[Arc] Mountains and Plains: Part I - Spider Miles Challenge

Yumiko watched briefly, as her unlikely allies sprung to action. Using her sheathed sword as a cane, she forced herself upright. Weakened or not, she refused to sit idle. Breathing in the salty sea air, she sharpened her mind.

From somewhere deep in buried memories, another song drifted forth. The weasel woman found herself humming along to the nostalgic tune. Hm, this had been the favorite working song of the fishermen. She wasn’t sure why she was recalling so many songs lately. Perhaps it was homesickness manifesting in peculiar ways.

Brushing the doubts aside, the Wano woman planted her feet onto the deck. She leaned forward and held one open palm ahead of her. Her keen gaze focused on the vast, open horizon. With a deep breath, the hearty song burst into the air.

“Ha~ Dokkoisho! Dokkoisho!
Souran! Souran!
Ha~ Dokkoisho! Dokkoisho!
Souran! Souran!”

The singing swordswoman swept her hands in decisive motions, as if hauling an invisible net. Each pull coaxed the winds to her side. The sails billowed with a mighty tailwind. It gave the ship the burst of speed needed to get out of cannon range.

Once the enemy vessels were left in the dust, the song sputtered to a breathless end. Yumiko collapsed, gasping for air. Clearly she wasn’t used to this... But she didn’t dislike it either. Closing her eyes, she let the darkness take her, willingly this time. She could leave tomorrow...

---

Meanwhile, inside the Marine flagship, a weary man sat at his desk. In front of him was a half-empty glass of water and several empty bottles of migraine medication. He looked like he had aged twenty years in the past twenty minutes. Stress was not good for the skin.

On the other side of the desk, two younger officers shifted uncomfortably. “It, uh, appears that...” One started carefully, for the other to finish. “...The targets, um, escaped.” Both youngsters swallowed in nervous sync.

With a heavy sigh, the Lieutenant buried his face in his palms. “So it seems...” The tally was grim. Seven people missing, two ships nearly demolished and a harbor in flames... All because he underestimated the tactician trio. Quietly he resolved to never let that happen again.

The commanding officer straightened his back and composed himself. “Send all units to put out the fire. Minimizing damage and finding out the missing personnel are our main priorities.” Call it a sixth sense, but he could already feel the obvious protest coming.

“B-but sir, the targets...”

“Are long gone. Their ship is much faster than any of ours. We can’t catch them like this. I’ll send a word to every patrol on North Blue to stop any suspicious vessels. Every outpost in the area is already on alert, in case they dock on any of the charted islands. They can run, but they can’t hide.”

With clear orders given, the two officers could only salute and bolt out of the room. Left alone in the silence, the Lieutenant rose from his chair and walked over to the window. Gazing out to the sea, he reminded himself of the first lesson he had learned after attaining this position. The most dangerous power on these seas... Was to form alliances with anyone you met.

---

Back at the harbor, the sea near the docks bubbled gently. Soon, the armored hunter marched out of the water with seaweed and various marine life clinging to him. His attempt to swim after the target had ended pretty much exactly as anyone would’ve expected.

Thus, the mysterious man next turned his attention onto the nearby boats. A local was lazily working on the sail of a tiny sailboat. Upon feeling a stare on his back, he glanced over his shoulder. “Sorry, the shop’s closed. The Marines aren’t letting anyone off the island today. But if y’all come back tomorrow-” He was silenced by a fat stack of Belly.

...Getting shoved into his mouth, like letters into a mailbox.

The boater sputtered and nearly exploded with irritation, before stopping to count the cash. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “O-oh, y'all want to buy the boat? Well, shucks, why didn’t y'all just say so?” Stuffing the stack in his pants, he hustled to get the sail and the oars ready.

“Here, let me get the rope for y'all.”

Meanwhile, the Stick stepped onto the sailboat without a word. His silent gaze swept the horizon, before stopping on a very particular spot. He stared for a moment, before turning around. Ignoring the prattling man, he pressed his armored boot against the pier... And kicked.

The dumbfounded local watched as the boat rocketed into the distance. He glanced at the wooden post, which now had a footprint on it. Shuddering, he doffed his hat at the stranger. “Y’all have a safe voyage now...” Quietly, he wondered where the fellow was off to in such an awful hurry. Maybe only the sky and the oceans would know.

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