There it was. The Red Line. The Continent that separated the North and West Blues from the East and South. It had taken them two and a half days to haul ass to the entrance of Reverse Mountain.

Now, the Red Line separated one half of the world from the other. The continent went as far down into the ocean as Fishman Island and stood tall at currently unknown heights. This was the monstrosity that Buggy would have to somehow cross to get to Flevance.

How would he do so? He had many options. They could climb the Red Line, but that meant leaving behind crew members and having no ship on the other side. Not good for any Devil Fruit users who would try and make the journey.

They could try tunneling their way through. Though it’d waste centuries they didn’t have so that was out.

And finally, they could go with what Buggy had planned to do from the beginning. From what Roger and Rayleigh had told him of when they had entered the Grand Line, at the very top of the mountain there was a point where the ship had been thrown into the air.

That was the perfect opportunity for Buggy to put his strength to the test and fly the boat down into North Blue waters. He would have the momentum of the mountain’s current behind him and the support of his First Mate’s winds.

So, he was feeling pretty good about what was basically floating a boat down into water. And to further boost his confidence, the ship wasn’t all that heavy. At least not to him it wasn’t. He figured he could hold it for maybe half an hour before his arms started to get tired.

The only thing that he hadn’t figured out was how to tell Devlin that she had to be underneath the ship with him. While she had powerful abilities, her confidence in herself was sorely lacking. Always questioning herself and seeking ways she could be better from Buggy.

Though, he knew it would become a problem at some point. Which was why whenever she asked him ‘How did I do?’ he would respond with ‘How do you think you did?’ Buggy figured self-evaluation was the first step in self-confidence.

But as troublesome as it was, he understood what she was feeling. To have no significant power of your own and then to suddenly find yourself with abilities that made you far more powerful than you could ever be without them.

It made you second guess your every move. It made you feel cautious and insecure of how you were using them. And it made you cling to someone whose authority and power was higher and more experienced than your own.

To Devlin, that was Buggy. To Buggy, that was his Captain and Vice-Captain. Just as she goes to him, he went to them. And in the end, it turned him into the person he was today. They hadn’t coddled him in the slightest, making him self evaluate and adjust accordingly.

And he could only hope he was doing the right thing, and that she turned out with the same confidence he has.

In the end, Buggy figured that throwing her into it just before they reached the tope of the mountain was the best way to go. And besides, even if she ended up failing he would be still be there to pick up the slack.

“Okay! Here’s the plan! As soon as the current launches us up in the air, Devlin and I will quickly carry the boat off to the side and then down to the ocean below! Sound good!” He needed to yell over the roaring water.

“Yeah!” “Okay!” “Wait!! What!?” But it was too late, the ship was quickly approaching the pick-up point. “You’ll do great!” Buggy grabbed her by the hands and carried her off the ship, making sure they were at an advantageous position to grab hold of their ship.

“I can’t do this! Buggy! I really can’t!” She tried desperately to wrench her arm from his, trying to fly away. A futile attempt considering his Haki infused grip.

“YES, DEVLIN!! WHETHER YOU THINK SO OR NOT!! YOU CAN!!” The ship was thrown into the air and it was now or never.

“…” Devlin watched as Buggy let go of her and attempted to carry the ship on his back.

He managed to do so for all of five seconds before a surprised and then strained expression befell him and both he and the ship began to fall. “Devlin…!”

Lilith screamed as she lost her grip and began to float upwards before Solomon

Devlin floated in place for a moment before gasping, “No!”

She flew down the mountain side, she could only just barely manage to reach their Jolly Roger before she’d begin to fall behind. After several tries, they passed through a layer of clouds and she could see that the ocean was fast approaching.

‘No! Please! Just a little closer…’ She reached out willing herself to go faster. ‘Closer.’ She passed the flag, grabbing onto the wooden mast. Then, rather than jumping and climbing her way down, she pushed off and grabbed the bottom of the sails.

Finally, she managed to jump and grab hold of the outer deck before slipping feeling herself being forced to fly on her own. The sea was even closer. She had a minute to save them, probably less, or they would all smash right into water.

“No goddammit! Faster! Closer!!” Devlin was almost there. She could see Buggy straining to hold the ship up, his hands gripping the wood tightly. It looked as though he had miscalculated the weight and ended up unable to adjust from the position he was in.

She reached out, almost enough to grab hold of the bottom and pull herself over. After that it would just be a matter of using the wind to push the ship upward and slow its descent. But, of course, nothing goes according to plan.

A bird, a white blur to Devlin, goes straight through her, making her momentarily lose focus and speed.

The water was less than twenty seconds away, and the ship seemed to be falling faster than before. She could see it playing out in her head, the ship hitting the water, wooden splinters going everywhere, and her new friends broken bodies floating in the water. It was too much. It was all too much.

She exploded. “I! SAID! NO!” There was a loud ‘Boom’ that rattled her body and suddenly Devlin was no longer next to the ship but instead…

“Below it?” But there was no time for questions. Devlin’s arms reached out and she pushed harder than she’d had in the last six weeks. The effect was instantaneous.

The Royal Blue began to slow its descent before eventually hovering over the water long enough for Buggy to float back on board. He dropped to the floor, panting and sweating heavily. Devlin came back on board soon after she’d lowered the ship gently into the waiting water.

From his position sitting upright against the railing, he spared a glance towards Devlin. He smiled tiredly, before coughing. From coughing he worked his way up to wheezing, and then to chuckling, and finally full on laughter.

Devlin, however, stared at her captain blankly before walking over with an increasingly incredulous look on her face. She watched on as he laughed and laughed before coughing and trying to reign in the smile on his face.

“See? What’d I tell you? I knew you could do-” He stopped short as she fell to her knees beside him, the incredulous look on her face giving way to teary eyes and a violent sob. “I…I…I…” She took in a shuddering breath. “I was so scaaa~red!!”

She collapsed into him, clenching his shirt with her fists and burying her face into his lap. Lilith and Solomon, upon hearing her wailing from their spot on the other side of the ship, chose not to say or do anything outside of going down to the lower decks and trying to shake off what just happened.

“Hey…It’s ok.” He rubbed circles into her back, whispering gently. “We’re all ok.” They sat there, Devlin trembling in his embrace and Buggy contemplating whether his stunt was worth the terror she felt.

In the end, Buggy decided that it was worth it. He needed his people to be ready to face the dangers coming their way. Of course, he’d never do something this extreme again…if he didn’t have to. It made his heart ache to see just how fragile Devlin looked clinging to him as if he were her only lifeline.

Devlin sniffed away her tears, signaling the end of her meltdown. She pulls away, giving Buggy the opportunity to say his piece.

“I’m sorry.” He gets a confused look from her. “I pushed you too far. I’m sorry.” He hung his head, feeling every bit like the piece of shit he knew he was.

She sniffs again but places a hand on his cheek. His jaw clenches, waiting for her to yell at him, or hit him, or do any number of other things he deserves to get. But none of that happens. Instead, he feels her hand guide his head to look up at her.

“Did you do it to help me?” He nods his head. “Did you do it to be cruel?” He shakes his head. “…would you do it again…if you had to?” He hesitates before slowly nodding. “Ok, then.”

Buggy didn’t cry often. In fact, the last time, and the only time he’d ever admit to, he’d shed any tears was on the journey to the East Blue with Rayleigh. The thought of his Captain’s surrender and inevitable execution looming over every thought was more than enough to push him to that point.

But as he felt Devlin wrap her arms around him, silently forgiving him, he came as close to shedding tears as he would ever come again. At least, not for a very long time.

That, however, was a story for another day.

-

Flevance, also known as “White City”, is a country in the North Blue known for its abundance in a special and rare ore known as Amber Lead. The country’s economy enjoys boon after boon as Amber Lead is used in everyday product such as make-up, pottery, and wall paint. The ore has even been used in producing weapons such as bullets, swords, knives, and even parts of a gun.

For nearly a century, the country has enjoyed this wonderful resource seemingly without consequence. Unbeknownst to the people of Flevance, their Royals, the World Government, and a select few outside of them harbor a dark secret.

The Amber Lead that has made their country prosperous will soon be their downfall. The results of a geological survey done by the World Government on the island nearly a century ago revealed the poisonous nature of Amber Lead with prolonged exposure to the skin.

This prolonged exposure has been secretly poisoning generation after generation of Flevance citizens without them being any the wiser.

And during this time, the World Government has sanctioned the use Amber Lead and allowed the information of its deadly side effects remain hidden within their grasp.

To cover their tracks, they will not correct the world beyond the soon to be quarantined island of Flevance that “Amber Lead Poisoning” is not merely a hereditary disease, but one that infects ay and all who come across an infected individual.

Instead, they will allow Flevance’s neighbors to invade and exterminate its population of infected and bury the truth behind the sick lies they’ve helped spin.

To add insult to injury, with every generation that passes, the amount of time they live shortens. Eventually, given enough time…the population of Flevance will die off before reaching adulthood. When this happens, there will be no more generations.

Only the memory of a dead people whose trusted leaders led them all like a lamb to the slaughter.

But there is hope. Yes. In the country lives a doctor, one who belongs to the penultimate generation of the infected population of Flevance, who will one day discover the means for a cure…

Of course, none of this has happened yet. And none of it will happen for years to come. But that doesn’t mean the outcome of such a tragic and unfortunate situation can’t be influenced and, perhaps, even changed in the present.

Especially so with the involvement of a certain group of pirates who are on their way to an unsuspecting Flevance right this minute.