"So you've never swum in your entire life? I pity you," Cricket asked, leaning back slightly where he sat, eyeing Varin like he was trying to decide if he was serious or just messing with him.
Who was Cricket? The one they were supposed to meet, the one with answers about sky islands, about the ship that had fallen out of nowhere like it had been dropped by the heavens themselves. Varin had only bothered asking about any of it after the whole… training session. Which hadn't helped much, considering Vivi wasn't speaking to him. She'd made that very clear with the kind of silence that somehow said more than words ever could. So he'd gone to Nami instead, and she'd filled in the gaps, about the log pose pointing straight up, about islands in the sky, about gold and angels like something out of a drunk man's story.
Varin hadn't said it out loud, but he'd had his doubts, not a lot, but it was far-fetched even for them. But Luffy believed it, and that was enough. That, and the fact that the damn log pose was pointing at the sky like it had lost its mind. Hard to argue with that.
Cricket, though, was something else entirely. A descendant of some explorer named Nolan, a man who'd supposedly been to those islands. Spent his days diving into the sea, dragging up gold he swore came from the sky itself. Mad, maybe. Or just stubborn enough to chase a story until it became real.
Varin shrugged at the question, resting his arms loosely on his knees as he sat. "Nope," he said. "Not a single time. Water where I'm from'll freeze ya faster than you can drown, and that was before I had a devil fruit."
Cricket let out a short breath through his nose, something between a laugh and disbelief. "That's rough," he muttered. "You pirates really are a strange bunch."
The place itself was strange enough to match. Cricket's house, if it could even be called that, looked like someone had carved a home straight out of a ruined castle and then decided that was good enough. Bits of stone, bits of wood, everything patched together in a way that shouldn't have worked but somehow did. Varin didn't mind it.
The monkeys were harder to ignore. Massive things, both of them, easily pushing close to his height, lounging around like they owned the place. Masira and Shoujou. Apparently, they'd met the crew earlier after Varins ' mishap, something about diving rights and yelling, and probably a lot of unnecessary chaos. Varin had missed that part, passed out from the earlier mess with Fenrir. He was a little annoyed he hadn't seen it, but from what he'd heard, it sounded about right for this crew.
He leaned back slightly, glancing toward the open side of the structure where the sea stretched out beyond. The others had gone off hunting some bird. A south bird, Nami had said. Always faced south, which somehow made it useful for finding a column of water strong enough to launch a ship into the sky. Sounded insane. But so did half the things they'd already done.
He'd stayed behind for a reason. If you're tracking something in the wild, the last thing you want is someone like him stomping around, scaring off everything within a hundred feet just by existing. He knew that much, at least.
So instead, he sat there with Cricket and the two oversized monkeys, the whole thing feeling like one of those strange pauses between chaos where nothing made sense, but no one questioned it either. Varin let his gaze drift back to Cricket, studying him for a second before speaking, tone quieter, more curious than anything else. "So… you actually believe it then. All of it. Sky islands, gold cities, angels."
"Kinda have to," Masira cut in before Cricket could answer, lounging nearby like this was just another normal conversation. "After all the work we've put into it. Besides, you said it yourself, you can turn into a massive wolf."
Varin huffed at that, a low sound in his chest, tail flicking once against the ground. He was already in that form now, stretched out just outside the house where the sunlight hit strongest, his massive frame taking up more space than anything else around him. It had taken a bit of explaining earlier. The way the two monkeys had reacted when he appeared wasn't exactly subtle, and he'd had to clarify, in his own blunt way, that it wasn't just size or instinct. Something about the fruit, something deeper, something that made animals feel him differently. They'd understood it well enough after that.
"Not the same thing," he muttered, though there wasn't much bite to it. "I can prove what I am. Turn, change back, done. Ain't exactly subtle."
Masira shrugged, unconcerned. "And we can prove what we've seen," he shot back. "Gold from the sky, ships falling out of nowhere. You think that just happens?"
Cricket didn't interrupt this time. He just watched, arms resting on his knees, letting the exchange run its course.
Varin let out a slow breath through his nose, the heat of it visible for a second before it faded. The sun beat down across his fur, and even though it was warmer than he liked, it was still manageable. A far cry from Alabasta, where it had felt like the air itself was trying to kill him. This was just… uncomfortable. He could live with that.
His eyes half-lidded as he looked out toward the sea again, thinking it over. Ships falling from the sky. Log poses pointing upward. A man who'd spent his life chasing something everyone else called a lie. "…fair enough," he admitted after a moment. "Wouldn't be the strangest thing I've seen."
Cricket finally spoke then, voice quieter but carrying weight behind it. "It's not about belief anymore," he said. "It's about proof. I don't care what people think. I care about what's real."
Varin's ear flicked slightly at that, his gaze shifting back to him. There was something in that tone he recognized. Not stubbornness for the sake of it. Something heavier.
"Then I guess we're on the same page," Varin said, a faint grin tugging at his muzzle. "Captain wants to go to the sky, we're goin' to the sky. Simple as that."
Masira barked out a laugh at that, while Shoujou just nodded along like it all made perfect sense.
Varin let out a low chuckle at that, his tail thumping lazily against the ground once as he cracked one eye open, glancing between them. "So," he said, voice carrying that same dry amusement, "how we wanna bet how long it'll take 'em to find that bird? Honestly, I'm willin' to bet Luffy'll eat it before they even realize what it is."
Shoujou barked out a laugh, loud and sharp, clearly entertained by the idea. "That makes sense," he said, nodding like it was the most reasonable outcome. "Guy looks like he'd eat anything that moves."
Cricket just shook his head slightly, though there was the faintest hint of a smirk there. "If it's a South Bird, they'll notice," he said. "Hard to miss somethin' that never stops facin' one direction. Even idiots can figure that out eventually."
Varin huffed at that, rolling his head to the side so he could look out toward the treeline again, ears flicking as if he could already hear something from that direction. "You're givin' 'em a lotta credit," he muttered. "Usopp'll figure it out, sure. Nami too. The others," he let the thought trail off, grin widening slightly. "Depends on how hungry Luffy and Sanji are. Vivi, I doubt I'll be much more useful than me. And Zoro will find himself back in Mock Town. "
Masira leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. "I'll give 'em… an hour," he said. "Maybe less if they get lucky."
Shoujou shook his head immediately. "Nah, longer. Jungle like that, bird like that, they'll be chasin' it in circles. Two hours easy."
Varin let out a quiet hum, considering it like it actually mattered, even though the answer was probably chaos either way. "I'll split it," he said. "Hour and a half. And if I'm right, you two owe me somethin' worth drinkin'."
Masira grinned. "And if you're wrong?"
Varin's tail flicked again, slow and deliberate. "Then I'll admit I was wrong," he said, like that alone was a rare enough prize.
Shoujou laughed again at that, clearly not expecting it. "That's it?"
"Aye," Varin said. "Don't push your luck."
Cricket just watched the three of them, shaking his head slightly as the conversation drifted, but he didn't interrupt. The bet hung there, light and easy, a distraction more than anything else.
"So, you and your crew have any bounties?" Cricket piped up after a moment, tone casual, but his eyes sharp, watching for the reaction more than the answer.
Varin let out a quiet huff through his nose, shifting slightly where he was sprawled out in the sun, one ear flicking lazily. "Nah," he said. "Well… Luffy does. Thirty million, I think? Thirty five?. Not that I care, though." His tail gave a slow, idle sweep across the ground. "Lower the bounty, the more you get underestimated. People stop takin' ya serious. Makes things easier."
Masira let out a low whistle at that. "Thirty million ain't exactly small," he said, glancing toward Cricket. "That's enough to get attention."
"Aye," Varin admitted, not bothering to lift his head. "But it ain't enough for what he is."
That earned him a look from Cricket, something more interested now. Varin didn't elaborate right away. He just stared out toward the sea again, eyes half-lidded, like he was replaying something in his head. The way Luffy walked into things without hesitation. The way he didn't bend, didn't care who stood in front of him. That kind of thing didn't stay small for long.
"Bounties are weird anyway," he went on after a moment, voice quieter. "They ain't just strength. It's noise more than anything. Trouble. Who you piss off, how loud you do it." His lip twitched slightly, something close to amusement. "Half the crew could probably rack one up, near the billions. if they cared enough to make a scene."
Shoujou leaned forward slightly at that, interest plain now. "And you?" he asked. "You don't want one?"
Varin's ear flicked once at the question, a small pause before he answered, like he was deciding how much to say. Then he let out a quiet breath through his nose, not quite a laugh.
"I'm gettin' one soon, I promise that," he said, tone easy, but there was something under it now, something a little more grounded. "Well… actually…" his lip twitched faintly, "my family might not make it public, so I don't know."
Masira blinked at that, then snorted. "What, you've got people who can just… hide a bounty?" he said, half amused, half skeptical.
Varin didn't move much, but his tail slowed, the lazy motion stopping for a second before starting again. "Somethin' like that," he said.
Cricket's gaze sharpened slightly. "That's not normal," he said. "Once the World Government puts a price on your head, it's public. That's the point."
"Aye," Varin agreed without argument, voice even. "For most. But when you're blood-related to the Marines' lapdogs, they've got pride, and all sorts of other tedious habits. Wouldn't surprise me if they hid the name, keep it quiet so most people don't put it together."
That hung in the air for a second. Then Cricket's eyes widened, something clicking into place. He leaned forward, studying Varin properly now, not just as another odd pirate lounging in his yard. "You're a Styrnvald, aren't you?" he said, the realization settling in his tone. "Thought I recognized your eyes."
Masira and Shoujou both went quiet at that, attention snapping over.
Cricket didn't look away. "One of your brothers was just here a few weeks ago," he continued. "Mock Town. A man called himself Rolf. He was the leader of this year's cull on Jaya.'" Cricket's voice hardened slightly. "The hell's a man from a Marine family doin' in a pirate crew?"
Varin let out a slow breath, "Ah," he said quietly. "That makes sense."
Masira frowned. "Makes sense?" he echoed.
"Aye," Varin went on, tone flat but not cold. "We saw him on the way outta Alabasta." He paused there, just long enough to make it clear he was choosing his next words. "After… well. I probably shouldn't say. Might get you and me in trouble."
Cricket held his gaze, searching for something in it, then leaned back slightly, exhaling through his nose. "Figures," he muttered. "That man didn't strike me as the talkative type either."
Varin huffed faintly at that, something dry in it. "That'd be him."
Shoujou glanced between them, then back to Varin. "So what, you just… walked away from that?" he asked.
Varin let the moment sit just long enough to settle, then huffed quietly, like he was done with that line of thought entirely. "Wouldn't call it walked away," he said, tone more casual again, "but I'm definitely here now. So it doesn't matter much."
He shifted slightly where he lay, stretching one foreleg out before letting it drop again, gaze drifting back toward the group. "You got cards or somethin'?" he added. "I've never gambled, and Nami's buyin', so I'm keen to learn."
Masira barked out a laugh at that, immediate and loud. "Oh, that's dangerous," he said, grinning widely. "You don't just 'learn' gambling. You lose first, then you learn."
Shoujou nodded along, already reaching behind him and digging through a crate like he'd been waiting for an excuse. "We've got cards," he said, pulling out a worn deck and flipping it once in his hand. "But if your navigator's the one payin', I'm startin' to feel bad for her already."
Varin's tail flicked lazily. "Aye, don't," he said. "She'll find a way to make it back. She always does. She'll honestly just steal it back if I'm being honest."
The three of them laughed it off and got into it properly, Shoujou dealing, Masira explaining rules loudly, and half-impatient, and Cricket occasionally correcting them both when they skipped over something important. Varin picked it up faster than he expected, though he wouldn't admit that out loud. Luck was… inconsistent. Sometimes it landed clean, sometimes it didn't, and he didn't really care either way. But the bluffing games, those were different. He didn't give anything away unless he meant to. The trio caught onto that quick enough, calling it a perfect poker face, which earned them a quiet huff of amusement more than anything else.
It was… easy. Sitting there, cards in hand, the sound of the sea in the background, the occasional argument over rules or bets. No pressure, no fights waiting around the corner, no need to be ready for anything at any moment. That wasn't something Varin got often. On the ship, if he wasn't dealing with whatever chaos Luffy dragged in, he was training, usually sparing with Zoro, even helping Nami a few times.
Time slipped by without much notice. Cards turned into drinks, drinks into more talking, the kind of loose, half-focused conversation that came when no one really needed to be anywhere else. It had been a few hours, maybe three, by the time even Varin had settled fully into it.
And then his ear twitched. The shift was subtle at first. The kind of thing most people wouldn't catch. But the grin that followed gave it away. Varin set his cards down without looking at them again and pushed himself up onto his feet, stretching slightly as his attention shifted outward, past the house, past the trees, to something further out.
Masira noticed first. "What?" he asked, already glancing around like he expected something to jump out of the brush.
Varin tilted his head slightly, listening, sorting through the noise with that same quiet focus. Then he let out a low laugh. "We got company," he said. "Bastard named Bellamy." Cricket's expression darkened immediately, but Varin spoke before he could. "Sounds like…" he paused, angling his head just a bit more, picking up the distant voices, "…he's after your gold."
Masira's posture shifted, the easygoing attitude gone in an instant. Shoujou straightened as well, already alert. Varin rolled his shoulders once, slow and loose, like he was just waking up from a nap instead of gearing up for a fight. "Somethin' tells me he ain't exactly gonna ask," he added.
Cricket stood fully now, jaw tightening. "Figures," he muttered.
Varin glanced back at the cards for half a second, then nudged them aside with his foot. "Shame," he said, almost lazily. "Was just gettin' the hang of that." His eyes lifted again toward the treeline, focus locking in, ready to deal with the problem, but was stopped by Crickets' hand.
"Let us handle it," Cricket said, voice firm now, already moving past Varin toward the edge of the clearing. "This is our home, after all." Masira and Shoujou were on their feet just as fast; whatever ease had been there a moment ago had gone completely.
Varin watched them for a second, head tilting slightly, that grin still sitting there but quieter now, less amused and more… considering. "Aye," he said after a moment. "It is. Cannae argue with that."
Cricket didn't slow. "Then stay here," he added, not even turning back. "You've done enough."
That got a soft huff out of Varin, something between a laugh and a breath. "Done enough?" he repeated under his breath, like he wasn't entirely sold on that. "Ive done nothing but drink and gamble, but sure."
Masira glanced back once. "We've got this," he said, a bit more casual than Cricket but still serious enough.
Varin met his gaze for a second, then nodded once. "Aye," he said. "I know. Ya don't need to convince me more, I'll let ya handle it, until ya can't."
Soon enough, Bellamy and his crew came crashing into view, loud, careless, already acting like the place belonged to them. They laughed as they walked, shoving things aside, kicking up dirt like they were putting on a show more than anything else. The intent was obvious before a word was even spoken, and when they did start talking, it was exactly what Varin expected. Demands, insults, the kind of noise people make when they think they've already won.
Varin stayed where he was, watching from the edge, arms loose at his sides, expression flat, but curious. And honestly… he was a little impressed by Cricket, Masira, and Shoujou.
They moved fast. Faster than most would expect from the way they carried themselves when relaxed. There was no hesitation, no wasted motion. The moment things turned, they hit back hard, clean, and without any of the sloppy overconfidence the other side had walked in with. Bellamy's men dropped quick, one after another, their noise turning into confusion, then frustration, then panic.
Varin huffed quietly to himself. "Weak," he muttered, not even bothering to hide the judgment. "All bark, no bite. Guess the arrogant ones gotta talk big, to make up for being weak."
Masira slammed one of them into the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of him, Shoujou sent another flying with a strike that echoed through the clearing, and Cricket handled the rest with a kind of grounded efficiency that made it clear this wasn't his first time dealing with idiots like this.
Then Bellamy moved.
Varin as his gaze shifted, then promptly choked on his own breath for half a second, coughing once as he straightened up, eyes locking onto the man properly now. "…you've gotta be kiddin' me," he muttered.
The man didn't move like a normal fighter. His legs compressed, twisted, and then snapped out, launching him across the clearing in a blur that didn't make sense at first glance. Springs. The bastard was made of springs.
Bellamy bounced across the battlefield like something had lit a fire under him, ricocheting off the ground, the trees, anything he could use to build momentum. Each movement faster than the last, each strike carrying more force behind it.
Varin stared for a second, equal parts baffled and entertained. "He's a bloody copy of Luffy," he muttered under his breath. "Just… worse."
Bellamy slammed into the fight properly then, his momentum turning into raw impact as he drove straight through one of the openings in the trio's defense, forcing them to break formation for the first time.
Masira skidded back, Shoujou barely dodged the follow-up, and even Cricket had to shift to avoid taking the hit clean.
Bellamy hit the ground, compressed again, and launched himself forward with even more speed, laughter cutting through the air as he went. And unfortunately, Bellamy wasn't all talk. The speed wasn't just for show. It built, stacked on itself, every rebound adding more force, more momentum, until he was moving too fast for the eye to properly track. Cricket and the others were strong, no question there, but this wasn't a straight fight anymore. They couldn't pin him down, couldn't predict the angle before he was already somewhere else, already coming back in harder.
Hits started landing not clean at first, enough to stagger. Masira took one to the side that sent him skidding. Shoujou barely got his guard up in time for another that still drove him back a step too far. Cricket held longer than the others, reading what he could, adjusting, but even he was starting to fall behind the pace.
Varin watched it all without moving, eyes tracking every bounce, every shift in direction, the way Bellamy used the environment like a weapon instead of just terrain.
Then Bellamy pushed it further. He hit the trees, the house, anything solid, compressing and releasing in rapid succession, building speed until the air itself seemed to crack around him. Then he vanished from sight for a split second and came back in a straight line, a blur of motion aimed right through the center of the three.
They didn't have time to react; they weren't even facing the same direction. That was when Varin moved. He was there before the impact landed, before the strike could connect the way Bellamy intended. He didn't rush, didn't lunge, just stepped into the path like he'd already been standing there the whole time.
Bellamy slammed into him with all that built-up momentum, all that force meant to drop three men in a single pass.
And Varin didn't move.
The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly from the pressure, a dull thud echoing out from the impact, but his body held, like he'd just taken the hit from a wave instead of a man moving at that speed.
For a second, it looked like Bellamy had hit a wall. Varin's hand came up, almost lazily, catching him mid-motion, fingers locking around his face and halting the movement entirely. The sudden stop snapped the momentum clean, as it had never existed. "You're all talk, mate," he said, voice low, almost bored, like this wasn't worth the effort it had taken.
Bellamy struggled instantly, the springs in his legs twitching, trying to compress, to fire off again, to build even a fraction of that speed back. Varin's grip didn't give him anything to work with. All that momentum, all that noise, and now he was just… stuck.
Varin exhaled through his nose, tilting his head slightly as he looked him over. "Lotta flash," he went on, tone steady, "not much else."
Behind him, Cricket and the others were catching their breath, but Varin didn't look back. Bellamy tried to swing, to force something through sheer effort, but it was sloppy now, rushed, nothing like the controlled bursts from before. Varin didn't even bother dodging. He just shifted his stance a fraction, letting the strike glance off uselessly. "…you had one trick," Varin muttered, almost to himself. "And ya ran it into the ground." He just slammed Bellamy straight down into the dirt.
The impact cracked through the clearing, sending a dull shock through the ground beneath them. Dust kicked up, settling slowly around the two of them.