"Nagis, the rats have almost all been deployed. Isn't it time to close the net?" A knight astride a warhorse asked impatiently, his steed letting out a sharp neigh.
"Beldia, don't rush. The rats have only just started moving. We don't even know if all the demi-human rats have left yet. Look, another one just ran out!" Nagis sneered as he watched the mirror magic display an image of Conis carrying a small white fox away.
His smile was cruel. "Demiurge-sama gave strict orders—this island must not have any unruly demi-humans left."
"I really don't understand Demiurge-sama's orders. If it were up to me, I'd just kill them all. What use are those demi-humans anyway?"
"Beldia, we are not in a position to question the Supreme Guardians. If you dare speak out of turn again, I will personally deal with you!"
The last voice belonged to a figure radiating an aura of death, his ice-cold tone devoid of any emotion.
"Yes, Lord Arthas! I understand!" Beldia immediately lowered his helmeted head.
From the way they addressed each other, it was clear that Arthas held a far higher status than both Nagis and Beldia.
"Hoho, it seems these undead are proving quite useful."
Back in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Demiurge listened in on Arthas and the others. The conquest of Skypiea could not afford even the slightest mistake.
After several days of surveillance, Demiurge was quite pleased with how Arthas and his subordinates had carried out his plan to perfection.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Skypiea fell entirely under Nazarick's control.
"Huh? Why is there a white fox here?"
While resting on the shores of Angel Island, Usopp noticed a small white fox lying weakly on the sand.
"What? Meat!" Luffy, drooling, was about to pounce.
"Sisi!" The fox, frightened by Luffy's sudden movement, covered its eyes and trembled, not daring to move.
"No way, Luffy! She's not food!" Chopper desperately held Luffy back, having picked up on something in the fox's cries.
"It looks like this fox has an owner," Sanji said as he stepped forward, ignoring Luffy's antics. He gently picked up the small fox and noticed a nameplate around its neck.
"No wonder she seems so weak—she's injured. Hey, Chopper! This little fox has a wound on her leg. Come treat it!" Sanji called out.
Since Chopper had eaten the Human-Human Fruit, he could communicate with intelligent animals. Sanji himself had no interest in eating creatures that showed wisdom.
At Sanji's words, Chopper let go of Luffy, grabbed his medical bag, and began treating the fox's wound.
"Oi, you weren't really planning to eat that fox, were you?!" Sanji sent a flying kick straight into Luffy's head.
Unlike Sanji, who refused to eat intelligent creatures, this rubber-brained idiot was still drooling over the fox. "I already cooked fish for you!"
"But Sanji, I want meat!" Luffy whined, still staring at the fox with longing eyes.
"Luffy, you can't eat her!" Chopper spread his hooves wide, shielding the fox protectively.
"Fine, fine! I'll eat fish instead!" Luffy wiped his drool and ran off toward Sanji's cooking station.
"Here, this is for you." Chopper placed a bowl of fish soup in front of the fox. "Go on, eat up! Sanji's food is really good!"
"Sisi!" The fox, now identified as Sisi, let out a few grateful cries before eagerly digging into the food.
In no time, the bowl was empty. Seeing that Sisi was feeling a little better, Chopper started chatting with her.
"Sisi."
"So your name is Su?"
"Sisi."
"I see… You got separated from your owner?"
"Sisi."
"What? You were being chased by white skeleton-like monsters, and that's how you got separated?"
"Sisi."
"You want us to help you find your owner?"
"Hey, Chopper, you can actually understand what that fox is saying?" Luffy stretched his neck out unnaturally, his head suddenly appearing next to Chopper.
"Ahhh! Luffy, don't scare me like that!" Chopper nearly jumped out of his fur.
"Luffy, Sisi just asked us to help her find her owner." Chopper hesitated for a moment but decided to share the fox's request.
"No problem." Luffy grinned and agreed instantly.
"Really?" Chopper looked at him with teary-eyed gratitude.
"Su, where are you?" A voice suddenly called out from the nearby forest.
A beautiful woman with white wings emerged from the treeline, her expression filled with worry.
"Sisi!" Upon hearing the voice, the fox let out a joyful cry. If not for her injured leg, she would have run straight toward the woman.
"Who are you?" Conis, hearing her fox's cries, ran over but immediately hesitated when she saw Luffy and the crew.
She instinctively took a step back, still shaken from her recent escape from the undead soldiers.
"Don't be afraid! We mean no harm!" Chopper waved his hooves and quickly tried to explain. "If you don't believe us, you can ask Sisi!"
"Sisi." The fox called out reassuringly. Though Conis couldn't fully understand animal speech like Chopper, as Sisi's owner, she could more or less get the gist.
"Thank you for saving Su," Conis said gratefully when she saw the bandages on the fox's leg, bowing slightly to the crew.
"Oh, my beautiful lady, may I know your name?" Sanji, utterly mesmerized, finally regained his senses. Conis' delicate features and angelic wings made her look like an actual angel to him. Realizing he had nearly missed his chance, he immediately rushed forward, heart-shaped eyes gleaming.
"Um… My name is Conis." Startled by Sanji's enthusiasm, Conis still responded politely.
"Conis… What a beautiful name! Miss Conis, you truly are an angel!" Sanji dramatically took her hands, his eyes overflowing with admiration.
"Uh…" Conis was caught off guard by his over-the-top reaction.
"Sorry for the trouble caused by my idiot crewmate!"
Nami arrived just in time, delivering a well-placed punch that sent Sanji flying, his face now warped into the shape of his own spiraled eyebrows.
"Ah! Even when she's mad, Nami-swan is so beautiful!" Though his eyes spun in dizzy circles, Sanji still managed to spout praises.