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Long Ring Long Land lived up to its name.
They could see it even before the ship dropped anchor — tall, narrow trees with trunks like columns, animals that looked impossibly stretched, and the land itself winding in strange, almost comical loops and curves. It didn't look threatening. If anything, it looked... lazy.
Rael stood on the bow, arms folded, his usual unreadable expression fixed on the shoreline.
Vivi walked up beside him, shading her eyes from the sun. "Told you it'd be weird."
Robin came up behind them, closing her book with a small smile. "The island is said to change with the tides. During high tide, it looks like a group of separate islands. But when the water recedes... it becomes one long stretch."
Rael raised a brow. "So what you're saying is, the land changes shape."
"Yes," Robin said, brushing her hair behind her ear. "And it traps people who don't keep track of time."
Kaya peeked out from the lower deck, adjusting her boots. "Well, I don't plan on getting stuck here. But a break would be nice."
Rael turned toward the girls. "We'll stay for a short while. Just long enough to resupply and rest. No splitting up."
"Aw," Kaya said, mock-pouting, "I wanted to wander off and get into unexpected danger."
Vivi snorted. "You've been around him too long."
The ship anchored near one of the grassy loops of land. The tide was low, revealing wide, flat stretches dotted with stretched animals grazing peacefully. They disembarked with ease — no traps, no ambushes, no Marines.
Just a strange, quiet island.
Hours passed. They walked across rolling hills, dodging long-legged rabbits and birds with spiral necks. Kaya couldn't stop laughing at the sight of a turtle with a neck three times its shell length.
Vivi picked flowers. Robin took notes.
Rael? He simply walked. Always at the back, watching the horizon.
"You can relax, you know," Kaya said, falling into step beside him.
"I am relaxed," Rael replied dryly.
"You're scanning every tree like it's hiding an assassin."
Rael gave her a small look. "Habit."
Vivi joined them, a basket of strange fruit in her arms. "You don't have to say it, but I think we all know something's coming."
Rael didn't deny it. "Too quiet."
"Maybe that's okay," Robin said from ahead of them, looking back. "Let the quiet last."
They eventually made camp near a wide grove that overlooked the sea. The setting sun stretched across the horizon, tinting the sky in gold and violet.
Rael leaned against a tree, arms crossed, while the girls laid out a small fire.
"You never talk much about your past," Robin said casually as she sharpened a small blade near the flames.
"I don't," Rael admitted.
Kaya tossed him a look. "You're a mystery, you know that?"
"That's the point."
Vivi spoke more softly. "Still... thanks for bringing us this far. I know we've all taken risks just being with you."
Rael's voice was quiet. "You chose your path. I didn't make it for you."
"We know," Robin said. "But still. It means something."
Rael looked at the three of them. Each one had a different story. Different reasons. But somehow, they'd ended up beside him.
And he didn't regret it.
Not for a second.
Later that night, Rael stood alone on a rise overlooking the ocean. The moonlight gleamed on the water like silver glass.
He heard Robin's footsteps first.
"You're not sleeping."
"Neither are you."
She stopped beside him. "I've been watching you since Alabasta. Even before. You're always two steps ahead. But lately…"
Rael glanced at her.
"You're tense," she finished. "More than usual."
"I don't like being watched," Rael muttered. "And I don't like being followed."
Robin's gaze darkened. "Cipher Pol?"
Rael nodded. "They know they can't win. But that doesn't mean they'll stop."
"Then what will you do?"
He looked up at the stars.
"When the time comes... I'll stop holding back."
Robin didn't press him. She didn't have to.
The next morning, the tide had shifted.
The island looked completely different — long trails of land that once connected had vanished beneath the rising sea. The camp they'd built was safe, but parts of the shoreline were already cut off.
Kaya stretched, yawning. "Island's changing again."
Robin packed up her notes. "It does that."
Rael stood at the edge of the camp, eyes fixed on the sea.
In the distance—barely a silhouette—something lingered far out on the horizon. A shape. A ship.
Too far to make out.
But Rael knew.
Their peace was running out.
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