Hometown (1)

Golden sunlight spilled across the sea beneath a cloudless sky. Waves rose and fell, carrying a pirate ship along with them.

Dressed in a light summer outfit, Sakura lay on a deck chair in sunglasses, breathing evenly as she took an afternoon nap.

On the nearby upper deck, Conis watered the flowers, while Ain read quietly in the aquarium on the top level.

Bepo, Mansherry, and Lily were up to something in the cabin, making a tremendous racket.

The only one who wasn't slacking off was Sisi. She peered through a telescope at something in the distance. A closer look revealed a pod of dolphins.

A sea breeze rustled the cherry trees, spreading their fragrance through the air.

Three days had passed since Vergo left. They had been uneventful, apart from three pirate crews they'd encountered. Sakura had robbed every one of them.

Rumble!

Suddenly, darkness blotted out the sun. The once-calm sea surged, tossing the Friendship like a leaf.

An immense pillar swept past the Friendship, stretching beyond sight in either direction. It nearly overturned the ship.

The telescope fell to the deck. Sisi's fur stood on end, and her eyes bulged at the colossal thing before her.

Conis froze with her watering can in hand. She stared up at the shadow towering into the clouds, her face deathly pale.

"What's happening?"

Ain came out of the aquarium to ask, but before she could speak, her mouth fell open at the shadow over the sea.

"C-Captain!"

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Lily and the others came scrambling out of the cabin. They screamed when they saw the giant beside them.

"Lily, Mansherry, what are you shouting about?"

Sakura sat up on her deck chair and looked at them through sleepy eyes.

"Captain! Captain!"

Lily's mouth hung open as she pointed behind Sakura,