Lyra blinked herself awake and reluctantly propped herself up. Her feet dangled off the edge of the floating cushion as she stared at the newly arrived guest.
Nami walked toward the group, eyes glistening with tears.
"Thanks... Captain. I'm finally free."
Luffy grinned wide and laughed.
"That's what friends are for! If anyone dares make my friends cry, I'll beat them up and send them flying!"
Nami laughed, and soon the whole crew joined in—yes, even the cowardly Usopp let out a sheepish chuckle.
It would've been a wholesome way to wrap everything up... if not for one fairy queen who sat quietly, staring at the ground like she'd just discovered a new life philosophy.
"HOHOHOHO... no, that's not it. YERYERYERYER...? Ugh, absolutely not..."
Lyra rested her chin in her hand, completely absorbed in what sounded like the world's strangest brainstorming session.
(•Host, you are attempting to develop a unique pirate laugh in public.)
Startled she looked up and noticed the whole crew was staring at her.
"What?" she said, cheeks puffed in a dramatic pout. "You all started laughing—I didn't want to feel left out!"
If Sanji hadn't been unconscious, the sheer cuteness might've ended him on the spot.
Luffy tilted his head.
"That was... a laugh?"
Lyra nodded solemnly.
"Luffy, you don't understand. In this world, if you want to be strong, you need a unique laugh. The more ridiculous, the stronger you will become!"
Before anyone could respond, Nami—who had been standing silently—suddenly stepped forward, arms crossed. Her eyes bounced between Lyra and the still-unconscious Sanji, like she was solving a puzzle she couldn't believe existed.
"Uh-oh," Lyra muttered, sensing danger.
Nami marched over, eyes unreadable.
"You. Who are you? Why do you have wings? And why are you using a stuffed animal to knock people out?"
Lyra raised a finger like a teacher making a point.
"First off, in my defense—I offer a rebuttal."
She pointed dramatically at Sanji.
"It's Sanji."
The two women locked eyes for a long moment.
Nami raised an eyebrow... then shrugged.
"Fair enough."
Lyra smiled victoriously, clearly proud of herself.
"Wait, no—don't try to change the subject! Who are you? What are you?"
Lyra lifted a hand sheepishly.
"So... funny story—"
(•Host, I strongly advise against telling the truth right now.•)
"—I'm a traveling musician," she said quickly. "From the... uh... Harmonia Archipelago. Super exclusive. Very musical. You've probably never heard of it."
Nami narrowed her eyes.
"You're lying."
Lyra blinked.
"...What gave me away?"
"You literally summoned a glowing spear, turned it into a teddy bear, used it to knock someone out, and then turned it into a pillow."Viens bulged on the Nami's forehead.
Lyra tilted her head with mock innocence.
"Okay, but it was cool, right? Plus, by knocking Sanji out, I did every woman in the world a favor."
Zoro groaned from where he lay on the ground.
"This is gonna be a long day."
Luffy just laughed.
"She's funny. I like her!"
As the crew resumed bickering, Lyra floated a little higher on her magical pillow, quietly observing the scene. These weren't just characters anymore. They were real, chaotic, ridiculous people—and she was in the middle of it.
She took a deep breath and offered a small wave.
"By the way... I guess I should introduce myself properly."
She smiled, a little awkward but sincere.
"My name is Lyra Celestine. Musician, traveler, aspiring laugh legend, and... recently appointed fairy queen. Kind of."
Usopp leaned toward Luffy and whispered, "Did she say fairy queen?"
Luffy just nodded with a grin. "Shishishi."
The moment was cut short by the sound of marching boots and shouting voices, growing louder by the second.
Lyra's ears twitched, she had flashbacks of those shows she used to watch when she was a man on earth, She turned toward the noise—and paled.
"Oh no. That's... that's a torch-and-pitchfork kind of noise!"
Thinking fast, she jabbed a finger at Nami.
"She's the witch, not me!"
Everyone, the villagers and the straw hats just stared at her with a weird expression as they collectively had the same thought.
Why is the girl literally floating on a magic pillow with a wand calling someone else a witch...?
Ignoring the awkward silence, the villagers kept marching until they reached the group, stopping in front of Luffy.
A man stepped forward—dressed in a blinding red military cap and mismatched suit, with a face full of scars that gave him an oddly dramatic air.
"Young man," he said gruffly, his voice trembling with gratitude, "thank you. Because of you, we don't have to worry about little Nami carrying that burden anymore."
Tears shimmered in his eyes as he tried to maintain composure.
Behind him, the villagers bowed in unison.
"THANK YOU!"
Luffy scratched the back of his head, beaming.
"Shishishi. Don't worry about it, Genzo. Anyone who makes my friends cry is gonna get punched either way."
Genzo nodded, a smile breaking across his face.
"We don't have much, but we've prepared a feast and a party in your honor. We hope you'll join us."
Luffy's face turned deadly serious.
"Will there be meat?"
Genzo blinked, then nodded.
"Plenty."
"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go!"
Lyra offered a small smile.
"You all go ahead. I wouldn't want to intrude on your celebration."
She turned to drift away—but inside, her thoughts were a little more... opportunistic.
Yes, yes, go celebrate, you naive fools. You didn't even loot the bodies! All that treasure, those weapons... oh, the beli just sitting in that hideout, waiting for someone with initiative. Don't mind me. I'm just 'borrowing' the spoils of war. A girl's gotta hustle.
But Nami watched her carefully. A glint of mischief flashed in her eyes as she noticed Lyra subtly floating toward the hideout.
Oh no you don't. My 97 million berries are in there. That's MY treasure—okay, our crew's treasure...
She turned sharply to Luffy.
"Luffy, quick—grab her pillow! We don't want to be rude to our guest. And besides... what's a party without music, right, Mrs. Traveling Musician?"
Lyra froze mid-air.
"No, really! I don't want to intrude! I'm not that good, I'd just ruin the vibe—"
Her pillow jerked to a halt. She looked down and saw Luffy's hand gripping the edge.
He smiled up at her.
"Don't worry. You're not intruding. And what's a party without music? Shishishi."
Lyra stared into the sky with a hopeless expression.
She turned to glare at Nami, who smiled politely.
Inside, Nami was already celebrating.
Checkmate, fairy queen or not. No one steals from the great thief Nami.
With a resigned sigh, Lyra floated toward the village. There was no escape now.Great sage remind me to take revenge for this later!
(•*Sigh..* Understood•)
Still... her fingers itched, she was both nervous and excited.
Her first performance in this world was about to begin.