Chapter 7: The Cost of Kindness
…
Mid-afternoon settled gently over Angel Island, bright and open beneath a clean blue sky. The White-White Sea gleamed beyond the shore in soft, rolling swells, while the island-cloud beneath Nami's sandals gave with that strange springy softness she still had not adjusted to. A simple bag was slung over her left shoulder, packed with clothes and a few necessities for both her and Robin. A breeze rolled in now and then, lifting her tangerine hair and tugging lightly at the yellow short-sleeved shirt she had pulled on over her bikini top after coming ashore. Beside her, Conis kept an easy pace as she guided Nami away from Angel Beach and up the grand cloud-staircase. Su trotted a little ahead of them, her fluffy white tail swishing happily.
Nami placed one hand on her hip as they climbed, glancing up the long stretch of stairs ahead with a grimace. "For a place made of clouds, you people have a lot of stairs."
Conis blinked, then gave a small apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I suppose I don't notice them much anymore."
"Lucky you."
"We can take our time," Conis offered. "There is no need to hurry."
Nami glanced up again, then sighed. "Good. Because I refuse to be defeated by a staircase in heaven."
Conis covered a soft laugh with one hand. "Your friends seemed to manage it rather well."
Nami's mouth curved as a thought came to mind. "Let me guess. Usopp complained the most?"
"Well…" Conis's smile turned sheepish. "He did seem to struggle a little."
"Yeah, that sounds right." Nami could already picture it in her head. Usopp would finally reach the top of the stairs, hands dropping to his buckling knees as he wheezed for air, his face slick with sweat. Then he would make up some ridiculous imaginary disease for why he could never take those stairs again and insist someone should carry him next time. Finally, she would smack him in the back of the head the second he asked her to do it and call him an idiot.
"Is he not used to climbing?"
"Usopp is used to surviving things he has no business surviving," Nami replied. "Climbing is different."
Conis tilted her head, curious.
Nami lifted a finger, slipping naturally into explanation. "Luffy, Robin, and Chopper have Devil Fruit powers. Zoro and Sanji are just ridiculous. Usopp and I are the normal ones."
Conis considered that. "And Kevin?"
Nami hesitated for the smallest fraction of a second. "He's not one of us," she said. "We brought him along because he knew how to get us up here."
Conis watched her face. "But he is strong?"
"Very," Nami said, her voice flat with certainty. "Strong enough that if he ever became a problem, fighting him would be the worst possible plan."
Her mind flashed back to his fight against the crew's three strongest, and how Kevin had walked away victorious without any serious injuries.
"That sounds serious."
"It is." Nami's eyes narrowed faintly. "Which means I'd rather know what he's hiding before it becomes our problem."
Before Conis could ask, Nami glanced back over her shoulder at the sea-clouds below them. A pleased little smile tugged at her mouth despite the climb. "Still, the Waver almost made the death-trip worth it."
Conis brightened. "You enjoyed riding it?"
"Enjoyed it?" Nami looked at her. "Conis, that thing is amazing."
The other girl's smile warmed at once.
"It handles strangely at first," the orange-haired girl continued, her hands moving slightly as she spoke. "The thrust doesn't respond like a normal boat. It's all balance and timing, and the sea-clouds give just enough underneath you to make turns tricky. But once you feel how the Breath Dial pushes against the surface, it starts making sense."
Conis stared at her with open admiration. "You understood that from one ride?"
Nami's smile turned smug as she pointed at herself. "Navigator."
"That explains everything?"
"It explains most things."
Conis laughed softly. "You really did learn quickly."
Nami waved a hand, though she did not look displeased. "I wouldn't say I've mastered it yet. I want to try again later."
"Of course. I would be happy to lend it to you."
"Good." Nami looked back toward the beach where the Waver had been secured. "Next time, I want sharper turns."
"Sharper?"
"I almost fell twice. That means I'm close."
Conis looked mildly alarmed. "Is that how Blue Sea navigators learn?"
"The good ones."
They continued climbing, but a quietness followed the joke. At first, Nami thought Conis was only watching the path. Then she noticed the other girl's smile had faded into something quieter. Not polite nor distracted. Sad.
Nami slowed slightly. "Conis?"
The blonde girl startled. "Yes?"
"You disappeared for a second."
"Oh." She lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry."
"That wasn't an answer."
"It's nothing you need to worry about."
Nami studied her. Conis was gentle, almost painfully so, but she was not hard to read right now. Whatever had crossed her mind had not been small.
"This is about Upper Yard, isn't it?"
Conis's shoulders drew in. "I spoke too firmly on the beach earlier. I apologize if I frightened you."
"You didn't."
Conis looked at her.
Nami clicked her tongue. "Fine. A little. But if a place is dangerous, I'd rather hear that before I ride straight into it."
The answer should have helped, but it didn't.
Conis's face tightened again, and this time she could not hide it.
Nami caught it immediately. "That's not all."
Su stopped ahead of them and turned back with a small, puzzled squeak. "Sue?"
Conis halted too, hugging her arms close as if that might hold everything in place. For a moment, she stared down at the cloud-stair beneath their feet.
"I failed to warn someone before," she said quietly.
Nami's posture changed. "Who?"
"A Blue Sea dweller," Conis answered. "A few days ago. He arrived here alone."
Nami waited.
"He was lost," she continued. "Confused. Scared, I think. Though he tried very hard to hide behind jokes instead."
Nami's eyes sharpened, but her voice stayed even. "What was his name?"
Conis's expression softened with the memory. "Ben."
The name landed cleanly.
Nami kept her face still.
"Ben," she repeated.
Conis nodded. "He was strange, but kind. Some of his jokes made no sense to me at first." A small, fragile smile touched her mouth. "When I told him I worked at a café, he called me a sky barista."
Nami huffed faintly. "That sounds like him."
Conis looked at her.
She corrected quickly, "Like something a Blue Sea idiot would say."
"I suppose so." Conis looked toward Su, who had padded back closer to her ankles. "Su found him first on Angel Beach. She brought him to me, and I brought him home. Father and I did not know what else to do. He had no way to contact his home, and he did not understand Skypiea at all."
"That sounds like you and your dad," Nami said.
Conis blinked.
The navigator shrugged, looking away as if the compliment was nothing. "You're both too nice for your own good."
The blonde girl's smile softened. "We only thought no one should be alone in a place they don't understand."
"See? Too nice."
Conis gave a quiet laugh, then continued. "We gave him dinner and let him stay with us. Ben asked about everything. Island-clouds, sea-clouds, Dials, Wavers. He looked at Skypiea as if the whole island had fallen out of a dream."
"To be fair," Nami said, glancing around at the impossible cloud city, "this place is insane."
"That is exactly what he said."
Nami's mouth twitched.
Conis's smile faded again. "But he was sad too. He said he could not return home."
Nami's fingers brushed unconsciously against the silver pendant resting on her chest.
For a moment, she was not looking at Conis anymore. She was back on the Going Merry's aft deck, standing near her tangerine trees while the South Bird picked at the slices Kevin had peeled for it. She remembered the way his teasing had faded when she told him those trees were mostly there because she wanted to bring a piece of home with her.
He had gone quiet. Not awkwardly, and not because he did not know what to say. His face had softened, like the word home had reached into him and found something raw. For once, he had not made a joke or sarcastic remark. He had only looked at her trees and said he understood.
Nami's brows lowered slightly.
Conis did not notice. "I wanted to help him think about something else. So I showed him Father's workshop and explained how Wavers worked."
The tangerine-haired girl looked back at her.
The Skypiean girl's smile returned, small and fond. "Then Ben made his own."
Nami stopped walking. "He what?"
Conis stopped too. "Made his own Waver."
"Just like that?"
"Well… not exactly like that." She looked sheepish. "His method was quite unorthodox."
"Unorthodox how?"
"I'm not sure how to explain it." Conis's brows pinched together as she searched for the right words. "It was very fast. Very loud. And… alarmingly enthusiastic."
Nami stared at her.
"The result worked," Conis added quickly. "It was not a standard Waver by any measure. More like a board. He said he had used something similar where he came from."
"A board," Nami repeated.
"Yes. He could ride it almost immediately." The blonde's smile warmed. "Just like you."
Nami's thumb pressed lightly against the pendant. This guy built a new Waver just like that?
Another memory came to her.
"Let me guess, you have some kind of monster form that can repair houses too?" she had asked.
"Of course not. It would be weird if it could only fix houses after all, which is why it can fix almost anything."
When Kevin had transformed into that small, red, devil-like monster he called Juryrigg, he had repaired Cricket's house and reattached the Going Merry's damaged bow in barely two minutes. Something that should have taken a proper crew much longer, and the end result likely still would not have been as good.
And he did all that while laughing manically. It matched Conis's description very well.
Conis looked toward the distant shimmer of the White-White Sea. "We rode together that afternoon. He looked happy then. Truly happy. For a little while, I think he forgot how lost he was." Her hands tightened around her arms. "Then I left for my evening shift. I thought he would stay near Angel Island."
Nami's thoughts sharpened. Kevin's story about Skypiea. His warning about Eneru. Her face stayed steady, but inside, one piece slid into another with a quiet click. "He went to Upper Yard," she said.
Conis nodded. "Yes."
Nami's jaw tightened. "And Eneru found him."
"Eneru judged him," she said softly. "For trespassing on holy land."
The name settled coldly between them.
The man with lightning powers Kevin had warned them about. A man who could apparently hear conversations from far away. Someone who, according to Robin, may have had the power of a lightning Logia.
Conis's hands trembled. "We saw the judgment from Angel Island. A great bolt came down from the sky." Her eyes shone, but she kept her voice gentle, almost careful. "There is no way anyone could survive that."
Nami's mind moved faster than her face.
So far, Kevin's story about Skypiea was tracking. He had woken up on Angel Beach, befriended two Skypieans who were clearly Conis and Pagaya, ridden a Waver he had likely built with Juryrigg, encountered Eneru, and survived something Conis understandably believed had killed him.
But there was one very important difference.
Kevin was not Kevin.
His real name was Ben.
Nami turned the thought over carefully, keeping it locked behind her eyes. He had told the truth about almost everything else, which somehow made the lie stand out even more.
Why only his name?
Did he not trust them? Or was it something else?
Conis wiped at one eye, embarrassed by the tear before it could fully fall. "I keep thinking if I had warned him sooner, he might still be alive."
Nami looked at her and for one second, she almost said it.
He is.
The words sat right there. She could have taken that grief off Conis's face with two syllables.
But she did not.
Kevin, or Ben, had not revealed himself for a reason. Most likely, he wanted to keep the element of surprise against Eneru. That was why he had shown up disguised as his best friend instead of walking around Skypiea with his real face and real name. If Eneru could really hear people from far away, then one careless word could ruin everything.
And with her crew, carelessness was sometimes expected.
Luffy would shout the wrong name at the worst possible time. Usopp would panic and expose half the plan by accident. Chopper might blurt it out from worry. Sanji would be too busy yelling threats at whatever hurt Nami or Robin to think about secrecy. Even Zoro, for all his bluntness, might let it slip if he decided the lie was pointless.
Robin was honestly the only one Nami could see not ruining Ben's plan.
Nami exhaled quietly through her nose.
So that was why. He had given them a fake name because his real one was dangerous here. Truthfully, it was a legitimate concern, and she could not blame him for it.
That did not mean she had to like it.
Nami stepped closer to Conis. "Listen to me. That wasn't your fault."
Conis looked at her, startled by the firmness. "But I should have told him."
"You didn't send him there."
"No, but…"
"You didn't make him go exploring." Nami continued to insist and Conis lowered her gaze. "And if he was anything like the idiots I travel with, warning him might not have stopped him anyway."
A tiny, sad laugh escaped Conis before she could stop it. "Ben might have done that."
"There you go."
"But he still should have known," she said softly. "Even if he ignored me, he should have known. I was kind to him, but I was not careful."
Nami's expression softened despite herself. "Being kind matters too."
Conis looked down, absorbing that with difficulty.
They started walking again, slower this time. Su kept ahead of them, but she glanced back more often now, her little ears twitching.
Nami's fingers tightened once against her own arm.
Ben had come back here to the place where people thought he had died. He had walked back into the home of the girl who blamed herself for his supposed death and said nothing, all to protect her from an angry Kami's wrath.
It was annoying, stupid, and self-sacrificing in the worst possible way.
Nami turned her head slightly, trying to shake the thought off. She clicked her tongue under her breath. She was paying attention to Ben. Too much attention. And that was the really irritating part.
…
Lunch had taken over the main room of Pagaya and Conis's house by the time Nami and Conis returned.
The table was crowded with plates, bowls, and steaming dishes, all arranged with careful attention. Neatly sliced fruit sat beside lightly grilled sky-fish, warm bread, bowls of fragrant stew, and a few dishes Sanji had somehow made look more elegant than they had any right to.
Luffy was already seated far too close to the food, saliva building at the corner of his mouth while one hand crept toward a plate. Chopper sat beside him, practically vibrating with anticipation. Usopp had claimed a spot near the middle of the table with the air of a man preparing to tell an important story over lunch. Zoro leaned back against the wall with his arms folded, looking half-bored and half-ready to eat regardless. Robin sat gracefully near one end, her chin resting lightly against one hand as she watched the others with quiet amusement.
Sanji turned the instant the door opened.
"Nami-swan!" he sang, nearly sparkling as he crossed the room. "You've returned. Did you have fun? Tell me the sun was gentle on your—"
Sanji paused when he noticed something different about her.
"Yeah, I had a good time." Nami stepped inside, brushing a hand through her orange hair. Su trotted in after her and Conis. Nami then noticed Sanji's disappointed expression. "Something wrong?"
Sanji looked away, teary eyed. "You…put on a t-shirt."
Nami was unimpressed. "Yeah, I did." She set her bag aside. "Is lunch ready?"
The cook straightened at once. "For you? Always."
Usopp leaned toward Chopper and muttered, "Notice how that didn't answer whether lunch is ready for us."
Chopper whispered back, "Maybe we're included?"
"We are garnish."
Conis smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry if we kept everyone waiting."
Pagaya waved that off with his usual mild smile. "Not at all, Conis. The timing is just right."
Nami's gaze swept the room, counting faces automatically.
Luffy. Zoro. Usopp. Sanji. Chopper. Robin. Pagaya. Conis.
No Kevin.
Her expression stayed casual. Her eyes did not. "Where's Kevin?"
Robin's gaze shifted toward her for the briefest moment.
Luffy perked up from his seat, one hand still hovering dangerously close to the grilled fish. "Levin went walking around."
"Kevin," Usopp corrected. "It's two syllables, Luffy. Two."
Luffy frowned. "Le-vin."
"That's still wrong!" Usopp comically yelled while slapping the air.
Nami folded her arms. "He went alone?"
Zoro cracked one eye open. "Said he was looking around town."
"And nobody thought that was suspicious?"
Usopp lifted a hand. "In our defense, most things about him are suspicious."
Luffy's attention drifted back to the table. "If he's late, I can eat his food, right?"
"No," Nami said.
Luffy's face fell. "Why not? He's not here."
Robin lifted her cup with a faint smile. "Because he may return before you finish stealing from him, Captain."
Luffy blinked. "You think so?"
"I would call it a possibility."
As if summoned by the word, the door opened again.
Ben stepped inside, still wearing Kevin Levin's appearance, with a rectangular wooden case braced under one arm. His gaze landed on the table and his mouth curved into an easy smirk.
"Perfect timing. I was starting to think I'd missed the part where Luffy eats the furniture."
Luffy's eyes locked onto the case. "Levin! Is that food?"
Ben glanced down at the case. "Not food."
Luffy deflated instantly. "Aww."
"You'll survive. There's an entire table right there."
Zoro's gaze sharpened from the wall. "Is it booze?"
Ben's smirk widened. "And suddenly someone's paying attention."
Zoro straightened.
Ben set the case down and flipped it open, revealing several neatly packed bottles with cloud-shaped labels and pale teal liquid inside. "Found a place called Cloudfin Tavern while I was out. Figured if I was going to wander around paradise, I might as well come back with souvenirs people actually care about."
Sanji eyed the bottles, then Ben, reluctant approval entering his expression. "At least you understand the value of arriving with something useful."
"I live to impress judgmental cooks."
"Don't aim too high."
Zoro reached over and took one of the bottles, turning it in his hand. "Not bad."
"That's it?" Usopp asked. "He brings a whole case of sky booze, and all he gets is 'not bad'?"
Zoro gave him a flat look. "That means I like him."
Ben smiled. "I'll take it."
He glanced back at Zoro. "Careful with that one. Bartender said it's stronger than it looks."
Zoro's mouth curved faintly. "Good."
"Yeah. Somehow I knew that warning would have the opposite effect."
Pagaya looked pleasantly surprised as Ben handed one of the bottles toward him. "How thoughtful. Thank you, Kevin."
"No problem."
Conis politely smiled. "That was very kind of you."
Ben's smirk softened by a fraction. "Figured your dad deserved something after letting this circus sleep in his house."
Lunch began properly after that.
For several minutes, the room warmed into the easy chaos. Plates shifted, bowls were passed, Luffy tried to reach across the table twice and got smacked away both times, and Chopper made small, amazed noises every time he tasted something new. Ben took a bite of stew. Thankfully, his Lenopan biology still allowed him to consume and taste human food. He paused, then looked over at Sanji.
"Okay," he said, pointing his spoon at the bowl. "That's unfairly good."
Sanji flicked ash from his cigarette, his pleased little huff trying and failing to sound modest. "Naturally. A real cook does not fear unfamiliar ingredients."
Pagaya nodded, smiling over his own bowl. "You adapted to our kitchen remarkably quickly."
Sanji's expression softened into genuine pride. "Thank you, Pagaya. Your ingredients are fascinating." He paused, then frowned toward the kitchen. "Except that jar of spoiled sauce in the fridge. That was not fascinating. That was a crime scene."
Pagaya blinked, then gave a small, embarrassed chuckle. "Ah… yes. I had been meaning to dispose of it."
Sanji stared at him.
Pagaya cleared his throat. "For several months, I believe."
"If something is spoiled, you throw it out before it becomes a tenant!" Sanji snapped.
Luffy pointed at his empty bowl. "More!"
Sanji's smile vanished. "Ask like a human being."
"More, please!"
"That was imitation manners!"
"But I said please."
"You weaponized please!"
Luffy blinked at him, completely unashamed. "So can I have more?"
Sanji grumbled, but he still took the bowl.
Later, as they ate, Usopp settled into the posture of a man who had found the perfect audience and intended to abuse the privilege.
"So there I was," he began, one hand pressed to his chest, "alone on a ship in the middle of a storm. Waves taller than mountains. Thunder splitting the sky. My crew of eight thousand men had all fainted from fear."
Zoro took a drink from his bottle. "Saves you from inventing dialogue for them."
Usopp jabbed a finger at him. "They were too terrified to speak!"
Chopper leaned forward, eyes wide and shining. "What happened next?"
Usopp's grin widened. "That's when the sea began to boil."
Luffy's mouth fell open. "Boil?"
"The water turned black," he said, dropping his voice. "The boat stopped moving. Then, from beneath the waves…"
He paused, letting the silence stretch.
Chopper swallowed. "What was it?"
Luffy leaned in. "A Sea King?"
Usopp slowly shook his head. "Worse."
Chopper gasped. "Worse than a Sea King?"
"A monstrous squid," Usopp declared, throwing one hand outward. "A green demon of the deep. Tentacles thicker than ship masts. Eyes glowing red. A beak sharp enough to bite a battleship in half."
Ben paused mid-bite. For one uncomfortable second, Usopp's description dragged up the memory of Vilgax revealing his true form during their battle deep in the ocean. Ben blinked once, then shoved the unpleasant memory of Vilgax trying to eat him back where it belonged.
Across the table, Luffy looked delighted. "That sounds awesome!"
"It was not awesome," Usopp said gravely. "It was horror itself. The beast wrapped one tentacle around my ship, pulled us toward its terrible mouth, and my men cried out, 'Captain Usopp! Save us!'"
Nami lifted a brow. "Your men were unconscious."
Usopp froze for half a second. "They woke up to scream."
"That's convenient."
"They were well-trained."
Sanji exhaled smoke through his nose. "Trained to faint and scream?"
"Exactly," the sniper said, refusing to surrender ground. "Morale is complicated."
Robin smiled faintly into her cup.
Usopp pointed toward Chopper, regaining his momentum. "Any normal man would have panicked. But I stood at the bow, stared that monster right in its glowing red eyes, and said, 'You picked the wrong ship.'"
Chopper's hooves flew to his cheeks. "So cool!"
Luffy grinned. "Then did you punch it?"
Usopp's eyes narrowed with theatrical gravity. "Not immediately."
Nami muttered, "Here it comes."
"When the beast lunged, I leapt into the air, spun over three tentacles, dodged the fourth by a hair, and landed on its head. Then I drew my mightiest weapon."
Chopper breathed, "Your slingshot?"
Usopp's expression turned deadly serious. "My bare fists."
Nami stared at him. "You punched a giant squid."
"I punched a giant squid," Usopp confirmed, "right between the eyes."
Zoro snorted. "And it didn't eat you out of embarrassment?"
"One strike from Captain Usopp carries the force of ten thousand cannonballs," Usopp said proudly. "The squid trembled. The sea shook. Then it realized it had challenged the greatest warrior of the ocean and fled back into the depths, crying inky tears of defeat."
Chopper was practically vibrating. "Inky tears…"
Luffy slammed both hands on the table. "That's amazing!"
"It was nothing," Usopp said, turning his long nose up with false modesty. "A brave warrior of the sea must be prepared to defeat any monster. Fish, squid, octopus, kraken, whatever rises from the deep."
Ben took another bite, watching Usopp with a strange, faintly amused look. "Giant green squids? Yeah. Those are the worst."
Robin's eyes slid toward him with quiet interest.
Nami noticed too.
Usopp blinked, clearly thrown by someone accepting part of his story instead of immediately attacking it. Then he recovered with heroic speed. "Exactly! Kevin understands. Finally, someone at this table respects the dangers of advanced squid warfare."
Nami clicked her tongue. "Don't encourage him."
Robin's smile lingered. "It does follow a certain internal logic."
"It follows something," Nami said.
For a short while, it almost felt normal. Loud, ridiculous, warm, and somehow comfortable despite the unfamiliar setting. Her gaze drifted to Kevin…or rather Ben. He looked loose and casual as he ate, but something about his reaction to Usopp's story had struck her as odd. Not frightened exactly. Not even surprised. More like Usopp had accidentally stepped on an old bruise.
Nami looked away before he noticed and turned toward Pagaya, wanting to shift the conversation. "Can I ask something about Wavers?"
Pagaya brightened. "Of course."
"Would they work on normal clouds?"
"No," he said, shaking his head. "Wavers are made for sea-clouds only. Ordinary Blue Sea clouds do not have the proper structure."
Nami leaned forward slightly. "Because of that pyro stuff you mentioned?"
"Pyrobloin," Pagaya corrected gently. "It is a compound found in Sea Prism Stone."
Robin's interest sharpened, though her posture remained relaxed. "Sea Prism Stone is involved in the formation of these clouds?"
"Yes. When volcanic eruptions occur in the Blue Sea, pyrobloin particles can be carried high into the sky. When those particles meet water vapor, they create special clouds. The density of the vapor determines whether the result becomes sea-cloud or island-cloud."
Usopp slowly looked down at the floor. "So we're eating lunch on volcano dust."
"Volcano dust that absorbed water vapor and became island-cloud," Pagaya clarified.
Usopp stared harder at the floor. "That did not improve it."
Chopper tapped one hoof against the cloud beneath him. "Clouds are really complicated."
Robin's eyes had gone thoughtful. "If pyrobloin comes from Sea Prism Stone, that would explain their unusual stability. The compound gives the vapor a structure ordinary clouds lack."
"Exactly," Pagaya said.
Nami's gaze narrowed in fascination. "And Wavers work because the Breath Dial pushes against the sea-cloud surface, almost like a small boat pushing through water. If the cloud doesn't contain pyrobloin, there's nothing solid enough for the craft to ride."
Pagaya's smile broadened. "You understand very quickly."
"Of course I do," she said, pleased with herself. "Clouds are part of navigation science."
Ben pointed his spoon toward Nami. "That's actually impressive."
Nami shot him a sideways look. "Don't sound so shocked."
"I'm not shocked. I'm acknowledging your giant navigator brain."
For one brief second, the compliment landed honestly.
But then Ben's smirk returned. "Don't worry. It probably still fits through doors."
Nami's expression flattened. "And there it goes."
Ben chuckled.
Robin watched the exchange with amusement.
Luffy, meanwhile, had listened with a deeply serious expression that fooled absolutely no one. He nodded once, then slapped his fist into his palm. "Okay. I get it."
Usopp stared at him. "You do?"
"Yeah." Luffy pointed at the table as if delivering a grand conclusion. "Sea-clouds are the ones you can sail on. Island-clouds are the ones you can stand on."
A pause followed.
Ben shrugged. "He's not wrong."
Pagaya smiled. "That is… a simple way to put it."
Nami sighed. "He skipped almost every important detail."
"But I remembered the useful part," Luffy said proudly.
Zoro took another drink. "Good enough."
Sanji exhaled smoke. "Naturally, that would be your standard."
Zoro's gaze slid toward him. "Got a problem, cook?"
"Only with heads that reject information unless it's shaped like a sword or a bottle."
Zoro's brow twitched. "Want me to shape you like one?"
"Try it, mosshead."
Nami's palm hit the table. "Do not start a fight in someone else's house."
Conis looked between them, startled. Pagaya only smiled politely, though Ben suspected the man was quietly reevaluating every Blue Sea visitor he had ever heard of. The room settled again after Nami's warning, but Pagaya's expression gradually shifted into something more serious. He placed his bottle down carefully.
"Since we are discussing Skypiea," he began, "there are laws and customs you should understand while you are here."
The mood changed subtly.
Robin's eyes moved to Pagaya. Nami straightened slightly. Ben's spoon paused halfway to his mouth.
Luffy, somehow, kept eating.
Pagaya continued, "You entered legally, so your pendants should prevent trouble in ordinary places. However, Blue Sea dwellers are not always viewed kindly by those in authority."
Usopp frowned. "How not kindly?"
"They may watch you more closely than citizens of Angel Island." Pagaya chose each word with care. "A small mistake can become an accusation very quickly."
Nami's brows knit. "What counts as small?"
"Entering restricted areas. Taking something without knowing it belongs to someone. Damaging property. Speaking disrespectfully to the wrong official. Ignoring orders from the White Berets." His gentle face grew firmer. "Here, those things can become serious."
Usopp swallowed. "That sounds less like law and more like a trap."
Conis lowered her gaze. "Sometimes it feels that way."
Luffy looked up, cheeks full. "So if someone says don't do something, don't do it?"
Nami turned on him. "Yes. That is exactly what you should take from this."
"Oh." He nodded, then reached for more food. "Okay."
Nami did not look reassured.
Ben leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing. "So the rules are strict, outsiders are easy targets, and the officials will be looking for excuses."
Pagaya hesitated.
That answered before his words did.
"Yes," he said quietly. "That is a fair way to understand it."
Sanji's cigarette lowered a fraction. "These White Berets enforce the laws?"
"They are the local law enforcement," the bearded man replied. "It would be best not to provoke them."
Zoro huffed. "Depends if they start something."
"Zoro," Nami warned.
"What?"
"You are the warning."
He looked away. "Tch."
Robin, who had been silent through most of the explanation, lifted her cup again. Her tone remained mild, almost casual. "Are there places we should avoid?"
Pagaya's expression tightened and Conis's hands folded in her lap.
"Yes," he said. "One above all."
Conis's voice came softer. "Upper Yard."
The name settled over the table.
Luffy tilted his head. "Upper Yard?"
"It is holy land," Pagaya explained. "Sacred territory. No ordinary person may enter without permission."
Usopp leaned back slightly. "Holy land? Like a shrine?"
"In a sense. It is forbidden under Kami Eneru's rule."
Luffy perked up. "Eneru."
The room seemed to cool around the word.
Conis looked down at the table. "Eneru is Skypiea's ruler."
"And anyone who enters Upper Yard without permission," Pagaya continued, "is considered a trespasser against Kami."
Chopper's ears drooped. "What happens to trespassers?"
Conis's fingers tightened.
Pagaya answered gently, but there was no comfort in it. "They are judged."
No one spoke for a moment. Robin's gaze moved calmly from Pagaya to Conis, then to Ben. Nami watched him too. His eyes were lowered, fixed on the table rather than either of their hosts. His mouth was set in a faint line.
Conis took a quiet breath and looked around at all of them. "Please do not go near Upper Yard. Whatever you hear, whatever you think might be there, it is too dangerous."
Luffy stared at her, then looked toward Nami.
She already knew that look and hated it immediately. "No."
He blinked. "I didn't say anything."
"You thought loudly."
"I was just wondering."
"That's worse."
Ben snorted once under his breath.
Pagaya looked troubled. "I mean this sincerely. Trouble with the White Berets is one thing. But if Kami Eneru becomes involved…"
"I think we get the picture," Ben said, keeping his tone casual. "Forbidden land, angry ruler, very bad day. We'll be careful."
Pagaya released a small sigh of relief. "That is good to hear."
Nami's gaze shifted from Conis's pale face to Ben's carefully guarded one.
Conis had warned them this time. She had said everything she had failed to say before, laying out the danger of Upper Yard as plainly as she could. And the boy she thought she had lost sat less than ten feet away, wearing another man's face and listening to her blame herself without giving her the one answer that would make it stop.
Nami looked down at her plate, her appetite fading.
…
The rest of the afternoon carried the group back down to Angel Beach.
Luffy had been the first to suggest going back outside, though "suggest" was generous when he had already been halfway out the door by the time anyone answered. Chopper followed immediately, Usopp trailed after them while complaining about having just eaten, and Sanji, after cleaning up the kitchen, began gathering anything he thought the ladies might need beneath the sun.
Ben went with the crew without much argument. Part of him wanted to slip away again, keep moving, keep searching for a cleaner path toward Eneru before the false Kami realized he had returned. But walking off alone twice in the same day would only make the locals more suspicious.
Besides, if he was being honest with himself, he wanted this. A little sun, a little noise, a few ridiculous pirates acting like the world was not about to tilt sideways. Before he had to seek out Eneru and drag himself back into the storm, the teen hero figured he could let himself breathe for a while.
Now Angel Beach stretched around them beneath the warm mid-afternoon light, soft white shore giving way to the gentle swells of the White-White Sea beyond the shoreline.
Unsurprisingly, Nami had gone straight back to the Waver. She cut across the sea-clouds in a wide, confident arc, her yellow shirt tied neatly around her waist and her bikini top visible again as she leaned into the turn, letting the Waver pick up speed beneath her.
Nami laughed brightly as the Waver skimmed over the clouds. "Okay, I understand why people live up here now!"
Back on the beach, Luffy folded his arms and pouted with open jealousy. "I wanna ride it."
"You'll just fall off," Usopp said.
"I won't."
"You absolutely will."
Luffy pointed at the sea-clouds. "Nami isn't falling off."
"Nami actually knows what she's doing," Usopp replied.
Nami leaned into another turn and called back, "Touch this Waver and I'll charge you for every scratch!"
"That's not fair!"
Chopper watched her with sparkling eyes. "She's amazing. She barely wobbles now."
"She is Nami-swan," Sanji said, one hand pressed to his heart. "Even the clouds understand their role around her."
Zoro, sitting cross-legged on the cloud-sand nearby, gave him a dull look. "Do you hear yourself when you talk?"
Sanji's smile vanished. "Do you hear yourself snore?"
"You wanna test which one's worse?"
Before Sanji could lunge, Ben stepped between them with both hands raised. "Okay. New rule. No murder before dessert."
Zoro glanced at him. "There's dessert?"
Luffy's head snapped up. "There is?"
"No," Ben said. "That was a distraction."
Luffy's interest collapsed. "Aw."
Sanji flicked ash from his cigarette. "You interrupted me for a fake dessert?"
"I interrupted you because Conis and Pagaya's beach doesn't deserve to become a crime scene."
Pagaya, standing nearby with his usual mild smile, lifted one hand. "I do appreciate that."
Ben pointed toward the modified fishing net stretched between two posts he and Pagaya had set into the cloud-sand earlier. It was rougher than what he would have used back home, uneven in a few spots and clearly meant for catching fish rather than blocking a ball. A light, round ball Conis had found in a storage chest sat tucked under his arm, patched in a few places but still usable.
Usopp squinted at the setup. "Why did you tie a fishing net in the middle of the beach?"
"For a game. Beach volleyball."
Chopper tilted his head. "Beach volley ball?"
"Yep. Two teams. Ball goes over the net. Don't let it touch the ground on your side."
Luffy's eyes sharpened with sudden purpose. "So we beat the ball."
"You hit the ball."
"With fists."
"With hands," Ben allowed. "But try not to turn it into a crime against sports."
Luffy nodded gravely. "I'll only commit a small crime."
"That is not what I said."
Conis stood near Pagaya, hands folded in front of her as she looked between the net and the ball with curious interest. "So the point is not to defeat the other team directly, but to make them miss?"
"Exactly," Ben said. "Three hits max before the ball has to go back over. No catching. No holding. No throwing."
Luffy raised his hand.
"No biting either."
Luffy lowered his hand.
Usopp stared at him. "That was your question?"
"I was checking."
Pagaya smiled pleasantly. "What an interesting Blue Sea game."
"It's simple once you start playing," Ben said, tossing the ball lightly from one hand to the other. "Teamwork, timing and stopping Luffy before he reinvents it."
Luffy frowned. "What if my version is better?"
"It won't be."
"You haven't heard it."
"I survived the preview."
From the pavilion, Robin sat comfortably in the shade with an iced drink in hand that Sanji had made for her earlier. She had declined playing with a gentle smile, but she had accepted Ben's request to act as referee. Her posture was relaxed, her chin resting lightly against one hand as she watched the setup with quiet amusement.
"I believe I understand," Robin said. "If the ball touches the ground within the marked area, the opposing team scores. More than three hits before returning it also gives the point away. And if the ball lands outside the boundary, the team that struck it loses the point."
Ben pointed at her. "Exactly. See? Referee Robin gets it."
Usopp folded his arms with grave approval. "Good. We'll need a sharp mind to protect the integrity of the game."
Luffy frowned. "From who?"
Everyone looked at him.
He blinked. "What?"
Robin smiled into her glass. "I will do my best, Captain."
Ben clapped his hands once. "Teams. Let's keep it simple. Zoro on one side, Sanji on the other."
Zoro's mouth curved faintly. He was definitely going to enjoy this, but first, he had a question. "Is it illegal to hit someone in the face with the ball when sending it to the other team's side?"
"It's frowned upon," Ben answered, "but no, it's not illegal."
A small chill ran through him when Zoro's smirk grew a little more bloodthirsty.
Seriously, what is it with those two fighting during basically every conversation they have?
"Perfect," the swordsman said, cracking his neck almost eagerly.
Sanji rolled his shoulders, already staring across the net like Ben had personally handed him a battlefield. "Perfect. I'll defeat him so beautifully that Robin-chwan and Conis dear will speak of it for years."
Zoro stood and brushed cloud-sand from his pants. "Try serving before you start writing songs about yourself."
Sanji's eyebrow twitched. "Say that again after I spike this ball into your empty skull."
"Try it, curly brow."
They ended up with Luffy, Sanji, Usopp, and Conis on one side, while Zoro, Chopper, and Ben took the other. Conis had only joined after gentle encouragement from Pagaya and an enthusiastic shout from Luffy, though she still looked unsure as she took her place beside Usopp.
Chopper transformed into his human form since his regular form was too short to play properly, which startled both locals. The crew gave Conis and Pagaya a quick explanation about Chopper's Devil Fruit, and after everything else they had seen from the Blue Sea visitors, they simply accepted it.
Ben had invited Nami to join them, but she politely declined, saying she wanted to keep riding the Waver. Pagaya stood off to the side as scorekeeper, smiling with mild curiosity at the strange Blue Sea game.
Ben offered the ball to Sanji. "You're serving first."
Sanji stepped back from it.
Ben blinked. "Problem?"
"I don't use my hands in combat."
"It's volleyball."
Sanji pointed across the net at Zoro. "He's there. It's combat."
Zoro snorted. "Scared of a ball now?"
Sanji smiled thinly. "Watch and learn, mosshead."
He dropped the ball onto his foot, popped it into the air with a controlled flick, then spun and kicked it cleanly over the net. The ball shot across with far more force than Ben had expected.
Usopp screamed. "That's not a serve! That's an assassination!"
Ben lunged sideways and managed to bump it upward with his forearm, the impact briefly denting his arm. The ball arced high, wobbling unevenly but staying in play.
"Zoro!"
The swordsman moved under it, stared up at the ball for half a second, then struck it with one open palm like he was swatting an insect. It went back over the net at an ugly angle, but it cleared.
Ben stared after it. "Huh. That worked."
"Of course it worked."
"That was not a technique."
"It crossed the net."
"Low bar, but okay."
On the other side, Luffy's grin widened. "My turn!"
"Careful!" Chopper warned.
Luffy stretched both arms back. "Gum-Gum…"
"No Devil Fruit!" Ben, Usopp, and Robin shouted at once.
"Don't destroy the ball before we even play!" Usopp added.
Luffy froze with both arms stretched behind him. "But I was gonna hit it."
"With normal arms!" Ben shouted.
Luffy considered that, then let his arms snap back. "Oh. Right."
The delay cost him. The ball dropped directly between him and Usopp, bouncing off the cloud-sand with a soft puff.
Robin lifted one hand from the pavilion. "Point to Zoro's team."
Usopp threw both fists into the air. "A flawless opening strategy by Captain Usopp's beach warriors!"
Zoro glanced at him. "You screamed."
"Strategically."
Ben smirked. "It did create atmosphere."
"No," Zoro said. "It created noise."
The next few rounds were messy, loud, and ridiculous. Luffy kept forgetting he was not supposed to stretch for every ball, but his normal reflexes were still sharp enough that he managed several saves by throwing himself across the beach. Chopper used his human form well as his large arms helped him knock the ball back in the air and deliver strong palm strikes to send it back to the enemy. Conis was hesitant at first, apologizing almost every time she hit the ball, but she started learning once Ben called out a few simple tips.
"Arms together, Conis!" Ben shouted. "Don't swat at it. Let it bounce off!"
Conis nodded, determination flickering across her face. When the next ball came toward her, she stepped forward, clasped her hands the way Kevin had shown and bumped it neatly into the air.
Chopper gasped. "You did it!"
Luffy jumped up, laughing. "Nice one, Conis!"
Sanji's eyes practically turned into hearts. "A pass worthy of song, Conis dear!" He pivoted smoothly and lifted one leg. "Allow me to answer such elegance!"
He kicked the ball over the net from her pass.
Conis's eyes widened. "That counted?"
"Absolutely!" Usopp cheered.
Pagaya smiled warmly from the sideline. "Very well done, Conis."
A smile broke across her face before she could stop it.
Ben saw it from across the net. For a second, the noise of the game faded into the background. Conis looked lighter than she had since he had returned to Angel Island. She was genuinely smiling.
Something in Ben's chest loosened at the sight.
Unfortunately, he was still in the middle of a game, and the ball promptly slammed into his face.
"Oof!" Ben dropped backward onto the cloud-sand.
Robin lifted one hand. "Point to Sanji's team."
Luffy doubled over laughing. "Levin got hit in the face!"
Chopper hopped in place. "Are you okay?"
Usopp pointed dramatically. "He shielded them with his nose! A hero's sacrifice!"
Ben sat up, rubbing his face and silently thanking Muckamorph for holding the disguise. "First of all, not my nose. Second, who hit that?"
Sanji lowered his kicking leg with a smug smile. "I aimed for open space. Your face made a late appearance."
Zoro's mouth twitched. "Good aim."
Ben shot him a look. "You're on my team."
"Still good aim," Zoro insisted. He could not stand the cook, but he was still irritated about losing to Ben earlier. Seeing Ben get hit like that was amusing, even if the shitty cook had been the one to land the shot instead of him.
Farther out on the sea-clouds, Nami passed close enough to see Ben get pelted by the ball and couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Nice reflexes!" she called, grinning as she leaned into her turn. "Very heroic!"
Ben groaned. "I'm never living that down, am I?"
"Nope!"
Sanji sparkled so hard he nearly forgot the game. "Nami-swan laughed! This match has been blessed by heaven itself!"
Zoro pointed across the net. "Serve before I die of secondhand embarrassment."
Sanji's head snapped back toward him. "You'll die from my next spike first!"
Ben stood and dusted himself off. "Great. We've reached the death threat portion of volleyball."
"We started there," Usopp said.
"Fair."
The serve came back hard. This time Zoro stepped in and returned it cleanly, driving the ball down toward Sanji's side with enough force to make Usopp yelp in triumph.
Sanji moved like a blur, pivoting on one foot and snapping the other leg upward. His heel caught the ball before it hit the ground and sent it flying back over the net.
Ben stared. "Okay. That was actually cool."
Sanji smirked. "Naturally."
Zoro's eyes narrowed. "Tch. Flashy."
"Effective," Sanji shot back.
"Lucky."
"Jealous."
"Annoyed."
"At losing?"
"At you breathing."
"Guys!" Ben exclaimed, sounding annoyed. "Let's try keeping the murder strictly verbal, okay?"
Robin smiled faintly from the pavilion. "A reasonable boundary."
Luffy chased the next return with far too much enthusiasm and crashed into Usopp, sending both of them tumbling in a pile of limbs and hooves. The ball bounced lazily beside them.
Robin lifted her hand again. "Point to Zoro's team."
"Luffy!" Ussop squeaked from underneath him. "You're crushing my nose!"
Luffy laughed, unbothered. "Sorry, Usopp."
Conis hurried over to help Usopp up, smiling despite her concern. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm okay," Usopp said, only to sway the moment Conis brushed cloud-sand from his bandanna.
"H-Hey now, there's no need for that. I'm fine," he said, his face warming at how close she was.
She really did remind him of Kaya, right down to that kind, gentle heart. For a moment, something wistful tugged at him, bringing back the promise he had made to return and see her again once he became a truly brave warrior of the sea.
He steadied himself and managed a small smile. "But thanks."
"Oh," Conis said, then smiled again. "You're welcome."
The game continued with bursts of laughter, arguments, and near-disasters. Pagaya kept score with remarkable patience, though he occasionally had to adjust when Luffy forgot which team had earned the point. Robin called every play evenly, including one point for Ben's team when Usopp tried to convince her that "legendary warrior pressure" counted as a legal block.
"It does not," Robin said pleasantly.
Usopp deflated. "Not even a little?"
"Not even a little."
"Harsh, but fair."
The ball arced high over the net.
"Mine!" Luffy shouted.
"No stretching!" Ben warned.
"I know!"
Luffy jumped, hit the ball with both hands, and sent it straight down toward Zoro.
The swordsman stepped in and returned it with a clean bump. Ben moved under the ball next, setting it up perfectly for Chopper.
"I got it!" Chopper shouted.
The ball flew high over him. He jumped, eyes locked straight on Usopp, making his target painfully obvious.
Usopp's eyes widened as he realized the point had come down to him.
"This is it," he whispered. "The block that'll make legends weep."
"You better not drop it!" Sanji snapped.
"Not to worry, Sanji!" Usopp planted his feet, throwing both hands up. "The great Captain Usopp is on the job! I'll block it like a wall!"
Chopper struck the ball hard.
It shot straight toward Usopp, who braced himself and thrust his palms out to stop it. For one glorious second, he looked determined. Then the ball slammed into his hands with enough force to shove them backward into his face.
More specifically, into his long nose.
"ARGHHH!" Usopp screamed as he fell onto his back, clutching his poor nose, which had bent at an extremely unnatural angle.
The ball dropped harmlessly between his feet.
Robin raised her hand. "Game point to Zoro's team."
Ben and Chopper cheered. Zoro smirked and actually fist-pumped the air, clearly satisfied to have finally beaten that shitty cook at something.
Despite losing the game, Conis laughed. It came out bright and startled, one hand covering her mouth as if she had not meant to let the sound escape so freely. She did not mean to laugh at Usopp, but his reaction was too funny to resist.
Sanji looked down at his teammate and shook his head. "You're a wall, all right. A wall of jello."
Usopp sat up slowly, cloud-sand stuck in his hair. One hand clutched his nose as he tried to look dignified after the most undignified moment possible.
"The sun was in my eyes," he muttered.
Zoro looked up at the sky. "It was behind you."
"The reflected sun was in my eyes."
"Reflected off what?"
"My future victory."
Ben laughed and reached down to pull him up. "Sure, Captain."
Usopp accepted the help with wounded dignity. "At least someone respects greatness."
"I said sure. That's different."
Conis was still laughing softly across the net, and Ben couldn't fight the smile that tugged at his mouth.
After learning he was a clone and could never return home, Conis had been the one to show him Wavers. She had taken him out over the sea-clouds and given him something fun to focus on when everything else felt too heavy. She had not known how much he needed it, but she had done it anyway.
Now he had given a little of that back.
…
Night settled over Angel Island, and the White-White Sea's pale surface caught the moonlight in quiet swells that looked almost like drifting snow.
Inside Conis and Pagaya's home, everything had finally gone still.
Nami and Robin had taken the guest bedroom while Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper had been given blankets and pillows in the main room. Within minutes, Luffy had sprawled halfway across his own blanket, Usopp's pillow had somehow migrated under his arm, Chopper lay flat on his back near Usopp with his little hooves tucked loosely against his chest, and Zoro had fallen asleep sitting upright against the wall. Nearby, Sanji had spent a few minutes muttering threats at Zoro for snoring, only to fall asleep shortly afterward while murmuring Nami and Robin's names with ridiculous fondness.
Ben waited until the house had fully settled before slipping out onto the balcony.
He stood with his forearms resting against the railing, staring out over the quiet White-White Sea. Muckamorph's disguise still held over him, giving Conis and Pagaya everything they needed to look at him without seeing the young man they thought had died.
The last time he had stood on this balcony, Professor Paradox had torn the ground out from under his entire life. He had learned that he was one of three Echo Echo clones scattered across the Omniverse, separated from Ben Prime for so long that they had become their own individuals. A living mistake, or maybe a living miracle, depending on how cruel the Omniverse felt like being.
Either way, the result was the same.
He could never return to his home universe. Not really. The family and friends waiting for Ben Prime were not waiting for him. Grandpa Max, his parents, Gwen, Kevin, Julie, everyone he loved, they were still alive, but to him they might as well have been ghosts.
Conis and Pagaya had not known any of that initially, but they had been kind to him anyway. They had fed him, sheltered him, answered his questions, and let him breathe when the whole world had stopped making sense.
Now he was back, and neither of them knew it.