The island where Felina and her friends were resting was a wild, untamed place thick forests, prowling beasts, and the raw scent of nature untouched by civilization. It was a primitive island, yet beautiful in its balance.
When Eli Winters stepped out from his dimensional space, he immediately caught sight of Felina not far ahead. Before he even got close, her spirited voice drifted over the sound of waves.
"Chiyo! Remember to char my fish a little more! And Reiju, you idiot, the deer you caught is ancient! You expect us to chew that?" Felina sat on a rough, handmade stool, a wide-brimmed hat shielding her from the sun as she fished from a rocky ledge nearby.
"Yes, Felina! I'll make sure the venison's tender too, don't worry!" Chiyo replied cheerfully while working on the carcass.
Reiju, on the other hand, stayed quiet, focused entirely on her task. She'd been on the receiving end of Felina's "discipline" more than once her hair had literally stood on end thanks to Felina's lightning temper.
"Well, well, looks like you're all living the good life," Eli said with a grin as he approached.
"Captain! When did you get back?" Chiyo's face lit up with surprise.
"Just recently," Eli said, smiling. He turned to Felina, who was already running up with her fishing rod in hand. "How's the haul?"
"Hmph, take a look!" Felina raised her chin proudly and pointed at a wooden barrel nearby.
"Not bad," Eli said, glancing inside. It was full of fish, large and glistening fresh from the sea. "Guess I'll get to enjoy a good meal too."
"You should be grateful," Felina huffed. "But next time you sneak off alone, I'm not sharing! And neither is Chiyo!" Her voice was sharp, but her tone carried a hint of worry more than anger.
"Alright, alright, next time I'll take you with me," Eli promised with a smile.
"Hmph, I'll hold you to that. Then you're forgiven for now." Felina's mood flipped instantly, and she even handed him a freshly roasted fish.
Eli took a bite. The fish was crispy, smoky, and perfectly seasoned. "Mmm, not bad at all."
While he ate, he asked, "Where's Fiona? Why isn't she with you?"
Felina sighed and pointed toward a small mountain in the distance. "She's been training up there. Lately she's been pushing herself too hard. I'm worried she'll hurt herself, but she won't listen to me."
"I'll go talk to her," Eli said, brushing off his hands.
"Please do. Maybe she'll listen to you," Felina said with a faint smile.
Eli nodded and vanished.
High on the mountainside, Fiona stood drenched in sweat, her clothes torn and her knuckles bloodied. Again and again, she slammed her body into the cliffside, grit in her teeth, eyes burning with determination. Each strike echoed through the valley like thunder.
From a distance, Eli watched silently, his expression tightening. Her body was trembling, clearly at its limit. If she kept pushing herself, she'd cause permanent harm.
"Fiona!" he finally shouted.
She froze mid-strike, panting heavily. When she turned and saw Eli, she lowered her head in silence.
"What are you doing to yourself?" Eli said sharply, walking up to her. "You're no beginner. You should know better than to damage your own foundation."
Fiona didn't answer. Her head dipped lower.
Eli sighed, his tone softening. "What's wrong?"
After a pause, she looked up, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Eli… am I useless?"
"Of course not," he said firmly. "You're one of my most trusted crewmates. Why would you think that?"
Fiona bit her lip. "No matter how much I train, my strength barely improves. My swordsmanship has hit a wall. Felina and Chiyo have surpassed me already. I just feel like I'm being left behind."
Eli finally understood. She wasn't frustrated by failure she was afraid of being forgotten.
He chuckled softly. "So that's what's been bothering you."
Her eyes widened.
"Tell me, Fiona," Eli continued, "why did you start training in the first place?"
Fiona hesitated, lost in thought. "When I was little, I admired my father more than anyone. He was a swordsman who protected our homeland and everyone in it. I wanted to be like him strong enough to defend others. But then my parents were killed… and I trained just to get revenge. After you helped me avenge them, my only goal was to protect Felina. But now she's stronger than me… and I just don't know what I'm fighting for anymore."
Eli sighed softly and reached out, flicking her forehead.
"Ow!" she yelped, rubbing the spot and looking at him with watery eyes.
"Don't be stupid," he said. "You think becoming a master swordswoman is easy? There are only a handful in the whole world. You can't rush it."
"But you did," she muttered.
"That's different," Eli said with a laugh. "I got lucky. Without that, I'd still be stuck training on some backwater island. You can't compare your journey to mine."
Fiona still looked unconvinced.
Eli crouched beside her. "Listen, swordsmanship is a long, lonely path. The foundation is everything. When the time comes, your breakthrough will happen naturally."
She frowned. "When will that be?"
He shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe tomorrow you'll have an epiphany."
That earned a small laugh from her.
After a moment, Eli said, "Honestly, I've been meaning to talk to you about something else. Have you considered eating a Devil Fruit?"
Fiona blinked. "You mean one of those cursed fruits?"
"Yes. You've refused before because you wanted to stay a pure swordswoman. But power is power, Fiona. What matters is how you use it."
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly. "Alright. I'll do it."
Eli smiled knowingly. He could tell she'd been feeling the pressure from her crewmates' growth.
"I have just the thing," he said, taking out a gray fruit shaped like a coiled pear, covered in swirling patterns.
"What kind is it?" she asked curiously.
"The String-String Fruit," Eli explained. "Once eaten, you can create and control threads to attack or manipulate the environment. Its previous user, Doflamingo, could even reshape the very ground around him. It's powerful one of the best among the Paramecia types."
"Then I'll take it," Fiona said without hesitation.
Eli handed it over. She bit quickly, swallowing before she could taste the bitterness. Her face still twisted in disgust.
A moment later, thin, glimmering strings extended from her fingertips. She flicked her wrist, and a line shot cleanly through a nearby boulder, leaving only a hairline crack behind.
Her eyes widened in awe.
"See? Not bad, right?" Eli said with a grin.
Fiona nodded excitedly. Then Eli added, "Try controlling your sword with the strings."
Her gaze sharpened. She extended a thread and wrapped it around her sword, Snowdrinker. With a motion of her hand, the blade floated into the air and slashed cleanly through another stone.
Eli's eyes gleamed. His theory was right the String-String Fruit could mimic a kind of telekinetic sword control. It wasn't perfect, but it was the first step toward a new style: Thread Blade Art.
As Eli explained his ideas, Fiona listened intently. The more he spoke of integrating swordsmanship with the fruit's power perhaps even flying by manipulating the threads the more her eyes shone. She imagined herself soaring through the air, coat fluttering, sword gleaming like silver lightning. For the first time in a long while, her spirit felt light.
Time slipped away as they talked, unaware that Felina and the others had started searching for them.
When the group reunited, Felina immediately noticed something different about her sister. Fiona's face, usually tight with frustration, was relaxed. There was warmth in her smile again.
Felina didn't ask what happened. She didn't need to. Eli had helped Fiona find her purpose again.
As they walked back toward camp, the air felt lighter. The forest whispered with the sound of the wind, and for the first time in a long while, Fiona's heart was at peace.
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