"You should be sleeping." His voice cut through the silence of the night.
Konan was sitting on the edge of the boat, staring down at the sea that was flowing under her feet. It was pitch black, it felt like she was floating in a black void. It was oddly comforting.
Shanks watched her silently, not stepping closer. Suddenly he watched her turn toward him with a soft smile before jumping off the boat. He ran to her spot, his heart racing before he calmed down when he saw her lying on the water, floating with her eyes closed.
"I almost had a heart attack just now you know..." He wanted to complain more but stopped short when he saw her laughing, watching him with mirth. The sound tingled his ears as he immediately turned around, feeling his face heat up.
Konan simply let herself float around while looking up at the night sky. She could see a dozen bright stars scattered throughout the night sky. The sound of the water crashing against the boat filled her ears as the cold water slowed down her brain. She used Chakra to keep herself from freezing or sinking. The gentle rocking brought her to a peaceful calmness.
"Don't mind me," Shanks voice gently announced before he abruptly landed on the water, provoking a small wave. If Konan wasn't as proficient as she was, that would have caused her to go straight under. He didn't seem to mind as he simply bent down, cautiously trying to imitate her.
Konan rolled to her side to get a better view on the incoming disaster. Just as she had predicted, he managed to lie down for 3 seconds before a small wave broke his concentration and he ended up completely drenched. That caused a laughing fit as she ignored the pain it caused her ribs.
Shanks glared at her with no real heat as he struggled to get up on the moving water. After a sigh of defeat he jumped back onto the boat. "That's not fair." He grumbled, settling on watching her from a distance.
After a few seconds, he almost jumped in surprise as a towel floated up to him before plopping down on his head. A butterfly fluttered around him for a few seconds before going to merge back with Konan. His grin widened as he rubbed his wet hair. "Thanks."
Konan hummed, she could hear the smile in his voice. Her hands rested under her head as she continued star-gazing. Hongo would probably nag her for not resting but she didn't really care. Sure her injuries hurt but it was nothing she couldn't bear. She just wanted to forget her troubles for a while. Coming to see these pirates always seemed to provide that for her.
"You can stay here as long as you wish to, we'll protect you." His crew had long since grown an attachment to Konan, they wouldn't mind in the slightest—even if they had to go against Kaido.
"I'll think about it." Konan closed her eyes for a few seconds before going back to the boat. "Why is a marine fleet following you?"
Shanks simply answered with a smirk, "Because we're on our way to meet Whitebeard and they're scared."
Konan frowned, not finding, in her bank of information, a reason why. "Any particular reason?"
"Because the man Ace's pursuing is too dangerous." Shanks frowned pointing to the scar on his forehead, "He was the one who did that to me."
Konan nodded, having a sudden bad gut feeling. She hadn't heard of Ace in a while. Though she trusted him, she feared that his recent mastery of Haki would make him reckless. When she couldn't feel the paper she had given him to summon her, a heavy feeling settled in her stomach—there could be two reasons for that, one it was burnt, two it was in an area out of her reach. With that thought in mind, she started putting her information system to work.
The moment the Marine fleet started attacking them, Shanks was waiting for them. The rest of the crew was awake and watching.
He walked on the ocean, meeting the fleet from a close distance. Unsheathing his saber, they watched as he brought it down horizontally, cutting through and sinking the whole fleet in one go. They didn't stand a chance.
A few hours later as the sun went up, the two crew met up to the dismay of the Marine. Two of the four Emperors were reunited.
Shanks jumped up to their deck, spreading his Conqueror Haki wide as Whitebeard's crew fell unconscious. Konan watched from the shadows, feeling the familiar feeling of Conqueror's Haki wash over her. Though weirdly enough, it didn't seem to attack or pressure her—he had reached an impressive level of control over his Haki.
The two captains exchanged greetings in their own ways, chatting as they started to share a drink.
Konan frowned, hearing what they were talking about. Shanks warned him against Blackbeard while Whitebeard refused to accept his concerns for Ace. Tension was reaching a high point as both crews watched closely for any signs of a fight starting.
But just as they believed a conflict would start, Whitebeard looked at a specific spot on Shanks' ship with a smile. "I see you've brought a familiar face."
Shanks frowned before following his gaze. Konan.
Konan was mildly surprised as she materialized beside Shanks. "It's good to see you again Whitebeard."
Whitebeard laughed, motioning for her to come closer.
"Konan?" Marco asked bewildered. He hadn't seen her in a while, since Ace left to be more precise.
"Marco," Konan replied in greeting before nodding to the rest of the crew. She could see some wave at her while others nodded back as well. It had been a while since she last saw them.
Whitebeard invited her to join their drinking session while Shanks watched with no small amount of surprise; he didn't know they were acquainted.
"How have you been, little flower?" Whitebeard asked.
"Could be doing better but it's alright," she answered, referring to the obvious bandages peeking through her clothes. "And I see you're still alive and kicking."
Whitebeard guffawed, "Still alive indeed." He poured himself another drink, ignoring the obvious tubes and sensor machines linked to his body. "Have you joined any crew yet?"
Shanks wanted to intervene but Konan spoke before him. "No."
"You know our offer still stands." Whitebeard pointed to where Marco and Thatch stood. "They have been following your adventures closely you know."
When they both vehemently denied, he simply cackled. Konan smiled, despite not having met in a long time, she knew she would always be welcomed amongst them.
Shanks finally managed to speak, "How, why, when?" He asked, pointing back and forth between Konan and Whitebeard.
Whitebeard—who had somehow caught on to what was going on—glanced meaningfully at him. He was about to retort when he saw a butterfly approach Konan. When he saw her face drop, he knew something bad had happened.
"What's going-?" Shanks started asking, also noticing the change.
She dropped the news in one mouthful with a somber face. "Ace was defeated by Blackbeard and is currently in Impel Down." That was the news she had just received. It wasn't publicly known yet but after digging through the Marine network she found that out.
They all fell silent as the news settled in before Whitebeard got up in anger. "They dared?!"
_______________________
bad news: i'm going back to school (university to be more precise) earlier than anticipated so idk if i'll be able to reach marineford TwT
there are some things left before marineford can really start so idk, plus daily chapters might stop earlier than anticipated
i'll see