The horizon was no longer blue; it was a jagged line of iron and oak. Five Marine battleships, led by a Vice-Admiral's flagship, had surrounded the coast of Dawn Island. They weren't there for a peaceful arrest, they were there to cauterize a wound in the World Government's pride. "They're not wasting time," Sabo muttered, his grip tightening on his pipe. "That's a Buster Call-level deployment for a single island." "They're not here for the island," Ace growled, stepping to the front of the cliff. "They're here for Maye." The first volley of cannonballs screamed through the air, arching over the Gray Terminal and crashing into the treeline of Mt. Colubo. Trees splintered like toothpicks, and the ground shuddered under the impact. "LUFFY! SABO! PROTECT THE VILLAGE!" Ace commanded, his body dissolving into a roaring cyclone of fire. "I'll take the center line!" "Got it!" Luffy shouted, his arms stretching out like twin whips. "Gomu Gomu no... ELEPHANT GATLING!" His giant, Haki-clad fists rained down from the sky, intercepting the incoming cannonballs mid-air and detonating them in a spectacular display of smoke and thunder. Sabo moved like a shadow, his "Dragon Claw" technique shattering the hulls of the smaller scout ships that tried to land troops on the beach. In the center of the chaos stood Maye.
She watched as a squad of elite Marine giants landed on the shore, led by a Vice-Admiral wielding a massive, sea-prism stone-tipped spear. They ignored the brothers, charging straight for the "ghost" on the hill. "Capture the girl! The Fleet Admiral wants her head!" the Vice-Admiral roared. Maye felt the familiar 'Fog' try to cloud her mind the fear of being an ordinary girl facing a god-like army. But then she looked at Ace's back, wreathed in protective flames, and Luffy's grin as he fought for her freedom. The ruby pendant hit her chest with a rhythmic, metallic clack. I am the anchor, she thought, the realization hitting her like a tidal wave. And the anchor doesn't break. She slammed her palms together. "CRIMSON GARDEN!" Instead of a single blade, Maye's blood erupted from her arms and crystallized into dozens of jagged, rose-like thorns that carpeted the slope of the hill. The Marines screamed as the hardened blood-thorns shredded their boots and pinned them to the earth. She moved with a fluid, terrifying grace she didn't know she had, weaving through the giants and delivering strikes that bypassed their armor entirely. The battle raged for hours until the beach was a graveyard of broken masts and scorched earth. The Marines retreated, their ships limping back toward the horizon, but the victory tasted like ash. As the smoke cleared, the four of them stood in the ruins of their childhood training ground. Dadan's hut was still standing, but the forest was scarred, and the villagers of Foosha were terrified. "We can't stay," Sabo said, his voice heavy. "The World Government knows we're here. If we stay, they'll turn this mountain into a crater just to get to you, Maye." Ace looked at her, his heart aching. He had wanted to stay in this peaceful bubble forever, but the bubble had popped. "He's right. It's time to go back to the sea." Luffy stepped forward, his straw hat shadowing his eyes. "Maye! Come with me! My crew is the best, and we're gonna go to the end of the world! You can be our... uh... our Blood-Musician!" Sabo shook his head, offering a hand. "The Revolutionary Army can protect you best, Maye. We have the resources to hide you, and we can help you find out exactly what that deity did to your head. You'd be safe with us." Ace didn't say anything at first. He just looked at the sea, then back at her. "The Whitebeard flag still flies, Maye. The crew... Marco and the others... they're waiting for their ghost. We're a family of outcasts. You wouldn't be a guest; you'd be home." Maye looked at the three of them. Luffy offered adventure and a path to the future. Sabo offered safety and a path to the truth. Ace offered a family and a path to her past. She looked at the ruby pendant, then at the "ASCE" tattoo on her arm. She didn't have her memories, but she had her heart. She walked over to Ace and placed her hand in his. "Luffy, go find your crew. You're going to be King, and you don't need a ghost holding you back," she said with a soft smile. "Sabo, keep fighting the world. Someone has to make it better." She turned back to Ace, her blue eyes reflecting the orange glow of his embers. "But I was born on the sea, wasn't I? And a captain shouldn't be without his anchor. I'm going with the Whitebeards. I want to see the ship where I learned how to love." Luffy pouted for a second, then laughed, throwing an arm around both of them. "Shishishi! Fine! But when we meet in the New World, we're having a huge banquet!" Sabo smiled, a look of immense relief on his face. "Take care of her, Ace. If a single hair on her head is hurt, I'm bringing the whole Revolutionary Army to your doorstep." "Try it, top-hat," Ace smirked, though he pulled both his brothers into a final, crushing hug. As the sun set, two small boats departed from the shores of Dawn Island in different directions, and one lone fire-powered Striker headed straight for the New World. Maye sat at the front of the Striker, the wind whipping her hair. She didn't know what was waiting for her on the Moby Dick or whatever ship remained but as the salt spray hit her face, a single, clear memory sparked in the back of her mind. A massive man with a white mustache, laughing as he held a giant jar of sake. "Welcome home, daughter," a ghost's voice whispered in the wind. Maye smiled. For the first time, the "Fog" didn't feel so scary.