THE DIVING SWAN

They were nearing the edge of the Bordeau district when a soundless figure broke the sleeping island's eerie quiet.

"Hack's on his way with Arabèl..."

Echo's ill-contained yelp birthed a stark flush. When the fuck did Koala get here? Better yet, how did she sneak up on him?

"Arabèl?" Sabo asked, but Echo's pounding heartbeat muted the rest of the revolutionaries' hushed conversation.

An icy digit trailed down his spine, the phantom feel of an acrylic nail enough to pull his body taunt in alarm. No one had ever sneaked up on him. Not even Ilsa, Cipher Pol's spy queen herself.

He must be an absolute wreck. That, or Koala was a real-life ninja... Both options were distressing, but it was the first that had him trip over his uncoordinated feet.

"Thank you," he mumbled when Sabo's tight grip spared him from an embarrassing tussle with the pavement.

Spatial awareness was Echo's primary defense; his ability to locate concealed assassins the only feat to have ever plucked a compliment from his instructor's lips. But with his head clearer-ish, he realized it had been a while now—an hour maybe—since he was last plagued by others' feels-vomit.

He expected a jolt of relief—finally, after all these years, he was free of parasitic emotions—but all he felt was poignant dread not unlike what he imagined amputees did over the loss of their limb.

He tore through his frazzled mind—searching, begging—and sagged into Sabo's flank when he met the familiar buzz of his resting haki. It was weak but it was there, its presence so immensely reassuring he couldn't help but snort at the absurdity. How many times had he wished it gone? And yet, not one hour after his abuse put it to sleep, here he was, whimpering after it...

The trio traded back alleys and flickering street lamps for the dark cover of a thick underbrush, and within seconds, their silhouettes merged with Golden Bay's natural scenery. After a short trek through a maple tree forest, they embarked on a perilous journey across a steep and unstable rock slope that ran up to the island's deadly peak. Paradoxically, by the time they reached the alcove's roof, Echo felt a lot more steady.

Sabo bent over the precipice's grassy rim, his thin brows creased in concentration as his gaze traveled between the cliff's natural handholds.

Echo took a weary step back, then a second and a third when Sabo didn't look appropriately deterred by the wall's C curve. Never in his life had he been more content to have breathed life into an invention, and while the suicidal revolutionary continued to inspect the cavity, Echo located a sturdy-looking tree rooted not five meters from the drop.

"Alright, I've got this," Sabo announced right as Echo finished securing his belt's thin cable to the gray tree-trunk. Echo glanced over, eyes narrowing at the blond's excitement. What did he have exactly? A death wish? "Just hang onto me."

"No, you hang onto me," Echo countered with a firm pull to test the resistant of his knot.

Sabo blinked as if he'd only just noticed Echo'd relocated, and when their eyes met, a curious spark flashed through the blond's.

"Koala?" Sabo asked, but the red-head was already making her way to Echo. "Okay, see you two down then," he said, and with no apparent care for his safety, he disappeared over the edge.

Echo loosened the fake belt from his hips and unzipped the inside pockets to reveal two straps. With some effort, what with his fingers' relentless tremors, he slid one leg into each strap, refastened the belt secure around his middle and walked over to the drop.

"Tether your belt to mind," Echo said with a side glance at the petite revolutionary, "And hold on tight. "

Slim yet powerful arms curled around his shoulders. Koala's long legs crossed over his hips before the warmth of her chest pressed into his back.

The added weight reminded him of Cleo and how, not even a day prior, she'd released a carefree shrill on their ascent. Echo's heart constricted. How much time had he wasted? Hours for sure, all of them unforgivable excess.

With a clench of his jaw, Echo pressed and turned his dahlia-shaped buckle belt to the left. Click. The wire reel coiled within the belt's casing loosened, and without further ado, he jumped over the edge. Two meters into the free fall, the belt's mechanism engaged. The harness's straps sunk into his thighs, leather biting into tender flesh, but he ignored the sting as the belt's pulleys came to life. From there on, the wire gently uncoiled and eased them down the alcove's yawning mouth.

Hanging over the black painted void, Echo's attention strayed to where Sabo expertly scaled down the cliff's flank. He was a sight to behold, his body tangled in an intricate dance with the flaky wall. A quiet spectator, Echo begrudgingly admitted he'd underestimated the blond, but the wall's handholds were as untrustworthy as he'd feared. Some turned to dust not a second after Sabo released his grip while others crumbled at his approach, and yet, not once did the revolutionary slow his perilous waltz. Echo's gaze tracked his progress, muscles tensing with every close call. A fall from this height might not kill him, but—

"I know he doesn't look like it, but he knows what he's doing," Koala said. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

"I'm not worried," Echo grumbled, but despite his words, he couldn't tear his gaze away.

Fifteen seconds later, Echo's feet met the cold, hard ground.

"Thanks," Koala said with an awkward pat, "Need some help?"

"I'm good," Echo answered, and after a beat of hesitation, the red-head entered the alcove's murky bowels.

With a swipe of his sea stone claws, Echo severed his connection to the hanging cable and coiled what little wire was left back into its leather casing.

His gaze swept over the cave, but the obscurity hindered his survey. It was the perfect place for an ambush, the shadows plentiful and the crash of waves on the bordering rock bank loud enough to conceal even the most nervous of assassin's shallow pants.

He wished he had his goggles. Better yet, he wished he could use his haki...

Echo took a weary step forth, his footing more unstable than he'd have liked, and jumped between treacherous wet boulders until he spotted his vessel.

The Diving swan stood as proud as its aviary namesake, her white hull illuminated by a lone ray of moonlight that soon faded behind thick clouds.

The sight of her filled his chest with warmth. She may be dented, she may be scraped, but she was home.

A home that was about to be invaded.

Squinting at the shadows, Echo made out the imposing form of two fishmen quietly conversing with Koala.

"Dorian's keeping the Mizuchi docked in Silver guard's blind spot," a stocky fish-woman said. She was tall, taller even than her male counterpart whose thick arms remained crossed over a wet karategi. "That said, if things go south, the Mizuchi won't be of much help..."

Light, shy and solitary, peaked into the cave to illuminate the fish-woman's pink skin and silky fin-like hair. One second and it was gone, the cavity once again plunged in darkness.

"That bad?" Koala asked.

"Yes and no," the yellow fishman said, "Silver guard's coast is lined with cannons, but Diamond End itself appears unguarded."

"Sounds like an invitation," Sabo said from a surprisingly—worryingly, scarily, disturbingly, definitely should have noticed him—short distance.

A wintry gust found its way inside the cave and shoved Echo's weakened body right into the expanse of a rock-hard chest, because why the fuck not? He'd always dreamed of flying; In a way, it seemed rather fitting that he turn into a goddamned feather.

In his haste to pull away, Echo crashed into the Diving swan, and as if the ancient Gods couldn't get enough of his misery, the resulting bang brought all revolutionaries' extremely undesired attention down on him.

"Guys this is Echo. Echo, these are Arabèl and Hack," Sabo said.

Eager to escape the spotlight, Echo greeted the pair with a furtive nod before he hurried up the submarine's ladder and unlocked the top hatch.

There was no time to waste.

"Don't step on the second and fifth step, and only put weight on the left side of the third... or just glide down the ramp," he said, and without further ado, he slid down said ramp and hurried to the control room.