Chapter 27

The air was thin, crisp, and silent.

Ten thousand meters above the sea, far away from the blood-soaked stones of Marineford and the political machinations of the World Government, lay the White Sea.

Skypiea. The land of angels.

Kurumi Tokisaki sat in the lotus position atop the ruins of a Shandorian bell tower, surrounded by clouds. She was stripped down to a training tank top and shorts, her body glistening with sweat. Beside her lay a mountain of empty plates—Sky Lobster shells, giant fruit rinds, and bones of sky fish.

"Ten thousand calories consumed," she whispered, opening her mismatched eyes. The golden clock in her left eye ticked rhythmically, the hands glowing with a fierce intensity. "Conversion rate optimized."

In the eyes of the world, Commander Kurumi was dead—vaporized by Admiral Akainu’s magma fist. A tragic casualty of the War of the Best. A hero who died "saving" the execution platform (or so the official report said to cover up the friendly fire).

In reality, she was free.

"No more orders," she stretched her arms, feeling the raw power humming in her veins. "No more hiding my fruit. For two years, this sky will be my forge."

The Ghost’s Lament

"I HATE THIS!"

A shriek echoed through the jungle of Upper Yard.

Perona floated out of the trees, looking miserable. She wasn't wearing her frilly dress. She was wearing a weighted vest over a simple workout outfit, carrying a massive rock over her head.

"Why do I have to lift things?!" Perona whined, dropping the rock with a thud. "I’m a Ghost Princess! I float! I don't lift!"

"And what happens when someone like Kizaru moves faster than your ghosts?" Kurumi asked without turning around. "Or when a Haki user grabs your real body?"

She stood up, picking up one of her black flintlocks.

"Observation Haki, Perona. In this land, they call it 'Mantra'. It is the ability to hear the voices of the world. You already project your spirit. You have a natural talent for it. Stop complaining and feel."

Perona pouted, crossing her arms. "I can feel that you're a slave driver! Kumacy agrees with me!"

"Kumacy is a stuffed animal," Kurumi deadpanned. "Now, dodge."

Bang.

Kurumi fired. It wasn't a bullet. It was a concentrated pulse of Haki.

Perona yelped, instinctively turning into a ghost to let it pass through, but the Haki grazed her cheek, leaving a stinging red mark.

"That hurt!"

"Good," Kurumi smiled, a terrifyingly sharp expression. "Pain is the best teacher. Again."

The First Year: Breaking Limits

The training was brutal. They lived in the ruins, hunting sky sharks for food and sparring daily with the Shandian warriors, who welcomed the "Blue Sea Monsters" with wary respect. Wiper, the Shandian leader, became a frequent sparring partner, his Reject Dials pushing Kurumi to her durability limits.

Kurumi’s Progress:

Her mastery of the Toki Toki no Mi, Model: Zafkiel evolved from simple tricks to terrifying warfare.

* First Bullet: Aleph (Accelerate): Mastered. She could now maintain 3x speed for minutes at a time without exhausting herself.

* Second Bullet: Bet (Decelerate): Unlocked. By shooting an enemy, she could slow their time perception. To them, she moved instantly; to her, they were moving through molasses.

* Fourth Bullet: Dalet (Rewind): The most crucial ability. She learned to reverse time on specific objects or injuries. A broken bone could be "rewound" to a state before the break. It cost massive amounts of energy, requiring her to eat constantly, but it made her a combat medic of the highest tier.

Perona’s Progress:

The Ghost Princess stopped whining (mostly). Under Kurumi’s relentless pressure, she unlocked Observation Haki. She could now sense living beings across the entire island, extending her ghost network like a radar system.

More impressively, she learned to infuse her Negative Hollows with a trace of Armament Haki. They weren't just depressed ghosts anymore; they were heavy. A ghost passing through someone didn't just hurt their pride; it felt like a physical punch to the soul.

The Second Year: The New World Standard

"Time… freeze."

Kurumi stood in the center of a clearing. A massive Sky Snake lunged at her, fangs dripping with venom.

She pointed her musket. Her clock eye spun backward violently.

Seventh Bullet: Zayin (Temporal Stasis).

Click.

The world turned gray. The snake froze in mid-air, suspended in a bubble of stopped time. The leaves stopped falling. The wind stopped blowing.

Kurumi walked casually around the snake. She placed her rapier tip against its scale.

"Resume."

Snap.

Time flowed again. The snake’s head was severed instantly, the momentum of her strike catching up all at once.

Kurumi fell to one knee, panting heavily. Sweat poured down her face.

"Three seconds," she wheezed. "I can stop time for three seconds. It consumes… three days of my lifespan calories."

It was a forbidden technique. A trump card. But against Emperors like Kaido or Blackbeard, three seconds was enough to win a war.

"Kurumi!"

Perona floated down, looking concerned. She was different now. Taller. Her grip on her parasol was firm. Her Haki aura was stable. She looked less like a spoiled brat and more like a Vice Admiral caliber threat.

"You used the Seventh Bullet again," Perona scolded, handing her a canteen of water. "You're going to starve to death."

"I need to be ready," Kurumi drank greedily. "The news coo dropped the paper this morning."

She pulled out a crumpled newspaper.

STRAW HAT LUFFY RETURNS! 3D2Y SIGNAL DECODED!

"He rang the Ox Bell," Kurumi smiled, tracing the picture of Luffy with the tattoo on his arm. "He told his crew to wait two years. To get stronger."

She looked at Perona.

"Our time is up, Ghost Princess. The Monster Trio is waking up. The Worst Generation is moving."

Perona sighed, adjusting her new gothic-military cap. "Finally. I miss real ground. Clouds are too squishy."

"Pack the gear," Kurumi stood up, holstering her black muskets. "We’re going down. First stop: The New World."

"Where exactly?"

Kurumi looked at the horizon, where the Red Line divided the world.

"Punk Hazard," she whispered. "Law is planning something. And I want a front-row seat when the alliance is formed."

"Also," she added, a dark glint in her eye. "I need to steal some Caesar Clown gas. For… research."

Perona shivered. "You're scary when you're hungry."

"I'm always hungry."

Kurumi jumped off the edge of the cloud, diving toward the Blue Sea below.

"Let’s go haunt the New World!"