One piece: Without a system, I have to survive!

The offer hung in the air.

Help Smoker find the truth—

Or keep running from something I didn't even understand.

Shira's glare hardened.

"This is a bad idea," she muttered.

She wasn't wrong.

Trusting a Marine?

That was as good as signing my own death sentence.

But Smoker wasn't just some mindless enforcer of the World Government.

He was different.

He had his own sense of justice.

And right now—

I needed allies.

A Risky Decision

I exhaled and looked Smoker in the eyes.

"If we do this," I said, voice steady, "you don't turn us in."

Smoker didn't hesitate.

"Fine."

Shira clicked her tongue in frustration.

"You seriously trust him?"

"No," I admitted.

"But I trust that he wants answers."

And right now, that was enough.

Smoker grunted.

"Good. Because we don't have time to waste."

He turned on his heel, motioning for us to follow.

"We leave at dawn."

Shira crossed her arms. "And where exactly are we going?"

Smoker's expression darkened.

"To an island that shouldn't exist."

The Map to Nowhere

As we sat around a dimly lit campfire that night, Smoker pulled out a weathered map.

He pointed to a spot in the middle of the sea.

There was nothing there.

No land. No markings.

Just empty ocean.

"This," he said, "is where our next lead takes us."

I frowned. "That's just water."

"That's what I thought too," Smoker muttered. "Until I intercepted a World Government transmission."

He tapped the map.

"A Marine ship was sent here last month."

Shira leaned forward.

"And?"

Smoker's eyes narrowed.

"It never came back."

The fire crackled between us, casting long shadows.

I felt a cold shiver crawl up my spine.

Because somehow—

I knew whatever was waiting there was connected to me.

And it was waiting for me to find it.