Chapter 17 – Sky Clash: Conis’s Integration and the First Skirmish

The days that followed Conis's decision were filled with quiet adjustments.

Becoming part of a crew was not like living on Angel Island. On the Queen's Grace, everyone worked, everyone fought, and everyone mattered. There were no safe corners to hide in. There was no silent survival.

There was only the rhythm of the sea—sky or otherwise—and the steady beat of purpose that tied them all together.

Kaito never explained this directly to Conis.

He let her feel it.

Let her learn it on her own.

And she did.

Slowly.

Conis's first few mornings aboard the Queen's Grace were awkward.

She tried to help Carmen in the galley but quickly realized she lacked any meaningful cooking skills.

She followed Nojiko to the navigation deck but struggled to understand the complex readings of the Log Pose and Sky Compass.

She attempted to assist Kaya in sorting medical supplies but kept misplacing herbs and ointments.

The only place she felt even remotely comfortable was the ship's railings, where she would quietly play her harp as the crew moved through their daily routines.

Her music was light, tentative, as if still unsure whether it was truly welcome here.

But the crew never complained.

Not once.

They simply let her play.

On one particularly calm afternoon, as the Queen's Grace drifted across the soft cloud sea, Kaito approached her during one of her solitary sessions.

"You've been quiet," he said, leaning against the railing.

"I'm… trying not to be in the way," Conis admitted, her fingers brushing softly over the strings.

Kaito shrugged. "You're not in the way. You're learning."

She hesitated. "But I can't fight. I can't navigate. I can't even cook."

Kaito watched her, his gaze steady. "What do you think a crew is?"

She blinked. "People who sail together?"

He smiled faintly. "Wrong. A crew is a family that chooses each other, over and over, every day. And everyone in a family has something only they can give."

She looked down at her harp. "And what's mine?"

Kaito's smile grew. "That's for you to decide. No one else can tell you."

Conis stared at her harp, lost in thought.

Slowly, her fingers began to move again, this time with a little more confidence.

Her melody carried across the deck, light but warm.

Kuina, practicing her sword forms nearby, didn't say a word, but the corners of her mouth softened.

Nojiko glanced over from the wheel, allowing the soft music to guide her course.

Carmen, hearing the gentle notes, stopped stirring her stew and muttered, "Finally, something that doesn't make my ears hurt."

Khalifa, perched on the upper deck, gave a rare nod of approval.

Kaya smiled as she tended to the herbs.

For the first time, Conis felt the threads tying her to them, weaving her into their rhythm.

She belonged.

She was part of the Queen's Grace.

But the White Sea would not allow peace to last forever.

Nojiko called Kaito over the following morning, pointing to a small island not far from their current course.

"There's a disturbance ahead," she said. "Smoke. Sounds of battle. The local dials are registering shockwaves."

Kaito's system chimed.

[Side Mission Detected: Minor Skirmish – Sky Island Resistance.]

[Warning: Potential Conflict with Enel's Priests.]

Kaito's grin sharpened. "Looks like the sky doesn't want us to get too comfortable."

Khalifa crossed her arms. "What's the plan?"

"We check it out," Kaito said simply.

The Queen's Grace adjusted its course, sailing toward the commotion.

As they neared the island, the signs of battle became unmistakable.

Sky trees were scorched. The cloud ground was torn apart. Craters and debris littered the landscape.

And in the center of it all stood a small figure, defiant and furious.

A little girl with wild silver hair and sharp eyes.

Aisa.

She stood her ground, breathing hard, facing off against two of Enel's priests who towered over her with cruel smiles.

"Step aside, child," one of them sneered. "This is a holy punishment. Interfering will only earn you a quicker death."

"I don't care!" Aisa snapped, her small fists clenched. "You don't get to hurt people just because you say so!"

Her Observation Haki crackled weakly, still undeveloped, but her spirit refused to yield.

The priest raised his dial weapon, aiming it at her chest.

"You're bold. But you're still just a child."

Before he could fire, a blade shimmered in the air.

The priest barely deflected Kuina's slash in time, stumbling back from the force.

The Queen's Grace crew had arrived.

Kaito landed beside Aisa, his hand resting casually on his sword's hilt.

"Hey, kid," he said, glancing at her. "Mind if we cut in?"

Aisa stared at him, confused, then narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"Just travelers who don't like bullies."

The other priest growled. "You're interfering with God Enel's will."

Khalifa stepped forward, adjusting her gloves. "God or not, anyone who attacks a child in front of me is begging to be humbled."

Carmen drew her knives with a grin. "Besides, I've been dying to test my new sky shrimp knives."

Nojiko took position near a cloud stream, ready to control the ship's escape if needed.

Kaya tended to Aisa, checking her for injuries.

Conis, standing nervously at the edge of the group, clutched her harp tightly.

She wanted to help.

But how?

She had no weapon. No combat skills.

Just her music.

Her heart pounded.

Could that really matter in a battle like this?

The priests attacked first, their dial weapons unleashing bursts of air and impact waves.

Kuina met them head-on, her blades flashing in tight, controlled arcs.

Khalifa moved like silk and steel, her strikes disabling weapons without unnecessary force.

Carmen darted in and out, using the terrain and her knives with surprising agility.

Kaito didn't even need to draw his sword yet.

His crew was more than capable.

But amidst the clash, Aisa's breathing grew ragged.

Her Haki flared uncontrollably, her senses overwhelmed.

The sensory overload left her vulnerable.

One of the priests noticed and aimed a dial blast directly at her.

Conis saw it first.

Her body moved before her mind could catch up.

She leapt between Aisa and the incoming attack, raising her harp instinctively.

A split-second decision.

The dial's impact smashed into the harp, the force shattering the strings and knocking Conis backward.

She hit the cloud ground hard, gasping for breath.

Kaito's gaze snapped toward her.

Kuina's next strike shattered the priest's dial weapon.

Khalifa's finishing blow sent him sprawling.

The fight ended quickly after that.

But Conis lay on the ground, her harp cracked, her hands trembling.

Aisa rushed to her side. "Why did you—?!"

"Because… you were scared," Conis managed, her voice shaking. "And I don't want anyone to feel like they're alone."

Aisa stared at her, stunned.

The little girl had spent so long fighting on her own, trusting no one.

Yet here was this sky musician, throwing herself into harm's way for her.

The connection formed instantly.

Kaito knelt beside Conis. "You alright?"

She winced, cradling her harp. "I think I broke it…"

Kaito chuckled softly. "That harp can be fixed. The heart that used it is the part that matters."

Conis's eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

"I wanted to help," she said. "But I didn't know how. So I played. And when that didn't work… I just moved."

Kaito stood and extended a hand to her. "You're helping more than you think."

She took his hand, rising to her feet.

Aisa looked at her, then at Kaito.

"You guys aren't like the other people here," Aisa said. "You're not afraid."

"We're afraid," Kaito corrected. "We just move anyway."

Aisa bit her lip, struggling with the unfamiliar feeling of trust.

"Can I… come with you?"

Kaito grinned. "That's up to you."

She hesitated, then nodded fiercely. "Yeah. I want to. I'm tired of fighting alone."

The system chimed in Kaito's mind.

[New Crew Member Acquired: Aisa – Sky Sniper]

[Potential Growth Path: Observation Haki Specialist]

Khalifa approached, crossing her arms. "We'll need to train her. She's reckless."

Kuina sheathed her swords. "But her instincts are good."

Carmen grinned. "I'll make sure she learns to cook too."

Aisa grimaced. "Do I have to?"

"Yes," Carmen said with mock sternness.

Conis laughed quietly, the sound light and genuine.

For the first time since leaving her home, she felt like she was truly part of something.

Something that mattered.

As the crew prepared to return to the Queen's Grace, Kaito glanced toward the distant Upper Yard.

Enel's shadow loomed over the skies.

But this battle wasn't theirs to finish.

Not yet.

For now, their journey would continue—with a new sniper, a sky musician with a broken harp, and a crew that was slowly, steadily growing stronger together.