"This is really..."
Feeling the Haki burst from the battle, Dragon, who had arrived on the dragon-headed ship, couldn't help but let a cold sweat slide down as he looked at the scene before him.
The sea was frozen solid by solid ice. In the center was a huge crater hundreds of meters wide, sucking in surrounding seawater to form a whirlpool.
Dark lightning howled in the narrow space between the land and sky. Countless deadly poisons scattered by the wind added insult to injury to this hellish landscape.
Clearly, the scene before him was the product of a battle between two powerful ability users.
But with his hometown so close, and capable of leaving ability remnants on this scale, Dragon could only think of one person.
"Dragon, look there!"
Ivankov, his body leaning over the ship's rail, lifted his cloak and pointed towards the sky.
A black night sparrow was beating its wings, flying towards their ship.
"As expected... Sakura-san's Leviathan!"
Dragon raised a hand and waved it. A light wind swept towards Leviathan, helping to wash away the poison staining her body.
"Aya ya~ thank you~"
The night sparrow fell onto the deck, rolled a few times, scattering jet-black feathers everywhere, looking somewhat pitiful.
"Leviathan, what exactly happened here?"
The sound of high heels tapping the deck echoed as Ivankov ran over.
"Ivan~ help~ treat Sakura~"
Leviathan looked up, saw Ivankov's face, and spat out the unconscious Sakura.
Seeing the injuries and residual poison on the girl, Ivankov immediately ordered the Revolutionary Army's soldiers to move her to the operating room.
Dragon gazed at the gradually calming sea and asked, "Who did you fight?"
"CP0. That guy~ is so good with poison!"
Leviathan's voice was tired. She swayed unsteadily even as she stood up.
It seemed that her earlier act of charging into the battlefield to rescue someone had also taken its toll on her.
But now, worried about Sakura, she was forcing herself to stay on deck, holding on.
"You can rest assured. We will take good care of Sakura-san."
Dragon walked back, reached out, and supported the unsteady Leviathan.
"Then~ I'll leave it to you!"
Leviathan let out a sigh of relief, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
…
In the darkness, as if pressed down by heavy seawater, Sakura felt somewhat short of breath.
Waking from a long nightmare, she opened her eyes to see Leviathan sleeping soundly on her chest.
"You're awake~"
Just as Sakura reached out to comb Leviathan's feathers, a gas mask appeared before her.
"Haruno boy, the sex-change operation was a great success. From now on, you're a handsome young man.... Hee-haw!"
"Eh? Such good news!"
Sakura's eyes widened in delightful surprise as she reached down and grabbed.
Then the rustling sound of clothing friction was heard, but she grabbed nothing.
"Ah, nothing there..."
Dejected, the girl, wrapped in bandages, lowered her head and let out a sigh.
"Your reaction is wrong, hee-haw!"
Ivankov, wearing the gas mask, showed his shark teeth and slapped the girl's shoulder with a smack.
"Iva-chan, if you're joking, at least make it real!"
Pouting, the girl put on a pitiful look and stared at him.
"Useless."
Pricked by the girl's gaze and finding it hard to bear, Ivankov stepped forward.
He raised his hand, extended a hormone syringe, and pierced the bandages around Sakura's waist, deep into her flesh.
[Emporio: Male Hormones!]
The hormones created by his ability swelled from his glove, pumping into Sakura's body.
"Oh, it's coming! It's coming!"
Sakura felt a warm current spreading through her body and excitedly clenched her fists.
But a minute passed, and nothing happened to her body.
"See." Ivankov helplessly spread his hands.
"Recovering from such terrifying poison, ordinary toxins and hormones can no longer affect your body."
"That poison-using bastard!" Sakura clenched her fists, "Forget it. How long was I out? Where are we now?"
"You've been out for twelve hours."
"As for now, we're on our way to Shimotsuki Village on Shimotsuki Island."
Ivankov pulled over a cart filled with food and parked it next to Sakura's sickbed.
"Huh? We've already left Dawn Island? My friends are still on the island."
"And I haven't said goodbye to those three kids yet!"
As she spoke, Sakura threw off the covers and tried to stand up, but felt a wave of weakness as soon as she moved.
"Wait, you lie back down!"
"Your injuries aren't healed yet. And don't think there was no cost to your body for resisting that poison."
Ivankov knocked Sakura on the head and pressed her back onto the sickbed.
Then he reached down and jabbed his own waist. Returning to his male form, he dragged the food cart in front of Sakura.
"Food is here for you. Don't leave this room casually during this time. The residual poison might kill our soldiers!"
Before Ivankov finished speaking, the girl was already licking an empty plate, blinking somewhat shyly.
"Are you a magician?"
Ivankov, laughing in exasperation, snatched the empty plate from Sakura and pushed the cart out of the room.
The sickroom door opened, and another figure wearing a gas mask walked in.
"Already awake, Sakura?"
Sitting down in the spot Ivankov had just vacated, Robin's voice was filled with joy.
"Robin! You caught up, that's great!" Sakura smiled at her. "I was planning to go to Windmill Village to pick you up and say goodbye to those three guys!"
"I already said goodbye to Ace and the others for you." Robin looked at the revitalized Sakura and chuckled lightly. "Also, I'm already on my way home!"
"Huh?"
Sakura was stunned, mechanically turning her head towards her.
As if reading Sakura's thoughts, Robin explained: "Weatheria's supply procurement team is currently in Shimotsuki Village. Once we arrive there, I can return to the small sky island with them."
"Is that so? Congratulations!" Sakura scratched her head, hesitating to speak. "Um, Robin..."
"Hmm, what is it?"
Hearing Sakura's voice, Robin turned her head back, reaching up to tuck the hair by her ear.
"Nothing. Remember to say hello to Olivia and Dr. Clover for me when you get home!"
"Okay!"
Robin nodded, no longer disturbing Sakura's rest, stood up, and walked out of the room.
After she left, Leviathan, who had been pretending to sleep on the sickbed, opened her eyes.
"Sakura-chan~ why~ not invite Robin aboard?"
A lazy yet clear child's voice reached Sakura's ears. Leviathan shuffled forward and settled on Sakura's abdomen.
"Well, Robin has family. She can't travel between worlds like I can."
"Displaced time would make her life seem to shorten rapidly from her loved ones' perspective, which could ultimately lead to tragedy."
Sakura gently patted Leviathan's head, helping her smooth out tangled feathers.
"But without Robin~ it feels a bit lonely~"
Leviathan rolled over on the blanket, exposing her belly.
"She's just not on our ship, it's not like we'll never see her again!"
"And you, fickle Leviathan! Isn't me being with you enough?!"
A dangerous light flashed in Sakura's eyes. She raised her hands and flexed her ten fingers.
She aimed for Leviathan's belly and started tickling her, making the ship spirit laugh heartily.
"Mean~ take this!"
Not to be outdone, the night sparrow waved a feather, and the entire room instantly plunged into darkness.
The sound of their horseplay floated out from the ship's cabin window, swallowed by the turbulent waves.
A week of sailing passed in a flash during Sakura's recovery.
In the deep twilight, the dragon-shaped ship cut through the wind and waves, arriving at the Revolutionary Army's largest grain purchasing location in the East Blue… Shimotsuki Village on Shimotsuki Island.