Miss Wednesday groggily opened her eyes, blinking away the last remnants of sleep. After their failed mission to capture Laboon, she and Mr. 9 had returned to Whiskey Peak the previous day, exhausted. She hadn't expected to wake up to a battlefield.
The streets were littered with unconscious bounty hunters, their weapons strewn across the ground.
At the center of it all stood a single woman.
The eccentric swordswoman, who had just knocked out Miss Monday with ease.
Miss Wednesday turned to Mr. 9, who had also taken notice of the swordswoman. They exchanged a glance, silently coming to the same conclusion—they had to take her down together.
Miss Wednesday gracefully mounted her trusted companion, a massive yellow-brown duck with a blue and white Chulo. She adjusted her green jacket, her mind racing.
She's strong… but maybe I can break her focus.
She raised her peacock slasher, waving them hypnotically as she began to chant. Her voice carried a strange, melodic rhythm to lull opponents into a trance.
But Kuina didn't even blink.
Miss Wednesday's hypnosis failed immediately—Kuina's willpower was too strong.
At that moment, Mr. 9, positioned on a rooftop, aimed a rifle at the swordswoman's back.
He pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The bullet never reached her.
Kuina tilted her sword just slightly, and with a flick of her wrist, the bullet was deflected mid-air, ricocheting harmlessly into a nearby wall.
Mr. 9's eyes widened in horror—he barely had time to react before Kuina vanished.
In a blink, she was right in front of him.
Her knee slammed into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. He doubled over, but before he could even think of recovering, Kuina grabbed him by the collar and hurled him off the rooftop.
Mr. 9's flailing body hurtled through the air—toward Miss Wednesday and her duck.
"Quack?!"
The giant duck barely had time to react before Mr. 9 crashed into them, sending the rider and mount sprawling onto the dirt.
A cloud of dust settled over the battlefield.
Kuina stood tall, completely unfazed, and she sheathed her blade.
Miss Wednesday groaned, her body aching from the impact, while Mr. 9 lay motionless beside her, utterly defeated.
The battle was over.
The bounty hunters of Whiskey Peak had been humbled.
***
Back inside the Embercloud's Navigation Room, Jacob stood with Conis beside him, her delicate wings twitching slightly as she listened.
Across from them, Nami leaned over a large navigation table, running her fingers across a spread of Eternal Poses and Log Poses.
"Hanafuda moved to Little Garden," Jacob said, crossing his arms.
Nami frowned, eyes scanning her collection of Eternal Poses. She had many destinations covered—but not Little Garden.
Her orange brows furrowed. "We don't have an Eternal Pose for it," she sighed. "That means we'll have to wait 24 hours for the Log Pose to reset."
Jacob clicked his tongue in irritation. He hated wasting time, but there was no way around it.
From the corner of the room, Yamato pouted—arms crossed, cheeks puffed out in frustration.
Jacob chose to ignore her.
She was still upset about him refusing her request to explore Whiskey Peak. After all, letting her run wild would've drawn too much attention.
Still, her silent sulking was beginning to grate on his nerves.
"Where's Kuina?" Jacob asked, changing the subject.
Nami, still focused on her maps, replied absentmindedly, "She went to test her swordsmanship against Grand Line fighters."
Jacob let out a long groan, rubbing his temples.
Of course, she did.
With nothing to do but wait, they could only hope Kuina didn't cause too much of a mess—or rather, that she had already finished.
***
Robin sat quietly inside a dimly lit Baroque Works safe house on the outskirts of Whiskey Peak, absentmindedly flipping through an old book while she pondered her next move.
She had come to check on the princess's progress, expecting to see some improvement in her strength and resolve.
Instead, what she found was disappointing.
The princess—weak, hesitant, lacking conviction—was nowhere near ready to challenge Crocodile. At this rate, her little rebellion would collapse before it even began.
Robin sighed, setting the book down.
Then—a sudden, loud roar from the sky shook the room.
She immediately moved to the window, her sharp eyes widening slightly as she saw something unnatural.
A gray, teardrop-shaped flying fortress flew above Whiskey Peak and moved swiftly towards the desert.
What in the world…?
Her first instinct was to call the Unluckies—Baroque Works' top messengers and assassins—but she hesitated.
Should she report this to Crocodile?
A big, flying fortress wasn't something ordinary, and whatever group controlled it clearly had resources and power. However, gathering more information first would be more competent.
She decided to call the Unluckies to investigate.
The Next Morning, Robin awoke to shouting and frantic voices outside her window.
She sat up instantly, her instincts sharp. Something had happened.
She stepped outside, her calm gaze sweeping across Whiskey Peak.
What she saw made her pause.
The entire town was in ruins.
Hundreds of bounty hunters lay unconscious in the streets.
More importantly—four of Baroque Works' numbered agents had been ultimately defeated.
Robin's brows furrowed.
One person did all of this?
She hadn't received any reports from the Unluckies. That worried her.
It meant whoever was responsible for this was dangerous.
More than that—they had no fear of Baroque Works.
Robin's calm demeanor remained, but internally, she was troubled.
Crocodile needed to know about this… but she wanted to observe a little longer before making a move. She wanted to know whether this group was a wildcard.
***
Kuina dusted off her blade, standing tall amidst the fallen bounty hunters and Baroque Works agents. The fourth officer—a middle-aged man with pistols tucked into his powdered white wig—had been no challenge.
Her heart didn't race. Her breathing remained calm.
"I expected more."
She turned her gaze upward, sensing a presence lurking in the shadows of a nearby building.
Someone was watching her.
She had a split-second decision to make.
Follow? No.
If they wanted to fight, they would have challenged her by now.
Without a second thought, Kuina sheathed her sword and turned away, striding back toward one of the ruined bars where Alvida's mirror portal was hidden.
Just as she reached the entrance, a calm, feminine voice called out behind her.
"Why did you do all of this?"
Kuina didn't bother looking back.
"I wanted to test the swordsmen of the Grand Line," she answered bluntly.
That should have been the end of it.
But the woman stepped closer, her presence undeniable.
Kuina's fingers twitched against her sword hilt. This one felt different.
More dangerous.
But she wasn't interested in another fight.
She had already proven her point.
Kuina stepped through the shimmering mirror portal without another word, leaving Robin alone in Whiskey Peak's wreckage.