On the other side of the barricade. On the other side of the barricade Around this time on the ship

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Maybe everything will work out? Alberona's violet eyes looked at the naive girl standing next to her, trying to show with her gaze the carelessness and stupidity of the words spoken. And Lucy understood that Cana was absolutely sure that someone would die on this island in the near future, but the girl herself did not want to accept it - isn’t now the time to try to go against fate, to save someone’s life? Both of them stood on the bow of the ship in the cool of the night, being on duty. A cold breeze enveloped and took away the warmth, but this was precisely what sobered up the young fortune teller on the cards. Breathing deeply, she retreated into her memories, which she tried so hard to forget under the power of alcohol. And Heartfilia stood nearby, nervously squeezing her hands, biting her lips and not yet quite understanding the power of Cana’s fortune-telling. The latter did not judge the new pirate, who knew almost nothing about her. This should be a good time to tell her about yourself? - Lucy, I understand that you don’t want to believe in this, especially when the atmosphere does not yet foretell possible deaths. And you probably don’t really trust fortune telling, because many believe that this is just charlatanism, a bluff,” Alberona spoke quietly, since almost all the pirates were sleeping, and Levi and Wendy were now secretly watching the village. But she was not very afraid of waking up her comrades, who already knew her story, it’s just that in this silence the girl wanted to maintain confidence and perseverance and not lose these qualities with a scream. - My first fortune telling was also death. - Did it... come true? - Heartfilia carefully raised her eyes to her friend: she no longer saw the cheerful and playful pirate who could start tickling another person out of the blue. In front of her was a woman with a broken look and a sad smile. “Yes,” an unexpected gust of wind carried away this answer, but Lucy heard it. - Is there really nothing that can be done? - If it were possible, do you think I would stand here with you doing nothing? - a rhetorical question that did not need an answer. The new pirate nodded stupidly and in agreement, returning to contemplating the sea waves and distinguishing barely noticeable celestial reflections on the surface. What silence there is all around. - It was the death of the mother. The girl looked in surprise at Cana, who did not look at her, plunged into her thoughts with a sad grin on her lips. I would like to say something, but what? Apologize for the question? Regret? Ask for more details? Lucy shook her head, swallowed the lump that was just appearing in her throat and decided to wait. And after an indefinite time, she waited. - I only knew my mother. At the age of seven, I learned from her that I didn’t have a father, because she herself didn’t know who he was,” the girl began and grinned. Whether she was talking to herself or telling a friend, it doesn’t matter. - We didn't have our own home. Her parents kicked her out when they found out about her pregnancy with the words: “I got pregnant, and you still don’t know for whom! Prostitute, so move on with your life!” Until the very end, I was sure that with my appearance I had ruined her life: in our village no one wanted to accept her, no one wanted to give her a place to spend the night or an extra piece of bread. So we went to other cities or settlements. She made a living by fortune-telling, but, you know, it was a lie: she heard gossip there, she knew about someone there - and she had a good memory - here's fortune-telling for you, this one's cat died, that one's flowers died, they already believed in everything , no matter what she weaves. And when they found out that it was all a farce, they kicked us out like stray dogs. Lucy's heart sank as she imagined the whole picture. A single mother without a home, without normal food, with a child hanging on her, who also needs to be fed. What if he gets sick? What then, what now, medicines are so expensive. But on the other hand, you understand that lying to people who could have their last hope is a sin. Cana fell silent and looked at her fingers. It was getting colder, and she just wanted to run in and cover herself with a blanket or a worn-out favorite blanket here, in her first and only home, but her body seemed chained to the place. All I had to do was endure. Yes, and the heart needs freedom - to throw out unnecessary thoughts and memories just a little, so that you can then fall asleep at least for a couple of hours. “I didn’t even know my mother’s name.” - In terms of? - Heartfilia asked in surprise, then stopped short: she decided that she would not ask unnecessary questions or insert unnecessary phrases so that Cana would feel calm in her story. But she only squeezed her friend’s hand in understanding, continuing the story. - Every new place has a new name. But I still loved her. Despite the lies that I knew about from the very beginning. Despite her eternal adventures at night with other men or even at our home. Despite her rudeness when she drank. She was the only person close to me who hugged me after a bad dream, who stayed up all night during my illness, who agreed to extremes to feed and clothe me. The most interesting thing is that she didn’t show it: she pretended that I was the worst brat, that she regretted my birth. And little Kana believed this, not realizing that actions speak louder than words. At this moment, Lucy squeezed her comrade’s hand stronger, because she could roughly understand her feelings, could imagine her thoughts, because she herself knew that mothers are really ready for anything, and their words in fits of anger or fear are nothing, just unnecessary false splash. They had been cold for a long time: their skin was covered with goosebumps, their hair was hanging out with might and main due to the wind. But there was no desire to destroy the special dome in which they were located. Cana knew that she had almost finished the story, and the mold of the past had fallen away from her heart, and Heartfilia, in any case, was ready to listen to the other, standing until the sun rose above the horizon. Once she stood here with Jellal, who encouraged her and said that this was her home. And now, holding her friend’s hand, the girl understood the truth of the quartermaster’s words. She really felt that she was in her place. - To help my mother, I wanted to learn fortune telling. I don’t know how it all worked out, I seemed to just be studying, sitting not far from my mother during her sessions, reading two books in a small library, but in the end the cards became my friends. My first fortune telling was the fate of my mother. She was drunk then and didn’t even remember the next morning that I asked her to tell fortunes. Then she agreed with a grin and rare tears in her eyes because I had told her death, and then she simply freaked out. I didn’t believe it and, deciding that I was mistaken, I decided to try to tell fortunes for something distant. So I predicted hail in five days during the festival, I told one girl about her father’s severed hand at the factory while working with equipment, and I told the old man who pestered his mother during the session that his dog had run away and would never come back. And everything came true. Everything. Then my mother really died. At night. When I decided to tell her that I could guess without lying, that I really knew how to look into the future, that I could earn our living myself. There was no need to lie and pretend, no need to move from place to place. We would have a new life. Lucy hugged Cana. And it seemed that the second one was not crying, there were no prerequisites for this, the first girl just had an unexpected impulse to grab in her cold hands the body of the pirate, who smiled and drank every day, but under this smile hid a sad story about herself. Surely, almost everyone on this ship had their own story: sad, sad, but beautiful in their own way. And each of them brought these people to this ship, to this stupid but brave captain, who really stood up for his friends. - We will do everything possible to prevent your fortune telling. Necessarily. Cana smiled and turned away. Did she think about her mother, did she dream of not being able to tell fortunes, so as not to see death, when there was no way to prevent them, did she really consider herself an obstacle in her mother’s life, did she doubt her trust in Heartfilia in her revelation, did she wonder who could die,” Lucy couldn’t say anything, except that this time her comrade looked not like a sad and lost girl, but like a confident, slightly beaten by life, worn out by pain, but resistant to everything pirate, who now needed a warm blanket, for which is where the blonde went. The girls' frank conversation remained a secret that night.

The next day.

It seemed that as soon as my head touched the pillow I had to get up again: the screaming captain and the cat flying above my face simply left me no other choice. Rubbing her eyes, Lucy sat up and looked towards where the round window was located. The sun was still above the sea, but was already preparing to roll downhill. Looking at the calmly waiting captain, who, although he was smiling, was expecting the girl to fully awaken with some anxiety, then at Happy, who was restlessly flying around and in a hurry, as if they were late for something, Heartfilia eventually exhaled and asked what was the matter. “There’s a guest on our ship,” the cat immediately reacted. Usually Natsu himself was so active, but if now he is calm and serious, then this is definitely an important circumstance. “I thought you wouldn’t want to miss the most interesting thing and learn everything from other people, so I woke you up,” the captain said quietly and quickly, despite the girl. - Why such a concern? - the girl answered too sharply, waking up completely and throwing away the remnants of sleep. Lucy swallowed and blushed, cursing herself for such a quick reaction of her body and hoping that the color would subside soon. But when I appeared before my eyes that scene during a drinking session with the Sabretooths, when there was a sound in my ears those the very words when she again stood near the closet door, her face turned so red that Happy was afraid of her condition and asked if she was sick. - What, you shouldn’t have woken him up? - Without expressing any particular desire to answer the question posed, Dragneel again acquired notes of irony in his curved smile. - We must, of course! - Lucy puffed out her red cheeks and frowned slightly. “I wouldn’t forgive you if you missed something important.” Then I would make you put a rag in your mouth and clean the whole deck! Or not... I would throw overboard this furry spider Makarov, who wakes me up every time with his presence on my face,” Natsu rolled his eyes as they left and went to the headquarters cabin. Happy had long since found himself on the main deck, opening the door and hiding behind it, only his tail darting into view. The cat was definitely in a hurry somewhere. There was obvious impatience. They went down and went into the headquarters cabin. The girl's attention immediately fell on that same guest. He was a guy of about twelve, the same height as their Wendy. Neither the shabby clothes, nor the tousled, tangled hair, nor the dirty skin with scratches and bruises made her heart clench with sadness and pity; it made a prayer for help in his eyes, wide open from long-standing fear.

Lucy sat opposite Romeo, who, with trembling hands, occasionally sipped the tea Mira prepared during breaks in his story. In his nervous movements and frequent blinking, the girl saw his uncertainty and persistent fear, as if it had been stuck to him for a long time and was breathing right down his neck. And neither the encouraging smiles of the pirates, nor Juvia tightly squeezing his shoulder, nor Jellal’s calm and peaceful voice could provide visible protection to this boy. It seems that Romeo himself came to them when Levi and Wendy were on secret reconnaissance and asked for help. But he still doubted, as if he was ready at any moment to be disappointed in the pirates and hear ridicule from them. However, this was logical, because he had already lived for two years in a village where he could not trust anyone, where everyone had become strangers to him, even his own beloved father. “Freaks,” Dragneel couldn’t resist and slammed his fist on the tabletop. But no one reproached him, because absolutely everyone agreed with the captain. Levy was already swallowing her snot, but she tried to pretend that this story didn’t hurt her to such an extent that she burst into tears in front of the boy. She only breathed quietly and slowly, resting her forehead on the shoulder of Gajeel sitting next to her, providing support. Fullbuster could not sit still calmly, because his nerves were so naughty, the feeling of injustice was burning too brightly like a volcano inside him, so he walked around the cabin, not reacting to Scarlet’s remark “don’t flash your naked body, Gray!” In fact, you should have guessed from the very beginning that something was wrong with the village. And robber pirates, some bad guys, scammers, thieves or murderers became a completely logical option for solving the problem, but neither Lucy nor the others thought that people could simply take and drive all the inhabitants crazy, almost all three hundred people, who lived on this island. What is it like to live peacefully in such a wonderful place, when at one moment impostors come, in a clever way calling to believe in a non-existent religion, subjugating the minds of innocent people, forcing them to become puppets? A small group of people who came to this island by chance, in six months of their deceitful speeches were able to subjugate almost all the inhabitants of the village, forcing them to believe in them, in your Almighty , by virtue of healing faith, in supposedly sacred and healing water. And innocent people obeyed every order, feared every new person who did not believe in the Almighty, as if captured by an evil spirit; They gave all their homemade and carefully grown food to “donations”, which were the same swindlers who calmly ate all the beautiful fruits, while the residents were starving. Laughter and smiles? This has long been forgotten. Freedom of action and speech? Everyone behaved so stiffly and reservedly that not a single ordinary person would behave like that next to the governor or other big shot in the city. Everyone, young and old, allowed themselves to be fooled by delirium, believing every word of the impostors, and it was such a blind trust that some fathers without a doubt renounced their daughters, who were “infused with a dark aura from which the poor soul must be saved”! - This is how you needed to be brainwashed! - Scarlet could barely restrain her anger, which was already coming out through a menacing voice, and held her head in her hands, squeezing her eyes tightly. It’s hard to even imagine, but everything is real! No one understood what happened at one moment to the calm Juvia, who was the only one keeping a smile on her face for the sake of Romeo. She simply stood up and rushed out without saying a word to anyone. The navigator, still naked to the waist, followed her, receiving an approving nod from the captain: either the guy was afraid that Loksar might rush to the village in a fit of emotion, or Gray simply felt a desire to support, or all of the above. The others in the cabin held back. They clenched their teeth. They tried not to lose their temper in front of the already intimidated boy. Because of this, an oppressive silence hung, so uncomfortable that poor Romeo was afraid to move his hand and take another sip of the cooling tea. If the pirates had the ability to create the weather to suit their mood, a downpour would have started long ago right above their heads with a powerful wind uprooting trees. In theory, pirates should not be affected by this matter. They have little time until the end of their journey, especially when Mar de Gaulle, who knows more than them, is on their heels and breathing down their necks, laughing right in their ears. And yet... can Fairy tail continue to leave innocent people under the control of deceitful scammers who even sell beautiful and innocent girls on the black market? Everyone knew the answer to this question. Lucy thought that lately their headquarters had been too filled with negative emotions and the air here was too tense for brainwashing and making a plan. If it was so difficult for her to breathe that she involuntarily grabbed the palm of Jellal sitting next to him, who could not squeeze out support better than a simple reciprocal squeeze of his hand, then how did Romeo feel? Stooped, disheveled and dirty after working in the garden, the boy sat and looked at the surface of the table, pursing his lips. He was only twelve, but his silhouette was more like a wizened old man in tattered old clothes with a homemade cane and a lot of experience behind him. In the end, Heartfilia couldn't stand it. She carefully unclenched her hand in Fernandez’s, glanced briefly at Dragneel with Happy sitting on his shoulder, and then smiled widely, as happened almost every day in her past life next to her father. By the way, even McGarden could not say whether it was pretense or sincere bright feelings. “Romeo, let’s go downstairs, I’ll feed you delicious food with everything you want,” she stood up, straightened the hem of her skirt, which was a little wrinkled due to the fact that the girl forgot to change clothes before going to bed. Mira, sitting at the end of the table, immediately picked up this idea, starting to describe how much delicious food she could find there. With her detailed and beautiful description, even a dead person came to life in order to try everything listed. Lucy approached the boy, offering her hand. This was not just a gesture of help to get up from the table - both she, Natsu, sighing next to her, and Jellal, smiling with approval, understood that her offer had a much deeper meaning of an outstretched hand. However, did Romeo understand this, or was he simply too hungry not to take the pirate’s hand?

The night of this day. About two hours.

It seemed that in the silence of the night the creaking of the floorboards should discharge the air, but when almost no one on the ship was sleeping, scurrying about, muttering or generally making any noise, no one noticed such an ordinary groan of the deck. And Lucy calmly climbed to the very top of the back of the ship, where the mizzen mast was located. This was the very place where she came in an attempt to find common sense in all the brain whirlwind. And now, at the time when the pirate decided to come up here, he was here too. In the same position, leaning with your elbows, bending one leg in front, looking straight. Lucy smiled sincerely for the first time today. She calmly walked over and stood next to him, almost right next to him. It wasn't that she wanted physical touch, it was just that it was warmer with the captain. As if he could radiate heat or make the air around him a different temperature, higher than night. Natsu didn't even look because he knew who exactly had come. “You look, and it seems that everything is so peaceful and calm with them, everything is as described in the book,” the guy voiced his thoughts out loud. From here he could hear the Strauss family talking. The words were inaudible, but it was not difficult to guess that they were thinking about the menu for the next day, making sure to prepare something for Romeo as well. “I still can’t understand how they managed to deceive so many people,” Lucy clasped her hands and looked at them, because everything outside the ship disappeared in almost perfect darkness: yes, lights from the village were visible among the thick trees , yes, the moon scattered its radiance across the surface of the sea, but in order to see it all, the eyes had to get used to it. - How confident do you need to be in your lies so that people give the best food to them, and feed the family with the leftovers? To believe in the Nobody created by swindlers and to worship him by making sacrifices. To even give away their daughters, believing that they have been captured by an evil spirit, but in reality they are taken and simply sold to rich perverts. To simply give up oneself, the freedom to think and feel normally, and, banally, to live. And these are not ten or twenty people, these are almost three hundred! “Words really are powerful weapons,” Natsu said, nodding. At the same time, there was no silence of the night on the ship; I suppose the others were also thinking about it and trying to come up with a plan to provide assistance. Creaks, rustling sounds, as if someone was dragging something along the boards, someone’s voices merging together. The ship was almost alive and had no intention of resting. Sleep today? If only you take a nap from the pain after using your head for a very long time. - Especially in the hands of an experienced person who knows how to choose the right words for benefit. They made eye contact. A light wind only ruffled my hair a little, and the ship rocked as usual on a calm wave. Heartfilia inhaled sharply, feeling an unusual strange feeling in her stomach. She looked, without breathing, into the guy’s gray, almost black eyes and at some point forgot what they were talking about. Just a momentary clouding of reason from an overabundance of emotions and the turmoil experienced. Not more.- Could you live like this for a whole year? - who will be the first to look away? A casual passer-by would have judged that they were playing a staring contest, not wanting to give in to the other. “I would either go crazy or run away.” “I would find a way to get out of here,” did it seem to Lucy or did Natsu’s voice change? There was a slight hoarseness in the words. This is probably due to the low temperature; lately the nights have become colder. - And I would like someone to save me. He came and took him with him - why does she say this, looking into his eyes? Was there a hidden meaning? It's funny, but even the pirate herself could not understand what exactly she wanted to say with these words. It seemed that they could stand for a long time and “play a staring contest.” It would be nice if time stopped during this matter, allowed me to breathe deeply, relax and feel only the joy of a carefree pirate life. However, it was difficult to hide the fact that pirates did not have a life without worries. Therefore, this game could not last forever. What do you think, Who won this unspoken battle? In the past, Natsu, having met their gaze, had already felt the loss in the chocolate pools, but this time they closed their eyes at the same time, neither losing nor winning. The captain then left, accidentally hitting the girl with his shoulder, and Lucy remained standing for a while. Still. Without opening your eyelids. The strange game, which was not a staring contest at all, is not over yet. Someday they, just the two of them, will really reach the end. But not now. It's not time yet.

In the next morning.

The slow, quiet steps of two pairs of feet walked along the shore at the border between the end of the sandy part and the beginning of the forest thicket. Random branches and stones interfered with the silent passage, but after an awkward and uncertain ten minutes, the two pirates seemed to be floating above the sand. The guy in front led, examined the situation, and if something happened, jump at the signal into nearby bushes and small trees with knee-high grass. And the girl behind tried to make fewer sounds, without inadvertently giving them away, helping to monitor the situation around, definitely from the side and behind. The sun had just begun to illuminate the earth, playing with its rays on the surface of the water, and Gray and Juvia already had an important task, which they were busy completing. It became hot because of the tension, the fear of being noticed and the adrenaline coursing through the blood, but neither the guy, nor especially the girl, uttered a plaintive groan or a desire to return. It is necessary - it means necessary! Before two fingers - the index and middle - appeared above the lead pirate's shoulder, Loxar reacted with the same speed and hid, falling to the ground. The guy began to crawl, and the girl followed, silently cursing the strands of hair that had escaped from her collected hairdo and were sticking to her face with sweat. How long they continued to move like this, occasionally stopping, hiding, like predators hoping to catch food, is unknown, but the sun stood high enough to no longer hit the pirates’ eyes, but rather cast shadows from the trees and bushes. There was a boulder ahead, large enough for three people to stand here quietly and unnoticed, so the two pirates headed there, finally rising. But no one even thought about resting and relaxing; on the contrary, now the tension was felt much stronger, causing the stomach to involuntarily twist. The guy cautiously looked out from one side, the girl from the other. The most difficult thing in this task is not to restrain yourself from stretching or pain in tense muscles, but the internal suppression of all emotions, no matter what they see there, even the corpses of their loved ones. On the shore, a couple of tens of meters away, there was a ship, small, but quite new and maintained, which became clear: the owner had money, as well as connections. Several people were dragging onto the deck either a bag, or a box, or a simple basket that grannies have at the market, filled with fresh, beautiful and positively glowing vegetables, clearly grown with love and care. There were grains and fruits, one box was marked “mushrooms”, the other was marked “deer”. “This is what Romeo was talking about,” Locksar whispered. - This is their “donation”: they are exploited for free, and their labors in the form of food are sent to the market. Surely a good profit. “Their gold jewelry confirms your words,” the guy muttered through his teeth. They still stood and continued to watch, only thinking for a second that they would not see anything new, that they needed to come closer and listen to how women’s voices were heard amid the general roar of the scammers. What they said was difficult to understand, but there was no doubt that their owners were girls. And indeed, soon three beautiful and beautiful ones appeared in the pirates’ field of view, it is clear that the liars tried to put them in order, girls in the prime of life. Health oozed out of them, which is not surprising - to live in such a heavenly place! At least this village was beautiful and prosperous for another year and a half. Two of them were calm, walking firmly, in step, like soldiers. Their eyes were slightly closed, as if they were not awake or were under hypnosis. And only one turned her head, stopped and said something. And this “something” clearly did not please the guy standing next to them and watching them with a shaved head and a tattoo of a snake on his bald head. “I’ll come closer,” Loksar didn’t even hear how the guy was next to her and quietly whispered in her ear. Turning her head, almost squeaking in surprise, the girl met Fullbuster’s gaze. Their noses were touching. The lips were a few centimeters apart. In any other situation, Juvia would have melted into a puddle of happiness or fainted from such abnormal closeness, but even blushing, with a blush on her cheeks, the pirate did not lose control, about to express her desire to go with him. “Alone,” the navigator did not like to rant for a long time and explain the reason for his actions, because he was used to his comrades understanding him perfectly, but with this girl everything was different. She really didn't want to leave him alone. - If, in the worst case, I get caught, there must be someone left who will hand over everything to our people. Fine? - Only now did Juvia realize that she had been holding her breath. Only now did Gray realize the closeness of their position. He took two steps back, cautiously peeking out from his side, feeling impatient. “Okay,” the girl finally answered almost inaudibly. - Just be careful. Although the guy didn’t answer, he nodded and immediately moved closer to hear the words clearly. One step, another - the voices of scammers and girls become clearer. Having walked another five steps, Fullbuster could already distinguish individual words, such as “must”, “now”, “wait”. Having found a wide tree trunk, Gray, with lightning speed, bending over so as not to stand out above the bushes, ran up to it and straightened up, taking three deep breaths before examining the situation. “Great, they didn’t notice me,” he said, seeing and hearing that the people on the shore did not even pause their conversation. The guy glanced in the direction from which he came. Now Juvia stood in his place behind the boulder, and he nodded to her, showing that everything was fine. She nodded in response. Gray saw two beings fighting within her: a shy, worried and loving girl and a truly good comrade, a former robber. If the situation were right, the navigator would admit that he likes how two opposite sides are balanced in one girl who is not sure how she should behave around him. If he were in another place now, he would have grinned, surprised at her stupidity, but now Gray was busy talking on the shore. -Can you turn away from faith? - a rough male voice retorted. “I don’t know what to believe anymore,” the female voice spoke several tones lower due to uncertainty. Surely, this is the third one who was not under the hypnosis of the scammers, or began to see the picture from the other side. “You have been possessed by an evil spirit that is clearing your head,” said another male voice slowly, which was more suitable for persuasion. At least he understood the order in which phrases should be spoken. “That’s why we will take you to the right place where they will help you.” - Are we leaving today? - asked another female voice. Gray stood with his eyes closed and tried to improve his sound perception, because voices sometimes disappeared in the noise of other people, in the waves, in the rustling of tree leaves due to the wind, in the singing of birds singing about another beautiful day. - Tonight, you just needed to be separated from your loved ones as soon as possible so that you wouldn’t harm them. You don't want this, do you? No one answered, but the navigator figured in his mind that they probably shook their heads in response. After standing for another ten minutes, Gray realized that he would not be able to hear anything more important, and decided not to delay the time he was in the ambush, so he hurried to Juvia, who was all worked up with interest, impatience and worry. - Are you ready to take a risk? - the navigator sat down and pulled the girl down by the hand, looking straight into her eyes. He needed to know for sure that she was not afraid and would go with him to the end, as a last resort, he would have sent her back to the ship and completed the mission on his own with backup in the form of Lily, who found this ship, reported and offered to accompany them secretly from above for safety net. Gray almost forgot about it if he didn't accidentally look up and see a dark tail. “I’m ready for anything with you,” Juvia answered clearly, a little sweetly and seriously, confirming her words with intense nods and pursed lips. Fullbuster had a hard time keeping his lips from curling into a smile.

Around this time on the ship.

Surely everything will be fine with them? Having asked the question, Lucy never expected such a reaction in response: laughter and reproaches in the looks of her comrades. They were relaxed about the two pirates who started their attack from the ship, while Heartfilia herself was worried. The only person who did not look at her as naive was Kana, but although she was with everyone in the headquarters cabin, she was mentally in a different place. Sitting at the very end of the table that occupied the central part of the room, she laid out her cards, frowned when she picked up a suit, and muttered something under her breath so that no one could make out a word. “I trust Gray and Juvia,” the captain stood at the head of the table and leaned on the back of the chair. His posture was relaxed, there was a smile on his face, confirming his earlier words, but there was steel in his eyes. Did the others see this seriousness and hidden anxiety in the eyes, or was Lucy the only one who noticed it? Maybe she even imagines it? “And Lily will cover them a little,” Gajeel interjected proudly, like a young father, lifting his chin slightly. The others simply silently agreed. It was a clear day. Despite the strong gusts of wind, the sun fought furiously to give the earth a warmth much stronger than the coolness of the sea. Last time, there was a tense atmosphere in this cabin and everyone was walking around in a terrible mood, ready at any second to rush into this village after the scammers and give them a good kick, but now everything is different. No one gritted their teeth, no one nervously tapped their fingers on the tabletop, no one held back, was rude or sighed. There may have been a steely core inside the pirates that urged them to be ready for battle, but on the outside they took a sensible stance. Perhaps a sleepless night cooled their ardor, so they decided to redirect their anger into useful actions, calm reasoning and a great atmosphere in their company? - What if they can't find anything on the ship? - suggested Heartfilia. Probably no one could understand such concern and anxiety in the voice, words and actions of the new pirate, except for Alberona on the left side, three chairs away. Thoughts about possible death could not leave her head, and she was afraid that this “someone” could be Gray or Juvia. And the girl didn’t know at all whether it was worth talking about Kana’s fortune telling. Perhaps they already knew everything, maybe the anxiety in Natsu’s eyes is precisely because of this knowledge. “You just have to wait and believe,” Levi answered with a knowing smile. If she hadn’t been sitting opposite, she would have squeezed her friend’s hand, but because of her short stature and wide table, this gesture would have looked very strange. But Fernandez could do it, sitting next to her on the right: he carefully took Lucy’s small hand in his palm and squeezed it. His almond eyes shone with restraint and confidence. Heartfilia was truly grateful for his support: moral or physical. After all, it was only because of him that she calmed her doubts in her heart and allowed fate, chance or Natsu’s stupidity to change her life one hundred and eighty degrees. It should be said that he looked so relaxed and cool in the absence of Scarlet, who was now on reconnaissance in the village itself, performing another task together with Mira. No one could understand exactly what kind of relationship they were in now, but the fact that they were now closer than before was as obvious as their (un)random touches and sly glances. So Lucy is alive only because the captain's chief mate, aka Scarlet, did not see this friendly but intimate gesture. - Further actions should be decided after completing the missions. Let’s wait for Erza and Mira’s report, find out what else Romeo will tell us about, and whether Gray and Juvia, with Lily’s help, found any evidence on the ship,” Natsu stretched, crunching his bones, and again clung to the high back of the slightly worn chair, rather everything that broke more than once from the captain’s rage. - Let's decide who will become our informer, who will gather everyone and keep them in one place. We need evidence and facts that would expose the lies, but first we need to make these three hundred listen and not be afraid. “Perhaps Levi…” Lucy began slowly, raising her hand, but stopped short when she saw the denial on her friend’s face. “She’s short, no one will even take her seriously,” this was the last phrase of the day that Gajeel uttered before a small but very strong hand struck her to the side, and then to the back of her head, knocking her out and allowing her to “fall asleep” on the table. . “I’m for Erza,” Levy then said in a calm voice, even with a smile, when everyone else looked at the knocked out guy, whose spirit could almost be seen: it rose above his head and almost flew into the clear sky. Jellal simply rubbed his forehead with his hands, realizing that the fault was entirely on Redfox, Lucy just swallowed, not remembering that the sweet and sociable McGarden had behaved so harshly and confidently with her other comrades before, in the police, and Natsu snorted, pleased with this outcome , having already checked the box to tease the boatswain about this situation for another whole week. - She has a strong look. Even very strong. The voice is serious, loud and... like a clap of thunder, you know? - if there was uncertainty in his explanation, then the consonant nods of absolutely all the pirates, even Kana in her little world, confirmed such a comparison. Fernandez himself could not argue and stand up for his girlfriend. - Okay, now I would just like to say that if you have even the most ridiculous idea, then be sure to share it. Aren't all our adventures strange and just as absurd? - Lucy grinned, looking at Natsu as he spoke. She was used to seeing him either cheerful or serious and scary, but she did not expect that he really had leadership qualities. Even if everyone called him by name, they knew this guy and understood that they could rely on him, that he would not let him lose heart, even if he himself was worried, that he would come to the rescue with a smile and always an outstretched hand. - We only have one chance to reach them, because then they won’t even look at us, let alone listen. Let's do it right and in our style, find what my father left behind and embark on the next adventure with an unwavering spirit and teamwork. For a second, the girl felt an urge to applaud her captain, but restrained herself, as everyone first smiled and then nodded seriously. Already knowing what to do, the pirates got up from their seats, began to comment and say something while their feet were already carrying their owners out of the cabin. Although Gajeel was carried away not by his legs, but by Fernandez's strong arms. Lucy also stood up, looked at Natsu and stopped. As soon as the door closed, the corners of his lips turned down. Indeed, the girl almost forgot what the first purpose of their stop on this island was. Thoughts were reflected in the brown eyes, so Dragneel himself immediately understood what his cabinmate was thinking about. But he didn’t get angry, although two weeks ago he would have certainly been sarcastic and put her “in her place,” but he simply squeezed his hands holding the chair tighter and sighed. Lucy decided not to stand still, but to go down to Romeo, but she was stopped by Cana’s hand. - You said to share any thoughts, right? At this time the guy nodded. Lucy looked from the guy to her friend, who was not paying attention to her: even her body was turned towards the captain. It was clearly visible how tense he was: his teeth were clenched, his eyebrows were drawn together, and his gait, when he approached the two girls, betrayed some nervousness. Heartfilia understood that Natsu himself was well aware of the power of Cana's fortune telling. They met their gaze - gray and brown - but Lucy could do nothing other than a slight movement of her shoulder. “There is our ace in the village, which could be the decisive move in this battle,” Kana spoke slowly and clearly, turning into a real clairvoyant who talked about your future, conjuring over the ball. Dragneel stood next to Heartfilia and towered directly above the sitting pirate. She continued to hold her friend’s wrist, who did not understand the reason for her presence, and the guy came so close to the blonde that their shoulders were touching. The captain tried to look at the cards, although it was clear from his narrowed eyes and protruding chin that nothing was clear to him. - It's a girl. She is the key to everything. - And how can we find the one among hundreds of young girls? - I don’t know, I only see “silence”, but I can’t say what it means. I know one thing for sure: if we don’t find it, we not only won’t help people, but we ourselves won’t be able to pick up the thing left by Igneel. Natsu inhaled sharply, and Lucy tensed, looking out of the corner of her eye at the guy standing too-closely. Was it her imagination, or was there a momentary flash of rage in his eyes? If so, then the girl mentally hoped not to fall under his arm in fits of anger. Real anger. And although Heartfilia was not a fortune teller, it was not difficult to notice the hidden fear that suddenly appeared inside her of missing something and being a loser in the battle with Mar de Gaulle. Fear that appeared right on the threshold of the captain's heart, wanting to settle and settle down. But, fortunately, he was not able to enter Dragneel’s big and strong heart because of one woman’s hand, which tightly squeezed the guy’s palm, giving this gesture, as well as the firm look of his brown eyes, confidence and support.

Everything will be fine. Everyone will be alive. Necessarily.

Notes:

I promised to post a chapter by the end of summer - stick with it.
In the last hours before the start of the new school year.
Good luck to students and students, cram and don't forget to have fun.
I hope the next chapter will be released sooner (not two months). But here I compensated for your wait with a long chapter (the second in the top of the longest chapters, I already wrote in my group about the first).
Looking forward to your feedback~

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"I did it? Oh yes, I actually did it. If such a situation were not so ridiculous and in some ways frightening, I would be able to appreciate my acting skills as a secret agent. But it's not funny to me now. Oh, how funny that is,” - in two seconds, thoughts became confused in my head, and my consciousness began to slowly float away through the sun’s rays and the light of precious metals. Lucy stood close to the guy, pressed a musket to his neck, on which an old checkered scarf was neatly tied, and looked into his gray eyes, hoping that her confidence would not be shaken. It started off so beautifully! And the captain of the “stinking gang of pirates” calmly looked at the girl, as if his life could not end abruptly in one split second. His steel eyes expressed so much confidence that it seemed as if they had switched places - it was He who pressed her to himself, it was He who held up the muzzle of the musket, it was He who was the manager of order here. - And what did we forget here, blonde? - Natsu smiled sarcastically, while Happy, his eternal partner on any mission, continued to enthusiastically search for something in the whole mountain of gold and silver. “Here I ask questions, dear Natsu Dragneel,” the girl muttered through her teeth, frowning even more, so much so that a thin wrinkle lay between her eyebrows. “I dare say I’m not welcome here,” Dragneel still smiled impudently, moving his body forward, pushing the girl aside. For a moment her face lit up with surprise, she hesitated, but in the next second she regained her former seriousness. - Since they know me here, it would be dishonest to remain covered in a mask of obscurity, don’t you think? “You…” it seemed that with these simple words the guy easily took all the oxygen from his lungs, causing Heartfilia to choke. She swallowed the newly formed lump in her throat and tried to ignore the sickening churning down in her stomach. - I am the current captain of the marine police, Lucy Heartfilia, who will show you all the sweets of prison life! - Show me what blondes are capable of, captain? “It seemed to Lucy that this pirate was playing with her, that he was amused by the change in Heartfilia’s face - from confusion to indignation. And this added fuel to the fire of hatred towards all pirates, especially this “vile captain”. - Just don’t cry and don’t scream that I didn’t warn you.

Estate warehouse V. Group under the command of Jackal.

Approaching the intended target, the leader of the newly formed group examined the space around them. An ordinary street: several two-story houses with small gardens and lawns in the yard; a smoothly laid road, which has not yet been damaged by carts and horseshoes; just a couple of grocery stores, from which came the pleasant smell of fresh baked goods and black coffee. “Junior lieutenant, we have arrived,” someone rapped behind him, bringing the guy out of his thoughts, who immediately adjusted his sword belt. “I know without you,” the Jackal barked irritably, and then took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. - So, here's what we'll do: two of us check to see if anything was stolen from this warehouse, and one of us inspects the premises for signs of forced entry. They dispersed quickly, there is no point in being an eyesore! After becoming a member of NCIS, Jackal looked forward to fun days with exciting adventures in capturing pirates. Every day I trained in wielding a sword, using bladed weapons, developed excellent reflexes and revived my thirst for battles and battles. And now he could only feel how his hands were itching, how the saber resting on the sword belt became heavy under the weight of such tempting thoughts about a clash with pirates. “I’m reporting,” a sharp voice from the side again brought the guy out of his own thoughts. “There are no signs of a break-in, but the state of the warehouse makes it clear: the pirates were here and, except for one bag, did not take anything with them.” “Idiots,” the junior lieutenant answered firmly after a moment of silence, turning his head to the guy standing next to him, so sweet, shaved, almost young and naive, that the lieutenant felt funny. I didn't like people like that. And working with them is even more so. - M-junior lieutenant! - shouted two arriving people, no different from the guy standing next to them. “Look,” like surprised teenagers, they pointed their fingers upward to the roof of a distant house, from where two dark-haired guys were running, jumping from roofs to carts and back, and a cat was flying next to them (we had already met them). And as soon as the Jackal bared his teeth, intending to finally enter into battle, the gaze of one of the pirates, who was approaching them with calm jumps, paralyzed the whole body. The look of the eyes, dark as a crow's wing, cooled the fire blazing inside, it seemed to even lower the body temperature of the junior lieutenant, and an unusual tingling sensation was felt in his fingers - and all this just from a glance, from one glance from a pirate who did not even bother to stop and ran further. At that moment, the Jackal realized how cruel reality was, how naive he himself was, how pitiful he looked when he came face to face with his enemy. And he didn't like it at all. “Damn it, captain,” the junior lieutenant hissed through teeth clenched from hopelessness and his own powerlessness. - I could not".

Estate warehouse B.

The sounds of sword blades touching echoed along the beautiful light walls. With a smug smile and excitement blazing in his eyes, the pirate captain easily defended himself and quickly counterattacked. The girl, clutching the hilt with all her strength, moved with lightning speed, ignoring the trembling on her skin. “And you’re pretty good with a sword for a girl,” Natsu remarked sarcastically, blocking a swift attack right at his throat. “We’ll see what you say when this girl defeats you,” the NCIS captain breathed shakily, but continued to stand firmly on her feet. “Hmm, that would really be interesting to see,” Natsu nodded, taking a step back and swinging his sword. “But it’s a pity that I won’t be able to see it,” he simply shrugged, as if it was a given. It seemed that the temperature in the room had risen much higher than before, which made Lucy ready to howl: the police uniform, while comfortable for running and fighting, could easily get tired. Only the cold sweat that washed over her with every deafening breath of the pirate cooled her body, even chilled her at times. Before her eyes there was only one clear image - Natsu Dragneel with his sword in his right hand; and in my head there was a measured plan for its attack. Like a mantra, she repeated her every step, tried to predict his attacks and sudden movements, trying to focus on her hatred for this man. The guy himself seemed to be just amused by this moment, enjoying the “interesting and pre-predicted battle.” This infuriated the girl so much that she lost concentration and, one might say, fell out of reality for a second. It seemed like one measly second, but it was enough for the guy to take the initiative, and for Lucy to stumble and lose her balance. Only the boxes at the back were able to protect her from hitting the floor. “I see your legs can’t hold you up anymore, captain,” Dragneel immediately scoffed, swinging at the girl, who at the last moment stepped aside, thereby allowing the tip to pierce the wooden surface and be sandwiched between small boxes of cartridges. “Oh, what a loss,” Heartfilia immediately inserted the word, feeling for the first time a light burning in her soul: she can win if she tries. Squeezing her hilt harder, the captain easily and quickly cut through the air with a barely noticeable sound, sighing languidly and groaning quietly in frustration. The guy bent down to avoid the enemy’s sword without obstacles, and now two points (one higher, the other lower) stuck into a smooth wooden plank. “Oh, what a loss,” the pirate captain teased, lowering his voice a few tones. And even if it didn’t look like a girl’s cry at all, it was enough for Lucy to also zealously continue the fight. "God, what is Natsu doing? - the cat with angel wings, forgotten by these two, muttered to himself and continued to further explore the golden mountain full of jewels. - If I wanted to, I would defeat her in an instant. Instead of playing with her, it would be better if he helped me.” The cat sighed deeply, even with a bit of annoyance, looking over the open and almost empty chest at his comrade and the blonde, who was resolutely advancing. Sparks flew in all directions after the next blow, but as soon as one of them stumbled, crashed into a box or bag of grains, the second one immediately attacked. It was a heated battle. By the middle, Dragneel himself got a little tired, without even noticing how he stopped giving in. The girl, breathing heavily, stood opposite, squeezing the hilt with such force that if it were not for the perfect work of the blacksmith, she would have broken the handle long ago*. “This can’t go on for long,” Heartfilia thought to herself, not taking her menacing gaze off the pirate. “I need to do something to win, otherwise my chances will decrease, and I can’t lose.” The honor of the captain of the marine police and the safety of the inhabitants (well, gold and gunpowder) stand before me. I shouldn't give up." There was no need to reason further, because Dragneel, having made a false lunge, sharply jerked his hand forward, and if not for his excellent reflexes, Lucy would have said goodbye to his hand. “Oh, sorry, captain,” Natsu said, looking guilty, taking his previous stance, ready for any movement. “It looks like you’re bleeding,” and that’s right, despite his quick reflexes, he was able to hit his left shoulder, cutting the blue fabric, which turned scarlet along the edges. “Oh, damn,” the NCIS captain hissed, already feeling the throbbing pain in that place and the heat from the flowing (albeit a little) blood. “You have a chance to surrender, then maybe I won’t touch you,” Dragneel suggested in a calm voice, which made the girl sick. Her stomach twisted with growing panic - she understood that her chances of winning were negligible, but to just surrender to a pirate like that? It's the last thing she would do in a situation like this. From the look in her brown eyes, the guy understood what she was thinking about, so he only sighed resignedly. “We have to finish, Happy can’t handle it alone, and we don’t have much time,” he thought to himself, noticing how Heartfilia’s thin fingers began to hesitantly squeeze her hands - it was a gesture that she was ready to attack at any second. And he was right - the captain of the marine police, with some incomprehensible cry, rushed forward, raising her sword with her good hand, aiming somewhere in his stomach. Lucy saw her opponent, knew that she was acting stupidly and recklessly, but it was better than standing and waiting for something unknown, and the thought that this was death turned her inside out. But she was hardly able to describe what happened in a matter of seconds, even when she came to her senses a few days later: gray eyes blazed with steely confidence as never before, gold earrings brightly reflected the light of jewelry, the blade caught the rays of the daytime sun with its smooth surface, and a light brown veil covered her eyes, which forced her to close her eyes. When Lucy, having rubbed her eyelids with the back of her hand, was able to open her eyes, she saw a point in front of her, which was aimed straight at her throat; It turned out that she had involuntarily let go of her sword, because her weapon lay near her feet; and the musket with only one very valuable cartridge rested calmly in the pirate’s free (left) hand. It was an unconditional victory. Heartfilia only now realized from her hands that Dragneel had thrown sand in her face, and it didn’t matter where the guy got it from. - Hey, that's not fair! - Lucy protested. - Nothing personal, blonde. “I’m a pirate,” the guy answered easily, who, most likely, had repeated this phrase more than once, it even seemed that it was his middle name. And the girl herself didn’t understand what infuriated her more: the loss or his arrogant grin, which she wanted to wipe off the damn pirate’s face.

Lucy didn’t know how much time had passed while she, tied with strong ropes in a skillful seaman’s knot, sat near the boxes: having long ago lost count, the girl simply watched the too impulsive couple. The cat with snow-white wings complained more and more often, dripping onto his brain with words that “he” was not here, when Dragneel, occasionally muttering not entirely censored phrases under his breath, continued to search and talk encouragingly with his comrade. And everything would be fine, but the white scarf made it difficult to pronounce any words other than mooing and howling-like sounds, my arms and ankles were already hurting because of the tight and terrible rope, and occasionally the things from the golden mountain “jumping” on it miraculously did not fall to the head. - Vvmtv! - Lucy hissed menacingly, realizing that no one understood what she mumbled, but how could she remain silent when the fifth thing with a characteristic ringing crashed into the wood right next to her? Natsu sighed, throwing warning glances at her that said instead of words: “Don’t interfere!” And Heartfilia felt like a guilty child for the first time when the eyes of color began to menacingly examine her face. What seemed strange to her was that she did not feel fear for herself, rather disgust for the cheating pirate and resentment for her loss. That's all. It was difficult to concentrate on anything else, because the pain from the leaking (no longer as profusely as at first) wound on the shoulder clouded the mind. - Senior Lieutenant, this is the last warehouse! - a voice was heard from outside, and all three, as one, were numb with surprise, only if Lucy could not say anything, the pirates involuntarily squealed, thereby attracting the attention of the police. - Did you hear that, Sir Mar de Gaulle? There are pirates there! “Mar de Gaulle? What is he doing here?” - flashed through the mind of Heartfilia, who began a new attempt to get out of the tight ropes, but it was all in vain. - Natsu? - Happy asked uncertainly, almost in a whisper, rounding his already large eyes. He was afraid - the girl saw it - and relied on Dragneel, who began to examine the room with his eyes, clearly considering his next actions. And when his gaze settled on her and flashed a disapproving gleam, Lucy’s heart began to beat faster inside her chest. “Well, well, blonde, you’re useful to us,” approaching the girl, Natsu squatted down next to her and took off her scarf. After the strange taste of the fabric, Lucy winced and began to smack her lips, trying to get rid of the disgusting sensation. - Are you scared? - the NCIS captain asked, spitting right at his feet. “If only,” Dragneel answered briefly, and his gaze was so hypnotizing that the girl involuntarily began to drown in them. It's nonsense, right? - Now scream, call for help, give any order that comes to your mind. - For what? - Lucy again felt like an ordinary teenager who did not understand a simple topic in mathematics or social studies. Natsu lifted her head by the chin, looking into her eyes, and with a malicious smile with only his lips he said: “Come on,” which undoubtedly infuriated the girl. Frowning her brows, she clenched her teeth and took more air into her lungs. “All units, surround the warehouse from all available exits and entrances, including windows, so that even a mouse does not slip through unnoticed,” they both looked at each other, not daring to look away. Common determination, confidence, and the desire to fulfill their duty united two captains of completely different worlds. - There are two pirates here, one of whom is Natsu Dragneel, the captain of Fairy Tail. Get ready for further orders,” the brown eyes looked down at the guy’s smile, crooked in satisfaction, and then darted up and back. Happy, meanwhile, continued to look for “him,” although Lucy was sure that the two were just wasting their time. - Senior Lieutenant Mar de Gaulle, this also applies to you.

The same warehouse. Near the premises. Two divisions under the leadership of Mar de Gaulle.

The senior lieutenant, hearing his name, involuntarily winced at the commanding tone and ran his hand through his dark hair - it was such a gesture when he was worried or everything was going against his plans, or something happened that he least expected. Half of the sergeants immediately obeyed the orders of the NCIS captain, while the other half hesitated, looking at him and awaiting his next instructions. - Do it already! - Mar de Gaulle barked displeasedly, crossing his arms over his chest and continuing to stare at the closed door that separated him from the pirate and Heartfilia. “Something is suspicious,” he thought. - What can a pirate, and even a captain, do for so long? Are they looking for something? But what? And why didn’t they kill this self-confident captain?” About five minutes passed until the tense silence, occasionally broken by the whispers and conversations of the residents (who were supposed to be hiding), was broken by a crash. It was the roof of the warehouse that broke, or rather, someone broke it, thereby leaving him free. In the blue sky with rarely passing clouds, a bright orange light appeared that blinded the eyes. - Prepare for shots! - the senior lieutenant shouted when his eyes were able to get used to the emanating light. But no one raised their muskets; moreover, everyone began to look uncertainly at their comrades and whisper excitedly. And as soon as the guy raised his head, he realized the reason for the commotion: the pirate, behind whose back there were snow-white wings (Happy), in one hand held a fiery sword, the flames of which did not melt the metal, and in the other, Lucy herself. Apparently, the pirate took her as a hostage and was right - no one dared not only to kill her, but even to simply raise the gun towards her. “Not bad,” Mar de Gaulle himself did not know whether he was angry or even happy at this turn of events. Smoothing his hair again, which continued to stick out in different directions, he smiled madly. - But even so you can’t escape. An ambush awaits you, Natsu Dragneel." “Senior lieutenant, they’re leaving,” he could barely hear the cry of one of his subordinates, who was trying to shout over the noise among the sergeants and the city residents who had run out. “More precisely, they’re flying away,” the blond guy immediately corrected himself, already standing next to the lieutenant. “Let it go,” he answered indifferently, turning around. - But they have a captain... - To hell with her, - he hissed under his breath. “Her death will not be in vain,” Mar de Gaulle said over his shoulder, measuring the boy with a frightening look, and left, not hiding his satisfied smile.

Natsu, Lucy and Happy. Somewhere in the air above the city of Magnolia.

The first thought that came to Heartfilia's mind was the desire to kill the damn captain of the pirate gang for a mega-stupid and terrible plan in which she was his shield. Indeed, none of the police dared to aim their muskets at them; there was confusion, misunderstanding and clearly felt fear throughout all the ranks. Lucy had never felt so humiliated and trampled as to be gagged and hands in the steel grip of a satisfied Dragneel, who was even enjoying this moment. And when they rose, thanks to the flying cat, into the air, cutting through the lower layer of the atmosphere, smoothly rising higher, as if floating on the surface of the sea, Heartfilia felt a new feeling. She was breathtaking. Never before had her heart beat at such a pace due to flight, never before had she felt a slight tingling throughout her body and a pleasant pull inside her stomach. Inhaling the smell of the sea, which was felt more clearly in the heights, the girl involuntarily forgot about everything. And delight, and joy, and freedom pinched the soul with such force that it could not withstand such pressure. If at first Lucy tried to free herself from the clutches of the pirate or squeal, supposedly asking to let her go, now she was quietly hanging on his free hand (the other one contained the found artifact sword) and watching. The city was beautiful. No, she already knew that he was handsome, but the NCIS captain always watched him either from below or from low mountains. But now... she saw him as if in the palm of her hand, saw every street, every turn, every passerby, who looked like small figures standing in her office; all the familiar faces mixed into one spot, but this did not frighten, it was only captivating; she saw the roofs of houses, police residences, puppet and live theaters, shops with various goods for sale; green gardens, decorated with red, pink, white and other shades of flowers and fruits, gave the overall picture of the city their own, natural atmosphere. "Amazing!" - her eyes opened with delight and lit up with a bright sparkle of happiness, it was hard to smile, but even so she could not restrain the raised corners of her lips, simply unable to stop the enthusiastic facial expressions on her face. Heartfilia fell out of reality so much that she forgot about her position, did not notice the gray, equally brilliant eyes looking straight at her, and did not at all hear the whims of the flying cat, who complained about “how heavy the blonde is.”

That's it! - the guy swore, breaking such a reigning idyll. The girl perked up in surprise and surprise, and then turned her head and looked at the pirate: the satisfied smile disappeared, a veil of seriousness covered her eyes again, and her light eyebrows met at the bridge of her nose. Heartfilia looked at him questioningly, and then followed his gaze - they were at the very port, where almost the entire length was occupied by fishermen and traders from other places; as well as small and large vessels, simple boats and boats. And only one, so large with dark wood and black sails, has already sailed a sufficient distance from this place. For some reason, the girl had no doubt that it was his ship. - Natsu, isn't this an ambush? - and rightly so, having arranged themselves in two lines, many people in police uniforms pointed their muskets and, without regret, uncertainty or fear, looked at the approaching two (and the cat) people. “Who would have thought that the captain would lose his value so quickly,” Dragneel muttered his first thought, simply blurted out what came to mind, told the truth, and that’s why Lucy felt bad. These words, like an echo, scrolled through my head, not leaving my consciousness, but only squeezing my self-esteem. She didn’t understand a lot, but she knew one thing for sure: she had been betrayed. - Well, Happy. Do you think we'll break through? “If you use the artifact you found, then I think so,” said the cat seriously, who was still in the warehouse ready to howl in fear when they were discovered by Mar de Gaulle’s units. It seemed that in the air Happy was in his element. What happened next is difficult to describe in a couple of sentences, but even more difficult to describe in detail when Lucy, still with a bandage in her mouth, managed to squeal from sharp turns in the air. Every second she thought that Dragneel’s steel grip would weaken and he would let her go straight towards the flying bullets and gunpowder, but the pirate himself had already forgotten about the burden. Her life, future and fate were now in the hands of two pirates: one deftly maneuvered through the air, running away from targets, the other, using a fiery sword, melted flying pieces of metal. Unable to look any longer at this picture, which was painted in dark tones and a red tint, overshadowing that beautiful view of her hometown, Heartfilia closed her eyes. She hated herself for giving herself into the hands of a pirate like that, but the girl understood that there was no other way out. The sound of gunfire and wind in her ears did not subside even when she felt a hard surface beneath her. She fell with a very characteristic jolt. There will probably be bruises. Dragneel was on all fours on his ship, breathing heavily and trying to catch his breath. The familiar, familiar swaying on the sea surface and the boring smell of old boards underneath made me return to consciousness and find peace. He survived. They did it. “Captain,” a voice was heard not far from him. Natsu stood up, looking at the scarlet haired girl and smiling madly. - Of course, I’m glad that you are alive, moreover, I didn’t dare to doubt it, but who is it? And only now did Dragneel remember that he was not alone. I remembered how I took the NCIS captain hostage, using him as a shield. And I remembered how I completely forgot about its existence on the shore itself. - Damn it! - the pirate swore, meeting the enraged gaze of brown eyes looking at him menacingly.

This is just a simple accident that was outlined by the arrows of History.

Notes:

Cheren - the hilt of a sword.
Belt - belt for weapons.

Cover:
https://pp.vk.me/c622918/v622918144/2f18d/JOc8VyhWN7Y.jpg

On the other side of the barricade

On the other side of the barricade

Author's name: KeNNy Brue
Author's email: available only for registered
Beta name: no beta))
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: new heroine Bella Cannon (just fell in love with this last name =))
Genre: Action
Summary: After the revival of Voldemort, strange things happen in London. Murders, disasters, natural disasters... One of the Muggles must solve this riddle. And then Bella Cannon comes on stage....)

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Chapter 1. Brockdale Bridge

Chapter 2. Sirius Black

Chapter 3. Jack Sparrow's Double

***
The next day, Saturday, Bella woke up early. “Damn, we still have to go to these Thomases...” was her first thought. Oh, no, I’m lying, my first thought was “Well, another rotten day... Good morning, Bel!” Today she decided not to focus on her investigation, but simply go for a visit. Maybe it won’t be as boring there as with other father’s colleagues. Having decided that, Bella went to the kitchen to have a snack. The parents were already there. Dad drank coffee as usual, yawning every minute. And mom was busy at the stove. Bella knew from the smell that she was expecting bacon and eggs for breakfast.
“Good morning,” she said, yawning.
“Hello,” the parents said at the same time.
- Do you have a shortened working day today?
“Uh-huh,” said Mrs. Cannon. “Will you have breakfast?”
Bella made an expression on her face that could read: “You’re still asking!” The mother took the plate without talking.
“Remember, are we going to visit today?” she asked, carefully turning the scrambled eggs in the frying pan.
- No. What time are we going?
The mother's face took on a thoughtful expression. She looked questioningly at her husband
“About five,” Mr. Cannon answered sleepily.
“Oh my God, Michael, we’re late!” Kate chattered nervously, looking at her wristwatch. “By the way, you have a meeting with Mrs. Gray today.”
The father seemed to have woken up. “Holy shit!” he exclaimed, running to the mirror to straighten his tie (there was no time left to put on his best suit), when Mrs. Cannon, throwing the stove, began to correct her makeup. Bella watched the commotion without much interest. She felt thoughts of Sirius Black enter her head again. “Fuck it!” Bella shouted, accompanying the phrase with a quick shake of her head, to which her parents glanced sideways in surprise. However, they did not have time to explain who their daughter was “nagging” like that.
“Michael, move!” Mrs. Cannon said angry.
- Now…
- GO!
Having received a well-deserved slap on the head from his beloved wife, Michael Cannon put on his jacket already on the street. Sometimes it seemed to Bella that she was the most intelligent creature in this family, but now that her state was close to paranoid, she was no longer surprised by anything.
***
Usually on Saturdays, Bella spent her time watching DVDs. She was in a lousy mood, partly due to the weather (“I wonder if it might ever be less lousy?”), and she was sleepy, and Bella was drowning in her own laziness, lounging on her unmade bed. And she really wanted to talk to someone, have fun... she suddenly felt so lonely and unhappy, and her eyes were already shining with tears.
And at that second Bella's mobile vibrated, indicating that it was none other than her dear and adored James calling. But despite everything, she was glad to hear his call.
“Hello, James,” Bella replied, smiling.
- Well, hello, beauty, how are you?
“Beautiful...” Bella thought with emotion. “Oh my God, how cute this is...”
- Best of all, how are you? What are you doing?
“Yes, I’m using the computer,” James said carefree.
“Well, of course, what else can you do on Saturday at eleven o’clock in the morning?” the girl grinned to herself.
“What are you doing today?” she asked.
- Nothing, maybe we’ll go somewhere to unwind?
Bella understood his tactics. Yesterday, feeling guilty, he decided to make amends by pretending as if nothing had happened. He rarely asked for forgiveness, even when he was truly at fault. Such a stubborn Uncle James =)
Bella thought about it. There was still a lot of time left until five o'clock, they could easily go to some movie, walks would still be useless...
“Oh, by the way, how is the investigation going?” James suddenly asked.
The happy expression on Bella's face was washed away like peroxide. She again felt like an abandoned and misunderstood creature. At that moment there was a ceramic figurine at hand, which I definitely wanted to break on my boyfriend’s head.
“Great, thanks for asking!” Bella said sarcastically. “Just a couple more days and I’ll put this damn bridge back together!”
Of course, she could have come up with something wittier to shut James up once and for all, but in this case he didn't really bring up the topic again. Even the tone changed.
- I see... well, let's go somewhere?
- Excuse me, I’m going to visit today.
“For the whole day?” James didn’t believe it.
“For the whole day,” Bella agreed.
“I bet he’ll be 100% offended now!” she thought excitedly, imagining his sad eyes, like those of a basset hound.
“Ah,” he drawled. “Okay, let’s do it tomorrow then.”
- I don’t know how it will work out.
She knew that what would infuriate James the most was her indifference.
- Okay, I'll call you in the evening. Bye!
“Come on!” she said and forcefully slammed the lid of her flip phone.
“What a pig!” Bella shouted offendedly at the innocent phone, which no longer held James’s call. “You should have ruined everything!” Do you want to talk? Call Jane!
Having made disappointing conclusions about her boyfriend, Bella went to the computer and, as if to spite everyone, turned on “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
He's funny, this Jack Sparrow. He radiated the kind of light and lightheartedness that Bella desperately needed. He didn't care what others thought of him or how they reacted to his behavior. Don't give too much importance to anything, don't be afraid of change and live life to the fullest - why aren't they taught this in school? It’s difficult to be able to save your soul when stress falls on you like a bag of bricks, so, despite the fact that Sparrow is still a movie hero, Bella took him very seriously and decided that now she would certainly follow his example.
An hour later, the viewing ended abruptly. The electricity was cut off in the entire apartment. Bella accepted this change in fortune without complaint, ironically considering it a gift of fate. Taking a deep breath, she unplugged the computer and turned off the lights in the kitchen.
She sat in silence for about five minutes until she heard the sound of an engine and a car door slamming. Mr. Stinger returned from the office. He looked most dissatisfied. Upon reasonable reflection, Bella decided that her competitors were again interfering with her life.
“Hello, Mr. Stinger!” Bella greeted, leaning out the window.
The neighbor turned around.
- Great!
“Our electricity was turned off,” Bella said without any joy.
“What?” the businessman got angry. “What kind of merit is this?”
Bella shrugged.
- I don’t know, check, maybe we’re the only ones.
- Okay, don’t be upset, it’s probably the tricks of these idiots from the housing and communal services again. I have already written complaints more than once...
Bella smiled. With his zeal and endless desire to "kick everyone's asses", he would eventually be drawn into the gay life of members of parliament. Or into the no less fun life of prison inmates. It depends on your luck.
“And yet,” he said, pointing his finger at Bella, “you’ll smoke out the window again, I’ll sell you into slavery, is that clear to you, hooligan?”
Bella's eyes widened in fear, and Mr. Stinger burst into laughter and headed toward the house.
However, for the fact that he saved her life, Bella didn't care what he had to say. Mr. Stinger gained a good reputation among those around him, especially young Cannon. The parents thanked the savior in their own way. Bella only knew that this cognac was specially imported from France itself (“So that I can get under water again if it’s not Hennessy,” she joked).
Bella waited tirelessly for another hour for her parents to arrive and had already managed to get herself in order in order to impress this Fred Thomas or whatever his name was. And to be honest, she was not at all inclined to go on a visit and hear again about the American government, the starving countries of Africa and other nonsense. Bella considered it pointless to suck at already obvious facts ten times. This is an eternal dissatisfaction...why grumble if you can't do anything to change something? And then it dawned on Bella. Of course, how could she forget... There are enough events in London to discuss, for example, the collapse of the Brockdale Bridge. Bella made a face. You will have to tell everyone about this tragedy, once again replay in your memory the fall into cold water, the crying women, the actions of the rescuers and the hated reporters. Therefore, Bella decided to ask permission for voluntary suicide. “What would Jack Sparrow do in my place?” she thought. “That’s right, he would talk everyone to death and destroy all the alcohol.”
***
The parents returned two hours later, as cheerful as cucumbers in the summer sun. The weather obviously has no effect on these self-sufficient people; both were shining like polished dimes.
“Well, are you ready?” the father of the family asked first.
“As you can see,” Bella spread her hands.
- What are you waiting for? Let’s go!” Mrs. Cannon urged her. Her gaze turned to the refrigerator, which was usually noisy. “Why are you defrosting the refrigerator?”
- Damn, mom, the electricity went out!
- So quickly unplug everything from the sockets, turn off the lights, and let's go!
Hopelessly sick optimists. And why can't she become the same? Well, no, since I decided, then so be it.

Chapter 5. Do you want to talk about it?

Although the criminal group's ship was half the size of the Fairy Tail ship, it was distinguished by sophistication and wealth. A wide table stood towards the end of the room, behind it was a black leather chair. On one side there was a chest of drawers: large, with silver handles and some kind of Asian ornament. On it stood unlit candles, cones, and several small chests that were closed. On the other side of the room, the entire wall was covered with cabinets: a bookcase, a glass cabinet with porcelain and crystal dishes (how were they still intact?), a cabinet for clothes and even shoes. The abundance of paintings, be they portraits, landscapes and still lifes, caught the eye and at the same time caused laughter: why would scammers love and understand art so much? Lily stood on guard while two of his comrades inspected the office, deftly opening closed locks (Juvia was a robber) and examining every detail. - I think I found it! - she was at the wall that was completely hidden by various cabinets. Securities were hidden under a large stack of clothes, and other agreements, terminated for some reason, were on the lowest shelf with china. These were the same sheets that confirmed that the “Almighty Ones,” to whom the residents gave absolutely everything for donation, were ordinary buyers in the closed secret market of chosen people from all over the world. Only high-quality products and things were supplied there, and goods from the paradise island were priced very well and were in great demand. Loxar felt in her soul that in this luxurious, but dark and therefore terrible cabin, which was completely furnished on the lies of scammers and the naivety of the poor inhabitants of the island, there was something else. Something... something important, no less necessary for the implementation of their plan. Blue eyes examined the wall with hanging lamps, with paintings between them, with some Chinese symbols on rice paper, and hands immediately followed them. And everything seemed to be fine, everything was normal, but she still noticed a picture with an almost naked beautiful girl lying on a bedspread, surrounded by prickly branches of a rose: in some places the buds were open, in some places they were in the process of flowering, and in others and completely fell off like dead beautiful petals. This painting - although Juvia did not understand all the art and did not know how good this work was - attracted attention because it did not lie close to the wooden wall, as if something was preventing it from falling completely. But before the girl even had time to extend her hand, heavy steps were heard on the stairs that led directly to this cabin from the main deck. Loksar started up, and Fullbuster reacted at the same second, carefully putting the papers back in place, under a pile of dark clothes, and motioned for his partner to hide. He himself climbed into the closet, opening the door slightly to see what was happening, and Juvia did not find another convenient place other than the main table. It was large and hid it perfectly, but there was still one “but” - if someone wants to sit at the table, relax on a chair and put their feet on the tabletop, to which the map was glued, simultaneously studying it and smoking a cigarette, then the girl will be revealed. It's a bad place, but it would be impossible to get to Gray's closet and hide there. As soon as Juvia ducked down, the door swung open. All we could do was rely on luck. Juvia could feel her heartbeat in her ears and head. It was even scary to think that in the dull silence, interrupted by the loud ticking of the clock, this bald man with a snake tattoo on his head could hear someone’s heartbeat, which was clearly not his own. But he didn’t notice anything, he simply whistled and stepped with his heavy feet, shod in new knee-high boots, as if he was expecting to fall onto the lower deck into some storage room or prison - whatever they had underneath. - Dick! - a skinny guy with short-cropped black hair burst into the cabin like a whirlwind. There was a scar on his forehead in the shape of a cross. - I think we should leave earlier! Not tonight, but right now! - And why is that? - the man addressed the guy with such a harsh and dissatisfied tone, as if he were the boss here and could not tolerate the fact that some slugs were deciding for him what to do. “I saw an unfamiliar girl near the village,” he puffed because he was running at full speed, and held his hands in fists, as if by this he was proving the seriousness of his intention. - And what? Do you want to say that this someone is not our ? Juvia bared her teeth as soon as she noticed with what pronounced accent this dirty chubby bald man pronounced the word “our”, as if the inhabitants of this village belonged to their number. - Perhaps these are the same pirates... Maybe they didn’t leave? We were wrong? Or did they decide to return? Or didn’t they even sail away, but simply deceived us? - You think a lot, fool. How many times have you been wrong and only damaged our reputation in front of others? Come back, I don’t want to see you! The guy who ran in didn’t say anything, he was so frightened both by the tone and probably by the menacing look of his comrade in the deceitful plan. He immediately ran away, offended and dissatisfied, only this Dick himself remained in the cabin and grabbed one chest on a large chest of drawers. - It would be cool if those lousy pirates were here. There are such beauties there! They will give you several times more if you bargain well. Who is worth more: the Koki sisters, the fighting Erza or the little cutie Wendy? “I would like everyone,” the bald man burst into laughter, so strange, as if he was not exhaling, but inhaling air into himself. His strange laughter filled the entire cabin, even the walls seemed to shake with fear. That is why Juvia, as if rising from the darkness, holding a rapier in her hands, looking menacingly and throwing lightning with her gaze, feeling anticipation and even excitement, was about to do something. No one had seen Loxar like this except Redfox: the past, which clung to her like a fly and did not leave her head, clouded her mind, returning that same phantom girl, as everyone called her, moving like a shadow, emerging from the darkness and appearing with the rain. Dick continued to laugh, and Juvia just raised her hand - there was fire in her eyes, a malicious smile on her lips, which in no way belonged to the cute pirate who was going crazy because of the object of her adoration - but the man’s hand stopped her blow, while the other closed mouth and dragged me back. The surprised girl, who did not immediately come to her senses, who did not even manage to utter a word, found herself locked in Fullbuster’s arms in a not very convenient closet with clothes. Everything happened so quickly that no one noticed: neither Dick, who had left alive and well, nor Juvia, who had lost control, nor Gray himself, who succumbed to instinct and inner desire. When they got out after a while, both looked at each other in tension and with surprise, so clearly visible on their faces. Only if Gray did not understand the situation that had happened at all, then Loksar, realizing all the reality and the pain of her heart, threw the rapier out of her hands and stopped holding back the trails of tears flowing down her reddened face, out of fear. Myself.

Something happened? - when Juvia and Gray returned to the ship, accompanied by Lily with a large booty, the captain immediately asked a question that worried him. Lucy and Happy stood next to him, the rest were still busy with business and could not meet their arriving comrades. “We found out that tonight, in a few hours, they are sailing away to the same place as always,” Fullbuster said, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the girl standing behind him, who exhaled and nodded. At this time, Romeo, Lisanna and Elfman came onto the deck and fed and watered the unfortunate guy. - Approximately how long are they absent when they swim away? And how many people are there on the ship? - the navigator asked these questions to Romeo, who immediately took on a thoughtful look and began to calculate and remember. - Three days on average. There are few people like me, knowledgeable and understanding, in the village. But we found out that these people always go to the same place not so far from here twice a month on the same day. It's like an illegal black market that attracts cunning traders and wealthy buyers. In total there are twenty-five people in the “enlightenment”, ten of whom are sent there. - If so, then it’s better for us. There are fewer people on the island, it’s easier and faster to defeat and tie them up. This means that in these three days we must do everything possible. Happy looked through documents, although he couldn't read, Lucy looked through portraits of girls. These portraits were hidden in a paper envelope behind that painting with a naked model among the roses. Time, as well as the tense situation between them, did not allow Juvia and Gray to understand who they were. More precisely, the navigator tried to change something, but the girl, unexpectedly for everyone and even herself, simply put a wall between them. “These are girls who were taken to be sold,” Romeo said, walking up to Lucy and looking at the portraits painted with dark paint. - I communicated well with many. But they all... - he didn’t need to finish. There was only one thing left to do: hope that everything was okay with them, that they were alive and well. “Wait, this girl lives in the village now,” a small finger with dirt under the nail poked at one portrait, which depicted in black and white a girl with straight bangs halfway across her forehead and long hair going behind her back, part of which was hidden under a cowboy hat. - She's the only one who came back. No one knows what happened to her because she hasn't spoken a word since that day. All of us, that is, normal people who understand the lie, thought that they cut out her tongue and threatened not to say anything to anyone: neither with gestures, nor with eyes, nor in any other way. This was the only way they could keep her alive. After Romeo’s unexpected story, Natsu and Lucy looked at the drawing in the girl’s hands for some time, then briefly thought about Cana’s fortune-telling, who explained something from the future five or six hours ago, and then looked at each other. Young woman. "Silence". The same one, that's their ace. - What is her name? - The captain looked from his partner to the boy. - Bisca.

At this time, Erza and Mira monitored the life of the village. Are they villages? From the outside, everything looked like a poorly executed show with actors who were constrained and not playing. They didn't smile, didn't laugh, didn't cry. The only emotions were manifested when talking about the Almighty, in whom they believed. There was no warmth between wife and husband at all, there was no warm atmosphere between acquaintances or friends. Even the movements seemed too sharp, as if they had been practiced for such a long time. Apart from this, everything remained normal. And when the girls were about to go to the next point, closer to the city center, they saw something strange and suspicious: a representative of the deceivers walked with a basket in his hands and, meeting certain people, took out from there a small test tube with a liquid with a small sediment. Erza pointed at this man with her gaze. Mira immediately understood her friend’s thoughts and nodded in response, giving her agreement. It’s good when too noisy guys don’t interfere with such missions: the female duo quickly and quietly approached the man in white who was handing out the cones, and, while no one was looking, they knocked them carefully from behind, turning them off with the first blow. Having each picked up several cones, the girls quickly rushed to the ship. Ideal crime.

In the next morning. One two-story house on this island in the village.

A girl with long green hair sat on a makeshift chestnut chair and looked at her reflection in the mirror. There was a coldness in her eyes that had settled with her since she returned back home. Mute, cold and distant, she was supposed to scare people or make them worry about herself, but, unfortunately, in this village people were so brainwashed that no one paid attention to her. Even if someone wanted it, after a while this desire fell away from the words of the so-called “enlighteners.” In one second, behind her, where almost her entire room was reflected, two silhouettes and one flying spot appeared, which were hidden in the shadow of the curtains. The mistress of the house's eyes widened in fear, but her mouth remained motionless. Turning around, she saw in the light of day, when they stepped out of the shadows, two pirates: a guy and a girl, and a flying blue cat on white wings. If the latter surprised her, Bisca hid it very well. Appearing unexpectedly, like snow falling on his head, Natsu, Lucy and Happy expected different reactions, having previously figured out in their minds various ways out of them peacefully, but not that Bisca would grab the arquebus standing near the dressing table and aim at them. “We come in peace,” the pirate captain immediately realized and raised his hands in a peace gesture, which his two comrades immediately repeated after him. So they tried to make it clear that they came with friendly intentions. - Please note that we did not take weapons. And this was indeed the case: Jellal, accompanying them, remained in the shadows outside the house with their weapons, so that they could show a good mood and a peaceful disposition. “I wouldn’t want to die so early,” Happy began to whine, sniffling, remembering the wonderful taste of Mira’s fish and Charlie’s smile when she mocked him again. Dragneel noticed that Bisca lowered her weapon, but did not remove her hands from it. She was ready at any second, as soon as the pirates said or did something wrong, she would lift her back up and shoot her in the head without hesitation. There was no doubt that she knew how to use an arquebus. But the pirates really had no intention of fighting and causing noise with the attention of almost three hundred inhabitants of the island. “All we want is to talk,” Heartfilia began cautiously, holding her hands up. Natsu saw how her limbs began to lower a little, and realized that they were numb, so Lucy wanted to lower them down, but his partner did not want to give any hint of hostility on their part. The captain smiled at the thought. - We heard your story. More precisely, what is known. And we know about the situation with the island. We're here to help. Lucy tried to speak as confidently as the situation allowed, because it was worth remembering that Heartfilia and Natsu were unarmed, and the interlocutor had a charged arquebus at the ready. The guy and Happy were silent, but the captain himself tried to show with all his appearance and firm gaze that their comrade was telling the truth and they really wanted to help. But Biska's eyes were glassy; nothing could be read from them. - But to help everyone, we need your help. Do you agree with our cooperation? We will definitely reveal the truth to everyone and prove that everything was a lie that they fed you for their own benefit,” even after these words from the guy, the girl with the weapon was still adamant. I didn't believe it. Dragneel felt the girl's panic begin to awaken from the thought that they would not succeed. Only the cat hanging in the air nearby tried to hide its fear behind knitted eyebrows, which turned out quite ridiculous. The cat's eyes betrayed his inner feelings. “We won’t force you,” the captain lowered his hands, causing Biska to perk up, squeezing the weapon tighter in her hands. But she didn’t pick it up. But Lucy's face became white as chalk. - We have one more day. Tomorrow at two o'clock in the afternoon we are waiting for you in one place, which Romeo will tell you about. We will go to the end,” Natsu’s steely voice truly inspired confidence. At least his comrades believed him even more than ten minutes ago. - If Fairy Tail promised something, it will deliver. You may not trust us, but this may be your last chance to save yourself before these scammers squeeze all the juice out of you. Whether you can speak or not, whether you can write or not, even your confident gesture in our direction will increase the winnings in this situation significantly. Just think. And having finished his speech here, the captain, still as serious, raised his palm to the almost numb thin hands of his partner and began to slowly lower them - he did the same with the paws of his flying friend. When Heartfilia nevertheless lowered hers, looking steadily at Bisca with the arquebus, Dragneel confidently took the girl’s hand and squeezed it tightly in his palm. And then, pulling him towards them, just as they flew into the window at Happy, all three of them flew out of it, alive and not shot.

The pirates were not very surprised when Bisca did not come to the appointed place, which Romeo told her about during yesterday's dinner. The pirates' wait, which lasted half an hour, was ultimately not justified, so they went back to the ship, moving quickly and quietly so that no one would accidentally find them. In fact, although Gray was upset by this fact, he did not understand such hopelessness on the faces of Natsu and Lucy. They trailed behind him, Mira and Lis more slowly, five steps behind, and looked really downcast, which was not surprising, because these two knew what Cana had not revealed to anyone else: the truth about Bisky's important role in their journey. As soon as they boarded the ship, Levi and Wendy ran up to them with wide eyes, in which a mixture of pride and joy splashed. Their facial expressions spoke for themselves, words were not needed - they understood what kind of liquid the inhabitants of this island were drinking. “At first it was a simple liquid,” Levy began to say, showing the same test tube in her hands, as if she wanted others to take a closer look at it and thereby understand something for themselves. “But these “enlighteners,” as Romeo called them, added something that slows down the process of brain activity and causes trance, followed by the magical effect of suggestion. From what we could discern and see, this is a decoction of various plants that are often mentioned in the legends of various peoples and nations. “We only have assumptions about which plants and components were used in this decoction,” Wendy said, not noticing that she was standing on her tiptoes from excitement and growing seriousness. Maybe psychologically she wanted to look taller, not only in words and actions, but also in height? For small, poorly growing people, their growth is a rather sensitive topic. “Nothing,” Jellal, standing nearby, put his large palm on the small head of their healer. - This is more than enough. Thank you for your work.

D-Day

The next day was very eventful. From the very morning, the pirates were ready, hoping to prevent a mistake and pull off their scam in order to save people who were fed a couple of times a month with a certain decoction that did not allow them to see everything that was happening in the right light. At this time, Fernandez and the other half of Fairy Tail took up positions in the morning, finding every remaining “enlightener” on the island in order to capture them and prevent the rest of the pirates from interfering. - Erza, don't worry. Several members of the pirate crew stood in the thicket of the forest and prepared to begin their mission to rescue the villagers. It’s not that the part of the pirates behind Scarlet gave her moral support, but rather the captain simply insisted that there should be more of them in order to, in a pinch, be on the alert. The captain's assistant, holding the hilt of the sword on the sword belt with her hand, sighed. “I think I’m the only calm one here,” she turned back, examining everyone. - Come on, pull yourself together, damn it. These are ordinary people, not some kind of monsters! Scarlet’s words did not calm her down in any way, but her steely voice gave results. Natsu smiled, urging everyone to show the honor and power of "Fairy Tail", causing the others to cheer. Lucy stood right behind Dragneel and felt like behind a wall behind his broad shoulders. Levy held the leaflets in her hands, clutching them to her chest, as if their lives depended on them (which, however, almost was the case). Elfman stood behind everyone and looked like an impenetrable rock. A little further away, biting her lips, stood Juvia, who was also holding some sheets of paper in her hands. No one recognized this closed and drooping girl as the same assistant navigator. And next to her, serious beyond her years, Wendy, fiddling with a bag with some important thing in her hands. And so, coming out of the forest, noticing surprise and mild panic on people’s faces. Someone tried to run away, someone remained rooted to the spot, someone, hiding, could not satisfy their surprise and looked out. Several people shouted for them to get out, someone called for help from that Almighty, someone even tried to throw tomatoes and eggs at them, but due to the shortage of their own food (which the scammers took) everyone stopped trying to hit them and transfer food . The pirates walked in a group, next to each other, with smiling faces that seemed to demonstrate their friendly intentions. Natsu and Lucy briefly tried to see green hair and a cowboy hat among the crowd, but so far their efforts to notice their owner were unsuccessful. “We all believe in something,” as soon as Erza climbed onto a kind of stage in the main square, which was surrounded by people, she immediately began to speak without unnecessary preamble, without even saying hello or introducing herself. - There is nothing wrong. Someone believes in loved ones, someone believes in themselves, someone devotes their life to believing in Someone standing high above us and watching our actions. And we would not have anything against if this was your desire, and not someone’s insidious plan and empty lie. The crowd began to thin out, surprised by the strangeness of the words of some girl with red hair, surrounded by probably the same strange pirates. Maybe inside their souls they were interested in listening, but the suggestion of the scammers told them to beware of strangers, so they ran into the nearest rooms and houses. Levy looked excitedly at Lucy, who looked at Natsu with the same look, who, in turn, looked trustingly at the back of Scarlet standing in front and smiled at her. Elfman stood with his arms crossed, only Juvia, more detached and withdrawn, was in a completely different state. - You don’t believe us, that’s understandable. You fools cannot believe. Tell me, how many times do you smile a day? How often do you laugh? Are your children happy? Do you treat your elders with the same respect and care? Perhaps your Supreme exists. But is it right to deprive yourself of all joys and become ordinary tools of labor, giving everything for free into the hands of those whom you have never seen doing the same work? Why should you be deprived of something, but they should not? Does your Almighty treat everyone differently? - the best way out is rhetorical questions that make people think. However, among the crowd there were more indignations than agreeable and thoughtful people. They are not so easy to break through. - You don't want to listen without proof, do you? That's why we brought them with us to reveal the truth about these damn liars. - Erza put her hand to the side, on which Levy immediately put the documents, almost tripping from surprise and the attention of more than a hundred people on her. - These are documents with a seal, see for yourself their authenticity. Your work is just a tool in the hands of these vile people who sell everything you do, find, cook and kill,” she threw several sheets in different directions. They flew slowly: first in one direction, then in the other, turning over, doing somersaults right in the air, and then landing right in the hands of the inhabitants of the island or falling at their feet. However, this was not enough. If someone tried to pick up and look into the sheets thrown by Erza, then it was of little use, and the remaining residents did not touch the documents at all. However, there was interest - this was evident from the way the crowd grew around the makeshift stage, slightly bent to the side. Scarlet turned back and looked at Juvia, who did not immediately understand why Elfman suddenly pushed her forward - mentally she was not here. She perked up, blushed, suddenly quietly apologized in the third person and went up to the captain’s assistant. - If that's not enough, we have more evidence. These are also papers directly related to the sale, but here everything is different. Parents, you must know the truth, to whom and where did you give your unfortunate daughters. And a new batch of leaflets swirled in the air. A sharp gust of wind first picked them up, spinning them over the heads of the residents, and then began to lower them. And this time they reached out to them. And this time, instead of talking about vile lies and the fact that there were evil spirits in the pirates, surprised sighs arose one after another in the crowd, and several ladies, feeling such a bright surge of emotions for the first time in a year, fainted. Their previous disbelief was replaced by interest and a slow realization of the words spoken, which no longer looked like a strange set of letters of devils who had captured the souls of pirates. However, this was still not enough for a clear victory. And the pirates had something else. - It's hard to believe, isn't it? When you live next to a lie, it is mistaken for the truth. But this still remains a lie. And only half of the blame for what happened to you and your daughters lies with you: you were all able to so easily succumb to the sweet speeches of people because of the special solution that they give you. What did they say about him? Surely something convincing and connected with the Almighty, but it is not so! This liquid is like a poison harmless to the body. After drinking it, you will accept any information as the truth,” Erza interrupted her speech because at that time she heard someone’s question about the antidote. So they are almost at the finish line! Lucy and Levi happily held hands, and a relaxed smile lit up the faces of the captain and Elfman. Loksar smiled faintly, feeling internal discomfort: it seemed that conflicting feelings were fighting inside, two sides of one girl, so she had to restrain herself in everything: until she understood who she really was. - The antidote is yourself. If you believe us and stop drinking this liquid, your brain will clear up and the pink film will disappear from your eyes. For some people right away, for others it will take time. The main thing is that you really want it. You will remember again what it’s like to cry and laugh, to feel anger and love, like... - Do not believe in the dark lies of the cunning devil! - one man in white clothes, which was a symbol of the “enlightenment”, came forward, and the crowd immediately parted in front of him. Scarlet fell silent in surprise. Lucy glanced anxiously at Natsu, who was already standing ready to fight: with weapons or in words - whatever it would lead to. The blonde decided not to worry, because the people, at least almost one and a half hundred, who surrounded them and did not hide in the houses, had already almost joined them. She was sure that everything was still in their hands. True, she did not calculate that faith in the stranger’s words was not so strong. The faces, which had cleared up just a second ago, returned to their previous stony state, as soon as this man with a bald head and pierced ears opened his mouth and began to read a prayer - or whatever his meaningless words were. Marvelous! Their three-day effort crumbled and turned to dust as soon as one rogue, who probably managed to escape from Jellal and Gray, appeared in the crowd. It's funny if you look at it from one side, stupid - if you look at it from the other, and sad - from the third. “It can’t be,” Levy whispered. Now the same people were looking at them as they had met half an hour ago. “But mothers’ hearts doubt,” Juvia noted hopefully. Indeed, the women holding portraits of their daughters in their hands could not fully believe the eyes of the man who came. But Heartfilia did not feel the positivity with which Loxar looked at mothers. Because she and Natsu standing next to her knew that their failure was predictable and only they were to blame. They blindly hoped that they could solve everything without Biska's help, but, apparently, she would actually become the very point that completed the mission. “Sorry,” the partners said to each other in unison and were surprised. Each of them saw their guilt in the fact that they could not convince the girl to help them. If they had burst into her in the morning and been able to catch her on the spot, if they had seen her before the start of their last move, then perhaps everything would have ended on a less dire note. And even though Erza tried to shout over the crowd, coming up with new beliefs on the go along with Levy, who had more experience in public speaking, and even though some mothers were still unsure and listened to Juvia’s words, the pirates were lost in failure. But here... - If you don’t believe them, can you believe me? - a hoarse voice, as if from a cough, came from the side of the crowd. The pirates looked over and saw Bisca rising towards them wearing a cowboy hat and a smug smile on her face. The hero always comes at the last moment, doesn't he? While Bisca was telling her story in a hoarse and breaking voice, Natsu and Lucy decided to detain the liar who had suddenly appeared so that he would not have time to escape. And the girl, taking the cowboy hat off her hair, talked about how she left the ship on time six months ago, hid, not believing what was happening, and was going to tell her family and the whole village the truth, but these “enlighteners” found her earlier, tortured her and were about to would have been killed if one guy, Alzack, had not accidentally passed by with his friends while out hunting. She told how she was threatened with death by her family and friends if she tried to squeak in their direction and reveal the truth. Her voice, hoarse after so many months of silence, gave her already sad story a note of sympathy. Not everyone believed it. But the majority who knew this girl well began to feel pain, to doubt what they believed in this year, their heads began to clear, and logic began to return to their minds oppressed by lies, as soon as one strong feeling touched their hearts. Romeo and the rest of his acquaintances, who were not under the pressure of impostors and lies due to their good immunity or refusal to drink liquid a couple of times, stepped forward and tried to convince the residents once again, gesticulating, telling real stories and almost crying.

Thank you, Natsu! - Romeo smiled so widely for the first time in a long time. Even though the clothes were shabby and the bags under his eyes had not gone away, the boy still looked like a completely different person: alive and happy. However, like almost every resident. Not everyone was able to immediately accept the truth, some still had to be worked on, but more than half of the people took off their rainbow glasses and saw the lie with their own eyes. They have a lot of work ahead: start storing food again for themselves, distribute among families all the things that were found on the ship that arrived in the evening with another part of the swindlers, create a special squad led by Biska and her boyfriend Alzack to hand over all the associated liars to the police , and also find, if possible, sold daughters. - Next time, Romeo, don't let anyone ruin your lives, okay? - Dragneel, with a wide and innocent smile, ruffled the hair of the boy, who immediately burst into laughter. - In the future I will become like you! - the boy continued admiringly, surprising Dragneel and Lucy and Happy standing next to him. - You are such a cool and cool pirate! - two comrades behind his back burst into fists, knowing full well how restless and cheerful their “cool and serious captain” was. But Natsu was not offended, although he still uttered a caustic phrase towards Heartfilia purely out of their pleasant friendly back-and-forth. No one could spoil his happiness: they helped the residents and, as a reward, a certain Laxus gave him a ball, dissolving and disappearing almost in the same way as the woman with the hut on their first island. And everyone decided to relax for the day, considering that they deserved it with their efforts and grueling travels. We stayed overnight in the residents' houses, finally lying down on a flat surface that didn't float forever on the waves. Only three girls felt nervous: Lucy and Cana could not get rid of the thought of death from fortune-telling, although everything ended well and without victims, and Juvia oppressed herself with unnecessary thoughts and questions about herself. However, we should not forget that Alberona’s fortune telling is not a joke or a pretense. It’s especially not funny when it’s connected with death, which came to the pirates so unexpectedly and at the most inopportune moment. All the residents were awakened the next morning by the screams of several women. Everyone, including the pirates, ran out to find out the reason for the sudden panic. And they saw it with their own eyes. In the main square, on the very stage where Erza stood yesterday, where the pirates, with the help of Bisca, were able to win, a man was suspended. Dead. All over his body one could see countless wounds and scratches with blood that had long since dried. He wasn't just scratched: the pirates realized that this man had been tortured in various ways. And, most likely, in the square at night, while everyone was sleeping after drinking, they hanged a lifeless man who died from torment and pain. No, already a corpse. But the picture of his face was terrifying. Eyes open wide and seemingly looking straight at you - but they could no longer see. His mouth was open in a scream, as if he was about to say something - but this man would never speak again. Is it possible that his heart stopped during the torture while he was screaming in pain? Lucy kept wondering who the person who was supposed to die during their mission on this island could be, but she never imagined, she didn’t even think for a second that it could be the lieutenant everyone knew. - Jackal…- Lucy whispered through horror.

The cards don't lie. They never lie. Not about how History begins. Not about how it will end.