"I'm going upstairs to sleep," Anna said, yawning."Maybe I can find someone new to train with tonight."
With that, she climbed into bed, closed her eyes, and slipped back into the dream world.
The Dream World
"Looking for an opponent, looking for a good opponent~"Anna hummed a cheerful little tune as she drifted through the glowing spheres of dreams floating in the vast, endless sky. Each one shimmered softly, holding someone's subconscious world inside.
Her gaze caught on a familiar one.
"Oh? Isn't that Katakuri's dream?"
She hesitated, biting her lip.
"Should I spar with Katakuri again? But I already tricked him last time… showing up in his dreams too often might make him suspicious."
Still, she couldn't deny it—fighting Katakuri was great for improving her battle sense.
"Hmm… what about Doffy?" she mused, floating toward another dream sphere. "But Doflamingo keeps trying to make me confess to him every time I show up. Ugh, forget it. I'm not dealing with that tonight."
Anna frowned, hovering indecisively as her robe fluttered in the dream breeze. For once, she really couldn't decide who to bother—er, train with.
Then, something caught her eye: a cluster of dream orbs shimmering with a fiery red aura.
"The Revolutionary Army?" she whispered, eyes lighting up. "Heh… that might be fun."
Her grin turned sly.
"Maybe I can make a deal with them. I'll say I'm some divine messenger or something—'a revelation from the gods!' Hahahaha!"
Chuckling to herself, Anna floated closer to the cluster of dreams.
"Now… whose dream should I enter?" she murmured, scanning the glowing spheres. "Let's see… Dragon doesn't seem to be asleep yet—his dream orb's nowhere to be seen."
Her gaze landed on one nearby.
"But this one belongs to Sabo. Perfect! Lucky me."
She quickly pulled together some dream-cloud mist and shaped it into a long, black hooded cloak, concealing her face and figure completely.
"There," she said with satisfaction. "Mysterious enough."
With a gentle push, she slipped into Sabo's dream.
Inside, chaos reigned.
Sabo was being chased—not by enemies, but by an enormous stack of papers, towering like a mountain and screeching as they flew after him.
"Sign me! Process me! Approve me!" they wailed.
Sabo ran for his life, swatting at the fluttering pages. Then a monstrous file—at least ten meters tall—appeared in front of him, booming:
"I'm an urgent document! Review me first!"
Anna blinked in disbelief.
"What kind of nightmare is this? What on earth has Sabo been reading to dream something like this?"
She sighed. "Maybe I should've gone for Dragon after all. Too bad he wasn't asleep…"
The giant stack of papers was about to bury Sabo alive. Without hesitation, Anna darted forward and kicked the file away with surprising force. Then, using the raw energy of Sabo's dream itself, she summoned a massive wall of dream-light to hold the rest of the papers back.
Sabo stared, wide-eyed and gasping for breath.
"You—black-robed one! Thank you for saving me. But… who are you?"
Anna paused. Black-robed one? Really? That was the best he could come up with?
"Couldn't you call me the 'mysterious stranger' or something? 'Black-robed one' sounds so… weird," she muttered under her breath, then raised her chin dramatically."Just call me the Mysterious One. I came to make a deal with you."
Sabo instantly tensed, his instincts kicking in.
"Do you even realize what you're saying? You're talking to a member of the Revolutionary Army, you know. Making a deal with us isn't something you should throw around lightly."
Anna realized she might've come on a little too strong, but there was no time to waste. She straightened her posture and spoke in her best "mystical" tone.
"I am a messenger… one who has received divine revelation. I saw that your revolutionary cause faces great resistance, so I came to guide you," she declared, trying to sound both holy and mysterious. "Because of fate's restrictions, I can't intervene directly. But I can offer direction—in your dreams."
It sounded mostly convincing… to her, anyway.Sure, there are holes in that story big enough for a Sea King to swim through, she thought. But it's not like he can trace me! And it's kind of helping them, right? So technically, it's fine.
Her nine years of compulsory education were paying off in the strangest way imaginable. Who knew literature class would be useful for faking divine inspiration?
Sabo eyed her suspiciously.
"Who are you really, Mysterious One?"
"That doesn't matter," she said quickly. "All that matters is the deal."
"Deals always come at a price," he replied coolly. "What do you want from us?"
Anna had already prepared her answer.
"My purpose is to inspire and assist you. So, in return, teach me your combat techniques—help me train. That's all. It's the most harmless form of exchange I can offer."
Inside, she was scrambling to recall lines from the immortal cultivator dramas she'd watched before crossing worlds, trying to sound like one of those aloof, ancient sages.
Sabo still didn't look convinced.
"How do I know you'll really give us what you promise?"
"If you doubt me," she said calmly, "then fight me. If you win, I'll reveal the first part of Heaven's Revelation."
"A fight?" Sabo raised an eyebrow. "That's all?"
"Yes. Just a sparring match."
Anna smiled faintly. Honestly, she just wanted to test Sabo's moves up close. The Dragon Claw Fist had always looked so cool in the anime, and now she could experience it for herself. It wasn't about trust—it was about fun.
"All right then," Sabo said, squaring his stance. "Let's begin."
"I'm ready."
They launched into combat—no weapons, only fists and feet.
Anna quickly realized that the Dragon Claw Fist wasn't just flashy; it was terrifyingly powerful. Even though this was a dream, the force behind each strike was enough to make her flinch. If this had been real, her arm might have been shattered on the first block.
No wonder he's second-in-command to Dragon, she thought, dodging another strike.
Sabo, meanwhile, noticed something odd. The mysterious figure's movements were sharp and precise—strong, but strangely unfamiliar. And when his attacks landed, she didn't seem hurt. No blood, no pain.
"What the…? Who is this person?" he muttered.
His claw hand finally caught her arm in a tight grip—strong enough that, if this were reality, her bones would have snapped. But Anna refused to back down.
She wrenched herself free and tried to summon her Armament Haki, just as Shanks had taught her earlier that day. But… nothing.
"Tch—figures," she hissed under her breath.
This isn't something you master in a single day. I'm not the protagonist—I don't have plot armor! Damn it, why did you throw me into this world, God?
Even in the middle of a dream battle, Anna's inner complaints echoed loudly in her mind.