Chapter 22: a Path's
( Uta POV )
*Yawning...*
I rubbed my eyes and yawned after getting up from my sleep. I did a little stretching because my body felt tired; after all, yesterday I spent a lot of my energy, and it was so much fun. The big brother who Sister Mira is always talking about is back, and he brought all of his friends.
Robin nee-san, a gentle big sister, always answered my questions and even helped me navigate the music on the mysterious device called an MP3. Hancock nee-san, stunningly beautiful, would share stories of big brother Vanze's heroics, saving her from trouble in the past. Yamato nee-san was a joy to play with, accompanying me and recounting tales of setting up grand fireworks with big brother Vanze. Lastly, Azel nii-san, outwardly stern and composed, revealed himself to be a kind and gentle soul in our conversations.
Overall, the time that I spent with them is the best moment of my life so far. It would be even more perfect if they could stay on this island forever, but from what I hear, they will leave tomorrow. Sigh...
Lost in thoughts about yesterday's events, I found myself on the deck without realizing it. The big sisters were likely in the kitchen, but Azel nii-san was nowhere in sight.
Surveying the deck, I spotted a figure—a white-haired man sitting with closed eyes, holding a sword in his lap. He opened his eyes upon sensing me and fixed his gaze on me.
"Good morning, Uta-chan. Did you sleep well last night?" he asked with a smile.
I stared at him for a moment, daydreaming. It would be nice if he were my real big brother; we even shared the same white hair.
"Of course, Vanze nii-san. Last night was amazing, and I feel like I slept like a baby, hehe." I approached him, responding with a smile.
Yes... how nice if it were true...
.....
( Vanze POV )
I opened my eyes after sensing someone approaching, and it turned out to be Uta. I had just finished my meditation, trying to understand my sword more; this routine had become a habit to me.
"Good morning, Uta-chan. Did you sleep well last night?" I asked her with a smile on my face.
"Of course, Vanze nii-san. Last night was amazing, and I feel like I slept like a baby, hehe." Yesterday, she was a very shy kid, and now she looks more confident and easygoing after finally letting herself be more free around us.
I noticed a longing look in her eyes for a moment just now; maybe it's time to ask her. "Your singing and Devil Fruit abilities are also amazing. I would even claim that in the future, you will become the number one diva of this world."
"Thank you for your compliment, Vanze nii-san, hehe." She giggled, feeling a little bit shy when I said that. Yes, she is a very good singer and one of the top idols on my list, equal to Hoshino Ai.
"Do you like to sing more another time?"
"I would love to, but the other kids in the orphanage are afraid of my power, so I can only sing here when you guys are still here." She gave me a wry smile. You know what? Forget those weaklings.
"Well, you can stay with us if you want."
"Huh...?" She looked at me with puzzled eyes; I think I need to explain more to her.
"I mean, you could join us, Uta-chan, sailing together to explore the world. With that, we will always be together, and we can teach you how to control your power. How about it, Uta-chan?" I asked slowly while studying her expression.
She looks surprised and unsure how to respond to my invitation. "Is it okay? I don't want to be a burden to my big brothers and sisters, and I'm afraid Sister Mira won't let me." She said, lowering her head.
"Why would you even be a burden for us? It's fun having you around with us, and I already talked to Sister Mira about it yesterday. So, it's all up to you, Uta-chan." And I doubt if the World Government found out about her Devil Fruit, she would be left alone. They would either try to control her or just dispose her before she could grow. Classic.
She stared at me for a long time with her big eyes until she ran towards me and hugged me tightly out of excitement. "Yes! I want to stay with you guys. I want to be able to sing freely and bring happiness with my song and voice. Thank you so much, Vanze nii-san."
"Call me onii-chan. From now on, you're our little sister and a diva from the Infinite Trailblazers Guild." I put my hand on her hair, smiling at the potential humanity destroyer. I mean, in the movie, her Devil Fruit almost wiped out most of the inhabitants of this world.
Her Devil Fruit is at the same level as Whitebeard's, while one can destroy the world with tsunamis and earthquakes, the other could trap and literally kill souls in a different space. Both of them pose an extinction-level threat.
"Haha, let's go inside. It's time for breakfast after all, and let's also inform the others." I walked with her toward the inner part of the ship.
"Un!"
.....
( 3rd POV )
After breakfast, Vanze informed the others of Uta's decision to join their guild, and their reactions were joyous, especially Yamato's. Vanze proposed a visit to the orphanage with Uta to inform Sister Mira about the decision, and Robin readily volunteered to accompany them.
As Vanze, Uta, and Robin made their way back to town, the remaining crew members stayed on the ships, each immersed in their individual activities.
Upon reaching the orphanage, they found the staff busy carrying supplies to the warehouse, including Sister Mira.
"Morning, Sister Mira. Let me help you with that," Vanze approached her and started carrying one of the boxes.
She looked surprised to see them there today. "Oh, okay. Thank you so much, Vanze. By the way, why did you come at this time? I was thinking to go to you later."
"Well, let's talk after we finish moving all these things," he suggested, glancing around, realizing it wasn't the best time to discuss Uta's matter.
"Let me help." Robin suddenly activated her Devil Fruit power, and a bunch of arms appeared out of nowhere, carrying and passing the boxes toward the warehouse.
Sister Mira watched her display of power with a surprised expression before it turned into a smile. "Your power is really convenient, Robin-chan."
"Fufufu, it's not a big thing, and I like to help anyway." She responded to Sister Mira's compliment with a giggle.
"Uta-chan, you can go to your room and pack up your things first." Vanze nudged Uta, and she immediately went to her room.
Other staff and kids around watched the boxes move easily with a shocked expression in their eyes. They looked toward Robin with wary eyes, thinking she was another oddity Vanze brought back with him. Vanze, noticing their gaze, just rolled his eyes, ignoring those ignorant people.
.....
After finishing their activities, Sister Mira led them to a secluded room to talk about Vanze's purpose for coming here. She noticed Robin heading towards Uta's room after finishing helping, and that Uta had also gone to her room earlier.
"All right, big boy, what's happening with Uta? I noticed she went straight to her room after greeting me," she asked curiously.
"It's about what we discussed yesterday. This morning, I spoke with Uta about staying with us and being adopted by me. She agreed, but she's concerned you might not approve. That's why we came to inform you this morning," Vanze explained. He wanted Uta to pack her things and speak directly to Sister Mira about it.
"Oh, she agreed? That's great then. She can finally choose to follow her own wish, and of course, I will also permit her. We talked about this yesterday, after all. So, Vanze, I want you to take care of Uta and don't let her be harmed, or else I will be very angry and drag you both back here." She said with joy, but her tone suddenly shifted to be much more serious at the end of the sentence.
Vanze listened and stared at Sister Mira with a solemn look, nodding. He understood that she wanted him to protect Uta and also to always be careful out there. For her, Vanze and Uta were like her little siblings, so she didn't want anything bad to happen to them. But she also couldn't let them stay here, caging their dreams just for protection excuses.
"I promised we will be fine, Sister Mira."
Just as they were about to delve into other topics, Robin and Uta entered the room. Uta, looking nervous, wanted to share her decision.
"Uhm... Sister Mira..." Uta began hesitantly.
"Hihi, why do you look so nervous, sweetie? Vanze already talked to me about it, and if it is your choice, then I won't stop you. In fact, I want you to chase your dream and be free." Sister Mira said while stroking Uta's hair, trying to soothe her mood.
She looked up and stared at Sister Mira. "Really? I can go with big brothers and sisters?"
"Of course, but always listen to what they say, okay? Be obedient because the outside world is a dangerous place." She said, reminding Uta to always be cautious.
"Uta-chan is a good girl when she is staying with us last night, Sister Mira, so you can rest assured that she won't cause us much trouble." Robin said, trying to reassure her.
"Un! I will, Sister Mira. Thank you." Uta hugged Sister Mira all of a sudden, and she returned the hug with a warm smile.
All of them stayed in the room for a while, talking about their future plans until it was time for Vanze and the others to go back to the ships. Sister Mira said that tomorrow she would go to their location in the morning to see them off, and they agreed to it.
.....
Meanwhile,
At a certain island full of snow somewhere in the other sea, a group of people could be seen gathering around a campsite led by a big man with brown hair holding a weird fruit in his hand.
"Boss, we've got a reply from the buyers saying that they will meet us at Minion island later. Should we proceed with the plan?" One of the guys informed the big brown hair man.
"Hmm, let's ask for more money for it. Tell them if they don't agree, the deal will be broken, and Dory, go prepare the food from the ship. We will stay here waiting for the news from those bastards before we set sail." He replied to the other man while also commanding a guy named Dory to do his bidding.
The other man went back to doing his task while the guy named Dory just stared at the big man with a hostile gaze before departing toward their ship.
"Tsk."
.....
In a certain room in a big castle, there are four little kids that can be identified as siblings because of how similar they are except for the hair color. Three out of the four can be seen bullying the blonde-haired one.
"Hey, failure, how about you cook your own food but add poison this time so you can reunite with your mom?" The red-haired kid said.
"Trash, you shouldn't be alive. Useless, like mother like a son." The blue-haired kid said.
"Hahaha, you are a disgusting son of a bitch." The green-haired kid said while kicking the blonde kid.
The blond kid just keep silent hugging a book full of recipe while being bullied by his brothers. He can only shed a tear when they even mention about their mother.
When the three of them keep bullying the other one, there is a girl with pink hair watching in the corner of the room. She watches the blonde kid with concern in her eyes, but she couldn't do anything. It's not like she doesn't want to help him, but she really can't disobey their bastard father.
She turns around and leaves while there is a tear in her eyes. She couldn't watch it anymore.
Unbeknownst to the world's inhabitants, the gears of fate continued their march towards the predestined future, but will it be broken once again by some irregular intervention or by some other thing? Nonetheless, time will tell what the future holds for them, but for now, let the present weave their story.
.....
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone