ONE PIECE: Phantom's Wake

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012:
WHO WAS IT?

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The days blurred together, bleeding into one another like ink spilling across a page.

Ash didn’t know how long she had been trapped aboard the Thousand Sunny. Seven days? More? She had stopped counting after the third. It didn’t matter.

It felt like an eternity.

The sea stretched endlessly in every direction—just an infinite expanse of rolling waves and sky with no trace of land. No harbors. No ports. No escape.

Each sunrise was the same. Each sunset brought no relief. The ship carried on, but to where?

She had nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. So, she did the only thing she could—she avoided them.

She moved like a ghost through the ship, slipping in and out of rooms before anyone could catch her. If she heard footsteps, she changed direction. If she sensed movement, she vanished.

It was instinct, honed by years of survival.

She timed her visits to the kitchen, only sneaking in when she knew Sanji was nowhere near. A piece of bread here, a sip of water there—just enough to keep herself standing. But never when they were around.

She refused to eat with them.

She refused to sit with them.

She refused to acknowledge them.

But they wouldn’t stop. No matter how much she withdrew, no matter how much she ignored them, they wouldn’t leave her alone.

"Oi, Phantom!"

Ash bit the inside of her cheek so hard she tasted blood.

Luffy. Again.

She kept her back turned, gripping the ship’s railing so tightly her knuckles went white.

Ignore him. Ignore them. Just like before.

But Luffy was nothing if not relentless.

"Oi! Phantom!"

The nickname scraped against her nerves like a rusted blade.

She clenched her jaw, willing herself to stay still.

Don’t react. Don’t give him the satisfaction.

"Oi, Phantom, why are you ignoring us?"

A sharp breath hissed through her teeth.

Phantom. Phantom. Phantom.

The name that once struck terror into corrupt men, that had been whispered in the dark like a curse—they didn’t get to use it.

Not them. Not here.

She spun around, fury crackling through her veins like a live wire.

“My name is ASH!”

The words ripped from her throat, louder than she intended, raw and edged with something dangerously close to desperation.

Zoro’s sharp gaze locked onto her, arms crossed, like he had been expecting this outburst. His expression unreadable, but his stance? It screamed that he was ready—ready for her to snap, ready to stop her if she became a problem.

Nami stood rigid beside him, brows furrowed, watching her with something close to concern, but her grip on her Clima-Tact was firm.

Sanji had stopped mid-drag on his cigarette, exhaling smoke through parted lips, his blue eyes darkening just a fraction. Usopp stood a little behind him, shifting on his feet, his usual bravado absent. Franky and Brook exchanged glances, while Chopper flinched at her tone.