They descended from the black ship like ghosts from a storm. The pirates wore strange clothing—long cloaks in silver-gray hues, with swirling wind patterns on their backs. Some wore half-masks that extended at the mouth, and their hair billowed even though the air was still.
Their footsteps were light but echoed loudly on the deck of the Grand Fortuna. Their weapons were unusual—curved swords, spears, even metal fans—and with every practice swing through the air, a thin gust stirred the ship's sails.
One of them stood at the front. The leader, it seemed. Tall, slender, with long white hair tied in a ponytail. His eyes were pale like mist. Hanging from his neck was a pendant shaped like a wind spiral.
"We are the Storm Heralds," he said calmly, his voice echoing like it came from a deep cave. "Guardians of the forgotten paths. You tread upon land watched by fate."
Bastien raised a hand, stopping his crew from acting rashly. He stepped forward, meeting the enemy leader's gaze without fear.
"We are not enemies," he said. "We're travelers. We have no intent to violate anyone's territory. We're merely following a path shown by our compass."
"The compass points nowhere in these seas," the leader replied. "Unless fate wishes you here. And fate… is often cruel."
"Pretty lofty words for a bunch of pirates," Arthur muttered with a mocking tone. He grinned, arms crossed. "You guys holy guardians or a failed cult?"
Ravi chuckled behind him. Mia sighed.
The Storm Herald leader slowly turned to Arthur. "Light words mark an empty heart."
Arthur stepped forward. "And overly wise words usually mark someone who talks to themselves too much."
Suddenly, wind whipped around the leader. His cloak flapped violently. Several of his crew raised their weapons. Grand Fortuna rocked from the first gust—not like regular wind, but like the slap of an invisible giant.
Bastien shouted, "Hold your ground! Don't strike first!"
But it was too late.
One of the Storm Heralds leapt, his spear slicing the air. A sharp gust burst from its tip, cutting a sail rope and shaking the mast. Nara moved swiftly, blocking the next strike with her blade. The clash of metal mixed with the roar of wind made the whole deck tremble.
Battle had begun.
Arthur clashed with a masked opponent wielding twin short scythes. They moved like shadows, exchanging rapid blows. Each scythe left slicing trails of wind in the air, and Arthur had to stay on the move, using his agility to dodge.
"These guys use wind as weapons?" he gasped.
"More like, they control the wind," Mia yelled from behind a mast, firing shots at an attacker closing in on Ravi.
Ravi was already locked in a fierce duel with a large man wielding a giant steel fan. Each swing sent air pressure slamming down like a hammer. Ravi dodged and parried, but couldn't close the distance.
"I can't get close!" Ravi growled. "He's carrying a damn mini-storm!"
Juno was busy stabilizing the ship. The Grand Fortuna shook with every gust slamming its hull. She realized the Storm Heralds weren't just attacking the crew—they were trying to tear the ship apart from the outside.
"If this keeps up, we'll take serious damage!" she shouted.
Bastien was fighting two at once. He hadn't drawn his weapon yet, relying solely on the speed and body techniques he'd trained under Lazhar. He deflected wind-laced punches, kicked one attacker into the railing, then leapt to dodge a sweeping slash that split the wooden deck.
"Did you all eat Devil Fruits?" Bastien shouted as he ducked.
Their leader, still calmly standing at the front mast, replied, "No Devil Fruits. Just ancient inheritance. Knowledge from the sky, forgotten by the world."
Bastien furrowed his brow. "Sky Island?"
"Higher than that," the man answered, before hurling a sharp blast of wind at Bastien.
The attack whipped like a giant lash of air. Bastien barely avoided it, the force slamming him into a mast. Pain surged through his bones, but he pushed himself up quickly.
"We can't play it safe," he muttered to Mia, who was nearly out of bullets. "If this keeps up, we'll lose the ship."
Mia nodded. "Give the order, captain."
Bastien narrowed his eyes at the enemy leader. "If you believe in fate… Then maybe fate brought us together not to submit, but to prove something."
He took a deep breath, then shouted:
"'Lightning Chain' formation! Now!"
The Freebone crew moved in unison. Ravi leapt sideways, kicking a stack of crates toward his opponent, while Mia fired a grappling line to a mast and swung herself across the ship. Nara slashed down one of the Storm Heralds and jumped toward Arthur, who was getting overwhelmed.
Arthur laughed wildly as he dodged. "Finally! Real action!" He sheathed his dagger and drew his own custom-made weapons—electrified metal batons crafted by Bastien. He spun and slammed them into the deck. Electricity crackled toward his opponent's scythes, making the attacker recoil.
"Lightning and wind don't get along, huh?" Arthur sneered. He dodged another flying scythe and turned with a cocky grin. "You guys are all gust and no guts. Me? I get in close, strike hard, and leave you guessing!"
With each mocking line, he moved faster, his attacks flowing like a dance only he could follow. "Try to copy this, go ahead! I already gave you the proof!" he laughed, prompting chuckles from a few crewmates even amidst the rising chaos.
Bastien jumped onto the mast and activated a prototype weapon on his wrist—a mini flamethrower, one of many inventions he'd built in the ship's workshop.
"Time to mess up your little storm."
With a blast of fire, he struck the incoming wind from his foe. Heat and air clashed, creating a loud shockwave that sent the attacker stumbling back.
Slowly but surely, the crew of the Grand Fortuna began to regain control.
But the Storm Herald leader remained calm. He stared at Bastien, and for the first time, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"You're no ordinary man."
"I never claimed to be," Bastien replied.
The wind began to shift again—this time, not just from one direction. Dark clouds above them crackled with lightning, and a spiral began to form in the sky.
The real battle had only just begun.