly, hugging myself, the fear still coiled tight in my chest.
Hours passed. Luffy's screams grew louder.
Finally, he came out, collapsed back, unconscious but alive.
Relief punched the air out of my lungs.
But before I could enjoy the victory, an alarmed Newkama burst into the room:
"News from above! Portgas D. Ace is being moved to Marineford!"
Everything froze.
The lights felt dimmer.
The warmth evaporated.
The glitter didn't matter.
My stomach knotted.
It's happening exactly like canon.
Magellan still poisoned Luffy.
Ace is still being transferred.
The war is still coming.
Have I changed anything? At all?
Hey guys! I was busy for a bit so I couldn't write anything. I'm hopefully back now.
Also, I'm a bit confused on how to address Ivankov. I thought of using they/them, but I searched for it and was told to use he/him when he's presenting male and she/her when she's presenting female.
Does anyone know the best option to take??